Eva8000
Latest
Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite media streamer says hello to the FCC
Netgear returns with the Digital Entertainer Elite network media streamer taking an early peek from cover to go through its paces at the FCC test center. Two years after the EVA8000 Digital Entertainer HD, the EVA9000 model adds support for a 3.5-inch SATA internal HDD, 802.11n and more to its predecessor's lengthy list of features. The leaked spec comparison after the break reveals AVI, XviD, DivX and h.264 decoding returning plus Dolby True HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, MKV, TS, M2TS file support that should chew through any HD files you've got and then some. Why wait for an official announcement, shipping date or price? The FCC already had its fun, so check out the PDFs for a full manual plus pictures inside & out, then once this box hits the stage at CES just pretend like you never saw it with the cover off.[Pictures via AVSForum]
Netgear Digital Entertainer HD reviewed
While it's neither as small nor as hackable as the Apple TV, the folks at Laptop magazine seem to think Netgear's newly-launched Digital Entertainer HD EVA8000 will find its share of fans, with it snagging a respectable four out of five rating in their review. Helping it earn those high marks is its support for a wide range of video formats, including YouTube videos, as well as its support for Internet radio and RSS feeds, and its inclusion of the all-important HDMI port (which was lacking on Netgear's earlier WVA700 unit). On the downside, the lack of 802.11n support resulted in some troubles streaming full 1080p files, and the initial setup proved to be somewhat time consuming, even when they opted for the so-called "basic" mode. Despite those quibbles, they weren't hesitant to call the EVA8000 "as good as it gets" -- at least for those not dependent on their library of iTunes content.
The first NETGEAR EVA8000 Review
While HD media streamers are nothing new, the new NETGEAR EVA8000 has a feature set just about anyone can get excited about. While we wait to get our hands on one, this review will have to do. The biggest disappointment in the review is the lack of testing of HD video. The reviewer did mention that he expected his photos to look better in HD than they did, but this is hardly a conclusive result. The unit had no problems playing back everything he threw at it and was easy to connect to his rig, other than the odd HDMI issue he experienced. Some of the features require a PC like the Flickr and YouTube support, but most of the HD features work with any media on a network share. While this will be great for uber-geeks who understand such things, it doesn't appear as easy as simply clicking a check box in iTunes or installing Media Center Extender software for the Xbox360. The other features not reviewed were the follow me features which require multiple units to take advantage of. The reviewer overall liked the unit and was impressed by the snappy menus and easy setup.
Netgear's Digital Entertainer HD ready for your home
This streaming media receiver was unveiled at CES earlier this year, but Netgear's officially made it available for your living room. To refresh your memory, the Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) basically promises to do everything to amuse you short of growing limbs and break dancing on your coffee table. It's got an HDMI port with resolutions up to 1080p, connects to 802.11 b / g WiFi networks, and controls PC-PVR recordings remotely (with a not-included TV tuner card). It streams nearly anything, including HD movies, BitTorrent downloads, internet radio, RSS feeds, music, videos, and Flickr photos, from nearly any device, like your networked PCs, flash drives, iPods, or digital cameras. Netgear's right on point with their projected first quarter release -- units went on sale today on select e-commerce sites at around $399 a pop. The Digital Entertainer HD will be available at e-commerce sites, retailers, and resellers worldwide sometime in Q2 2007. Read - Digital Entertainer HD press releaseRead - Netgear product page
Apple planning on licensing FairPlay to accessory makers?
There's not a whole lot to go on here as far as confirmation or source, but the rumor is juicy, so we thought we'd pass it along anyways. Tech.co.uk is reporting that Apple is working up a licensing program for Made For iPod licensees that would allow manufacturers to build FairPlay decoding products. We've already seen semi-interoperable products, such as the EVA8000 that Netgear just recently announced, which can work with protected files off of a Windows machine, but that's a far cry from what a fully licensed FairPlay device could do, and we'd be surprised to see Apple open itself up to competition with its own streaming products -- the Airport Express and Apple TV. There's also the possibility that such functionality could allow device makers to include enhancements to their accessories such as album artwork or other track info built into the codec, but we'll have to wait and see what Apple has to say about this, if anything: they're purported be to be launching the program in the next couple of weeks.
Hands-on with Netgear's latest
After the keynote we got a quick chance to fondle the latest goodies from Netgear. We won't bore you with those boring deets again, but here's the Digital Entertainer HD EVA8000, Dual-Mode Cordless Phone with Skype SPH200D and Storage Central Turbo SC101T in all their CES glory. Hands-on with Netgear's latest
Netgear launches Digital Entertainer HD
Netgear threw down today with the Digital Entertainer HD EVA8000, a new digital media adapter specifically designed to stream HD content (not that it doesn't do lower res video as well as music and pictures) from multiple PCs across a home network and to your TV. This thing rocks the draft 802.11n WiFi, and has an HDMI port which outputs 1080p, composite and component video out, RCA, coaxial and optical digtal audio out, a USB port for streaming content off of an iPod or any USB mass storage drive, and support for playback of MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, M4A, AAC, AC3 audio files (including stuff purchased from the iTunes Music Store, but only if you're a Windows user) and MPEG1/2/4, WMV, XviD, H.264 video files. The Digital Entertainer HD will also stream internet radio, read RSS feeds, let you schedule programs to record and pause and rewind live TV if your PC has a TV tuner, and even has a "Follow Me" mode that allows you to pause content in one room and resume it in another (if you own more than one Digital Entertainer HD). Should be out in the first quarter of this year with a retail price of $349.
