Neuros
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Neuros OSD 3 in development, makers want your input
Neuros has earned significant kudos with techies for its hackable OSD media player / recorder and its commitment to open source software. It's no surprise then to see the company reaching out to its loyal community for input on what should be found in the third generation of the device. Yes, technically the OSD 2 isn't even out of the developer kit stage yet, but Neuros is planning well ahead of time, with the 3.0 model unlikely to be seen for another 18 months. Founder Joe Born has confirmed a continuing partnership with Texas Instruments on an ARM-based unit, which should be able to play and record at 1080p / 60 with support for all the relevant formats and containers. There'll be a minimum of 2GB DDR3 RAM, as well as a HTML5- and Flash-compliant browser, but the rest of the specs are up to you -- if there's some killer feature you simply must have, hit the read link and let Neuros know.[Via Slashgear]
Neuros adds Wiimote support to the LINK
The Neuros LINK set-top was already plenty interesting when it was just a $300 riff on a storageless HTPC capable of full-screen Hulu and YouTube playback, but now that the company's gone and added experimental Wiimote support, we might just be smitten. It'll take some work to hook Ninty's stick to your LINK, but once you do content is just an arm-flail away. Video after the break.[Thanks, Joe]
Neuros LINK web / media viewer gets unboxed
That floor looks mighty familiar, huh? That's because it is. Just days after Mr. Dave Zatz treated us to an unboxing of the 2Wire-built MediaPoint Blockbuster movie set-top-box, here comes yet another gift from the same den. The recently announced Neuros LINK was said to practically be a full-on computer, with the whole kit weighing some 15-pounds. Initial reports are that Hulu content played back beautifully in full screen, so yeah, that's a thumbs-up. We know why you're really here, though, so give the read link a visit for the gallery of photographs.
Neuros intros web video-playing Neuros LINK
It's just been a few short months since Neuros started shipping its OSD 2.0 set-top box, but it looks like the company is now already moving on to other devices that are equally boxy and open source-y. It's latest is the Neuros LINK, which promises to let you watch videos from Hulu, YouTube and other sites on your TV without a subscription courtesy of Neuros' own Neuros.TV service. Unlike the OSD, however, it doesn't look like the LINK has any internal storage of its own (at least beyond the bare necessity), but it does have a generous six USB ports to let you hook up some drives filled with music, photos or videos. Otherwise, you can expect both HDMI and optical S/PDIF outputs, as well as gigabit ethernet, 802.11b/g WiFi, and an included wireless "keymote" complete with a trackball. According to Neuros, while the device is available now for $300, it's still in a "gamma release," which means is primarily aimed at early adopters wiling to accept a few hiccups along the way.[Thanks, Charles V, Zatz]
Neuros ships HD-capable OSD 2.0 set-top-box
Was it really 2006 when Linux lovers were sinking their gums into Neuros Technology's OSD? Two years later, we're finally seeing shipment of the OSD 2.0, which diverts quite significantly from the original in terms of design and ups the ante by adding support for encoding high-definition video at 720p in MPEG-4 and D1 resolution in the H.264 format. It's built around a Texas Instruments Davinci-based CPU module and a mini-ITX motherboard / enclosure, but rather than just being a very hackable consumer product, this one is described as a "super-reference design" by CEO Joe Born. You'll likely remember the WhereverTV, which is of course based on the OSD 2.0, and the firm has already landed another partner for the box in Hupla. For the individuals who just want an undisturbed unit, you can latch on now for $250.
Neuros-powered WhereverTV brings international channels to your TV
Not only is this thing powered by Neuros, it even resembles the Neuros OSD. Announced today at the SINO Consumer Electronics Show, the brashly named WhereverTV acts as a liaison between your internet-connected PC and TV, delivering "hundreds of live international television channels in more than 40 languages from almost 100 countries around the world." The 5- x 5- x 1-inch box must be simultaneously connected to your router and TV, and once the tele is flipped on, you'll be able to browse, manage and stream scads of international TV channels from wherever you are in the world. Granted, we still prefer the flexibility of the ZvBox (which allows you to tap into all facets of internet video, not just one segment), but for just $199.99 with no activation or recurring charges (available now at Amazon), this could be just the thing for foreign television junkies or folks currently living outside of their homeland.
Neuros develops "Unlocked Media" brand for DRM-free stuff
It's just a little element in the ongoing fight against DRM, but every part helps, and we're kind of digging the idea. Neuros has developed a name and logo for DRM-free media to allow companies to brand their products in such a way that consumers know they're getting a fully portable file. "Unlocked Media" might not be super catchy as far as names go, but we like the idea of a positive move that consumers and companies can latch onto; promote the benefits of DRM-free, rather than just decry the evils of copy protection. The branding is available to "any entity that uses media using open standard technology which is available to all on a non-discriminatory basis." Neuros hopes some independent third party will step in to manage the trademark. Oh, and if all this is too optimistic for you, there are some grating explanatory videos after the break that will have you running back to the open arms of "Big Media" in a heart beat.
Black Friday Giveaways (part 1): Neruos OSD
Whether you've found yourself camped out in a line this early winter morning or just up late to see what we're giving away on Engadget, we'd like to welcome you to our Black Friday giveaways. We've got over a dozen gadgets we're giving away today, so be sure to check frequently. First up on the block: a Neuros OSD. Ready? Here's how it works.We'll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we're moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don't forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.) Leave a comment below. That's it! Who loves you, baby. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You can enter different giveaways in today's Black Friday giveaways, but you can only enter this one once. If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers or US contest laws if you have to be mad. Winners will be chosen randomly. Entries can be submitted until the next contest goes up. After that we're all done. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Is Neuros working on Neuros TV Unfiltered?
It looks like Neuros might be set to expand its media-happy product line a bit further, at least according to an anonymous tipster who claims to have participated in a survey for the hereto unheard of Neuros TV Unfiltered. While details are pretty light, the set-top box apparently "wraps" traditional TV programming with links to related videos and information pulled off the Internet, along with links to other popular videos. Somewhat interestingly, Neuros also reportedly asked participants if they had heard of Sonos, Slingbox, Apple TV, Squeezebox, or BitTorrent, which could give some indication as to how the company might be positioning the box. Unfortunately, that's about all Neuros seems to have divulged, although it certainly seems to be a bit more than just a rough concept.
Neuros OSD gets beta YouTube browser
Those not busy tweaking their Neuros OSD may want to take a moment to download the latest firmware update from the company, which adds a full-fledged YouTube browser to further expand your media streaming options. The browser (still in beta) will let you browse and play everything on YouTube, also giving you the ability to search by keyword or browse by category and rating. As Neuros is quick to point out, the new browser is largely the result of the community of open source developers that the company's been trying to foster around the device, which itself is fully open source. Click on through for a video of the browser in action.[Via I4U News]
Neuros OSD gets reviewed
If you're the type who has thoroughly enjoyed the bevy of recent DIY ideas to come our way, then you're likely to be one of the few who actually dig the Neuros OSD. According to LinuxLookup, the open-sourced entertainment box sounded like a dream come true, but after running it through a good bit of testing (and pulling out a few hairs), there's apparently still a long ways to go. While the overall design, purpose, and initial setup were all highly praised areas, the actual usability was hampered by the inability to get the device to function with the source tree that the reviewer built. Essentially, the tweaking that is supposed to be relatively easy (and make this unit so special) isn't exactly straightforward, and it was suggested that most amateur users will lose patience with the thing before they ever realize its full potential. Additionally, the reviewer could only record 4:3 content, resulting in awful picture quality on a 37-inch widescreen TV, but providing decent playback on the PC's monitor. Overall, it was deemed a tool that could be incredible if developers take the time to work out the kinks and figure out how to extract all of its bottled-up greatness, but generally speaking, the average user would find little to love here once things got frustrating, so we'd recommend holding off unless you just adore being challenged.[Via Slashdot]
Neuros OSD in the flesh
We got live and personal with the Neuros OSD unit, which is currently in "beta," but should have some decent software capabilities once those open source whiz kids work their magic. There's nothing much to see as far as the unit itself, but it's not too bad in the looks department, and should be small enough to sneak into most home theaters unnoticed. You know the drill, more pics after the break.
Neuros OSD hardware out in beta, let the hacking begin!
Ah, so this is what you get when you take a hardware platform "open-source" -- the Neuros OSD. This infinitely hackable Linux-based media recorder / player beta unit is on sale now. Yeah, beta, 'cause this ain't no ordinary hardware offering. See Neuros is willing to pay you cash-money "bounties" to code new features into the open source firmware: YouTube or Google video ($1000), Flickr photo browsing ($600), wireless remote capabilities from a WiFi handheld device such as a PDA ($500), TiVo-style radio recording when connected to an FM/AM or satellite receiver ($700), and VoIP capabilities when a USB phone is connected ($500). Not bad for something you'll likely do for the fun of it anyway right? Out of the box, you get a standalone media player which can record from any external analog audio/video source and then automatically encode it for playback on PSPs, mobile phones, and iPods in popular formats such as MPEG-4, AVI, ASF, MP3, OGG, WMA, and AC3. And with a dual-core ARM9 / TI DSP, multi-card memory slot, USB host capability, Ethernet, recording up to 720x480 resolution at 30fps, IR Blaster, and S-Video in and Composite audio/video in/out, well, you still might be tempted to plunk down the meager $230 to take this baby home. Hurry though, only 200 beta units left!
Neuros Recorder 2 incompatible with PSP 2.7 firmware
Bad news for PSP owners: Macworld is reporting that the recent 2.7 firmware update makes it impossible for the handheld console to play content captured by the Neuros 2 Recorder. Even worse, files that you had previously recording using your Memory Stick-equipped Neuros will no longer work once you upgrade to 2.7. For now, Neuros is taking a three-pronged approach to the problem: they're working on a firmware update of their own for the Recorder 2, attempting to convince Sony to adjust their code in future upgrades, and, least helpfully, recommending that their customers avoid making the move to 2.7. Also, the company claims to be working on a solution that, at the very least, will allow those folks who insist on upgrading to convert their old recordings into a 2.7-friendly format.
