HP Unveils Its Digital Media Receiver

strictnein writes "Looks like HP is getting into the media box market. Today they introduced their new HP Digital Media Receiver 5000 series. Some of the key specs are: Wireless networking support (on the ew5000 model), S-Video and composite video output, and MP3 and WMA support. The OS support is limited to Windows ME or XP. This is an interesting addition to their Windows Media Center based 863N, 873N, and 883N desktop models."

Comments

$300?!

[barfarf]

For $300, this thing is going to give the audiotron a serious run for the money. Wasn't their first iteration of this about $1000 a couple of years ago?

Re:We have to ask... (apple?)

[$$$$$exyGal]

Will it support ogg?

Who wants to bet that Apple will be making Digital Media Receiver's by next year? At the least, Apple will partner with HP (or somebody else besides Microsoft) to get it working. Regardless, there will be a big glowing apple on the side of some receivers by sometime next year. And I'll bet they support Ogg (they already do on the IPod).

--naked

Re:We have to ask... (apple?)

[ChadN]

wait, wait, wait... Are you saying that the iPod plays Ogg Vorbis files? (I don't mean iMusic. I mean iPod.) A google search seems to indicate "no".

Re:We have to ask... (apple?)

[Twirlip of the Mists]

And I'll bet they support Ogg (they already do on the IPod).

Wrong, wrong. You can't play anything but MP3 on your iPod... today. I'll bet you a nickel you'll have AAC support real soon, but never Ogg.

There's a good argument to be made that AAC is better than either MP3 or Ogg at the same bit rate. The fact that it's part of the MPEG-4 specification is so much the better.

an often overlooked problem

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess it will be long before I can use anything but my computer for my MP3/OGG music. I have a lot of music in Russian, with Russian filenames and ID tags. Displaying them during playback can be problematic even on the computer, but at least I know I _can_ russify most computer music players if I try hard enough. With all these closed and sealed portable/network/wireless gadgets, I don't want to even try.

Printing is HP's most lucrative division.

[stephanruby]

HP makes money by selling underpriced printers that can only recognize and only work with their own overpriced proprietary ink cartridges. I wonder if they will use the same successful business model for their Media box.

Only if HP doesn't bin it

[Inflatable Hippo]

Without wishing to diss HP (I worked for them for several years and sadly I'm still a shareholder) I wouldn't be quite so confident.

HP has a long an illustrious history of doing the following:

a) Developing genuinely great technology.
b) Sitting on it for too long because the division heads don't believe in it.
c) Inventing a way to derive a revenue stream from the product that makes it look bad in the market place.
d) Finally releasing it in a butt ugly box.
e) Canning it after 6 months cos it didn't make a billion.

An interesting contrast to the way Sony does things I think, look at the sustained commitment they have to their technologies!

For the sake of my shares I hope I'm wrong this time.

ps2 does it for less

[Anonymous Coward]

Just converted my Ps2 to something that networks into my computer through a wireless network and plays my mp3's.

I had to buy two expansions for the ps2, remote control and ethernet. I had to buy a wirless bridge for the ps2. Then the ps2 software, I am using the Qcast tuner, runs the server on linux

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/ps2/ps2soft /

So, whole thing cost me about $150, works great, less filling...