QNAP NMP-1000 Brings Networked Video, Audio, Digital Pictures And Other Digital Content Into The Living Room
New Home Network Appliance Unique Blending of Set-top Box Player and Networked Storage Capable of Delivering Cinema Quality Video and Audio to the Home Theater
Taipei, Taiwan, September 2009 - QNAP Systems, Inc, a world-class manufacturer of Network Attached Storage (NAS) servers today unveiled a unique new network appliance that can best be described as a set-top player crossed with a NAS server. Computer users around the globe face the dilemma of how to centrally store, manage, and playback growing amounts of digital content spread around the home on multiple computers.
"QNAP 's ground-breaking NMP-1000 Network Multimedia Player is the definitive product that bridges the gap between the home network and the living room" said Meiji Chang, CEO of QNAP Systems, Inc. "Users are clamoring to centrally store and enjoy all their digital content in the living room and the NMP-1000 just fits the bill" Mr. Chang added.
The new NMP-1000 incorporates an internal hard disk drive that easily catalogs digital pictures, videos, music, and other content from computers on the home network and can effortlessly play them back in the home theater with the included remote control.
The new NMP-1000 connects to the home network via wired Ethernet (wireless adapter ready) and to an HDTV via HDMI or Component interfaces, or Composite & S-Video interfaces for standard-def TVs. The NMP-1000 is capable of playing back smooth Full HD 1080p video and crystal clear audio; turning digital picture slide shows, home videos, purchased content, and even shared iTunes® libraries into a viewing/listening experience worthy of the living room. Because the NMP-1000 is Internet connected via the home network, you can even browse digital pictures & albums from Flickr™ or videos from YouTube™. The "10-foot" user interface makes it a snap to select content for viewing with the included remote control, and the NMP-1000 supports a very wide range of formats for playing back digital pictures, videos, movies, and music. Because the NMP-1000 incorporates technologies found in its popular Turbo NAS servers, it can also be used to automatically backup computers on the network and also for easy file storage and sharing. The NMP-1000 is equally at home on Windows®, Macintosh®, Linux, and even UNIX-based home networks.
The NMP-1000 is fully DLNA™ compliant and features advanced technology including HDMI 1.3 support, powerful Sigma Designs® video/audio hardware decoders, and a host of advanced networking support hidden under the hood. Set-up and the overall user experience of the NMP-1000 are exceptionally easy and enjoyable.
Availability
The NMP-1000 is worldwidely available now. Please visit the QNAP website for additional product information and to locate a reseller or distributor. www.qnap.com
The developers of the Blu-ray high-definition video format may have beat HD DVD on the technology, but both are losing the war for the hearts and minds of video consumers who look to cable, satellite and the Internet for video.
In a new Harris Poll, the results of which were released on Friday, only 11 percent of Americans own a HD DVD player, while only 7 percent own a Blu-ray player.
About 9 percent of Americans own a Sony PlayStation 3 gaming console, which includes the ability to play Blu-ray disks, while 3 percent have an external HD DVD drive for a Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console.
The slow adoption of both Blu-ray and HD DVD comes despite the growth in the adoption of high-definition televisions. Harris Interactive, which runs the Harris polls, found in its new poll that about 47 percent of Americans now report owning a high-definition TV, up from 35 percent in May of 2008.
The Blu-ray and HD DVD player market faces strong competition from cable, satellite and the Internet as a way to access videos, wrote Milton Ellis, vice president and senior consultant for Harris' interactive technology, media and telecom practice.
"In the near future, access to high-definition movies may be a download or streaming delivery of one's favorite movies to a home media server that eliminates the need for a Blu-ray player and Blu-ray disk. One thing is for sure, the market will be highly competitive and consumers will have a wide variety of choices for their entertainment experience," Ellis wrote.
Sales of both Blu-ray and HD DVD, while still slow, are growing, said Harris Interactive.
Only about 4 percent of Americans had purchased Blu-ray players in 2008, compared to 7 percent who purchased HD DVD players, 5 percent who purchased PlayStation 3s, and 1 percent who purchased HD DVD drives for the Xbox 360, Harris said.
While the typical American consumer plans to purchase four standard DVDs in the next six months, down from six standard DVDs in the last six months, they do plan to purchase an average of 0.7 Blu-ray and 0.6 HD DVD disks in the next six months, compared to 0.5 Blu-ray and 0.7 HD DVD disks in the last six months.
While this news only pertains to the UK and Ireland right now it will give you a bit of insight as to ware Microsoft is going with the 360, at this rate we just might see XboxLIVE become the true all in one entertainment package.
Microsoft has struck a deal to bring Sky Player, Sky’s online TV service, to Xbox Live this autumn in the UK and Ireland.
The move will allow Xbox 360 owners to access a range of channels and programmes to either view live or on-demand. The quality will be SD and DVD only to begin with and there won’t be an option to record programs.
Details of the full channel line-up are still to be confirmed, but Xbox 360 users are expected to be able to access movies, entertainment shows, documentaries, programming dedicated to kids, music, the arts and sport, including Premier League football and Test Match cricket.
“For a new customer joining Sky through their Xbox, Sky Player will offer a wide range of live channels and on-demand content via a number of different packages. These customers will also be able to access their favourite shows on a pay-per-view basis.,” said a press release marking the announcement. “Existing Sky customers who already own an Xbox will benefit from another way to view their favourite shows, in addition to their Sky set-top box and PC or Mac.
“There will be a range of unique interactive services available to the Xbox LIVE / Sky Player offering. For Sky Sports, for example, this will mean that live coverage will be supported by range of applications to enhance the viewing experience further. As well as fans being able to communicate with one another in real time via their broadband connections, they will also be able to check news and access fixtures, league tables and other on-demand information. Interactive applications will also be developed across other programmes genres.
“It also enables users to communicate with each other via live video chat and MSN Messenger, beating console rivals to cement Xbox 360 as a true pioneer of home entertainment.”
Neil Thompson, head of Xbox UK and Ireland, said: "Our customers have told us that they want the opportunity to use their consoles as a way to access TV and once again Xbox has pulled off an entertainment first with amazing content and rich interactive experience. The combination of Sky's leadership in content creation and aggregation and our own in creating a constantly evolving new generation of rich 360 entertainment experiences means we are one step closer to our goal of offering Xbox owners the best entertainment experiences out there, whether it's movies, music, games, interactive experiences or high quality TV."
Welcome to the first version of XBMC Installer Deluxe, for the Xbox 1 which is basically a stripped-down version of Auto-Installer Deluxe which focuses primarily on XBMC.
One of the best features of the XBMC installer is its simple to use. You can upgrade your old Xbox 1 Dashboard to a new looking 360 Blade Style dashboard or choose from others..
The Xbox 1 is still the best homebrew machine available and we still recommend grabbing one for your movies and entertainment at home.
Learn more about XBMC Installer Deluxe and Auto Installer Deluxe from our main HQ http://www.xbox-hq.com website.
Changelog since Auto-Installer Deluxe v4.50 Final:
* Removed: Emulators, Roms, most Dashboards and Applications * Added: XBMC Application (9.04 Final "Babylon" revision 19947)
* Added: XBMC Scripts from SVN (revision 2509) * Added: XBMC Skins from SVN (revision 2161) * Added: XBMC Skin Project Mayhem III SE (revision 125)
Download information and Forum Thread can be found HERE.
So you are a tech geek and proud of it and you got the best of the best all running though a 60 inch flat screen plasma TV and the best surround sound on the market but its it still ain't 3D now is it, guess what it could be real soon.
Gaming.Hexus reports on this major leap forword: At CES 2009, Next3D has revealed the Next3D player wihich will allow Xbox 360 and PC owners to receive theatrical 3D films, 3D IMAX films, movie trailers, real-time stereo camera webcasts and other 3D content directly to their screens.
“We believe that gaming is likely to drive stereoscopic technology into the home, and we’ll be there to complete the media experience,” says David Cole, CEO of Next 3D.
In an effort to prepare for the expected demand, Hollywood is now releasing big-budget 3D movies at the rate of one per month and professional sporting events are being broadcast in 3D. Low-cost 3D cameras and even 3D web-cams are becoming available. This week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, many top television manufacturers around the world including Sony, LG, and Panasonic have announced 3D ready TV’s, and both Samsung and Mitsubishi have already shipped an estimated 2 million 3D ready plasmas and DLP-based TV’s.
Next3D content is encoded with a tool that allows it to be viewed in full stereoscopic 3D 1080P high-definition. Like YouTube, Next3D will offer user-created content channels for stereo enthusiasts to post and share 3D video and still images. Premium, pay-to-view content channels will also be available by mid-year. Initial Next3D content providers include rights holders to 3D IMAX films, theatrical 3D films, and movie trailers.
The Next3D Movie Player will be free to consumers on every platform. “Remember how iTunes revolutionized getting the music you want?” adds D.J. Roller, Co-founder of Next3D, “That’s how easy we’re making 3D.”
The Next3D Player will be available for Xbox 360s and PCs this spring.
Engadget believes that the 3D player announcement is vapourware, but a spokesperson from Next3D responded:
"Next3D is producing a player for the XBOX 360 as well as other DirectX and Open GL paltforms. We use the GPU to decode and checkerboard (among other interlacing techniques) the signal, then squirt it out the HDMI port. In many ways, the XBOX 360 is an easier target that the PC or Mac - as the hardware is 100% consistent across the installed base.
As for the streaming strategy, we'll announce our first rights-holder partners in less than 1 week. They aren't huge studio names out of the gate. But, one is an IMAX film distributor with a fantastic 3D catalog. It will take time to hit critical mass with the online offering - there is a LOT to prove about a home 3D audience to rights holders. We do believe that there is enough inertia that, when combined with the stereo gaming market, a viable audience is worth cultivating.
The proof is in the seeing, and we'll be out on the coast early next month."
Want to participate in the Xbox 360 beta? Sign up HERE
I was floating around the net before the super bowl started and hit a link that i just had to look over, with NetFlix now on the 360 and all the requests from Xbox Media Center (XBMC) users from XBOX-HQ there needed to be a single APP to let you run them all from your PC and stream them to the 360 and here it is.
Here is the run down on what PLAYON can do for you and your new console: With PlayOn, you can access your favorite Internet videos (YouTube, Hulu, CBS, Netflix, CNN, ESPN, and many more) on your TV. Most folks don't want to gather the family around the PC in the office to settle in to catch up on missed episodes of your favorite sitcom or check out the latest YouTube videos from your favorite producer. Of course, there are times you want to watch video on your PC, and there are times when you'd much rather take advantage of the investment you made in your Home Entertainment System and watch on the big screen. In fact, according to a Neilson survey 94% of adults who subscribe to a cable or satellite service prefer to watch programming on their traditional sets rather than online.
What is so special about how we do it? PlayOn leverages your existing set-top boxes, game consoles, and home PCs – so you don't have to buy any new devices or connect them to your TV. And, we believe in the power of the World Wide Web – no "walled gardens" here – we want you to be able to access all sources of video content. We also believe in universal access; we want to make it affordable to everyone – so we offer a free trial followed by a $29.99 one-time fee. We also want the experience to be great, so we built for TV viewing – so you can see the entire screen on the TV (not like trying to browse web pages on your TV) and use a remote control or joystick to navigate and play the videos! It is really just like watching TV – only with the access to the World Wide Web of Video.
This is in no way a free program but if you have Netflix and have set up a Hulu account or just get Hulu to try out the new PLAYON software you will see that this is a good buy at 30 bucks, get it quick before it gose up to $40.00.