Buffalo Technology's PC-P3LWG/DVD HD Wireless Media Player

Buffalo Technology is releasing a high-definition wireless media player next month that also doubles as a progressive scan DVD player.  The PC-P3LWG/DVD (ask for it by name) uses 802.11g to wirelessly stream all manner of content from your PC to your entertainment center in yummy high definition.  All that hot high-def wireless action will cost you $349.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

[Gizmo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:13AM]

I don't quite understand?

Would I be able to watch TV on my computer and see my computer on a TV, PAL or NTSC?

If it has an inbuilt HD to recordbefore dumping to disc, could I use access tha from my computer. 50odd meg transfer is pretty good, no?

Does it play normal CD's?

Could it replace my stereo?

Could it replace my computer CD-ROM, HD and (this would be good) my monitor?!??

What else could this thing do?

[Andy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:13AM]

Hook this thing up with a Terrastation and your PC and you're close the a HTPC without the PC. The only thing that this is missing is DVR and DVD -+/R capabilities. At least that is the sense if you read the Buffolo PR

Drew

[Jon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:13AM]

Can't wait to see what the interface to navigate content looks like.... Hope it's better than the WMAs we've seen so far. I can't believe somebody hasn't come up with a really slick Flash-based interface yet.

[John Laur @ Dec 19th 2005 2:13AM]

It's worth mentioning at the very least that this thing does not *require* wireless; it does have a wired connection; meaning that you don't have to suck up insane amounts of wireless bandwidth with all that HD video.

It also may take the title of the first non-pc standalone device sold to actually play the only HD disc-based content actually available at this point: WMVHD.

Noticably absent however is its ability to play HD MPEG2 streams, listing a 15Mbps cap on MPEG2 video. This is kind of unfortunate since most PC-based capture solutions or other HD recording solutions save the direct transport stream which is normally somewhere between 18 and 26Mbps for 720p and 1080i content.

Also unfortunate is the low 30fps maximum of most formats it decodes. While not currently that common for broadcast video, 50 and 60fps material is not entirely an unreasonable format especially if it's material preprocessed from 60i to 60p.