upnp posts
It's not as compellingly styled as the Starck Mobile Hard Drive, nor as ostentatious as the Golden Disk; in fact the Network Space 2 is visually identical to the earlier Network Space, featuring improvements where it counts: on the inside. The Network Space 2 can act as either an external drive over USB or as a NAS, with UPnP, DLNA, and iTunes compliance for media streaming -- but that's old hat. New is integrated torrent support for all of your non-copyrighted download needs and some enhanced eco-friendly tweaks, like the ability to power itself down at certain times of the day then wake-on-LAN when needed. Storage is still capped at 1TB and there's no RAID in here to protect your infos, but we're not expecting this one to stray too far from its predecessor's $160 mark when released before the end of the year.
Macrovision re-invents itself as Rovi, kicks off with new guide "Liquid"
Hold on to your hats folks because the company that we love to hate is turning over a new leaf by kicking off its old DRM shoes and leveraging its acquisition of Gemstar in a big way. What we mean is that this is the first time in the history of Macrovision that we can remember being excited about an announcement; and boy does it make perfect sense that it comes with a new company name. Rovi's first consumer product should be available in various HDTVs next year, and among the new jazzed up looking guide you can expect a full DLNA client that is designed to be a single access point for all of your content. This includes internet sourced content like Slacker radio, YouTube XL, BLOCKBUSTER OnDemand, and CinemaNow; as well as anything you might have on your PC like pictures, music and even videos. Add in a little social networking from sites such as Flixster and we might have ourselves a new way to watch TV. No word yet on what new TVs will feature Liquid, but we'd expect to hear more at CES '10. The full release is after the jump.
Gallery: Rovi's Liquid guide
Mvix Ultio "It Plays All" HD media streamer debuts in the U.S. July 6 for $179
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.
Gallery: Mvix Ultio
mCubed's RipNAS Statement now available in Europe
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.
RipNAS Statement: world's first SSD-based CD ripping NAS device
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.
mCubed's Atom-powered RipNAS combines CD ripper with NAS drive
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.
Linksys announces Media Hub NAS
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 offers up AccuNAS AN2L 2-bay NAS enclosure
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.
Conceptronic ships Grab 'n GO Full HD media streamer
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]
Niveus unveils 2TB and 4TB Storage Server devices
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.
NewerTech intros Mac mini-lovin' miniStack NAS
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.
QNAP's latest BitTorrent NAS: TS-109 Pro Turbo Station
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.Netgear intros business-class networking solutions, partners with Avaya for VoIP
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]
QNAP TS-100 NAS handles BitTorrent downloads, media server duties
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.D-Link's Xtreme N Duo MediaBridge enables HD streaming
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




























