Neuros OSD hardware out in beta, let the hacking begin!

Ah, so this is what you get when you take a hardware platform "open-source" -- the Neuros OSD. This infinitely hackable Linux-based media recorder / player beta unit is on sale now. Yeah, beta, 'cause this ain't no ordinary hardware offering. See Neuros is willing to pay you cash-money "bounties" to code new features into the open source firmware: YouTube or Google video ($1000), Flickr photo browsing ($600), wireless remote capabilities from a WiFi handheld device such as a PDA ($500), TiVo-style radio recording when connected to an FM/AM or satellite receiver ($700), and VoIP capabilities when a USB phone is connected ($500). Not bad for something you'll likely do for the fun of it anyway right? Out of the box, you get a standalone media player which can record from any external analog audio/video source and then automatically encode it for playback on PSPs, mobile phones, and iPods in popular formats such as MPEG-4, AVI, ASF, MP3, OGG, WMA, and AC3. And with a dual-core ARM9 / TI DSP, multi-card memory slot, USB host capability, Ethernet, recording up to 720x480 resolution at 30fps, IR Blaster, and S-Video in and Composite audio/video in/out, well, you still might be tempted to plunk down the meager $230 to take this baby home. Hurry though, only 200 beta units left!

[Roberto @ Sep 20th 2006 12:09PM]

They should have included an IR for your VHS.

[Andy @ Sep 20th 2006 9:46AM]

This little thing shows some promise. I don't have time to do any extra coding, but I'll be interested in how this turns out later on.

[gooy @ Nov 23rd 2007 4:08AM]

this thing is gunna be the bomb

[gadgetmike @ Sep 20th 2006 9:53AM]

I can't code worth a damn either but I bought one anyway.

[Sascha Kunze @ Sep 20th 2006 10:12AM]

wow, better get coding then, any monetary rewards and I am in on it.

[petr @ Sep 20th 2006 10:16AM]

I want one!

[PHxS @ Sep 20th 2006 10:32AM]

Buy it from ThinkGeek.com and get a $70 rebate.

http://open.neurostechnology.com/node/568

$229.99 - $70 rebate = $159.99

Not a bad deal if you ask me.

[John Stracke @ Sep 20th 2006 10:33AM]

I just ordered mine.

[Brian W @ Sep 20th 2006 10:40AM]

Can't I just install MythTV on it? MythTV supports booting off a CF card, then just add a external usb drive for storage.

[macona @ Sep 20th 2006 11:20AM]

Now if it only had HDMI....

[clay @ Sep 20th 2006 12:48PM]

ARM9 huh. the DS runs of an ARM9 and an ARM7, someone make a cool DS mod!

[mr.x @ Sep 20th 2006 12:49PM]

So cheap. Let OSS developers do the work for a few hundreds which would cost a few tentousands if the would employ some developers. The OSS developers even have to buy the hardware by themselves. Hopefully nobody will bite the bait. This will just spoil the jobmarket and value of work for professional devs. No developer can support his live with this business model. Just think how many hours you need to work to get the bounty on top of this somebody migth be faster than oyu means you work for free.

[Lee Gibson @ Sep 20th 2006 12:52PM]

"Let OSS developers do the work for a few hundreds which would cost a few tentousands if the would employ some developers."

You say that like it's a bad thing. Do you think people should be forbidden to work for free? Even if the "work" they're doing is something they consider fun?

[hodgee @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:16AM]

Or, you could look at it the other way. Most OSS developers code for fun; because they enjoy doing it. They don't normally get paid for it. So why not write some code, and make a few hundred dollars in the meantime?

Programming is a hobby for most OSS developers. Not their main job. Most of them don't really want to become professional developers. Somehow, doing something as a career seems to take the fun out of it. And, it takes a few years and several thousand dollars to earn a degree, which you'll need if you want to have any chance of finding a job.

And you don't like the idea that they have to buy the hardware? Well I don't know about you, but if I were working on this project, I'd love to have that programmable media recorder to mess around with.

Oh, and another thing: (low development costs) = (cheap end product). You can't deny that an inexpensive end product is a good thing.

[SHoe @ Sep 20th 2006 12:57PM]

Ports for this:

Doom 1 & 2: $100
Quake 1/ Hexen 1: $180
Duke Nukem 3D: $180
MAME: $175
SNES, or Genesis emu: $145

... etc.

;)

[Guthrie @ Sep 20th 2006 1:22PM]

awesome, but I'll wait for the programming crowd to supe this up.

[Rob @ Sep 20th 2006 1:24PM]

If only someone could do this exact strategy but develop a lightweight hi-def capable "media center" front end (AKA mythtv frontend).

LAN in... video (component/HDMI) out...
optional: cf cards, dvd drive

As long as they are at it... how about video conferencing? That USB port could host a web-cam.

[Matt @ Sep 20th 2006 1:35PM]

It would have been nice if they had a cooler coloured circuit board.

Baby shit brown isn't exactly great, but kudos for trying to colour-coordinate it with the remote!

[Nizam Rahman @ Sep 20th 2006 8:21PM]

That is three different levels of awesome. I'll wait a Neurosforge.org to be set up before getting my hands on this puppy.

[Nizam Rahman @ Sep 20th 2006 8:21PM]

That is three different levels of awesome. I'll wait a Neurosforge.org to be set up before getting my hands on this puppy.

[Stu L Tissimus @ Sep 22nd 2006 4:30PM]

I'd love to own this thing. Does anybody know details ocncerning the GUI and development libraries?

[WIrelessGriffin @ Nov 23rd 2007 12:28AM]

sounds interesting

[khtse @ Nov 23rd 2007 12:29AM]

here i come

[Jack Crawford @ Nov 23rd 2007 12:45AM]

This looks like it could be awesome.

[Shak @ Nov 23rd 2007 12:51AM]

crosses fingers

[Ross Takahashi @ Nov 23rd 2007 12:54AM]

"Open-source" says it all.

[Michael Willyard @ Nov 23rd 2007 12:56AM]

this look so cool

[Viktor @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:00AM]

Engadget the best of the web.....

[claude @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:06AM]

Looks really cool to me.....

[Ed Fransen @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:10AM]

I've been keeping tabs on the Neuros OSD website for over a year now and seems about time I get one. It's just what I would create for myself if I had the technical knowledge for assembling such a device. Every day I come across videos online I'd like to save plus I need a way to transfer aging home movies on VHS into the digital realm.
http://vtvid.110mb.com/video2.html

[stevew @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:31AM]

go.

[DigiPix @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:45AM]

:-)

[Louay @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:46AM]

i heart engadget

[James Grein @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:55AM]

Woo-Hoo

[ZachAJ @ Nov 23rd 2007 2:22AM]

Sounds awesome!

[jAsian @ Nov 23rd 2007 2:34AM]

sounds pretty friggin sweet.

[T P @ Nov 23rd 2007 2:37AM]

in for anything

[Patrick @ Nov 23rd 2007 2:37AM]

cool

[Natalie @ Nov 23rd 2007 2:39AM]

Awesome!

[Laron @ Nov 23rd 2007 3:56AM]

noice~

[gooy @ Nov 23rd 2007 4:09AM]

mpp

[gooy @ Nov 23rd 2007 4:10AM]

xys

[jagerr @ Nov 23rd 2007 5:08AM]

Late but still on time.

[Cecil @ Nov 23rd 2007 8:51AM]

This is a slick looking machine. I hope it works as well as it looks.

[Jeff @ Nov 23rd 2007 3:53PM]

please

[Vic @ Nov 24th 2007 3:28AM]

OpenHardware meets OpenSource: the next New, New, Thing.