Netgear one of the most awarded technology Companies in the USA has thrown down the gauntlet in the wireless market with a new media play that is expected to sell in Australia for sub $600.
The Digital Entertainer HD EVA8000 which was revealed at the CES show is, a new digital media adapter specifically designed to stream HD content from multiple PCs across a home network and to your TV. It has 802.11n WiFi, and has an HDMI port which outputs 1080p. It also has composite and component video out, RCA, coaxial and optical digtal audio out, a USB port for streaming content off of an iPod or any USB mass storage drive, and support for playback of MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, M4A, AAC, AC3 audio files (including stuff purchased from the iTunes Music Store, but only if you’re a Windows user) and MPEG1/2/4, WMV, XviD, H.264 video files.
The Digital Entertainer HD will also stream internet radio, read RSS feeds, let you schedule programs to record and pause and rewind live TV if your PC has a TV tuner, and even has a “Follow Me” mode that allows you to pause content in one room and resume it in another (if you own more than one Digital Entertainer HD).
Interestingly, the player will pull DRM-protected iTunes-downloaded songs off a Windows PC, but not a Mac. The EVA8000 doesn’t have DRM support on board – it grabs the audio once it’s been authorised for playback by iTunes. Netgear wouldn’t say how it’s done – a little bit of iTunes sharing-compatible code courtesy of ‘DVD Jon’ Johanssen, perhaps?
Like its predecessor, the EVA8000 has USB ports – front and back – so users can connect and access Flash drives and MP3 players – including iPods. The EVA8000 gets most of its content from Macs, Windows PCs and Linux boxes on the network, but it will also access NAS boxes, including Netgear’s own SC101T Storage Central Turbo, which sports Gigabit Ethernet, even though the EVA8000 is limited to 100Mbps.
Netgear also pitched the EVA8000’s multi-room suitability, claiming content will “follow” the user around the house: press Pause one one machine and pressing Play on another will pick up the content where you left it.
The company also pitched a partnership with BitTorrent to promote the P2P firm’s content marketplace when it launches next February. But users will still need a computer to download and host the material acquired from BitTorrent.
In response to claims that the EVA700’s wireless networking isn’t exactly easy to configure, particularly with secure wireless networks, Netgear said the new model will sport an improved set-up wizard.
What is not known is when this device will be available in Australia.
