Details are still a bit thin, but it looks like SageTV -- developer of alternative media center software -- is poised to release an HD media extender for in-home placeshifting. The company, which already makes a standard definition wireless extender, revealed pics of the so-called STX-HD100 today, along with a few shots of the retail packaging which expose such features as HDMI, component, S-Video, and composite jacks as well as USB 2.0 Mass Storage Interface. Keep reading to check out another angle, and you can probably dig up a little more info by trawling around the SageTV forums, where it seems like quite a few folks have been waiting around on this product for some time now...

[Thanks, Matt C.]

We don't usually hear the name Sarotech around these parts, but the company has some interesting products in its catalog -- including the three it released today. The Cutie Slim ditches the fingerprint reader of the previous Cutie we looked at to weigh in at just half an inch thick and three inches wide, while the DSR-281 Plus photo storage unit lets you offload your SD cards to its internal 120GB drive, and includes SDHC compatibility. The real monster, however, is the abigs DVP-570 HD Lite, an external media bridge that supports virtually every format we can think of, including HD DivX at 1080p resolutions, and also includes USB host mode, DVI-out, 5.1 channel digital out with DTS passthrough, and even a freaking FM transmitter, for some reason. If that's not enough to keep you entertained, the 570 also features an ebook reader, so you can curl up on the couch and read a book on your big screen. We're aching to get our hands on one of these, but sadly it looks like these are Korea-only for now. Damn.

Read - abigs DVP-570 HD Lite
Read - Cutie Slim
Read - DSR-281 Plus photo storage unit

[Via AVING USA]

It seems that a new networked DVD player cum media extender pops up nearly every day around here -- just recently, we saw models from Omisys and NeoDigits -- and now I-O Data has released yet another model called the AVeL LinkPlayer AV-LS300DW. Also available without WiFi as the AV-LS300D (but what fun is that?), the 300DW is a follow up to the AVLP2/DVDG that the company released almost two years ago, supporting the same MPEG-1/2, DivX, XviD, WMV9, MP3, AAC, WMA, and Ogg files as its predecessor. What makes the new model different is an HDCP-capable HDMI output, which brings in the possibility of streaming HD content as well as upconverting your DVDs to 720p or 1080i. You can pick up the wired version for $294 or the wireless model for around $30 more -- if you live in Japan, that is.

[Via Akihabara News]

NeoDigits, who recently brought us that Helios HVD2085 upscaling DVD player, is back with another set of gear under the Helios brand also designed to help you get the most out of your HDTV. Like models we've already seen from SnaZio and Aircord, the upcoming 1080p-capable X3000 and X5000 HD network media players are able to stream a slew of formats from PC to TV, including MPEG-1/2/4, DivX and DivX HD, XviD HD, WMV 9/HD, WMA, MP3, AAC, Ogg, JPEG, PNG, and BMP -- and just in case those aren't enough to satisfy your media jones, you also get an upconverting DVD drive capable of reading both DVD+R and DVD-R discs along with MP3 CDs. Connectivity to your PC comes via the Ethernet port or built-in 802.11g, and you can hook up your home theater gear using HDMI, DVI, component, S-video, or composite video outputs along with analog, optical, or digital coax audio jacks. Available this month, the X3000 will go for $400 while the X5000 (pictured), which throws in a Burr-Brown low-noise Op Amp, 24bit Wolfson DAC, gold-plated RCA jacks, and a few other enhancements, will be priced at $600.

There's definitely no shortage of media extender options on the market, but that isn't stopping Digital Deck from releasing a new solution that not only manages the digital content on your PC, but plays nice with TiVo as well for viewing your recorded swag all over the house. Make that a small house, because the Media Connector box (or boxes, if you're doing the multi-room thing) gets its data over an old-fashioned wired Ethernet connection, meaning that there's no place for this system in the sprawling Engadget Mansion. Apartment dwellers, however, may find this setup to be just what they're looking for, as the included Media Center software promises to make controlling your gear a breeze, allowing you to seamlessly stream live and recorded content, plus flickr photos, back and forth among your various pieces of equipment. On the specs tip, the set top box can handle MPEG-2, MP3, WMA, AAC, and AC-3 formats, features component and digital audio hookups along with the obligatory composite and S-Video jacks, and will set you back a cool $500 plus $300 for each additional room you want to connect.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]