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Roku launches revamped HD, XD, and XDS players, starting at $59
We've been wondering what Roku had up its sleeve after the FCC leaked the Roku XD and XDS following Apple's $99 Apple TV announcement, and it looks like those earlier price cuts were just the beginning: the new Roku lineup starts at just $59 for the basic WiFi HD streamer with HDMI and composite outputs. That's basically impulse-purchase territory if you're looking for a quick way to get Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand or one of Roku's 75 other channels on your TV. The $79 Roku XD adds in 1080p streaming support for channels with 1080p content, and the top-of-the-line $99 XDS adds in a USB port for future local playback support, component video and optical audio out, and dual-band 802.11n WiFi. All three boxes share the same new slimmer case, while the XD and XDS get a new sleeker remote with new instant-replay and info buttons. Definitely an intriguing set of upgrades -- we've been playing with the XDS for a few days, so go check out our full review!
Ask Engadget: simplest, cheapest way to stream movies from PC to TV?
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 Willem, who may actually land the love of his life if you'll lend a hand here. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I have a computer that houses an entire collection of digital movies. In another room I have a TV. I want to stream a selection of MKV and AVI videos to the TV. I can also put all the movies on an external hard drive if that makes it easier. What would be the cheapest way to display the movies on my TV? Solving this problem would let me finally watch a nice movie in my apartment with this cute girl I like!" If we've ever seen an important Ask question, this is it. Stop whatever you're doing and help Bro Montana here. You don't overlook this kind of thing... at least not if you believe in karma.
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.
Google TV officially launching October 17th?
It's been no secret that Google TV is scheduled to arrive sometime this fall and we've already seen the Logitech Revue box hardware pass the FCC, but a tipster has just shared an internal Best Buy document with us disclosing that the original planned launched date was October 3rd, and it's now been mysteriously pushed back by two weeks. That would pin the official launch as October 17th, which is certainly later then what Intel's chief recently hinted at. While it's certainly not definitive proof, considering the fact that Best Buy is an official partner of Google TV and the dates timing relative to the upcoming holiday season, we don't think this leak is all that far fetched. Let's not forget that schedule would also place its release a little more than two weeks after the suggested ship date of Cupertino's new hobby. Sure, Google's mantra may be "do no evil", but that doesn't mean they can't try to rain on Job's parade every now and again right? Oh and for all the eloquent waxing you could want on Google's assault on the living room, make sure you check our editorial on the platform if you happened to miss it.
Boxee Box ditches NVIDIA's Tegra 2 for Intel CE4100, pre-orders start today at $199
The wait for the Boxee Box is nearly over -- pre-orders begin today -- but before you drop a stack of change on D-Link's half-sunk cube, know that there's no longer an NVIDIA Tegra 2 under that tiny hood. At the last minute, Boxee switched to the Intel Atom CE4100, the same up-to-1.2GHz Sodaville chip powering Google TV. That's not all, as manufacturer D-Link told us our good friend Avner Ronen may not be able to keep his promise -- though the company still expects the Box to hit the streets at under $200, we're now looking at a $229 suggested retail price. What could possibly have happened to make these drastic changes? We visited Boxee in person to get an explanation, and you'll find the surprisingly simple (yet NVIDIA-damning) answer right after the break. Update: We just learned that Amazon will be selling it for $199, though the MSRP will remain $229. %Gallery-101976%
Roku hits FCC with XD S player to complement its upcoming XD line
Roku clearly isn't taking the new Apple TV lying down. After passing the Roku XD and Netgear Roku XD through the FCC a week or so ago, it's back for more with the Roku XD S. There are still plenty of plugs in the back, including HDMI, USB, Ethernet, component video, composite video, optical audio, and Ethernet, and the 802.11n a/b/g/n WiFi makes its requisite appearance as well. Since we don't know too much about the XD line yet, we're not sure set the XD S apart, but prior experience in the CE space suggests that "S" stands for "small" or perhaps "scintillating."
Plex announces partnership with LG, pledges to beat Boxee Box and Apple TV for free
We're excited about the Boxee Box, and the new-look Apple TV is intriguing, but no single box is as good as a box that doesn't exist yet does the same stuff. Confused? Sit down, let us explain. That's the point Plex is making in announcing its new partnership with LG, which will integrate Plex software into its 2011 Netcast HDTVs and Blu-ray players. Plex enables the same sort of functionality as those smart little boxes mentioned above, letting you serve content from a machine running OS X and push it to your TV or to a mobile device (iPhone and iPad right now, Android coming). Plex also supports all the major online streamers, like Netflix, Hulu, and even the BBC iPlayer. Lack of PC support is something of a bummer, but a Windows version is said to be coming, so even your beige box can soon get in on the box-free fun.
Roku XD and Netgear Roku XD Player hit the FCC
Well, well, what's this? Looks like Roku has some bigger plans for hitting back at the $99 Apple TV than just price cuts of its own: a Roku XD and a Netgear Roku XD Player just hit the FCC. That's right, Netgear -- Roku's expanding its platform to third parties. We don't know if these two devices are standalones or designed to work together, but we're guessing they're standalones; the Netgear unit might blend in some of the Digital Entertainer line's support for local playback and services like PlayOn, YouTube, and CinemaNow. Of course, the big question is going to be price, since if these are substantially more than the Apple TV's $99 they're going to have to offer some major features, but we should be finding out what's up soon enough: the confidentiality on these docs lifts October 23.
HDi Dune Pro media player invites home automation to the party
Billed as "the world's first Blu-ray player to support Connected Home Services" the HDi Dune Pro debuts the company's HDi Dune Home Technology that pulls the usual suite of home automation functions -- media management, cameras, thermostats and the like -- to the TV screen. On display this week at IFA, it follows up the BD Prime by being both a capable Blu-ray player and media streamer (check format support after the break) with a 3.5-inch SATA HDD port and 7.1 channel audio support. European home automation heads can experience the 4Home-powered technology for 1990 at the end of October, while all others can check out the main site for a list of resellers around the world.
Roku lowers prices across the board: HD box now $69, $99 HD-XR to get 1080p support
Looks like Roku's going aggressive on price with its lineup of streamers in response to Sony's new $130 Netbox streamer, the upcoming Google TV launch, and rumors that we'll see that rumored $99 iOS-based Apple TV arrive on Wednesday. The SD box is down to $59 from $79, the standard HD is now $69 from $99, and the HD-XR with dual-band 802.11n and soon-to-be-enabled USB playback support is now $99 from $129. The HD-XR is also due to get 1080p streaming support later this year; it'll be focused on USB playback at first since most of the streaming channels are 720p right now. Those prices are definitely getting close to impulse-buy territory, especially since a Roku is now one of the cheapest ways to get Netflix and Amazon VOD on a TV, along with other channels like MLB and UFC. In fact, Roku says its goal is to put three streamers in every house -- one next to every TV in the average American home. We applaud the ambition, but we've got a feeling this entire market is about get turned upside down once Apple and Google launch their initiatives.
Digital Cowboy announces Xtreamer Pro NAS / media streamer
Your media streamer options aren't exactly limited these days, but if you're looking for one that will also double as a NAS (and prefer to get your gear from Japan), you might want to consider Digital Cowboy's latest addition to its Movie Cowboy line: the Xtreamer Pro. This one packs the same dual 3.5-inch hard drives as the company's previous DC-MCNAS1 model (not included), but adds an HDMI port to directly connect to your TV, and what appears to be a whole new interface to let you access the wide variety of media the device supports. No word on any plans for a release over here, but you can look for this one to be available in Japan next month for ¥22,000, or about $260. Update: Apparently this Digital Cowboy is a rebadge of the Xtreamer Pro announced in Europe back in February.
With Imation Link 5112 WUSB A/V streamer, KerliGirl13 can finally have her own TV show
Unlike lots of other media streaming devices we've seen, this one is pretty straightforward: the USB dongle plugs into your PC or Mac, the receiver plugs into your TV's HDMI input, and what you sees and hears (on your computer) is what you gets (on the TV). The Wireless USB connection will stream video up to 720p and still images up to 1080p, as well as stereo sound. Available now from Amazon and whatnot for $150. PR after the break.
Monsoon Vulkano do-it-all media box starts shipping, gets unboxed
Looking for one box to rule them all? If so, you must have glossed right over Monsoon's Vulkano launch, but lucky for you, there's a reminder coming in the form of a 'now shipping' proclamation. Just weeks after the $379 mega-box -- which aims to replace all of those other STBs under your television -- went up for pre-order, the earliest of adopters have started to receive their devices. We're still waiting on a proper critique, but if you're yearning to have a glance at what the future of media looks like, give those links below a look. Just kidding about that last part, by the way. [Thanks, Dan]
WD's Elements Play media streamers bring internal HDDs at a presumably good price
Western Digital has quietly revealed the Elements Play on their site, which combines pared-down playback features of the WD TV series with up to 2TB of internal storage right out of the box. It's about time, considering competitor LaCie has offered integrated drives in its LaCinema line for more than a year, though we wish WD would have included the Netflix streaming capabilities of the WD TV Live Plus here -- or any streaming at all, for that matter. If an unconnected box with 1080p playback via HDMI and fabulous codec support (including Monkey's Audio!) is appealing to you though, then this latest offering might be worth your while -- especially if it's priced in line with its "value conscious" featureset, a fact we haven't been able to verify. To be competitive, it'll have to cost below LaCie's LaCinema Classic HD, which throws in UPnP / DLNA server support on top of similar features for as little as $229. If you're curious, find the user's manual (including a full codec list) at our more coverage link. [Thanks, Steve]
Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player adds internet radio to existing stereos
So, we've two main issues here. One, who in their right mind would pay $219.99 for a device that still requires a dedicated stereo in order to play back the internet radio streams that Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player delivers? And secondly, who would want to put up with Grace Digital's thoroughly lackluster UI? If you can't grok the grumbling, the aforementioned company now has a slender new component it'd love to stick on your shelf, with the device shown above able to stream WiFi radio content from 30,000 stations, Pandora, iheartradio, Sirius, Live365, MP3tunes and a smattering of other sources. It can be wired up via Ethernet or used over 802.11g, with composite, Toslink and coaxial digital audio outputs around back. There's a 4-line backlit LCD for displaying not nearly enough metadata at once, and there's even a remote thrown in for those looking to build out their collection. It's available now if you're feeling the itch, though we'd suggest you get that checked out before blindly indulging.
Monsoon Vulkano all-in-one DVR/placeshifting/media streaming box ready for preorder, ships August 10
Monsoon -- after taking advantage of a few delays since our initial hands-on by adjusting the name and pricing -- is finally ready to show off the followup to its HAVA line of placeshifting media streamers, the Vulkano. Integrating a video processor and local storage into its slim frame, the Vulkano accepts HD video over its analog inputs for recording and live streaming to other devices (PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, Blackberry and Android players will be available at launch, with a Symbian version on the way) or it can convert recordings locally for them to be downloaded over WiFi or 3G and stored on those devices for offline viewing. Remote scheduling and channel changing functionality (controlling connected set-top boxes via IR blaster) isn't a shocking new feature, but this goes a step further by bringing internet videos to your TV (YouTube, local UPnP devices) Boxee and Popbox style, and other big names like Hulu, Netflix, Google TV, Amazon Yahoo! Widgets and a full HTML browser are promised to show up in firmware updates soon. Believers can hit the site to preorder now, with units ranging from the $279 Vulkano with 8GB of SD card storage, up to a $379 Vulkano Pro with 1TB eSATA HDD included and other sizes planned in between. Check after the break for a press release with more details, and our hands on video from CES. %Gallery-98258%
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%
Boxee's first production Box gets shown off to the world (video)
Looks like the first production Boxee Box must have slipped through customs alongside those Popboxes that went out yesterday, shown off in this video by Chief Product Officer Zach Klein. Other than a new fingerprint-resistant outer casing there's not a lot new to learn after our time with prototype hardware during CES, but check the video (embedded after the break) to see what the team is so excited about before it ships in November, and find out more about that box of Wheat Thins on the table. Mmm, Wheat Thins. %Gallery-82343% %Gallery-81572%
Syabas Popbox surprises everyone, including Syabas, by going on sale today
We thought we had another week or so to get ready, but no, the Popbox is on sale already, with some preorderers reporting they got shipment notifications as early as yesterday. In case you've forgotten since CES, the $129 box takes the Popcorn Hour into a more general consumer friendly form with an all new interface and SDK, YouTube access, support for 100Mbps bitrate 1080p video and more -- just not the Netflix access (at least for now) we were originally promised. According to the official Twitter account -- also accessible with a new "Popapp" -- a quicker than expected route through customs is to thank/blame for the launch, but whatever, we're one step closer to the 2010 media streamer battle we've been waiting for. It's your move, Boxee Box. [Thanks, Jason] %Gallery-81577% %Gallery-97450%
Buffalo's LT-V100 Link Theater streams every format under the sun at 1080p
If for some reason none of the media streamers on the market at the moment have suited your particular tastes, perhaps Buffalo's new LT-V100 Link Theater is just right. It's a little box offering HDMI and composite video plus optical and good 'ol 3.5mm audio outputs, able to manage 1080pwhen streaming content either over Ethernet or pulling it right from USB-based storage. Naturally these little darlings live or die by their format compatibility, and in that regard Buffalo's is quite a fighter, able to play anything from RealVideo to Matroska, naturally with various flavors of MPEG, WMV, and Xvid along the way. It'll also do images and plenty of audio formats as well. All this can be yours later this month for ¥11,500 -- about $130 -- if you live in Japan. %Gallery-97552%
