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media streamer posts

Apple TV 3.0.1 update prevents data from 'temporarily disappearing'

by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2009 at 6:51PM

Enjoy your Apple TV? Not so fond of your data picking up and vanishing whenever it darn well pleases? Then you'll probably want to force your Apple TV to update to 3.0.1... assuming you've already upgraded it to 3.0, of course. According to the engineers in Cupertino, this update prevents content "from temporarily disappearing until re-synced," and we're guessing that most of you would rather keep your content around if possible. Tap the read link for all the instructions, and whatever you do, don't make any sudden movements.

[Via TUAW]

Myka ION brings Hulu, Boxee and other web content to your TV

by Darren Murph posted Nov 6th 2009 at 7:11PM

It's been almost a full year since we heard a peep from the fine folks at Myka, but it looks like we could be talking about 'em a lot more often judging by the specs list on its latest contraption. The simply-titled ION is an Atom-based media PC that relies on NVIDIA's Ion graphics set and a customized interface that brings Hulu, Boxee and pretty much any other web content you can stumble upon to your television. Within, you'll find a 1.6GHz dual-core Atom 330 CPU, up to 4GB of RAM, ten USB 2.0 ports, VGA / DVI / HDMI outputs, an eSATA connector, Ethernet and plenty of audio outputs. The fanless design ensures that things remain quiet, and for those oozing cash, a Blu-ray drive, HDD and WiFi module can be implanted. It's up for order right now starting at $379, but you'll be stuck waiting four to six weeks for delivery.

Boxee shows off its new look at Beta Unveiling jam December 7

by Richard Lawler posted Nov 6th 2009 at 4:16PM

We won't cancel our trips to Vegas just yet, but Boxee is planning on giving users an early peek at its new beta release -- with all new UI, queue, navigation and search features -- December 7 at the Music hall of Williamsburg. Beta Unveiling visitors will be the first to get their hands on the new version and see new applications being launched by partners, leading to early access beta testers giving it a four week shakedown run before the planned wide release January 7 at CES. Any ideas what form Boxee might take in this next step on its road to commercial viability?

Onkyo's iPod-lovin' ND-S1 digital media transport gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 3:51AM

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?

Netgear's EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live gets reviewed: decent, but lacking

by Laura June posted Oct 22nd 2009 at 10:17AM

Netgear's EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live came packin' a lot of promise for just $150, but according to a critique over at TrustedReviews, those into a thing dubbed "high-definition" may want to keep on saving and pass over this one. You see, the only 720p content it's capable of playing back is MPEG-2; other than that, you're stuck watching SD material or upscaled-to-720p SD material. To the box's credit, it did manage to play back content satisfactorily, and the built-in PlayOn software was indeed a boon to the device's overall utility. In the world of media streamers, though, you've got oodles of options, and it seems as if one from WD or ASUS just might be a better overall value. Tap the read link to decide for yourself.

Patriot's $130 Box Office 1080p media player streams on the cheap

by Darren Murph posted Oct 18th 2009 at 7:02AM


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]

Western Digital WD TV Live HD media player gets official

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 13th 2009 at 10:23AM


Hope you didn't spend your well-earned shekels on a WD TV Mini -- it turns out that the HD-less wonder was just a waypoint to Western Digital's latest. The WD TV Live HD media player is an unassuming sort that doesn't really offer any surprises: 1080p video playback, support for all your favorite codecs, both Pandora and Live365 Internet radio apps, WiFi, two USB ports for external storage, HDMI, composite and component video outputs, SPDIF audio output, and more. No big whoop, right? All this can be yours for an MSRP of $149.99, but we hear that Best Buy has 'em for $119 -- and we wouldn't want you to pay any more than that. PR after the break.

Update: "That's WiFi ready." As in "WiFi adapter sold separately."

Continue reading Western Digital WD TV Live HD media player gets official

New Western Digital WD TV Live media player hits Best Buy

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 12th 2009 at 12:03AM


We'd been hearing that Western Digital was about to update its WD TV set-top media player lineup, and it looks like that leaked WD TV-2 has turned into the WD TV Live on the way to Best Buy. Nothing here too out of the ordinary -- wide codec support, Dolby Digital and DTS decoders, HDMI out, and an Ethernet jack for DLNA streaming and accessing YouTube, Flickr, and Pandora make this one a solid buy at $119 if you need it, but it's not going to blow up the world, you know? We're still saving up for monster Windows 7 / CableCARD Media Center rig.

[Thanks, Keith D.]

ASUS ships $100 O!Play HDP-R1 HD media streamer

by Darren Murph posted Oct 1st 2009 at 9:52AM


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]

Popcorn Hour C-200 hit with more shipping delays

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 30th 2009 at 2:47PM

While the first Popcorn Hour C-200 shipments have hit homes all over (including ours) subsequent deliveries have been slower to arrive, with the second batch finally due to ship right about now, with a delay until October 26th estimated for the next group due to a variety of reasons detailed on the official forums. Of course, we feel terrible for media streamer fans who don't have one yet (even though we have one) keeping a spot open for yet-to-arrive devices, refreshing email looking for a shipment confirmation and trawling forums for updates can be devastating. Unfortunately we can't relate (since we have one) but we'll be sure to get a full fledged review out in the intervening period to let you know just how wonderful things could be.

[Thanks, G.R. Medina]

QNAP ships NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player

by Darren Murph posted Sep 29th 2009 at 10:58PM


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]

Popcorn Hour C-200 hands-on

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 25th 2009 at 3:34PM

Popcorn Hour's latest all-accessing all-playing media device has finally made its way into our hands, and while we haven't had nearly enough time to put the C-200 completely through its paces, we did spare a moment to take some pictures and play a movie or two. Other than using RF (no line of sight needed here) the remote is mostly unchanged from the earlier A-110, though we have had some issues with the box not responding to inputs, tightening the antenna seems to have made things better for now. Slipping a SATA hard drive in requires only the lightest tug on the drive bay door, it really couldn't be easier -- we'll have to see how a Blu-ray drive fits soon. With the exception of slight noise from the HDD we put in, the C-200 is nearly silent in operation, and home theater nuts will be glad to know that bright blue display up front can be dimmed all the way to off. An extra USB port front and back hasn't hurt usability either, though it would have been nice if it recognized a keyboard when we were setting up new RSS feeds. Thanks to DLNA support, Windows 7 Play To functionality worked sufficiently playing media, but we couldn't get the titles to display properly on the C-200 whether initiated from the PC or on the box itself. So far it's played everything we've thrown at it, from legitimately downloaded trailers to less MPAA-authorized material. Anything you want to see tested as part of our full review? Leave ideas in the comments while you check out the pictures.

Gallery: Popcorn Hour C-200 Networked Media Tank Hands-on

  • Main menu - Select sources
  • Box
  • Back - connectors
  • Screensaver

The Popcorn Hour C-200 media streamer makes its way into the wild

by Steven Kim posted Sep 19th 2009 at 2:47AM

Popcorn Hour C-200 media streamer
It looks like Popcorn Hour's C-200 media streamer is making its way into end-users' hands, so prepare yourself for a flurry of reviews. Our friend Brent over at GeekTonic should be jumping into the fray soon, and has kicked things off with a preview. Yeah, the C-200 is bigger than its sibling A-100, but it brings so much to the table that we'd say Popcorn Hour has packed in just as much -- if not more -- goodness per cubic inch. With space available for a hard and/or Blu-ray drive, wired and wireless networking, and USB ports to round out the input connectivity, the C-200 then adds a smorgasbord of codec support just to make sure your bits will survive the translation back into entertainment. With the "it plays anything" kind of capability the C-200 is promising, we've got a feeling that a positive review or two might be the only thing standing between us and a $300 dent in our credit cards.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]

Spark's egg-shaped VTube media player won't fit neatly in your AV rack

by Darren Murph posted Sep 15th 2009 at 9:16AM


Much like Sony's PlayStation 3, Spark's VTube clearly wasn't designed to sit nicely in-between a 7.1-channel AV receiver and a cable set-top-box. Engineered in some backwoods lab about 30 kilometers south of Shenzhen, the so-called VTube looks to be a pretty standard media player outside of its unorthodox design. The unit packs HDMI / component / composite video outputs, an Ethernet jack and a Toslink optical audio output, and those who dig internal storage can slap a 2.5-inch HDD within to keep those old Office clips handy. Predictably, it also supports pretty much every file format known to man, and the built-in USB port ensures that you can add external storage if need be. It'll only run you around $130, but the chances of seeing this on US soil are slim.

[Via Cloned In China]

VUDU equips LG's BD390 Blu-ray player with movie streaming abilities

by Darren Murph posted Sep 9th 2009 at 3:00PM

LG's WiFi-enabled, DivX-friendly BD390 Blu-ray player has been shipping here in the States since May, but not until now have you really had a reason to pick one up. Here at CEDIA, VUDU is taking one step further away from its standalone movie set-top-box by announcing that the aforementioned deck will become the first of its kind to tap into VUDU's growing library of on-demand film rentals. Of course, adding VUDU to this player was a natural move given the built-in Ethernet port, though users will have to wait until the end of this month to suck down the free update. In case you're wondering, the VUDU interface on LG's player will be the same as the one found on the company's own hardware (not to mention a few LG HDTVs), and the $399 price point will remain the same even after the new functionality is added.

Continue reading VUDU equips LG's BD390 Blu-ray player with movie streaming abilities





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