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Metrological's Mediaconnect TV: the first Intel CE 3100 retail device?
This one's been on the books since September of 2007. Now it looks like the first retail product based on Intel's Canmore System on Chip (SoC), aka the CE 3100, will take its first step into the spotlight at Computex with this "ready-to-market" Mediaconnect TV. The highly customizable Mini ITX device runs a Linux-based Metroconnect OS that supports all the major video codecs and Dobly Digital/DTS decoding over 7.1 channels -- the CE 3100 then acts to hardware accelerate sourced 1080p video stored locally or streamed over DLNA / uPnP from anywhere in the house over fixed gigabit Ethernet. Standard features include a pair of USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 1.3a/component/composite and TOSLINK jacks, an SD/MMC card reader, and up to 2TB of on-board (SATA) storage. The box itself is highly customizable with options to include UMTS/HSUPA radios, DVB T/C/S tuners, Bluetooth (for mouse and keyboard), and 802.11n WiFi to take your media streaming wireless. It even features a webcam of unspecified quality. The built-in web browser with Adobe Flash 9.0 support means all the Hulu you can eat and optional dual DVB-T tuners will give you simultaneous over the air TV reception and recording. It remains to be seen how much of this customization will be made available direct to consumers as opposed to the cable companies and telcos that Metrological will ultimately partner with. Nevertheless, they'll be at Computex next week where we'll be on hand to bring you more detail. A second picture of a different Mediaconnect TV, or the same device sans faceplate, and meta shot of the main menu UI after the break.
ISB Corp assimilates Android into STB
Netbooks and digital picture frames aren't the only new territory Google's Android can be found exploring. ISB Corp is tinkering with the platform as a way of powering a set-top box. A reference board powered by TI's OMAP 3530 processor was on display last week, strutting its video playback and web browsing capabilities at the 12th Embedded Systems Expo in Tokyo, and there the company said it was in the process of optimizing the software for a smooth HD video experience. It's also reportedly demonstrating support for wireless keyboards and Bluetooth. Frankly, we haven't been 100 percent sold on a lot of these Android implementations, but there's definitely potential here. Hopefully we can get some more glimpses of it in the not too distant future.
ZyXEL's DMA-2500 streams in 1080p content from your network
The world needs another set-top-box like it needs another Kim Jong-Il, but we'll do our best to stifle the sighs and present to you the ZyXEL DMA-2500. This well-specced box streams in material up to 1080p from any networked storage device, is DLNA 1.5 certified and supports more formats than it would be healthy for us to list. The outfit also claims that it'll handle material laced in DRM, but the vagueness of it all has us skeptical. At any rate, users can also indulge in internet TV and online radio, and there's an S-Video, composite and HDMI port to get it onto your television. Finally, the unit even includes a USB port which can presumably be used for adding local storage or a USB WiFi adapter. It's filtering out now across the pond for the somewhat hard-to-swallow price of €223 ($296).[Via HDTVInfo]
Motorola building Android-based cable boxes for Japan's KDDI?
Don't know why the Motorola rumors are flying hot and heavy today, but right on top of that connected GPS whisper comes word that the struggling device manufacturer is being tapped to build a new version of KDDI's multifaceted Au Box set-top unit that runs Android instead of the previous custom Linux build. The Au Box, if you'll recall, is a trick little IPTV box with a DVD drive that can rip audio and video and transcode it for transfer or streaming to your cellphone -- kind of like a more flexible Slingbox that costs $3/month for KDDI subscribers. Definitely interesting, especially since Android could make browsing and email extremely easy to implement as well -- hey Moto, maybe you want to ditch your current garbage Stateside cable box lineup and start shipping these things at home?Update: Turns out there's no Android here at all, according to Moto. Instead it's running on KreaTV platform. Is it just us or did this thing just lose about 50 megafonzies on the cool-o-meter?[Via CNET]
Cox planning to roll out tru2way STBs this summer
Although it flew beneath the radar at this year's CES, tru2way looks to be spooling up the PR machine in advance of The Cable Show in April. Leading the charge, Cox Communications has announced its agreement to use NDS tru2way software starting this summer; and since the field of tru2way-equipped TVs is slim pickings, you know the delivery mechanism -- set top boxes. Grousing aside, technology has to move forward, so Cox is going to start introducing Cisco (Scientific-Atlanta) and Motorola manufactured boxes with NDS software, with plans to do a market-by-market rollout later this year and continuing in 2010. We're all for more media-rich experiences on the TV, but not nearly as enthusiastic as we were about getting rid of STBs altogether. Absent TV manufacturers hopping onboard the tru2way en masse, this situation is taking on some CableCard overtones.
DISH's SlingLoaded ViP 922 / 822 DVR hits the FCC
Up for an investigation? We've got a curious case going on with a recent FCC filing, which sees the user manual of the recently unveiled DuoDVR ViP 922 (yeah, the SlingLoaded one) alongside images of a heretofore unseen ViP 822 DVR. Curiously, the actual FCC label corresponds with the "922," through the logo on the pictured Sling DVR definitely shows "822." So, is this just the typical step a device takes before it hits shelves in America, or is this a DVR we've never seen before? Something tells us it's far less exciting than our imaginations are leading us to believe.
Telsey BLOBbox grabs TV wherever it may be: OTA, torrents or streaming
Say hello to yet another Internet / TV mash-up, with the CeBIT launch of the first TVBLOB powered device, the Telsey BLOBbox. Taking the widget platform idea even further, the BLOBbox promises access to DTV broadcasts with a user upgradeable 160GB DVR, and unlimited potential for pulling in Internet videos via BitTorrent, HTTP/FTP, podcasts, and streaming either directly or from a local PC. Unlike, for example, the Yahoo! powered TVs we saw at CES where manufacturers can determine access to functionality, the Linux based system touts open technologies, and its BLOBKit SDK is available today in the hopes of creating an environment where anyone can create and deliver a TV app, without worrying about content deals. At launch, there's 1080p out over HDMI and an Ethernet hookup, with an optional dongle for WiFi, and apps for YouTube, Last.fm, Picasa and more built in. MP4, DivX and XviD support is accounted for with upgrades like Facebook access and MKV said to be on the way for the €389 ($490) box, currently available through an Italian reseller, at least until someone decides to bring this over here.
VUDU first on-demand service to sell HD and HDX movies
VUDU made some pretty big waves with its Blu-ray-rivaling HDX downloadable format, and now it's pushing the envelope once again by becoming the first on-demand service to actually sell (as in, for keeps... on your box, anyway) HD and HDX movies. Starting today, all VUDU owners can browse a growing library of for-sale high-definition flicks, and it should be noted that both HD and HDX titles will sport the same price tags (between $13.99 and $23.99). Initially, only around 50 films will be available, all of which are from top independent studios. Magnolia Picture's Man on Wire, which just so happened to take home an Oscar this year, is in that group of 50 along with FirstLook Studios' Transsiberian and War, Inc.. Better still, VUDU intends to make future releases available for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release, and we can only hope that major studios get with the program and follow suit. Full release is after the break.
Apple TV survey checks into user habits
Apple may say that its Apple TV is just a hobby, but we know better. A recent survey for Apple TV users took a deep look at all activities users engaged in, and potentially more important, at which activities they didn't engage in. With the recent surge in interest in digital downloads, Apple has to be considering how it could exploit its box to take advantage of newfound interest, but that would likely require it to open its traditionally locked doors and allow other applications to ride shotgun. We already know that many users add extra capabilities not sanctioned by Apple, but boy, can you imagine the marketing on this thing if boxee, HD Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand were natively supported? We can dream, can't we?
AT&T gets proud: 100% of U-verse TV STBs meet or beat Energy Star requirements
It's hard to know how many other pay-TV providers could say this very same thing but are simply choosing not to brag, but AT&T's holding nothing back in its latest release. The operator has proudly come forward and proclaimed that 100 percent of its U-verse TV receivers meet or exceed Energy Star efficiency requirements, and all new Motorola and Cisco set-top-boxes will boast the accompanying Energy Star label. Not trying to stroke your ego or anything, AT&T, but way to be green.
Kodak's Theatre HD Player unboxed and reviewed
We already heard what a few others had to say about Kodak's Theatre HD Player, but we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to unbox our own and toss out some impressions. We won't bother teasing you, though -- head on over to Engadget Classic for the full spill.
Kodak's Theatre HD Player with gyro-based Pointer Remote unboxed and reviewed
We've been playing around with Kodak's new Theatre HD Player for the past few days, and our feelings are mixed. Kodak is doing a lot of interesting and innovative things here, especially with the gyroscopic Pointer Remote it has included for interfacing with the box, but we're not convinced this thing is polished or helpful enough to justify the $299 asking price. Check out our full impressions after the break. %Gallery-42830% %Gallery-42831%
Sky software update brings along automatic standby feature
In an effort to lower subscriber energy bills as well as throw Mother Earth a bone, Sky is reportedly rolling out a software update to its set-top-boxes that will enable an automatic standby feature. In short, the update will force boxes that go unused for four hours during the day into standby, and that grace period gets cut in half (to two hours, for the mathematically challenged) at night. The update will supposedly hit all nine million or so Sky boxes by July, and the company estimates that the move will reduce its carbon footprint by around 90,000 tonnes each year. A little standby goes a long way, huh?[Thanks, Martin]
Daewoo introduces DIS-E100 HD IPTV set-top-box
It's pretty much impossible to say where Daewoo's DIS-E100 HD IPTV set-top-box (not pictured) is headed in terms of operator adoption, but one's thing is for certain: SecureMedia's Encryptonite ONE will be making sure no pirates can plunder with content running through it. In all honesty, little is actually known about the aforesaid STB given that it's SecureMedia that's doing the outing, but we wouldn't be shocked to see this filter out to the handful of IPTV providers operating in the States. Now, if only this thing had an HDD in it, we'd really be in business. Full release is after the break.
Bell TV turns 6141 HD STB into HD PVR with firmware update
No, the latest firmware update for Bell TV's 6141 HD STB doesn't magically add a hard drive within, but it does open up the ability for said box to record content if one is attached via USB. The new software (v.165) enables a single USB 2.0 HDD up to 1TB in size to be attached, and once it's recognized, recording can begin immediately. For obvious reasons, we're told that the material can only be played back on the set-top-box on which it was recorded, but hey, at least you can push aside that impending HD DVR purchase indefinitely.
Broadcom produces MoCA-integrated SoC for HD STBs
Ready to sling recorded content around your home via the coaxial wiring in your home? Broadcom is. The outfit has just introduced the industry's first MoCA-integrated SoC solution for use in high-def set-top-boxes and gateway applications, which would theoretically "transform a subscriber's existing coax cable infrastructure into a whole-home media distribution network." If you still can't piece together the potential here, we're talking whole-home digital media distribution over one's existing coax network, and DLNA support is thrown in too. Who knows when your cable company will decide to adopt an STB with this within, but tomorrow would be good.
NeuLion iPTV HD Box streams Internet videos to the TV
NeuLion, the people behind the NFL's GamePass HD and Game Rewind online streaming video services, is launching a standalone IPTV receiver capable of decoding 720p or 1080i video. The iPTV HD TV Box not intended to be sold directly to consumers, but their partners may offer it so viewers can take their Silverlight, Flash or Move Networks encoded streams to the HDTV. No word whether any tuners are included but it can access a 7-day channel guide, output Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and serve as a DVR. A bit simpler than an HTPC and probably cheaper than a whole new HDTV, keep an eye out for the first boxes shipping in March.
Reminder: VUDU's movie set-top-box giveaway ends tomorrow!
Like it or not, most of you are about to come to terms with the fact that the next major holiday is months away. Do you really want to face that realization without a copious amount of on-demand content at your disposal? We thought not. Thus, we're giving you one final shot to register for a chance to win a VUDU movie set-top-box; if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, head on over and leave a comment. It all ends (the contest, not life as we know it... hopefully) tomorrow night (January 2nd) at 11:59PM ET.
Engadget HD's Holiday Giveaway: win a VUDU movie set-top-box!
The giving souls over at Engadget HD aren't done yet, as they've got a VUDU movie set-top-box awaiting a new owner. If your unwrapping ceremony this morning wasn't all gumdrops and lollipops like you had hoped, there's hardly a better way to remedy the situation than to bring home an on-demand movie box. Head on over and drop your name in the hat -- Kris Kringle just might have a little somethin' (more) for ya.
Engadget HD Holiday Giveaway (part II): VUDU's movie set-top-box
Just as promised, we're back for round two. The Engadget HD gift bag is opening once more, and this time we've a shiny new VUDU movie set-top-box to give away. We hear that nothing warms the heart like on-demand movies, and nothing pleases the eye like on-demand movies in high-definition. Just plug this into your HDTV, attach a broadband connection and kick back by the fireplace to enjoy whatever flick your delicate soul desires. Santa's only request is that you leave a comment below to be considered in the drawing, and you know it's always best to do what Santa says. Psst... don't forget to enter our earlier giveaway for a Slingbox PRO-HD if you haven't already!%Gallery-40033%The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, though we'd prefer to hear what holiday film you plan on renting just as soon as this baby arrives. 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.) 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 and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) VUDU movie set-top-box. Approximate value is $299. Entries can be submitted until Friday, January 2nd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
