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DVB-T STB/MPEG2 Player That Can Access SMB Shares

feanor writes "Siemens is realeasing beginning of November the Gigaset M740 AV (German text). This is a DVB-T set-top-box that can access SMB shares either via ethernet or WLAN and store its MPEG2 compliant streams. Alternatively it can be used as an MPEG2 streaming client. Other cool features include the ability to hook-up standard USB hard-drives as storage, a dual tuner architecture and a very cool design."

5 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Not in the US by DaHat · · Score: 5, Interesting

    DVB you say? Shame that's not going to be compatible with the ATSC standard here in the states.

    Maybe, one day such a device will be available here... after the Induce act fails again and is lost forever... after pigs fly, hell freezes over and the {MP|RI}AA and bit torrent get along as friends.

    1. Re:Not in the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
  2. MPEG2 in the LBC by mwheeler01 · · Score: 5, Funny

    DSB-T STB that plays MPEG2 over SMB and with so much trauam in the LBC it's kinda hard bein snoop D O Double G with my BLT. I'll be hangin over here with my WLAN wearin SPF 30 cause of the UV...

    Am I the only one that had to read the title and description like 4 times to get the gist of this? I know acronyms are a fact of life but I think my brain is starting to overload on them.

    --
    Pretty widgets? What pretty widgets?
  3. Nothing new here by edwardd · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Dreambox is a set top box that has supported DVB for years, and it supports DVB-T (Broadcast), DVB-S (Satalite) as well as DVB-C (Cable).

    http://www.dream-multimedia-tv.de/Bereiche/Produkt e/DM7000_featurelist.php/

    VDR has aslo been available for years to support the same standards under Linux. It is a full featured PVR with a robust plugin interface.

    http://cadsoft.de/vdr/

    North American viewers on the East Coast can take advantage of DVB-S & pick up a number of satalites that cover the Atlantic region. There is a wide variety of FTA programming available. My dad used to be a ham operator, I guess this is the new `ham` hobby.

  4. Re:RTFA euummm... Tried... by Denuvo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's a simple summary. DVB is the digital broadcasting standard used in Europe (and some other places, like Australia). DVB-T is the variant used for "T"errestrial broadcasts; DVB is also used for digital satellite (DVB-S) and cable (DVB-C). Many European countries have started doing DVB-T broadcasts, with the intention of eventually eliminating analogue transmission. There are many DVB-T set-top boxes on the market, as well as televisions with built-in DVB-T tuners. DVB-T PVRs have also started to appear. This box is sort of half-of-a-PVR. Instead of using its own internal storage, it uses an SMB share or a USB hard drive. Clever - this should reduce the price. The point of using MPEG-2 is that this is DVB's native video format. This box is not doing any encoding whatever; it's just saving a copy of the stream as it comes in from the aerial. The box only needs to be able to decode - this, too, should keep the price down.