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

We have to ask...

[lostchicken]

Will it support ogg?
*ducks*

Wireless Networking

[56]

The wireless networking on this has interesting potential.

...so slow...never the innovator, HP

[djupedal]

"wireless networking....802.11b"

Nice to know HP managed to announce it just in time for the leap to 802.11g :)

Re:...so slow...never the innovator, HP

[djupedal]

Ok, what I meant was... HP sucks.

Re:...so slow...never the innovator, HP

[ottawanker]

.. but the 10 baseT ethernet connection sure does seem state-of-the-art!

If I were to get one, I would need a set-top-box that has at least 100 baseT ethernet, the ability to play MPEG, AVI, DiVX, etc.., and the ability to surf the web and send and receive e-mail.. I guess that's why I have a computer in my living room. All these other boxed just don't have enough functionality for me.

Re:...so slow...never the innovator, HP

[Twirlip of the Mists]

I think you're confused, friend. You seem to think that this is a computer. It's not. It's stereo equipment.

"If I were to get one, I would need a set-top box that has at least 30 cubic feet of storage space, an icemaker, one of those little thingies to dispense cold water from the front, and a vegetable crisper. All these other boxes just aren't enough refrigerator for me."

See what I mean?

Re:...so slow...never the innovator, HP

[Alex Belits]

HP-UX is its name. HP-SUX is what its quality indicates ;-)

Re:...so slow...never the innovator, HP

[rikkards]

I would suspect that the SVideo out is possibly so you can browse a list of MP3s or something like that.

I wouldn't mind this as I don't want a computer sitting in my living room as it will raise the ambient noise level (which is bad enough right now with my humidifier and aircleaner) and don't really have the need for Avi functionality nor DivX. If I really wanted to see something off my computer and on my tv with the home theater system, I would probably just burn it as SVCD, but that is such a rarity that I wouldn't go looking for the functionality to be built into any media center. Even the picture feature I would probably not use.

Re:...so slow...never the innovator, HP

[Twirlip of the Mists]

I don't see why they would bother with the video output

For the user interface. And once they had video output for the UI, adding the picture functionality was practically free, but for a little bit of software development. Adding other stuff-- like Internet access or god forbid movie playback-- would definitely not come for free.

See what I mean, why don't they just make a computer and put it in a fancy box?

Because people can already buy computers for their living rooms, and generally they're staying away in droves. People generally don't want computers in their living rooms. They don't want to be able to read email on their televisions. (Remember the stunning success of WebTV?) They want to be able to play MP3's on their stereos.

Or, to answer your question in another way, "This piece of 'stereo' equipment already has quite a bit of cooling equipment in it (to keep the CPU and the hard drive from overheating), so why not just go all the way and add an icebox to it? And since you've already got the electrical plug, and the fans, why not just add a tap water inlet and one of those cold-water dispenser things on the front? See what I mean, why don't they just make a refrigerator and put it in a fancy box?"

See my point? HP is not setting out to make a fridge. And they're not setting out to make a web-browsing, email-sending, movie-playing general purpose computer. They're setting out to sell a piece of stereo equipment for $300. Get it?

Pretty it ain't...

[MSBob]

Besides not finding such a device particularly useful I also coulnd't help but notice the particularly hideous 70's design of the box itself. Carly is not only a bad manager, she also lacks any sense of aesthetics whatsoever...

The All-Important Business Question

[Amsterdam Vallon]

... Is there a market for this kind of thing?

I'm a hardcore geek and have expert certification on everything from Windows 2000 to A+ certs to Novell Network certs to CISCO certs to _____ . You name it, I've done it.

But I personally could probably just barely piece one of these "home media units" together. Furthermore, I wouldn't even know what to use it for.

Some of us, like myself, still buy CDs from BMG and Columbia House. Yes, you read that correctly -- some of us still buy CDs.

So, we have more need for 6 disc changes than we do for 10 GB discs of hard drives on which to store mostly-illegally-obtained mp3s.

Sorry to rant, but:

1) HP clearly is out of their league and doesn't know their market,
and,
2) No one aside from the most hardcore Slashdotter would even know what to do with one of these

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[Anonymous Coward]

> I'm a hardcore geek and have expert certification on everything from Windows 2000 to [...]

Hardcore geeks don't have certifications, esp. not on Windows... hardcore geeks don't have high school-diplomas, we were kicked out for turning harmless items around the school into anything we could think of that would either blow up, exit smoke or insult someone... hopefully insult someone while blowing up and covering the whole school with smoke... smoke which would be used for playing lasertag...

> But I personally could probably just barely piece one of these "home media units" together. Furthermore, I wouldn't even know what to use it for.

You, sir, are an insult to all the geeks all over the world; you are at most a wannabegeek... real geeks don't just put it together and use these things what they were meant to do... we rebuild and use them for a lot more than they were ever meant to do; and if we're lucky that'll mean that they eject smoke and insult someone, and blow up the PC for the guy nextdoor; his fault for running windows anyways.

> Some of us, like myself, still buy CDs from BMG and Columbia House. Yes, you read that correctly -- some of us still buy CDs.

Reread that... Now... think about it... no no no... really think about it... ok... Do you still insist on calling yourself a geek?

> So, we have more need for 6 disc changes than we do for 10 GB discs of hard drives on which to store mostly-illegally-obtained mp3s.

A geek using CDs... hey man, you like living in the 80's or something?

> No one aside from the most hardcore Slashdotter would even know what to do with one of these

Can't argue with that one.

=)

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[Jordy]

I'll tell you the market. The market is people who want to eliminate needless hardware and centralize the interface for various components in a multi-room (or single) environment.

If you can stick a high enough end digital output device on a PC (because no one trusts DAC's in an electromagnetically noisy PC) and make it realiable enough to store my DVD collection, my CD collection and integrate into my TV to give me PVR-like functionality while at the same time delivering content that is on-par with my originals (ie., no MP3, but AAC is ok), then I'd be the happiest person in the world.

The problem a lot of people have is multi-room installations aren't particularly transparent. I want to be upstairs watching TV in my bedroom and pull up a TV program I recorded yesterday using the interface in my living room. Only, I don't want to know where it is stored. Hell, I don't care. The same goes for my DVD collection, my CD collection, my, uh, "picture" collection.

Then there is all the other functionality I would like. Pulling down movies from the Internet (legally available of course), audio books and what not. Hooking into my security system to record what is on my security camera and letting me access it. Controlling lights, drapes, etc. to save electricity.

The thing is, you can do a lot of this stuff right now. It just is all done by these little independent pieces of hardware that don't talk to eachother nicely and are rather expensive independently.

Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[SuperDuG]

I'm a hardcore geek and have expert certification on everything from Windows 2000 to A+ certs to Novell Network certs to CISCO certs to _____ . You name it, I've done it.

Obviously with that standard A+ and level one CNE along with MCSE ... you sir are a computer genuis.

But I personally could probably just barely piece one of these "home media units" together. Furthermore, I wouldn't even know what to use it for.

Right, see this is a set-top box that happens to have a computer inside of it that runs and OS that most all of us are used to. That doesn't mean I want a computer sitting on top of my TV that has been rigged to use my TV-Out on the old video card. This is meant to be like a TiVO (read: Also a computer) where you don't ever have to do anything except use the remote to make it work, but it can interact with your home computer without wires (read: magic).

Some of us, like myself, still buy CDs from BMG and Columbia House. Yes, you read that correctly -- some of us still buy CDs.

Obviously here on slashdot all we do is STEAL them from the poor artists, hence why we hate the RIAA they just want to stop us all from breaking the law.

So, we have more need for 6 disc changes than we do for 10 GB discs of hard drives on which to store mostly-illegally-obtained mp3s.

Perhaps they didn't cover this in your "A+" training, but it is possible to take a CD that you own and rip it into an mp3/ogg/whatever and listen to it. But catch this, you need some type of media to store it on, usually a ... catch this ... a harddrive. 6 Audio CD's will easily fit on an CD with the songs compressed as MP3's making that 6 disc changer, non-essential, amazing isn't it?

Catch this, you can even rip a CD ... while you listen to it, making it non-essential to rip the CD at a later time, you can even setup a cd/mp3 software "program" to do this ... automatically (read: requires magic).

Sorry to rant, but:

Ahh, if you apologize first that makes it impossible for jerks like me to pick apart your stupid posts ...

1) HP clearly is out of their league and doesn't know their market, and,

Whoa did I see a degree in economics somewhere in that mess of worthless credentials at the top of this post?? Nope, obviously you don't have any clue what the intended market is for this product as it hasn't even been sold yet and you've declared it "out of their league". When obviously there is so many greater rivals out there doing the same thing, wait a minute, no their aren't.

2) No one aside from the most hardcore Slashdotter would even know what to do with one of these

Well I'm guessing they'd probably be used for ... viewing media ... hence the clever name of Digital Media Receiver.

Ya know, I remember when the TiVO came out and everyone said the EXACT same thing. That microsoft would come out with a better product to pound TiVO into the ground and that no one excecpt the uber geek would ever want to have one. Yet low-and-behold, even my grandma has a TiVO now because she doesn't like how hard it is to program her VCR. HP isn't stupid, they make computers really easy to use and asthetically appealing to the eye, look at Mac's popularity.

I think you need to realize that you aren't as smart as HP, seeing as they're a huge company and you're a moron with a win2000 cert ... hehehehe ... you want some advice, don't ever advertise you have an MCSE on slashdot. That's like saying you love to watch linux suck.

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[Artifex]

Some of us, like myself, still buy CDs from BMG and Columbia House

No offense, but that line just took away a lot of your credibility with most of us. Besides the fact that these vendors make money off people forgetting to return stupid cards every 4 weeks and the stupid shipping fees, why don't you buy from online sources, like this one, which has cheap prices and free standard shipping on any size order? ("And no more you have to buy, ever!")

Wanna know something? I have probably over a thousand legitimately-purchased CDs of music (not bragging, it's a small collection compared to many people I know, and I think it's way too many to be practical at all). For me, a 6-disc changer won't cut it. A 400-disc changer won't cut it, either. No, I want to be able to rip stuff to a good quality format and fill up a couple huge hard drives, just so I can page through a screen from my couch instead of having to dig through my crates of CDs or a binder full of listings of what's in a changer.

I'm a hardcore geek and have expert certification on everything from Windows 2000 to A+ certs to Novell Network certs to CISCO certs to _____ . You name it, I've done it.

Telling us your certs doesn't tell us a thing about what you've done. Certs are just tests of minimum proficiency; they're not basis for judging your real-world experience. You want to impress us, tell us about the software projects you code for, or the networks you've designed, or the RFCs you authored, or... even that you don't do any of these, but your company depends on you to support their internal LAN and install software for secretaries, and we'll give you respect.

Sorry to rant, but:

Sorry to rant, but: there is a CCNA for Dummies book, an MCSE book, and an A+ book, as well. (I haven't located a "Novell for Dummies," but it's probably implicitly assumed by anyone writing for that audience, anyway.) There is no corresponding book that matches being out in the field with production servers, having to teach (over the phone) your customer's consultant enough BGP so that you can explain to him why his multi-hop config is entirely bogus, while at the same time paging through a zonefile in vi and trying to make sense of cryptic emails from someone who doesn't really share any languages in common with you, whom you can't call even if she did share a common language because of an 11-hour time difference, asking you to "please to have maked the mail fast to the new server 192.168.0.3 verry improtance!" and wanting it done before her office opens in the morning so she can get her mail (oh, did I mention that you can't send her return mail, because she's already moved her mail server to that black-hole IP?) Meanwhile a customer has just walked through your office, past the empty secretary's desk (secretary having been laid off because of budget cuts), and wandered to your cubicle, asking you to escort him to his colo a few blocks away so he can collect his gear "for testing," even though you know he's on the list of deadbeats who haven't paid in months and his account manager is permanently out to lunch and you personally shut his interface down last night... and it's not even 9:25 yet? And you're "the new guy," so you have the lightest load on your team?

Yes, some people might want to lie down on the couch and use something like this device, instead of messing with a changer or thinking about what CDs might be in the cartridge, or anything else beyond some brief pattern-recognition. Please maked it also to be bringing the soda and too the ibuprofen, verry improtance? Yes?

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[g4dget]

I'm a hardcore geek and have expert certification on everything from Windows 2000 to A+ certs to Novell Network certs to CISCO certs to _____ . You name it, I've done it. But I personally could probably just barely piece one of these "home media units" together. Furthermore, I wouldn't even know what to use it for.

I don't have any of those certifications (thank God!), but I have had no trouble pulling together a "home media unit" from scratch.

A standard Linux install pretty much has all you need, and you have lots of choices for how to set it up--all of them pretty simple. You can set up the box as a streaming media server, or you can make it part of your own in-home P2P network, or you can handle all the music through web interfaces. You can push audio to a Linux box or have it pull it from other systems with standard commands.

Another very simple approach is to get a Macintosh--iTunes pretty much does everything you need for that out of the box.

So, we have more need for 6 disc changes than we do for 10 GB discs of hard drives on which to store mostly-illegally-obtained mp3s.

I own all the CDs for the MP3s that I have. Why store them on-line? Because a computer is much, much more convenient than two 300 CD jukeboxes or, worse, lots of jewel cases and strange looking pieces of furniture.

No one aside from the most hardcore Slashdotter would even know what to do with one of these

My parents seem to have no trouble understanding the convenience of just selecting a CD from an on-screen list, as opposed to dealing with hundreds of jewel boxes.

Of course, little of this applies to this HP device, which does sound much more complex, less functional, and proprietary than just getting a Mini-ITX system.

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[jshare]

OMG

I heartily support your thoughts, sir.

If you hadn't posted anon, i would befriend you. (then i would see more of your posts)

Surely, you aren't replying anon to your own (trollish) post. That would be sick. ;)

Jordan

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[Jeff DeMaagd]

So, we have more need for 6 disc changes than we do for 10 GB discs of hard drives on which to store mostly-illegally-obtained mp3s.

Even CD changers are starting to support MP3s written to CDRs. Just about any credible DVD player does now. Using that information, so I guess that gets me to ask, why this? If you have MP3s, burn them to disc and use them on such a deck.

Re:The All-Important Business Question

[myov]

At the same time, make it simple! My home entertainment system now has 6 remotes (TV, VCR, DVD, Digital Cable, CD, Receiver). TV power and volume is one remote. Changing other channels is another. Except if it's a digital channel, when volume is on the receiver instead. Or the receiver remote which will turn on the dvd player and tv, set the receiver to dvd, but won't adjust the tv's input. Adding a universal remote has helped a bit, but it is still clumsy.

Why can't I just stick a DVD in to the player, hit one button and everything will automatically turn on and switch to the right mode (TV to Video 2, mute, Receiver to Digital In 1, Surround mode on). Yes, I know about macros on the remote, the problem is that I can't guarantee what device is in what mode. And sometimes it's just the TV speakers, not the entire surround system.

Technology should not need to be this complicated. Either we need one device that does everything well (allowing for things like digital cable tuners), or some way for devices to talk to each other.

Bah...

[Anonymous Coward]

SliMP3 has

• a high-end fluorescent display
  
• very nice software that runs on all platforms
  
• killer web interface
  
• support for unlimited music
  
• open-source development community
  
• hot chick on their web site.
  

HP got crap reviews for their first overpriced stripped-down media PCs. I'll stick with my Slimpy, thanks.

Re:Bah...

[kindbud]

Disadvantages:

• Kludgey custom server software
  
• Who cares if kludgey software is OSS?
  
• Why not SMB?
  
• No optical output
  
• No audio specs published. S/N? THD?
  
• Open code and firmware, yet still no OGG support.
  
• Why go open if you don't support open codecs?
  
• Future OGG support will transcode to MPEG. Boo! Hiss!
  
• No PCM support. Can't use it with losslessly-encoded tracks.
  

Re:Bah...

[jshare]

Kludgey custom server software
Who cares if kludgey software is OSS?

People who want to "un-kluge" it, can. Surely you understand the most basic concept of open source?

Why not SMB?

What if you have all your tracks on your Mac, or on your linux box, and you don't want to set up windows sharing (with its own headaches), and instead just want to install an app, that will then "just work".

No optical output
No audio specs published. S/N? THD?
No PCM support. Can't use it with losslessly-encoded tracks.

The last one of these is the only point that seems at all valid to me, and explains the other two. If you are starting at MP3, then an optical output is not going to make that big of a difference.

Open code and firmware, yet still no OGG support.
Future OGG support will transcode to MPEG. Boo! Hiss!
Why go open if you don't support open codecs?

See my first statement, above.

Granted, the physical construction of the device precludes anything but mpeg being played. You have to transcode anything that isn't mp3 to mp3.

Disclaimer: I am a (very) satisfied user of a SLIMP3.

$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

what about playing video?

[SobiOne]

I wouldn't even think about purchasing one of these unless it did the following:

1. Play my videos (.mpg, .avi, etc...)
2. Displayed winamp plugins on the TV while playing music files.

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".

discount pricing this week...

[djupedal]

...check their site.....in conjunction w/MacWorld. $239.00/free shipping I believe...too bad it's not wireless tho. HP must be wishing they were back in the small gadget business.

pfft

[Twirlip of the Mists]

Video Output: NTSC, 30 FPS, 60 Hz

NTSC? That is so 20th century. Where the hell is the high-definition version with DVI and component analog outputs? I'm not greedy; even 720p will do!

Hell, if the XBOX can do 1080i and 720p output, this piece of junk-- er, extremely worth market entrant ought to be able to.

I mean it's not like the thing is recording or playing back video, for crying out loud; it just does still photos. Given that most digital cameras are recording pictures in 1600 x 1200 or bigger, even a 1280x720 output would be nice, nice. But no, we're stuck with lame-ass interlaced NTSC. Pfft. I'd rather describe my vacation snaps to my friends than show them in crappy NTSC.

Re:pfft

[Twirlip of the Mists]

Here's why: converting from RGB to YUV is harder than it sounds. If you don't do it just right, you'll end up with severely distorted color. Since one of the purposes of this device is to display photos on your TV, you need a really good color-space converter. Building one from scratch, or buying a cheap one at radio shack, isn't going to cut it. Unless you like your yellows looking green and your reds purple, that is.

"interesting potential"!?`

[SHEENmaster]

Yes, very interesting.

In addition to the six access points at my high school and the individual ones at CVS, Food City, Dollar Den, my church, and various houses I will have even more houses to connect to?

I doubt that I could fit much media onto my zaurus's combined 384mb of storage (128mb cf + 256mb sd). Will a full noteboot computer be required for warwalking/driving in the near future? Is there a cf scsi/ide adaptor that I could get?

Does anyone know if this has any kind of security when it comes to the wireless connection?

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.

a picture is worth ...

[ramzak2k]

check out the picture . Looks very cool.

If their target market is someone with a "home network", they better tend to needs of uber geeks and release a linux version of their software.

Re:a picture is worth ...

[samael]

I know this is /. and all, but I have 4 friends with home networks and not one of them runs Linux in any form.

sounds like junk

[Stanley Feinbaum]

No OGG support

No divx support

The only thing it was going for it is it runs windowsXP

Re:sounds like junk

[Junky191]

"Can anyone tell me why I would want to spend several k$ on a machine that doesn't even run Linux (yet)?"

This is probably the most clear cut example of blind stupidity I've ever seen on slashdot. Everything is summed up in this quote.

Re:sounds like junk

[Russellkhan]

"The only thing it was going for it is it runs windowsXP"

Don't you think that comes pretty close? (I do)

Build it yourself.

[PyroX_Pro]

For $300 I can build one myself, stuff it into an old vcr box, and play anything I want on it, including but not limited to:

1) Music ( All formats )
2) Video ( All formats, inc. dvd )
3) PVR
4) MAME, SNES, NES, ect ect ect
5) Digi Cam Pict Viewer Gallery Thingy
6) Internet


Of course, I would run a cable to mine, the budget is not there to go out and buy wireless just for this. ( Plus the speed of the connection is a factor )

You can do this too, just go out to ebay or pricewatch and do some research with google.


Just me 2 cents worth.

Hot chick?

[The Tyro]

Sure... if 13yo premenarchal teens are your thing.

Wait! Stop! Don't reply, I don't want to know...

they will sell

[zogger]

they will sell these things, got all the latest buzzwords. People will be standing in the aisle at bestbuy wherever, see it, read the little shiny cardboard signs, "plays and shows all your stuff from anyplace through your giant tv and stereo with remote control and walks the dog and washes your car and no wirez". they will sell a few of them.

This is a growing arena. . .

[stevarooski]

HP may be one of the first, but many of the big electronic brands are developing home av components around wireless networking. I'm surprised its taking them this long to make good on the possibilities of this!

Actually, I just recieved some spam-like email this morning inviting me to sign up to betatest philips new 'Streamium' wireless network boombox. The betatest signups are open for a bit longer and can be reached here if you'd also like to sign up. The whole idea of wireless networked multimedia appliances sounds interesting, and I wouldn't mind being able to try one out. (No, I don't work for these guys, yadda yadda. . .just commenting. :)

Re:Found the link after all...

[Wesley Felter]

To be fair, the de100c was a completely self-contained MP3 jukebox. It's still more expensive than the ZapStation, though.

For more info about this market

[joeflies]

Pick up this month's Computer Power User (January 2003). There is a lot of info on PC-based PVR's, including

a) Ananad Shimpai talks high level about Microsoft Media Center Edition, the HP unit, and the hardware requirements issues (i.e. need for an MPEG encoder, high CPU power requirements so that it will keep running)

b) PC Challenge is for a PC-based unit for Home Theater. The challenger built a butt ugly slime green unit, but the editor used a shuttle

c) The Linux TV-out issue with Macrovision. This covered issues that I didn't know about, namely card manufacturers and home brew Gatos project are faced with either licensing Macrovision and going closed source, or don't built it at all if there is a chance it will play material which should be macrovision encoded.

d) Alex St John talks about HP's 873n and Media Center

and most importantly e) Malda talking about typing his column on his girlfriend's macintosh

I think the pc-based PVR market is enormously interesting, because it serves both DIY and pre-built units in distinct markets. It brings new easy to use software to the TV, where entertainment is. And it creates a new market for selling pc's (both in lieu and in addition to a home pc)

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

[Pathwalker]

Personally, I would be happy with just support from Apple for the Vorbis audio codec in a Quicktime wrapper.

It would be difficult for me to find a way to care less than I do about the OGG wrapper format, but Vorbis seems to actually be a rather good audio codec. In OGG, it is decent, but in QuickTime, it could be outstanding!

As one example, the ability for a Vorbis stream to be stripped to a lower bitrate on the fly seems to be a perfect match with the QuickTIme Packetizer API to create a Packetizer/Reassembler combo which can compensate for lost packets by replacing them with packets at a lower bit rate, keeping the total stream bandwidth below the specified limit!

Plus, you wouldn't have to decode all of the headers in the stream (to read the granule positions, to determine at what time each frame starts) before being able to seek around in it, as in Quicktime the Sample Table Atom holds everything you need in one place.

Video output only; No video input

[slyfox]

Based on the specs, this device only sends video from a computer (via a network) to the TV, but not from the TV to the computer. You'd think that if they were going to make a computer to TV/stereo interface that they would make it bidirectional to allow for TiVo-like functionality.

Oh, yea, how long until Apple comes out with one of these devices specially tailored for use with iLife (the iTunes/iPhoto/iMovie bundle). That would be killer.

Somebody mod this up!

[Russellkhan]

I spent my last mod point just before reading this post and immediately regretted it. This is an insightful post, NOT A TROLL. By posting here, I'm undoing one of my own mods, but I think this post is worth it (and someone else has since modded up the other post I modded in this article's discussion, so I know that it won't go back to being an unseen AC post).

Remember mods: Just because you disagree or a post is worded harshly doesn't mean it's a troll.

Re:Somebody mod this up!

[Russellkhan]

Just in case it was unclear, my previous post was a request to mod its parent, not my own post. I jsut re-read it and realized that there was room for confusion there.

Re:TiVo one better *NOT*

[Jason1729]

So I'll wait an extra 4 months to get a piece of crap that's totally useless unless the company is there to give it permission to work?

If someone goes with the TiVo option, they're investing in the company; when the company goes bankrupt, their player is useless.

To add insult to injury, you also have to pay a monthly fee to use their product, even just the Media Center option.

Not to mention you're comparing the price of a refubished TiVo to a new HP box

Jason
ProfQuotes

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.

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

[class_A]

Ooops, wrong again! iPod also supports WAV and AIFF.

Also: "Upgradable firmware enables support for future audio formats"

We need a "Truth-in-DRM" law...

[dpbsmith]

As usual, the product spec sheet says nothing about what kinds of digital restrictions management are presently in the product, or might be enabled by future firmware "upgrades."

We really need to lobby our congressional representatives for a law that would require simple, plain-language disclosure of any restrictions that consumers ought to know about. And assurances that the functionality we get when we buy the product will be maintained for the period of time we own the product (and will not vanish in stealth firmware upgrades).

This is at LEAST as important as knowing the true size of a "17 inch" screen.

Whether you favor or oppose DRM, there is no reason in the world why we shouldn't know what we're buying. In fact, the marketplace can't operate properly if we don't.

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

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Maybe you should read the +5 comments on stories before you take the description for gospel.

iPod doesn't support ogg.

iTunes does unofficially - but only because somebody made a module or something that adds ogg support to QuickTime - iTunes uses QuickTime as their back end.

Re:User Interface

[uradu]

You use MythTV or Freevo and an IR remote. Gives you the same Tivo appliance experience.

Prices are finally coming down

[uradu]

This is a far cry from their first attempt. But I'd probably still wait for Apex and the other Taiwanese cheapos to enter the market. While their devices will no doubt heat up and be ugh-lee, at least they will be even cheaper and won't tie you into some backend infrastructure or software like the big players currently are trying to (Sony requires a Vaio at the backend, HP probably requires a proprietary streaming server, Philips does the same). What you really want is something like the Audiotron that just scans network shares, but also plays video and costs $100. Considering the high integration of new chipsets and the lack of storage in these devices, I think that's a realistic price point. I'd say we'll see that within the next couple of years. Until then I'll make do with my MythTV setup.

Congrats: You've been trolled.

[sheldon]

I can't believe you wasted your time putting together a response. :)

Check out the Homepod

[p0o9]

Macsense introduced a Home Network Audio Player at Macworld this week. It uses technology from a company called Gloolabs (www.gloolabs.com). They claim to have an "open system" approach and are looking for developers to write applications for the box. Sounds interesting...

Re:TiVo one better *NOT*

[RedX]

If someone goes with the TiVo option, they're investing in the company; when the company goes bankrupt, their player is useless

Well I've been hearing this same argument for 2 years now, during which time my lifetime service has more than paid for itself.

Not to mention you're comparing the price of a refubished TiVo to a new HP box

Fair enough, and it could be considered an apples to oranges comparison, but I'm sure you realize that the TiVo's main feature is video recording. If you can add the features of the HP box to the best PVR on the market at a similar cost, it's a no-brainer to me.

Re:I just want a nice looking case for my A/V rack

[StCredZero]

Take a look at the "Mediabox".

I also remember a German company coming out with a fanless case of the same form factor. It was fanless because it used heat-pipes to cool the CPU that exported heat to huge heat-sinks on the sides. Does anyone know where to find this?

What about IR blasters?

[telstar]

I found the Freevo screenshots but one thing that home-grown media players that act as PVRs lack is a way to interract with cable-boxes. If you live in a region that scrambles the signal, and requires that the cable-box channel be changed to feed an unscrambled signal to the TiVo/Freevo/ReplayTV, you'll need a way for that box to send an IR signal to the cable-box. I'm unaware of any home-grown solutions that do this or even have it on their radar.

Re:What about IR blasters?

[uradu]

Don't know about software capabilities in MythTV etc. for cable box control since I have no need for that, but there are hardware projects for IR blasters as well as off-the-shelf products.

Re:User Interface

[uradu]

Just search SourceForge, it's all there (http://freevo.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html).

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

[Stigmata669]

oops... and audible(tm)format