We'd heard rumors Mvix USA would be rolling out an upgraded 1080p capable media box to rival the earlier MvixPVR and here it is. Dubbed the Ultio, it has a list of supported codecs and containers that rivals the new Popcorn Hour C-200 in its thoroughness -- DivX® (3/4/5/6), Xvid, AVC-HD, MPEG 1/2/4, WMV-9, ASF(WMV9), MKV, DVD(IFO, VOB), ISO, MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, FLAC, AC3 -- it's all here, with a slightly awkward Swiss Army knife-themed tagline to boot. The $169 price tag is sans-3.5-inch SATA HDD, though you can add one for $79 (500GB) $90 (1TB) or $139 (1.5TB). Of course network streaming is a part of the package, with Mvix's usual suite of Samba / UPnP / BitTorrent (mentioning compatibility with PlayOn and Tversity specifically to get all your Netflix, YouTube and other streaming sources to TV) via Ethernet or optional Wireless-N dongle. It's up for pre-orders now, take a close look at the specs and pics then get in line before they start shipping July 6.

mCubed's RipNAS Statement may be unique, but it isn't apt to be widely adopted -- at least not with price points like this. Hailed as the first SSD-based CD ripping NAS device, the product is also available in a traditional HDD form, though both handle automatic ripping, NAS duties and media streaming. Within, you'll find a dual-core Atom CPU, gigabit Ethernet, a TEAC DVD drive, four USB 2.0 sockets and a fanless design. The pain? €1,795 ($2,500) for the 3TB HDD version, or €3,295 ($4,590) for the 500GB SSD model. If you're unfazed by sticker shock, you can pick yours up right now over in Europe.

We'll be perfectly honest with you -- the Atom-powered RipNAS definitely caught our interest when it launched with practically no major competitors back in February. Now, the RipNAS family has grown by two with the introduction of the Statement SSD and Statement HDD. We're told that the former is the world's first SSD-based CD ripping NAS device, and we've absolutely no reason to believe otherwise. The totally silent, all-silver box is based on the Windows Home Server OS and handles a cornucopia of tasks: CD ripping, media streaming and networked file storage. Internal specifications include a dual-core Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM and four USB 2.0 ports. The Statement SSD arrives in a 500GB configuration (2 x 250GB SSDs), while the Statement HDD holds 3TB by way of two 1.5TB drives; mum's the word on pricing, but don't bank on 'em being cheap.

Not that we haven't seen Atom-based NAS devices before, but we've yet to see one with an integrated optical drive. Looking to serve a unique niche that still hasn't transferred that CD collection to HDD, the RipNAS combines an audio CD ripper with oodles of network-accessible storage space, and as if that wasn't enough, there's also media streaming abilities baked in. The whole unit is fanless in nature and requires no external keyboard / PC in order to rip files to your favorite lossless format, retrieve all associated metadata and automatically re-rip tracks if errors are detected. Initially, the box is being served with 640GB of internal storage space along with a number of USB ports for external expansion. Sadly, such a specialized box won't run you cheap, with the sticker hovering around €1,095 ($1,415) right now in Europe.

We knew Cisco would be throwing down in the home media space, and it's coming out in force, supplementing that sexy Wireless Home Audio system with the web-enabled Media Hub NAS. Both the $400 500GB NMH405 and $430 NMH410 (1TB) feature a front-panel LCD and card reader, while the $350 NMH305 (500GB) does away with such frills. All three models come with a single drive, but can be expanded with a second unit later. The web interface actually looks super-slick, with file system and media playback functionality available to any web browser. Of course, you can also stream to any UPnP AV / DLNA device, and there's also iTunes streaming if you roll like that. Not a bad little package, if you're in the market -- we'll see how that interface runs in person later this week.

Sans Digital caught our eyes earlier this month with a simple, albeit remarkably nifty CF to SATA adapter, and now it's doing so again with a 2-bay NAS enclosure. The AccuNAS AN2L is a RAID 0/1 chassis that supports file sharing in Windows, OS X and Linux, and it also enables playback of files via a PS3 / Xbox 360 or any other UPnP / DLNA-certified device. You'll also find that this thing doubles triples as an iTunes music server and BitTorrent client, which makes it all the more tempting, does it not? No word on pricing at the moment, but if you're strangely uncomfortable with loading in your own HDDs, the outfit will be selling these with 500GB to 2TB pre-installed for an undisclosed premium.

In the quickly-growing realm of media streamers, there's at least a modicum of a chance that Conceptronic's oddly titled Grab 'n GO Full HD media player has slipped from the forefront of your mind. If so, the outfit is gunning to jar your memory by announcing that it is now shipping said piece to eager consumers. The release also noted that SAMBA and NFS clients have been added, and it's pretty much ready to "stream all digital media files to a TV in Full HD 1080p resolution." Furthermore, you'll find a gigabit Ethernet jack to handle all that data, and the built-in USB port enables external storage to be added locally. Sorry, still no price.

[Thanks, KJ]

It's been a blisteringly hot minute since Niveus saw fit to really revamp its aging Storage Server, but for whatever reason, today's the day all that changes. Yep, starting on Valentine's Day, users can grab hold of a 2TB Storage Server or 4TB Storage Server Pro, both of which include the firm's own Reflection technology for keeping data synced across multiple storage units. The duo also sports a rack-mountable design and includes automatic backup software, uPnP Media Server support, remote access via secure login, RAID 0 / 5 capabilities and a wicked high price tag. How high, you ask? Try $2,999 for the 2TB edition or $5,999 for the 4TB model. Yeah, that high.

As if there weren't enough options to cram underneath your Mac mini, here's yet another. NewerTech is introducing its miniStack NAS enclosure, which can be pre-configured with as much as 750GB of storage, and should fit quite well above or below your mini. The box sports Ethernet / USB 2.0 ports, PC and Mac support, Ximeta's NDAS 2011 network chipset, LED status lights, auto power on / off, and "intelligent thermal monitoring for minimal fan power consumption." For those interested in adding their own HDD, the device itself can be snagged for $79.99, while ordering with a hard drive already included will run you up to $329.99 depending on capacity.

BitTorrents best friend -- QNAP -- is back with a new series of all-in-one NAS servers. The TS-109 Pro Turbo Station is now Windows ADS and DDNS compliant and features a built-in Web server supporting PHP + MySQL. The box supports a single SATA disk up to 1TB in capacity which can be extended with USB 2.0 and eSATA jacks. The TS-109 also packs Q-RAID 1 for mirroring drives via USB or eSATA, remote network and 1-touch USB backup, iTunes sever, UPnP/DLNA support, and of course, their infamous BitTorrent client which doesn't require a PC. Its "no noise design" means you can keep those torrents chugging while you slumber in the glow of MPAA and RIAA scorn. Sorry, no prices or date for availability.

Fresh off its acquisition of Infrant Technologies, Netgear is unloading a bevy of new RAID NAS products, a host of small to mid-size business networking gear, and a newfound partnership with Avaya to provide VoIP to SMB customers. On the storage front, the four-bay ReadyNAS NV+ (desktop) and ReadyNAS 1100 (rackmount) devices support RAID 0/1/5 and X-RAID, automated backups and alerting, gigabit Ethernet, UPnP AV multimedia access, a number of USB ports, and room for up to four SATA drives. As for networking gear, the company is busting out its new WFS709TP ProSafe Smart Wireless Switch, WGL102 ProSafe 802.11g Light WAP, WAGL102 ProSafe Dual Band Light WAP, eight-port GS108T Gigabit Ethernet Smart Switch, 24-port GS724TP Smart PoE Switch, and a monstrous 48-port GS748TP Smart PoE Switch to finish things off. As if that wasn't enough to digest, Netgear is also partnering up with Avaya to provide "an IP telephony solution for small businesses with 20 users or less." The newfangled lineups will be available at varying times and prices, so be sure to visit the read link for specifics on each individual model.

[Via SmallNetBuilder]

Although QNAP was indeed one of the forerunners in getting PC-less downloads into the NAS arena, it's been a tick since the firm pumped out anything new, but those looking for a multifaceted drive have found their match. The TS-100 supports SATA drives up to 750GB is extendable to 1.5TB by an eSATA and USB 2.0 port, operates as a UPnP media server, iTunes music server, remotely accessible hard drive, and "non-stop" BitTorrent / P2P client that can keep those downloads runnin' so long as it's being fed an internet connection. Furthermore, the device sports a trendy white / silver finish, a fanless design, comes pre-loaded with the company's QGet download management software. No word just yet on price nor availability, but we're guessing it'll hit around the $300 mark when it lands.

It's not too tough these days to find a router with HD streaming in its arsenal, but D-Link is aiming for a slightly different set with its dual-band Xtreme N Duo MediaBridge. Essentially, this liaison connects to your existing router in order to add 5GHz 802.11n abilities to your setup, which purportedly "helps avoid interference by allowing the user to use the 5GHz frequency band to provide a stable high-performance wireless link for streaming HD video." Clearly designed with the DIR-655 in mind, this device also allows up to five Ethernet-enabled media devices to become attached on a separate unit for even more high-definition WiFi streaming. Notably, the DAP-1555 itself doesn't seem to double as an Ethernet router, and unfortunately, you'll have to wait until the thing ships in Q3 to find out how much it'll dent your wallet.

[Via SmallNetBuilder

While peer-to-peer sharing certainly gets its fair share of critics, the sharing, caring approach to distributing media definitely has its useful (and legal) benefits, and now NDS has announced "two new product enhancements of Synamedia Metro, the NDS IPTV middleware solution," which looks to bring P2P technology to the DVR. Distributed DVR allows for any hard drive on the home's network to act as the storage device for your DVR, theoretically eliminating the need to even include an HDD in the set-top-box and giving customers the unadulterated ability to scale their storage capacity to fit their needs. Furthermore, the ShareTV system "allows IPTV subscribers to legally share their stored TV content using peer-to-peer technology running in the Jungo Residential Gateway software," essentially opening up a new realm of recorded television to access just in case your forgot to schedule a crucial recording. Of course, all of the files would be laced in DRM, and only users of NDS' system would be able to share and access the recorded content, but having a nearly endless supply of DVR'd shows at your disposal sure sounds appealing. Now, who's game to pick this system up and distribute to the people?

[Via PVRWire]

Philips are showing off their latest home audio Streamium solution at CES today. Meet the WAS5000 and WACS3500 multi-room solution for streaming music wirelessly throughout the house. The WACS3500 (top) is a three-piece configuration with 80GB hard disk and the ability to up to four additional stations to enable advanced features such as Music Follows Me, the ability for music to turn on and off as you travel from room to room; Music Broadcast to annoy the family everywhere in the house; or My Room, My Music for personalized playlists on different stations in different rooms. The WAS5000 is aimed at extending your existing audio system by connecting UPnP back to your PC and enables the same advanced features as the WACS3500. The WACS3500 should be set to roll in the first half of 2007 for $399 while the WAS5000 will pop for $499.