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Netgear's Push2TV wireless TV adapter gets official, decidedly Intel only

Streaming content to your TV from a laptop is a wonderful thing, but doing it usually entails perching it precariously on your home entertainment center and fishing for that HDMI cable that's inevitably fallen back behind your TV. No fun. Netgear's Push2TV will get your video to the TV and keep your posterior on the couch, as predicted when it hit the FCC last week. The video signal is captured on the machine and then sent wirelessly to the device, which connects to your gear via HDMI or composite. Unfortunately we don't know what kind of resolutions or audio signals will be supported yet, but it's based on Intel's WiDi technology, so that means a member of the 2010 Intel Core family will be required. Bought yourself a hot new lappy just before the tax year ended? You're probably out of luck. We are too, if that makes you feel any better. PR after the break.

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NETGEAR Collaborates with Intel to Launch TV Adapter for Intel Wireless Display, an Intuitive and Easy Way to View Entire Laptop Screen on HDTV Wirelessly

Networking Leader Introduces Push2TV, Device that Transforms How Consumers View, Share and Enjoy Digital Content on the Big Screen TV

LAS VEGAS - January 7, 2010 - NETGEAR, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today announced the launch of NETGEAR Push2TV (PTV1000), a small device that enables consumers to display their entire laptop computer screens on their big screen HDTVs -- wirelessly, effortlessly and intuitively. Compatible with select laptops featuring Intel Wireless Display and powered by the all new 2010 Intel Core Processor Family, Push2TV (http://www.netgear.com/ptv) transforms the living room HDTV into a huge, remote monitor without the need for any unsightly cables stretching across the room. Slightly larger than a deck of cards, Push2TV enables consumers to wirelessly beam practically everything from their notebook computer to the big screen TV, including media stored on the laptop, content from the home network, and videos streamed from the most popular websites.

The capabilities of the new NETGEAR Push2TV and laptops with Intel Wireless Display powered by select 2010 Intel Core processors were demonstrated today as part of Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini's keynote presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Show attendees can view Push2TV in Intel's booth #7153 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, or in the NETGEAR suite #305 at the Las Vegas Marriott across from the Convention Center.

Later this month, Best Buy will be the first retailer to make this new networking solution available to consumers with the launch of an exclusive Blue Label 2.0 series consisting of three laptop computers developed in partnership with top PC OEM brands.

"Our customers are increasingly dependent on their laptops, and they tell us they're looking for easy ways to migrate the content of their computers to their TVs more freely," said Jason Bonfig, vice president of computing at Best Buy. "NETGEAR Push2TV is unique in how it seamlessly scales the viewing and browsing experience of the notebook PC to the TV along with an easy, intuitive way to connect and operate."

The industry has taken several approaches to connect the TV to the Internet: network-enabled TVs and Blu-ray players; Digital Media Adapters (DMAs) and set-top boxes that connect to the Internet via the home network; dedicated home theater PCs or notebooks connected to the TV via HDMI or other cables; and other PC-to-TV applications. However, these solutions have multiple limitations, such as the websites they can access and the video codecs and file formats that they can play.

"Consumers have been frustrated by the existing solutions so we focused on ease of use during the design and collaboration process with NETGEAR," said Erik Reid, director mobile marketing, Intel. "The result is that Intel Wireless Display, available on select laptops featuring Intel's all new 2010 Core family processors, and the NETGEAR Push2TV adapter have taken the hassle out of sharing content, so consumers can sit back, relax and enjoy the content on their large screen TVs."

The NETGEAR Push2TV adapter combined with Intel Wireless Display is a very simple extension of the browsing and viewing experience on the PC, significantly reducing the website restrictions that consumers currently experience with competing solutions. Consumers will be able to access the vast majority of the content on their computer or from the Internet and view it on their TV. Connecting a laptop to Push2TV is as simple as point and click. The easy and intuitive interface enables a protected connection and hides all the networking complexity found in currently available solutions. Thus, the consumer benefits from a fully integrated PC-to-TV solution without having to plug any external components or dongles into their new notebook computer, becoming a networking expert, or learning any new user interface.

The total solution consists of NETGEAR Push2TV connected to the TV and Intel Wireless Display preloaded on new-generation notebooks powered by the 2010 Intel Core Processor Family. Intel Wireless Display captures fully rendered display frames in real-time and sends the compressed video and audio directly to Push2TV via Intel My WiFi technology, the industry's first commercially available Wi-Fi Personal Area Network (PAN) or Wi-Fi Direct solution, creating a protected short-hop high-bandwidth wireless connection between the laptop and Push2TV. When compared to other solutions where the TV adapter connects to the home network or gateway, Push2TV reduces the wireless bandwidth overhead by up to 50 percent.

"We are delighted to partner with Intel to be the first to bring Intel Wireless Display to the living room, providing customers with what is truly the easiest way to extend the PC viewing experience to the TV -- wirelessly, seamlessly and over a protected link," said Vivek Pathela, vice president and general manager of NETGEAR home and consumer products. "The combination of our Push2TV with a new-generation PC with Intel Wireless Display means consumers no longer have to crowd around their PCs to experience the infinite stream of Internet content with their friends and family."

With a sleek black minimalist design, a very intuitive setup and Wi-Fi technology, Push2TV quickly beams the laptop screen to the HDTV over a protected link. Therefore, customers are able to easily access almost any content they would normally be able to access on their PCs.* More specifically, with Push2TV and a new generation notebook powered by the 2010 Intel Core Processor Family connected to the Internet and/or home network, consumers can:

--- Sit back, relax and enjoy music, pictures and videos from their laptop, home network or the Internet in HD on their big screen TVs and home entertainment systems;
--- Surf the web from the comfort of their couches, accessing many of today's online movies and TV shows and going anywhere a web browser will take them;
--- Easily move from room to room or take Push2TV on vacation or business trips due to its small, lightweight form factor.

Pricing and Availability
Backed by a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, the new NETGEAR Push2TV (PTV1000) will be available in the U.S. via Best Buy later this month. Push2TV will be bundled together with select laptop computers at promotional prices, or sold separately to end consumers at prices starting at $99.99 in the U.S. Best Buy Blue Label 2.0 laptops will retail starting at $899.99. In addition to wireless display, the Blue Label 2.0 laptops include features such as lighter weight and longer battery life.

Intel and NETGEAR are also working together to deliver this exciting new technology to additional geographies and distribution channels later in 2010. Product details on NETGEAR Push2TV can be found at http://www.netgear.com/ptv. Photos and other information are at http://www.netgear.com/Products/Entertainment/DigitalMediaPlayers/ptv1000.aspx.

About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) designs innovative, branded technology solutions that address the specific networking, storage, and security needs of Small- to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) and home users. The company offers an end-to-end networking product portfolio to enable users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, multimedia content, and applications among multiple computers and other Internet-enabled devices. Products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in over 27,000 retail locations around the globe, and via more than 37,000 value-added resellers. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. NETGEAR is an ENERGY STAR partner. More information is available at http://www.netgear.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR at http://twitter.com/NETGEARand http://www.facebook.com/netgear.

Copyright 2010 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo and Push2TV are trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Intel and Intel Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Information is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved.

* Note: Intel Wireless Display requires a compatible Intel-based laptop PC, a third party TV adapter featuring Intel Wireless Display, and a TV with an available HDMI or Composite AV input. Compatible laptop PCs require a select 2010 Intel Core Processor Family CPU. For a complete list of requirements, visit www.intel.com/go/wirelessdisplay. Content requiring output protection such as Blu-ray and DVD movie playback is not supported. Check with your PC manufacturer for specific details. Wireless experience and transmission rates may be affected by external factors. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.