For those with a disc rack full of Blu-ray packages and who'd like to shove all those optical discs to the attic for a streamlined media server solution -- without resorting to other routes like downloading or cracking open AACS -- Managed Copy is finally on the way, thanks to the just finalized AACS specification, to offer an authorized option for making a copy of your Blu-ray disc. We had a nice long talk with gatekeepers AACS-LA about what to expect when compatible Blu-ray hardware arrives in 2010 and Managed Copy-enabled discs begin shipping later this year; for more details like how many copies can be made, how the DRM works and how much this might cost head over to Engadget HD and see what it all means, and hopefully when we can put away our discs for the last time in favor of a Blu-ray Jukebox.

Wait, what's this? ASUS diving head first into the HD media streamer game? Based on images and details acquired by Hardware, we'd say chances are looking pretty good. Reportedly, the aforementioned outfit will showcase its very own media player at Computex next week in Taiwan, and our expectations are already fairly lofty. The O!Play (codename HDP-R1) is said to be a fair bit quicker than competing models, and the file compatibility list is also worthy of laud. Port wise, this one's packing eSATA, USB, HDMI, stereo audio jacks, optical digital audio, Ethernet and an AC port. If all goes well, we could see this little bugger in European stores by July, with a price tag pegged at €119 ($168). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if that price nets you an internal HDD, but we'll find out for sure soon enough.

[Via The Inquirer]

After being introduced to the world late last month, we've heard little else about HP's lower-end MediaSmart Server LX195... until now, obviously. This little media streamer made its way into the HotHardware labs for a little Q&A, and it managed to escape with lots of praise, a mild amount of criticism and a price tag that'll likely be too steep for most to swallow. As for performance and features, the LX195 was found to shine; the Media Collector, iTunes server and Time Machine backup functionality all worked great. Unfortunately, the "endless loop of updates" seen during the initial setup and the lack of an April update -- which was sent out to the EX series last month -- left somewhat of a bitter taste in reviewers mouths. Overall, the system delivered and worked as advertised, but the $360 to $400 street price is apt to turn all but the hardest of hardcore HP fans away, not to mention that the aforesaid EX update (which will hit the LX195 this fall) will require users to completely wipe their HDD and start over from scratch. Check the read link for the full writeup.

Tranquil's latest storage, the AVA RS5, has a pretty useful trick up its sleeve. While this five-bay drive system looks nearly identical to the company's previous SQA-5H home server -- and indeed, we've got the same dual core Atom 330 processor here -- it's also packing a disc drive that rips content straight to memory without needing to be attached to a PC. Music CDs are converted to high quality MP3s in about four minutes, and DVD and Blu-ray discs are straight copied over. Base price is £868 ($1,254) for a DVD burner and five 1TB 3.5-inch Western Digital Green Power SATA HDDs, but you can upgrade to a Blu-ray burner for £390 ($563) or up to five 2TB drives for a total of £377 ($544) extra -- yeah, it's a little pricey, but if this box is tickling your fancy, shipping starts April 20.

Generally speaking, SmartQ has stuck to what it's best at -- mediocre portable media players -- without deviating an inch. Finally, someone at the company conjured up enough courage to take a risk, and we think the outcome is pretty decent. The simply titled and not-at-all-confusing HDTV Player is the firm's very first set-top-box, which aims to play back a litany of high-definition files on one's HDTV. As predicted, the box offers up an HDMI 1.3 port for getting all that lovely 720p+ content onto your screen, and there's also a pair of USB 2.0 ports for connecting external HDDs and the like. Beyond that, details are astonishingly sparse, but we get the feeling it'll be quite some time (read: forever) before this thing floats far from the shores of Asia.

[Via MP4Nation]

While swinging by QNAP's CeBIT booth to check out its array of recently launched NAS devices, we happened upon a demonstration that was showcasing a brand new device: the NMP1000. Short for Network Multimedia Player, this set-top-box is pretty much like every other HD media streamer already out there, as it connects to networked storage and pipes out audio and video content to one's TV via a customized user interface. What we saw looked pretty slick, even though it was inexplicably connected to the LG display via S-Video. As for specs, it's boasting a Sigma Designs SMP8635 processor, 256MB of DDR RAM, room for one 3.5-inch SATA drive, a single gigabit Ethernet jack, dual USB 2.0 sockets, one eSATA port, HDMI 1.3 / component / composite / S-Video outs and a bundled remote. It supports just about any format on the map, and the on-hand representative told us it should be out next month for "somewhere under $10,000." Have a look at some in-action shots below.

It was May of last year when LaCie last updated its external d2 Blu-ray burner, so it's about time we saw that 4x burn rate double to an entirely more palatable 8x. Available now for consumers in the US, the latest d2 Blu-ray Drive ($449.99) can toast both single- and dual-layer BD-Rs at 8x, and it can connect to one's machine via FireWire or USB 2.0. In related news, the outfit has also introduced a LaCinema Black MAX over in Europe, which acts to serve up all sorts of digital media (photos, video clips, music, etc.) on one's HDTV. You can order it with 500GB / 1TB of inbuilt storage, and the integrated Ethernet jack / WiFi module enables it to pull media (up to 1080p) from other locations on your network. We've nary a clue on pricing / availability for this one, but we'll leave it to those in Europe to hunt it down and brag to us Yanks.

Read - 8x d2 Blu-ray Drive
Read - LaCinema Black MAX [PDF; thanks Predator]

boxee took full advantage of its space at CES this year, and according to a recent post on its blog, it fielded quite a few inquiries from other companies about crafting a boxee-branded set-top-box. Currently, the only way to get boxee running is to install it on your TV-connected PC or inelegantly onto an Apple TV. A number of companies approached boxee asking for its thoughts on embedding the application into "existing or future products," so the cats at boxee are coming right out and soliciting your opinion on the matter. boxee does caution that getting it baked into a device would take "a long time," but it certainly seems like that ball is rolling. So, what say you? Would you snap one up? Or would you balk at the notion of adding yet another STB underneath your television?

[Thanks, cros13]

HP's 1.5TB MediaSmart Server ex487 (and its smaller 750GB sibling, the ex485) were just announced hours ago, but that hasn't stopped a few lucky reviewers from putting their hands-on pictures and impressions online for the world to pore over. The biggest knocks that seemed to really grate the nerves of critics were that the single eSATA port was not port-multiplier aware, and despite the bump to 2GB of RAM, the TwonkyMedia and Remote Media Streaming software were still deemed "quirky and in need of some polish." Those gripes aside, the newfangled unit was pretty well adored. In fact, WeGotServed flat-out called the device "stunning," praising HP for its tightly integrated applications that worked fairly well on top of Windows Home Server. For those eying a simple-to-use media server, it looks like HP finally produced one that can be purchased sans regret; the real question, however, is will the outfit push these delectable new features down to existing ex470 / ex475 owners?

Read - MediaSmartServer review
Read - WeGotServed review / hands-on

It's been a long, long while since we've heard the words HP MediaSmart, and in fact, the last mention that was made wasn't exactly positive. HP's looking to put the past away and forge ahead with two new ones in the line: the Mac-friendly ex485 and ex487. Both devices are (of course) based on Microsoft's Windows Home Server platform, and just like their predecessors, these are meant to automatically backup machines around the home and act as a network-accessible repository for all things media. The pair features HP's Media Collector (used to schedule, copy and centralize digital files from networked PCs) and also acts as an iTunes server and an external backup device for Macs running Leopard and using Apple's Time Machine software. As for specs, you'll find a 2GHz Celeron CPU in each with 2GB of DDR2 RAM, gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA jack and four internal HDD bays. The February-bound duo can be pre-ordered on January 5th for $599 (ex485; 750GB) / $749 (ex487; 1.5TB), and each can be scaled up to 9TB. Full release is after the break.

No, this ain't a Craigslist ad, this is just a bomb-diggity home server set to officially be released by Tranquil PC tomorrow. The SQA-5H is a cube-shaped server with five hot-swappable drive bays, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 processor and 1GB of RAM (2GB maximum). Additionally, it touts a Quick System Backup for piping your stored data onto an external HDD, a "Mode" button for quick capacity checks and an optional SQA-EX slave unit which provides five additional drive bays connected with a single cable. Expect to find pricing details within 24 hours on the November-bound device.

[Via WeGotServed]

Nearly two full years after DViCO introduced its TiVX 5010-P HDTV recorder, along comes a new duo in the line to finally up the ante. But it's not the infantile TViX R-2230 ($399; pictured) that we're really interested in -- though it can play back ripped VOB / ISO files. Rather, it's the $599 TViX-HD 6500, which also includes support for playing back Blu-ray backups via HDMI. We'll spare you the legal spill, but for those too frightened to potentially scratch their precious Blu-ray Discs, this looks to be the unit for you. So far as specs go, you'll find HDMI 1.3, component, S-Video and composite jacks, support for a smorgasbord of file formats, a USB port for loading up media from flash drives / external HDDs and an optional digital TV tuner to boot. Why do we get the feeling both of these things will be next to impossible to locate in the US?

[Thanks, Geller]