Roku have outed a pair of new Netflix media streamers that go on sale alongside their existing Roku HD. The Roku HD-XR keeps the same 720p HD playback, optical audio output and HDMI connection as the original model, but upgrades the WiFi to b/g/n. Meanwhile there’s a new entry-level, standard definition model, the Roku SD, which offers basic WiFi and analog connectivity.
Remember all the furore back in August, when Microsoft announced they’d locked up Netflix movie streaming for the Xbox 360 and basically told us it was an “exclusive” partnership? Well, that exclusivity seems to have been short-lived; Sony have announced that from November Netflix subscribers will be able to stream content on their PS3.
Streaming media around a home or office is a great way to share entertainment that can be controlled and stored on one central server. A company called Envive offers several streaming content servers called TheaterStation along with clients that allow music and video to be streamed to more than one location.
Netgear have announced their latest networked media box, the EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live, which allows for both locally-streamed and IPTV content to be shown on your big-screen TV. The EVA2000 can play YouTube videos, pay-per-view movies, Hulu, VuNow and Netflix content, among other things, together with audio, video and images from USB external storage.
Microsoft have begun to push out the Xbox LIVE update for their Xbox 360 console, and along with the games on demand, new avatar customization and UI improvements comes confirmation that the company has signed an exclusive deal with Netflix for instant streaming to a console. The partnership means that the Xbox 360 will be the only console on which Netflix streaming is possible, effectively cutting the PlayStation 3 and Wii out of the loop.
Toshiba may have been late to the Blu-ray party, but that doesn’t mean they’re putting all of their eggs in one blue-lasered basket. According to Olivier Van Wynendaele, assistant general manager in marketing of Toshiba Europe’s consumer products division, the company is also working on an internet connected storage device that works with high-definition content.
Digeo have unveiled the latest piece in their Moxi DVR puzzle, the Moxi Mate, which takes digital content multi-room. Designed to work in tandem with the Moxi HD DVR, the “virtually silent” box shuttles video recorded from the main unit, together with Rhapsody music, Flickr photos and – courtesy of the PlayOn software – Hulu and Netflix content.
Panasonic are pushing out an update today that will bring Amazon Video On Demand support to owners of their 2009 Blu-ray VIERACast players. The update will allow users to browse and shop through Amazon’s catalog of over 45,000 standard-definition titles and more than 1,000 HD titles, with no monthly subscription and instant playback.
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If the latest rumors are to be believed, apparently Netflix might just be offering up movie streaming for subscribers on their iPhones and iPod touch devices. And while nothing has been confirmed yet, it does seem somewhat likely.
VUDU have announced that they have partnered with LG to put their on-demand IPTV system into the latter’s HDTVs. Rather than demanding a separate VUDU box, the LG “NetCast” range of TVs will be able to access on-demand rental or purchase of HD and 1080p Full HD titles, with a system that VUDU promise will see no stuttering or buffering delays.
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