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]

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.

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 release
Read - Netgear product page

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.

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.