HdMediaStreamer
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Acer ships AMD-powered Revo RL100 HTPC to Americans: $499 and up
Acer actually popped out its Revo RL100 media center right around six months ago, but for those unable to make the trip to Asia, today's the day for getting jovial. Said player is now shipping to the US of A, hailed as a "digital hub" and outfitted with a dual-mode wireless touchpad / keyboard as well as the company's own clear.fi streaming solution. A pair of models will be available -- one with Blu-ray and one without -- with the entire box measuring just 1- x 11.81- x 7.09-inches. As expected, an HDMI port 'round back will handle the bulk of the data transmissions, and an internal NVIDIA Ion graphics chip will be responsible for 1080p video playback. Within, you'll get a 1.3GHz AMD Athlon II K325 CPU, 750GB SATA hard drive, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, three USB 2.0 ports, a multi-card reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and an Ethernet socket. Windows 7 Home Premium will be the OS of choice, and it can be yours for the tidy sum of $499.99 (or $569.99 if you're looking to add BD capabilities). %Gallery-126127%
Minuscule PicoHD5.1 media player looks like a card reader, acts like a media streamer
What if your media streamer was as small as your media card reader? What if your list of "what ifs" shrunk by one this evening? And what if, by chance, said media streamer shipped with a remote nearly double the size of the product itself? We'll confess, it'd be a weird, weird situation, but it's one that you can actually experience for yourself if you're cool with handing over £49.99 ($82). The bantam PicoHD5.1 packs a lot of oomph into a pocket-sized device; on one side, there's room for a USB hard drive, thumb drive or SD card. On the reverse, you'll find HDMI / component outputs capable of piping whatever media you just plugged in onto your television or monitor. There's even support for 5.1 channel surround sound, and we're told that it's encased in aluminum -- you know, for those inevitable bumps and bruises. Is the "smallest HD multichannel media player" truly as spectacular as it sounds? Hard to say from afar, but hey, that's what 60 day money-back guarantees are for... right?
How would you change D-Link's Boxee Box?
Yeah, Boxee just gave you all what you've been asking for, but here's the real question: what else does your little heart desire? D-Link's Boxee Box has most certainly shaken up the industry, providing a killer UI and a not-so-AV-cabinet-friendly design. You've got more media streamer options than ever before, and if you held out to buy the D-Link-built box, you've a right to throw your opinions in comments below. Would you have made the chassis a bit more typical? Changed any of the outputs? Added any hardware features? The floor's wide open, so don't let this chance go to waste. You know what Lee Ann Womack says about getting the chance to dance... don't you?
AC Ryan unveils Realtek-based Playon!HD2 and Playon!HD Mini2 media streamers
AC Ryan already took a few precious moments to introduce its FLUXX media player, but given that one new streamer in a month isn't nearly "enough," the outfit's dishing out two more this week. The Playon! HD2 and Playon! HD Mini2 are both based around Realtek's 1185 media processor, tout gigabit Ethernet and will soon have access to the WePlayon! content portal. For all intents and purposes, both of these boxes are identical save for a couple of major differences: the HD2 ships with space for a 3.5-inch HDD (whereas the Mini2 goes drive-less), and there's also support for 802.11n WiFi on the big daddy if you spring for an optional adapter. Oh, and the HD2 has a larger chassis -- go figure, right? You'll also get a USB 3.0 port on the HD2 if you'd like to connect up any other media, and you'll be able to find either in stores starting next month. As for prices? The empty units will sell for $169 (HD2) / $109 (Mini2), while the former can be ordered up with a 500GB ($205), 1TB ($229), 1.5TB ($259) or 2TB ($289) hard drive within.
Ask Engadget: what's the ultimate network media streamer?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Brett, who seems just marginally overwhelmed by the recent flood of network media streamers. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm looking for a network media player that can play a variety of videos from my NAS as well as connect to media services like Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, etc. I thought I found the perfect match with the new Sony SMP-N100, but the DLNA sharing system was awful compared to an old Apple TV with XBMC installed. Any suggestions on the ultimate Network Media Player? Bonus points for being able to remotely queue videos or control it from a smart phone." We've been to this rodeo before, but the situation (and consumer demands, too) has changed quite dramatically from just a year ago. Given that there are more players connecting to more portals than ever before, we'd curious to know what box you'd recommend for Brett. Don't hold back, cool?
QNAP intros 1080p-capable NMP-1000P network multimedia player
It's a minor refresh, but a refresh nonetheless. If you'll recall, we saw the original NMP-1000 break cover at CeBIT 2009, and now that we're 1.5 years in the future, the QNAP NMP-1000P is making its debut for those who crave 1080p. Judging from the exterior, little has changed from then until now, but the revamped innards may be of interest -- there's a Sigma Designs SMP8643 SoC, a 667MHz CPU with floating point processor, support for 1080/24p playback and WiFi integration if you spring for an optional adapter. You'll also get a revised user interface, local and internet-based content streaming and room for a user-supplied 3.5-inch SATA hard drive, not to mention compatibility with just about every file format under the sun. Mum's the word on pricing and availability, but we're guessing it'll be out on shelves somewhere prior to the holidays.
Veebeam's Wireless USB-based media streamers are 'content agnostic,' fairly cheap
The universe needs another media streamer like it needs another BP running "cleanup" in the Gulf, but like it or not, Veebeam's fully intent on shipping its newest duo. Announced today over at the DEMO Fall 2010 conference, the media-focused company has announced the Veebeam SD and Veebeam HD, with the latter obviously catching the brunt of our attention. The idea here is to create a "content agnostic" streamer that simply pipes whatever content you have playing on your Mac or PC (yeah, it plays nice with both) to your HDTV. Sounds great in theory, but the problem is the protocol. Both units rely on Wireless USB to handle their streaming, and unless the standard has seen some huge improvements since our Atlona test a year ago, we're willing to bet the actual playback performance is less than incredible -- particularly if you try to send 1080p content over it. The setup itself is fairly simple; just plug a transceiver into your computer and the base station into your tele. From there, it's pretty much plug-and-play. The pair is up for order today, with the SD version selling for $99 and the HD model (complete with HDMI, digital audio and two USB sockets) for $139. We'd personally wait for a review before buying in blind -- nothing against Veebeam, but we haven't been overly impressed with WUSB's ability to handle high-bandwidth applications in the past.
Amex Digital claims 'world's smallest 1080p media player' with MP-501
It's hardly as small as Thomson's A1, but it just might be the most diminutive media player in existence to actually handle 1080p without breaking too serious a sweat. Measuring just 175- x 128- x 15mm and weighing 250 grams, this pocket sized player can accept a multitude of film formats from a connected USB storage device or an SD card; once the media's flowing, it can output content as high as 1080p over HDMI, and there's also a composite video / audio output and mini-USB port 'round back. The MP-501 is equipped with an ARM Cortex-A8 processor and the ability to play nice with nearly every file under the sun that's stripped of DRM, and best of all, it's purportedly priced at just $49. Did you just stumble upon your next laptop case compartment filler? Yes, yes you did.
Uebo introduces versatile M200 media streamer, we go hands-on
Yes, the world needs another high-definition media streamer like it needs a shot in the foot, but never let it be said we passed up the chance to try a promising product simply because the competition was good. We're talking about the Uebo M200 --a never-before-seen box from storage company UIT -- whose claim to fame is a $130 price for everything-but-the-kitchen-sink media center functionality. Out of the box it's your standard streamer, playing loads of media formats from memory cards, attached storage and thumbdrives, plus ShoutCast internet radio, RSS feeds and UPnP shares from your PC, but also the usual suspects Hulu, Netflix, CBS and more via PlayOn media server. Pop in a 3.5-inch SATA disk, however, and things get more entertaining, as the box itself turns into an external hard drive, a network-attached storage device and even a Bittorrent client. It also doesn't hurt that the Uebo can hook up to most any entertainment system, with not only HDMI, component and composite connections but also every standard (HD, NTSC and PAL) video mode, there's a $30 optional wireless dongle, and the digital audio front includes both optical and coaxial jacks for output. Sadly, in practice the above functionality isn't as streamlined as it sounds -- as is usually the case with these devices image quality can suffer slightly, and Uebo's GUI has a face only a mother could love. While the device admirably played the vast majority of one editor's anime music video collection (though it stumbled over XviD and Sorenson Video 3), sorting through nested menus to get to our content was a hell of a chore. PlayOn and Bittorrent seemed to work, though their roundabout implementation left much to be desired, with the former only accessible through a deep dive of the UPnP menu, and the latter requiring torrent trackers to be uploaded from a separate PC using a web client. We had a couple of crashes when testing the device, too, including a Bittorrent-related one where the Uebo completely stopped responding to input, but the majority of the time we enjoyed HD and SD content on the fairly capable little TV server. All in all, it's not the most polished product and shouldn't distract you from popcorn-eating elephants in the room, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative it's hard to argue with Uebo. Take a brief tour with our gallery below, or hit up the more coverage link for a full datasheet. %Gallery-97771%
Marshal's new media drive is no laughing matter, plays Blu-ray and DVD ISOs
Yes, it's just a hard drive that plays 1080p content, but this one can connect to your PS3; according to some machine translated Japanese, Marshal's new "Media Joker" can also act as an external hard drive for your Sony game console or a Toshiba REGZA TV. While you won't be able to install games on the up-to-2TB hard drive that you'll provide yourself, the black box can notably play Blu-ray ISOs -- though that, the company carefully cautions, will surely void your warranty. The case admirably provides most all ports you could want, including component, composite, both flavors of S/PDIF, HDMI 1.3, LAN, an SD card slot and a pair of USB sockets, and supports a host of audiovisual formats, the full list available at the more coverage link. Find it retailing for ¥16,800 (about $184) this Saturday in some neon-lit corner of Japan.
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player gains Netflix streaming
Seagate's FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player has quite a few competitors surrounding it, and for the most part, it didn't really offer a huge competitive advantage when we peeked it back in September. 'Course, that's before support for Netflix's Watch Instantly came along, and today, the tables seem to have turned. The aforesaid storage outfit has announced that a gratis firmware update will enable this here player to stream Netflix as well as content from YouTube, vTuner and Mediafly. For those just now willing to give this unit a second look, it also doubles as a UPnP / DLNA streamer to play content stored on networked PCs and drives, and it can procured for right around $100 sans a FreeAgent HDD. So, Roku -- you just going to sit there and take this, or what? %Gallery-91131%
Netgear intros EVA9100 media streamer, DGN2200M WiFi / WWAN modem and more at CES
Some crazy stuff is going down in Vegas -- fancy that, right? Netgear is doing its darnedest to make its own scene with the introduction of three new items here at CES, so we won't waste any time in breaking 'em down. Up first is the now-available $249 Digital Entertainer Express (EVA9100), which incorporates the media prowess found in the EVA9150 in order to give users instant access to "Blu-ray quality digital video up to 1080p, MP3s and high-resolution digital photos from PCs, Macs or NAS devices." Portals to YouTube, Flickr and RSS feeds will be readily available, and the free trial of PlayOn will provide access to Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, BBC iPlayer and CBS. Next, we've got the $179.99 DGN2200M wireless router (available in April), which actually pulls double duty as an 802.11n-enabled DSL modem and a WWAN modem. Hailed as the only wireless-N product on the retail market with dual WAN capabilities, this one can get users online via a 3G or 4G USB dongle whenever they leave their home broadband connection. Finally, the $159 Powerline 200 AV+ Adapter (XAV2501) -- which will ship early next month -- enables homeowners to create a 10/100 Ethernet connection from any ordinary electrical outlet that already supports a powerline network. This one's also a HomePlug AV-certified device, so it should have no issues pushing through data at up to 200Mbps. We'll be scouring the show floor for a little hands-on action, so stay tuned! %Gallery-81231%
Syabas Popbox hands-on
The Popcorn Hour lineup had (and still has) a huge following, but it remains one of the most under-appreciated media streamers on the market from a mainstream perspective. We get the feeling that all of that's gearing up to change, with Syabas demonstrating its highly marketable Popbox here at CES. We were able to swing by and take a look at the product tonight, and we've got to confess -- it'd be a pretty stellar add to any home entertainment setup. The box was small, light and stylish enough, and the actual user interface was drop-dead simple to navigate. It hooks up with any networked media (the demo was playing back content from a NAS drive), and it even pulls down metadata from IMDB for films. We briefly watched a couple of 720p clips, and playback started instantly and the video quality was nothing short of fantastic. We've got a video in the works, but for now, feel free to have a glance at the gallery below. Update: Video is now live after the break! %Gallery-81577%
Intel's CE 3100 finally gets a shipping partner in Yuixx media player
Intel's CE 3100 multimedia processor has been hanging out at trade floor shows for months upon months now, but at long last the slab has a partner product that'll be shipping to general consumers. Conceptronics' Yuixx HD media player has just reached the point in its life where shipment is imminent, and in speaking with the firm, we learned that'll hit the streets of Amsterdam at the end of this month. The rest of Europe is expected to see it in February, while Americans will have to wait until it hits the FCC in March before getting any closer. Unlike some other set-top boxes on the market now, this one relies heavily on its own Widget Channel to bring web-based content to televisions, and pumping out 1080p material ain't no thang for it. Head on past the break for the full release and a promo video, and look for a little hands-on action as the CES show floor opens. %Gallery-81528%
LaCie serves up LaCinema Mini HD, Network Server and Wuala-infused USB keys
CES just wouldn't be CES without a few new introductions from LaCie, now would it? Nah. Up first from the sexiest name in storage is a fresh member of the LaCinema multimedia hard drive family, the Mini HD. Equipped with 802.11n WiFi and a penchant for serving up 1080p video, this DLNA media player boasts an HDMI output, internal hard drive, USB socket (for uploading media or playing files back from a USB drive) and an extensive list of supported codecs that includes MKV, AVC and DivX. This one should be filtering out now in the US and Europe for an undisclosed amount. Moving on, we've got the simply titled Network Server, which sports five drive bays, gigabit Ethernet and Windows Home Server running the show. LaCie also enables users to backup their backups via its own Wuala technology, though exact pricing and availability details won't be revealed until later in Q1. Lastly, there's a new trio of USB Keys, which look an awful lot like actual keys. Sadly, these aren't ready to handle the beast that is SuperSpeed USB, but they do promise transfers as fast as 30MB/sec, and they're also waterproof and available in sizes as large as 32GB. The company's also throwing in 4GB of web-accessible Wuala storage for the first two years of ownership, with the CooKey and WhizKey available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities for $19.99 and up, up, up. The full releases are just past the break. %Gallery-81270%
LaCie packs 2TB HDD, DLNA support into LaCinema Classic HD
LaCie's LaCinema Classic multimedia hard drive was a fine device, but if you're anything like us, you're never perfectly satisfied. Thus, we're stoked to see the outfit issuing a revamped version of the aforesaid device today, with the LaCinema Classic HD including up to 2TB of internal storage space, (optional) 802.11n WiFi and built-in DLNA server capabilities. As you'd expect, this sexy black block will stream multimedia from your Mac or PC onto your HDTV, and the included HDMI port (and cable) should ensure that transfers remain gorgeous. We're told that format support won't be an issue, and if you're a believer, you can get your pre-order in now for $249.99 (1TB). Rear shot is after the break.
Onkyo's iPod-lovin' ND-S1 digital media transport gets reviewed
Back in late July, we weren't aware of when Onkyo's fancy ND-S1 iPod dock would ship. Now, we're not only certain that the £144 ($235) digital media transport is shipping across the pond, but we've stumbled upon a critique for those wondering if such an outlay is justified. After slamming their iPod touch into the device and connecting it to their reference speaker system, they came away duly impressed; in practically every scenario, using the external DAC in this box led to clearer, more precise audio compared to signals coming straight out of the iPod. In fact, reviewers went so far as to call this unit "peerless," though they did mention that it's really only good for those already satisfied with their existing speaker setuip. Of course, you could just opt for an audiophile-approved media player, but then you wouldn't be able to experience the joy and elation that comes with relying on iTunes. Right?
Patriot's $130 Box Office 1080p media player streams on the cheap
Eying a Popcorn Hour device, are you? We know Patriot isn't exactly the first name you think of when pondering your next media streamer, but the $129.99 price tag affixed to the black box shown above definitely piqued our interest. Like most of its rivals, this one features a 2.5-inch HDD slot (though you'll need to bring your own drive, obviously), a trio of USB sockets, 10/100 Ethernet for content streaming, UPnP support, a rather decent file support list and a bundled remote. There's also an optional USB WiFi adapter for those not keen on running 80 feet of Ethernet cabling through their den, and while the GUI won't revolutionize your life, it certainly ain't bad given the low barrier to entry. Too bad it's still stuck in that painful-to-watch "pre-order" stage, huh?[Via thegadgetsite]
ASUS ships $100 O!Play HDP-R1 HD media streamer
Hey, you -- yeah, you. Remember that O!Play HDP-R1 media player that ASUS teased us with back in June? Remember how you dedicated a calender to it so you could count down the days 'til its arrival? Time to stop all that madness, as said box is finally on sale and shipping right now within the US of A. For the surprisingly reasonable price of $99.99, users can utilize this very device to stream and play back an array of formats with 1080p resolution support. Heck, there's even an eSATA and Ethernet port there, just waiting for your love. So, will you show it? Or is life still worth living knowing what you've neglected?[Via Slashgear]
QNAP ships NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player
It sure took 'em long enough, but QNAP has finally come around and delivered its NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player here in the States. If you'll recall, we actually toyed around with one way back at CeBIT, and while those camped out in Osaka have been enjoying the spoils for months now, the Yanks in attendance have been forced to wait. According to QNAP, the DLNA-compliant media streamer is now shipping in America, though a quick look around our favorite web stores has turned up nothing. We're sure that'll be remedied in short order, though.[Via HotHardware]%Gallery-74241%
