Onkyo Announces New 7.1 and 5.1 HTiB Systems
Written on Feb 11, 2011 by Charles Jefferies and filed under Featured, News, Onkyo
Onkyo has announced two new home theater in a box (HTiB) systems: the 7.1-channel HT-S5400 and the 5.1-channel HT-S3400. The receivers feature four HDMI inputs and one output plus support for 3D video.
Boxee Streaming Box Unveiled
Written on Dec 8, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
D-Link and Boxee have jointly announced the new Boxee media streaming box. The Boxee box features the latest Boxee open source software designed to aggregate networked and online content, along with hardware features including HDMI, SPDIF and RCA Audio outputs, 2 USB ports, WiFi (802.11n) and wired Ethernet. The box is expected to be available in 2Q 2010 for $200.
LaCie LaCinema Classic HD Media Player Announced
Written on Nov 25, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
LaCie has announced another unit in their media player lineup. The LaCinema Classic HD offers 1080p playback, 1TB of storage and a built-in DLNA media server. The $250 unit will start shipping soon.
Roku Launches Open Content Platform and 10 New Content Channels
Written on Nov 22, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
We just posted our review of the Roku HD XR last week, and as promised, Roku has released new content channels for the media streamer. The headline additions include Pandora, Flickr and Facebook photos, but the other content is compelling too. Tbe best part is that while the first three Roku channels were all paid, this new batch of 10 are all free. Most require accounts, but otherwise, there are no subscription fees. Roku has successfully mad what was a must-have media streamer, the preeminent leader in the space and an absolute-must-have for home theaters.
ViewSonic VOT530 and VOT550 Home Theater PCs Released
Written on Nov 19, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
ViewSonic is known more for their displays than anything else, but they’ve recently made a concerted effort in the home theater space. Earlier this month it was the VMP70 media streaming box and now ViewSonic has released a pair of home theater PCs dubbed PC Minis. The VOT530 and VOT550 feature Windows 7 Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz processors, built-in WiFi and HDMI output.
ViewSonic VMP70 Media Streamer Released
Written on Nov 5, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
ViewSonic is now in on the media streaming bandwagon. The VMP70 offers 1080p output over HDMI. It’s a direct connect media player though, so while it will handle anything you connect via network or USB, it has no additional services to offer. The retail price of $129.99 puts it slightly more expensive than similar offerings form Western Digital, Netgear and the dozen or so other competitors.
Roku SD and HD-XR Media Streamers Released
Written on Oct 27, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
Roku has released two new models of their popular media streaming boxes. The first is the Roku SD, at $79.99 it’s designed to be a value offering in the streaming space. The Roku HD-XR offers HD streaming via HDMI. Both models offer WiFi, the SD bringing in 802.11 b/g and the HD-XR using 802.11n. Roku now has three options for those who want to easily stream content from Netflix, Amazon and MLB.tv.
TV Guide iPhone Application Released
Written on Oct 15, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
There are several TV Listings applications in the Apple App Store, but this branded version from TV Guide is fairly comprehensive. In addition to TV Listings, the app includes TVGuide.com’s entertainment news, episode recaps and daily TV hot lists.
Blockbuster on Demand Coming to TiVo DVRs
Written on Oct 14, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
TiVo has partnered with Blockbuster to bring their On Demand video rental service to TiVo subscribers. The service is available now and rentals run from $2.99 to $3.99 for new releases. On the flip side, Blockbuster stores will now stock TiVo DVRs.
Western Digital Launches WD TV Live HD Media Player
Written on Oct 13, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
Western Digital has launched the latest in their media player lineup, this one is the WD TV Live HD. The device features networking and of course HDMI output for content on connected devices like USB drives, or via networked and Internet-based sources.
Asus O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player Shipping
Written on Oct 1, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
Everyone makes a media box it seems, Asus announced their O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player back in June. It’s easy to forget, with Western Digital, Netgear, Seagate and others all jumping into this space with new products in the interim. How is Asus different or better? Well, they have the price right at $100 and HDMI output, which gets them started off on the right foot and offsets the silly O!Play moniker.