Philips preparing assault on Apple TV

Now this is Interesting. According to TrustedReviews, Euro-powerhouse Philips was showing off this dedicated media streamer at Computex last week. The brushed aluminum enclosure packs HDMI and optical audio outs for your home entertainment rig and a 40GB disk which can be expanded via USB 2.0. Unfortunately, neither the interface nor the specs were on show. Now, anyone care to guess what that stubby slot is for? Read-on for a picture of the backside.

[Via Gadget Discovery]

[RickyRik @ Jun 11th 2007 8:39AM]

Looks like a Mac Mini knockoff. HDMI, not bad! But what's the slot in the front? Card reader maybe?

[mentalsticks @ Jun 11th 2007 8:47AM]

Even weirder than the slot on the front is the USB port on the backside. Isn't that the 'device' (Type B) USB plug? Meaning the external HD should have a 'host' USB port, and I've never seen a drive like that.

[Kneep @ Jun 11th 2007 8:52AM]

It looks more like you can actually hang it on your pc with that USB

[palmosc @ Jun 11th 2007 9:01AM]

Cablecard maybe...

[BatteryAcid @ Jun 11th 2007 4:01PM]

but why on the front.

[Bernhard @ Jun 11th 2007 9:03AM]

That thing will probably come alive at night, roll over to your Wallet, take out your ATM and Credit Cards and read them, send that info back to HQ...

[Mike @ Jun 11th 2007 9:07AM]

My guess is that slot isn't a slot - its a display. Under close scrutiny it has a (very slight) bluish tinge, rather than being a shade of dark black

[Matteo @ Jun 11th 2007 9:09AM]

I don't like it all that much. But it has advantages over the AppleTV.
- stream from any network attached device
- stream DivX
- ATTACH EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE TO ITS USB PORT!!!!

Now, as you might have guessed, the last feature is the one I miss most. I really would love to have some sort of big hard drive either attached through USB to my AppleTV or else attached to my Wi-Fi router (even better, so I have less stuff in my living room) and be able to use that as a "repository" instead of my MacBook or iMac (so I can shut them off!!).

[Paul Addison @ Jun 11th 2007 9:13AM]

If this is anything like the Philips TV / DVD / Speaker system that I have at home it will be a total flop. I used to have an old Sony setup that worked perfectly, Dixons had a good deal on this system so I decided to "upgrade" you would have thought that the different components of the system were made on different planets, the whole experience was and still is a nightmare. Philips just dont do user friendly.

[gibber9583 @ Jun 11th 2007 9:14AM]

wow. is it just me or is the casing very bland? No marking of any sort on it at all. Would like to see more of the specs though before giving any judgement on the actual device. Could be a good one....


The slot in the front may not be a slot, maybe an obnoxiously big IR receiver?

[Chuckles McGee @ Jun 11th 2007 9:15AM]

Maybe the slot is just to receive IR signals from the remote?

Really though, only 40 GB? What is this, 2001? A new 200 GB drive can be had for under $50, probably much less when bought in bulk.

[Scott @ Jun 11th 2007 9:23AM]

I don't get it. This thing looks like a piece of junk. The box I get as part of my 30 euros a month internet here in France (the box is included in the price) has every conceivable port:

- HDMI
- SPDIF
- RCA digital audio
- S-video
- RCA video/audio
- coax
- ethernet - for streaming digital tv which is free and also for streaming movies, pictures, etc from your computer to your tv, and it's also got a 40gb hard drive in it for recording
- USB connections to expand even that.

And on top of all of that, it has a digital tv tuner for over-the-air broadcasts. I have yet to see anything even remotely comparable except for a full blown computer acting as a dvr.

[Scooter @ Jun 11th 2007 5:06PM]

@ Scott,
wow, paying almost $470 a year for a similar box which also receives TV signals.

[psxp @ Jun 11th 2007 9:31AM]

@mentalsticks

those USB2.0 connections are the same as you see on the back of Scanners and Printers.

[Joshua Ochs @ Jun 11th 2007 7:05PM]

@psxp

Yes, that is mentalsticks *point*. You don't hook devices up to a USB port like that; it's used exclusively on peripherals that are connected to a host computer. In other words, that port is used to connect the Phillips to a PC, not to connect storage to the Phillips.

And damn, for being so minimalist, they still managed to make it ugly. Something about the proportions and squareness just looks bad.

[Harbinger @ Jun 11th 2007 9:33AM]

Let's say that is a cablecard slot in the front, where do you run the cable into?

I've been waiting for ElGato to release a cablecard-ready HD tuner...my Phillips TV doesn't like Cox Cable enough to synch the cablecard up right.

[eric f @ Jun 11th 2007 9:33AM]

yeah, I think the front slot in an IR port window.

[k3n85 @ Jun 11th 2007 9:39AM]

Where's the Ethernet cable?

[farfisa @ Jun 11th 2007 9:47AM]

UMD slot.
No, really, I think it's IR too.

[Kentucky Wildcats! @ Jun 11th 2007 9:55AM]

Where's the input?

[rockeranimefreak @ Jun 11th 2007 10:05AM]

it looks like those tin donation boxes.

[Stan Winstone @ Jun 11th 2007 10:06AM]

Lordy- has it really gotten to the point where all product design is measured in terms of which Apple product it's meant to "kill?"

[jaapV @ Jun 11th 2007 10:07AM]

Indeed, the type B USB hints more to a 'router' type device, maybe some sort of PC to TV device. Digital media player stuff. It is also the only imput device, where is the coax?

It looks more like an external harddrive with some digital media playback features.

The slot in the front is for cooling, possibly remote control sensor.

[Klaas @ Jun 11th 2007 10:12AM]

Probably fake

[Mischa Lockton @ Jun 11th 2007 10:18AM]

You can't assault Apple unless the SOFTWARE is better. These guys, and Sony, and Motorola, while making more than decent hardware, will NEVER catch up, which is often the mode they are in.

PS HDMI stinks

[Mark @ Jun 11th 2007 11:22AM]

HDMI stinks? what does that even mean?

[Mischa Lockton @ Jun 11th 2007 11:57AM]

That means HDMI is being pushed on us as an enhanced means of content protection. The quality improvement is not what you are led to believe.

Besides, I don't like the simple fact of audio being incorporated.

[Karim @ Jun 11th 2007 10:34AM]

Photoshopped. Poorly.

Kids aren't even trying hard these days.

[Kenban @ Jun 11th 2007 10:43AM]

Simple the slot on the front is a big blue light to tell you the thing is turned on...

[peterr @ Jun 11th 2007 10:49AM]

The front slot accepts dollar bills (though only $20, $50 and $100 d ollar denominations)

[Scottgfx @ Jun 11th 2007 11:00AM]

It will be called the Magnavox Odyssey III.

[Joram Oudenaarde @ Jun 11th 2007 11:01AM]

It looks weird... the bezels don't seem to have a nice finish. Why only HDMI? Not everyone has HDMI, so Component and Analog stereo output should be there as well imho.

And why does it have an on/off button... on the back? A dvd-player or HD-player and such don't have that, since it's tucked away in a little compartment. It also seems to have a rather cheap powerconnection, instead of a more sturdy one. And it does indeed look like a knock off of the Mini.

I really hope this is just a quick mockup, because the finish and connection-options look like absolute crap. And I don't think people want to have to use an external drive to expand their storage, and they could've learned from Apple's mistake to initially offer a 40Gb drive. The minimum (imho) should be 100Gb at least.

[pupkick @ Jun 11th 2007 11:10AM]

so fake

[Aaron @ Jun 11th 2007 11:18AM]

Where's the beef??



Sorry, I wanted to be like everyone else and ask a question about this but I couldn't think of a good one...

[palmosc @ Jun 11th 2007 11:41AM]

cablecard maybe...

[Matt E. @ Jun 11th 2007 1:19PM]

You people are st00pid. Why would anyone waste time Photoshoping something so ugly?

[JASON @ Jun 11th 2007 1:55PM]

I WILL TAKE A GUESS, DOSE ANYONE KNOW HOW BIG THE MAXELL HOLOGRAPHIC DISK ARE? HGDVD 300GB, 600GB, BY 2010 IT WILL BE 1.6TB.

[Sean D. @ Jun 11th 2007 3:33PM]

There's no Ethernet connector or component video connectors... Is this for a very niche market? How is this going to assault anything?

[Alan Abbey @ Jun 12th 2007 4:04AM]

For more news about this product and all others in this space, go to http://www.TVMama.com, the source for news of the PC-TV convergence. Tell your Mama!

[TVMama @ Jun 12th 2007 4:05AM]

This is a huge new market, and the market needs a website that pulls it all together without distraction, no?

[CapnVan @ Jun 12th 2007 4:53AM]

"Assault on AppleTV?" Given the lackluster response so far, isn't that a little like beating on the crippled kid next door?