NeurosOsd
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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 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.
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.
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.
