A MoCA network adapter is designed for use in households that use Cable. They are used when you need an internet connection over a long distance and your wireless connection isn’t fast or reliable enough.

The typical situation is where you want to stream HD video through your home, without the unreliability of a wireless connection, and without ultra-long Ethernet cables all over the place.

Instead you can just run your internet connection through the cable wiring already in your home (assuming you have cable wiring). Using a Coax-Ethernet bridge you can use the existing coax wiring in any home for fast network connections.

The ActionTec ECB2200 is designed specifically for this purpose and will bridge your internet signal from Ethernet to Coax and back again. I got a hands-on look and brief walk through of the device while at CES:

How to set it up is best explained in the video below which shows a Wii being hooked up to the home network via Coax, but it could be done for any device that requires internet:

Full instructions on this can be found here. Here’s an example of what your setup might end up looking like:

As you can see you’ll probably need a couple of Coax splitters. You can grab them on eBay here.

Where to Buy an Ethernet CoAX Bridge

On Amazon:
Buy a pair on Amazon

On eBay:

Also See

• The Actiontec MI424WR – A Cheap alternative Ethernet to Coax Bridge on eBay
• That’s a bit more difficult to setup so here’s the instructions on using the Actiontec MI424WR

Zagg has made a big jump into the home convergence & placeshifting set top box market, from their typical line-up of cell phone screen protectors. Enter the ZaGGbox…

The device acts as a central hub for your various home TV devices (Xbox, Blu-ray player, PS3, DVR, cable box etc.), a way to watch media from devices on your home network as well as a Slingbox style placeshifter.

Universal Remote

A neat feature of the Zaggbox, which is largely absent from other media streaming hubs, is the fact it has a truly universal remote.

You can control any device hooked up to the device with the remote (pictured below) or with the iPhone/iPod touch app. Remote control apps for other smart-phones are also due to be released.

I got to check out the Zaggbox at this year’s CES and it does have an easy-to-use onscreen interface. So using the universal remote to manage your integrated home media equipment from one convenient control is pretty easy.

Record from any Device

You can record from any device that is hooked up to the Zaggbox too onto its internal 1TB drive. This gives it basic DVR functionality as well as creating an easy way to record of gaming consoles or any other set top box.

When recording the ZAGGbox automatically reads and transcodes any video codec into two formats at one time; one for television viewing and a separate version optimized for the Apple iPhone/iPod family.

It’s video compression ability makes for high quality placeshifting if you want to view your home TV content on a computer or iPhone with an internet connection.

Stream Within & Beyond the Home

Media stored on the ZAGGbox can be broadcast within the home or beyond the home (like the Slingbox) via a browser or cell phone client.
The media content streams through UPnP, Video Podcasting, or a built-in web server. You can also share media with friends but the Zaggbox will screen the videos your share for copyright and may restrict what you can share.

In addition, the ZAGGbox has the ability to aggregate the video from compatible security cameras, which can be viewed on a live stream with a mobile Internet device. It makes sense that the Zaggbox could also be used as a live broadcaster – aka slingcatcher.

Being internet enabled it would have been a sweet bonus to have access to online video, but that could be cheaply achieved with a PopBox.

Home Automation

The ZAGGbox allows for home automation. Utilizing the Z-Wave system, it will be compatible with security systems, HVAC systems, door locks, or lighting. This feature set will be available shortly after launch.

Feature Overview

• True Universal Remote
• 3 HD inputs & 2 SD inputs
• 1TB internal hard drive.
• 4 USB ports for expandable storage
• UPnP and DLNA support
• iPhone/Ipod remote control Apps
• Stream media from devices on home network
• Watch home recordings on any internet/3G/wi-fi connected iPhone or computer
• Home automation functions.

Zaggbox Specs

• Hard Disk – 1Terabyte
• Network – 100 Base-T
• Wireless – 802.11b/g/n; Ad-Hoc Open with WEP or Infrastructure Open with WEP, WPA-PSK with TKIP or AES
• Connectivity – SMB (Microsoft Windows share) or UPnP
• HDMi Output – v1.1
• Audio ADC – MP3, AAC, M4A
• Video Decoder – MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4.2, WMV9, VC-1, MPEG4.10(H.264)/AVC, DivX®, Xvid
• HD Encoder – 10X compression for HD .mov files; 50X-100X compression for iPhone platform
• Inputs – 3 component, 2 composite video/S-Video, 5 USB 2.0, 8-1 Multi ready (SD, Xd, MMC) SD card reader. No HDMI Inputs?
• Parental Controls – USA TV/Movie, Canadian English/French rating levels, user-defined ratings, channel block, front panel control lock
• Closed captioning – Analog and digital closed captions with customizable colors, fonts, and backgrounds. Single-button CC on/off.

Pros

• True universal remote
• Plenty of inputs
• Aggregate home network onto the TV set
• Works great with iPhone
• Healthy 1TB internal hard drive & USB ports for more
• Access home media from anywhere

Cons

• Pricey
• No access to online TV channels
• Small monthly subscription fee
• No HDMI inputs

The Bottom Line

Priced at a whopping $999 (with a $799 pre-order option) this is an expensive device. If you have a bunch of black TV gadget boxes in your front room then this is a great device to bring them all together and make them accessible from one remote and allow online access. As a home media convergence device it does the job well, but still costly.

However, I can’t understand why there are no HDMI inputs. If you want to access all your home media devices via the Zaggbox interface then some of those will connect via HDMI, but you would have to settle for an SD composite connection unless they can stream over the home network.

Zagg did also mention a small monthly subscription fee (about $5/mo) which appears to be for the ability to stream your media beyond the home.

It is available for pre-order from the Zagg website, and any eBay deals will appear below when available:

Also See:

• The Monsoon Volcano – Another home convergence device (which is cheaper)
• More internet TV set top boxes on WebTVWire
• HDMI cables on eBay

Sherwood is better known for its high quality audio equipment, but it has recently crossed over into the Internet set-top-box space mixing high quality audio and high definition internet TV.

As an amplifier the Sherwood box packs the goods with 700 watts of amplification, a pair of coaxial audio inputs, three HDMI 1.3 inputs, one Toslink input, and support for Dolby Volume, Dolby TruHD and DTS-HD Master high-res audio formats.

Hate those excessively loud adverts? Well the Netboxx also has Dolby Volume which eliminates volume fluctuations between channels, commercials and between Internet sites.

It also has an FM radio tuner built in.

So it’s got sound covered, but what can it play?

Internet TV

The Netboxx can connect directly to the internet via Ethernet or wireless connection and gives you access to a suite of online video content.

• Search and watch videos from the major video sites including YouTube, Daily Motion and Myspace.
• Rent and buy online movies to download from Cinema Now
• A variety of video and live stream from various websites.
• Shoutcast support for online radio.

PlayOn Support

That’s not a bad round-up of online video content to start with but the NetBoxx also supports PlayOn. For an extra $40 for the third party PlayOn service you can get access to Hulu, Netflix, CBS, CNN, ESPN, and Amazon Video On Demand.

The NetBoxx is designed for use with PlayOn and it works directly from the user interface on your TV.

While at CES 2010 I managed to get to check out the NetBoxx in action:

Revision3 also had a hands on look:

Local Media

With UPnP and DLNA support the Netboxx can play content on your TV from a variety of compatible sources in your home network. In plain English that means you can play videos, pictures and music off laptops, computers, and Network Attached Storage (NAS) on your home network.

It will also play media off a storage device you attach via USB.

It doesn’t play well with iTunes however which is typical of non-Apple media centers, and to play from a PC it uses the Windows Media Player library.

No Hard Drive or DVR

There’s no mention of a hard drive meaning you’ll need to rely on external storage devices for your media collection.

With USB hard drives been relatively cheap this is not a big deal, but it does mean there’s no DVR functionality. So recording your favorite TV shows from satellite or cable is out of the question with this device.

If you already have a DVR then the NetBoxx will hook up with it allowing you to play recordings off your DVR and give you much better sound quality through it’s amp.

NetBoxx Features Roundup

- Connects to the Internet without a PC for video, audio and media streaming
- Content available from You Tube, Cinema Now, on-line TV channels, Shoutcast “Internet Radio”, etc.
- Supports PlayOn to stream Hulu, Netflix, CBS, CNN, ESPN, Amazon Video On Demand and more from a local network
- Streams audio, video and photo media files from a local network direct to the receiver
- High-performance audio/video in a new, highly compact form factor
- HDMI 1.3, Dolby and DTS Lossless Audio for the highest quality sound
- Dolby Volume eliminates volume fluctuations between channels, commercials and between Internet sites
- High-efficiency “Green” Ti digital amplifiers

■AMPLIFIER SECTION

• Power output, stereo mode, 6 Ω, THD 0.5%, 1 kHz | 2× 100 W
• Total harmonic distortion at -3 dB, 6 Ω, 1 kHz | 0.5%
• Input sensitivity/impedance
Line (CD, AUX, VIDEO) | 200 mV/47kΩ
• Signal to noise ratio, IHF “A” weighted
Line (CD, AUX, VIDEO) | 100 dB
• Frequency response
Line (CD, AUX, VIDEO), 20 Hz ~ 70 kHz | +0, -3 dB
• Bass/Treble control, 100 Hz/10 kHz | ±10 dB
• Surround mode, only channel driven
Front power output, 6 Ω, 1 kHz, THD 0.7 % | 100 W / 100 W
Center power output, 6 Ω, 1 kHz, THD 0.7 % | 100 W
Surround power output, 6 Ω, 1 kHz, THD 0.7 % | 100 W / 100 W
Surround back / ROOM2 power output, 6 Ω, 1 kHz, THD 0.7 % | 100 W / 100 W

■DIGITAL AUDIO SECTION

• Sampling frequency | 32, 44.1, 48, 96, 192 kHz
• Digital input level
Coaxial, 75 Ω | 0.5 Vp-p
Optical, 660 nm | -15 ~ -21 dBm

■VIDEO SECTION

• Video format | NTSC
• Input sensitivity(=Output level), 75 Ω
Video (Composite(normal)) | 1 Vp-p
Component video (R-Y signal) | 0.5 Vp-p
(B-Y signal) | 0.5 Vp-p
(Y signal) | 1.0 Vp-p
• HDMI connector | 19 pin

■FM TUNER SECTION

• Tuning frequency range | 87.5~107.9 MHz
• Usable sensitivity, THD 3%, S/N 30 dB | 9 dBf
• 50 dB quieting sensitivity, mono/stereo | 20.2 / 45.3 dBf
• Signal to noise ratio, 65 dBf, mono/stereo | 70 / 65 dB
• Total harmonic distortion, 65 dBf,1 kHz, mono/stereo | 0.8 / 1.0 %
• Frequency response, 30 Hz~15 kHz | ±3 dB
• Stereo separation, 1 kHz | 30 dB
• IF rejection ratio | 70 dB

■GENERAL

• Power supply | 120 V ~ 60 Hz
• Power consumption | 120 W
• Dimensions (W× H× D, including protruding parts) | 430 x 72 x 306 mm(17 x 2-7/8 x 12 inches)
• Weight (Net) | 4.58 kg (10.1 Ibs)

The Pros

• Great audio support
• Good selection of online content, especially with PlayTV
• Share media on home network via DLNA or UPnP
• Easy to use user-interface
• FM Radio support

The Cons

• No hard drive
• Only 720p HD
• Expensive
• No DVR functionality
• Not Mac or iTunes friendly.

The Bottom Line

The Sherwood retails for $650 but you can pick it up on for under $600 on eBay (see auctions below). Also bear in mind the additional $40 one-off cost for the PlayOn service for the extra

I’ve got mixed feelings about the device, I wonder if it would be better to buy the Monsoon Volcano and get a decent amplifier separate – then you’ve almost got everything the Netboxx can do and more, including a DVR. You’d just be missing the PlayOn support (which is a big deal for Hulu fans), but the Volcano may add that as an app later.

The ideal situation for the NetBoxx would be if you don’t care about cable TV (so don’t need a DVR), use windows PCs, and want awesome sound quality and lots of online TV. If you already have a DVR then the NetBoxx would also be a great choice to boost your sound and brind internet TV to the living room.

Available on eBay:

Also See:

• The PopBox HD – An low-cost internet TV set top box.
• More internet TV set top boxes on WebTVWire
• More Sherwood products on eBay

The XstreamHD service has been in the works for a few years and is finally due for public release later this year. It essentially offers DVR functionality, on-demand video and sharing of video across your home network.

When you buy an XstreamHD you would get a HD Media Server unit which will store your video content on a hard drive, and a HD Media receiver which hooks up to your TV.

A remote control would also be provided to use the XstreamHD interface on your TV. As you can see from the pics below the GUI looks well designed and intuitive.

[Image Source: Sound & Vision]

Main Features

Video on demand will be delivered via satellite which seems odd given the move by most Set Top Boxes to IPTV based services. Video will be available in full 1080p HD and audio will be DTS-HD.

The device will also have 3 tuners allowing record and watch up to 3 ATSC over the air (OTA) channels with typical DVR functions.

DLNA capable devices will also be able pull video from the HD Media Server, but from what I gather if you had a DLNA TV you’d still probably want to hook it up to the Media Receiver to get the XstreamHD user interface.

You will also be able to manage media on your home network including videos, images and music.

XStreamHD’s Sales Pitch:

XStreamHD Invites You to Join the HD Revolution

XStreamHD invites you to enjoy a revolutionary in-home digital entertainment experience. Step up to unparalleled HD entertainment living with

XStreamHD’s whole home entertainment solution. Enjoy Full HD (1080p) video and up to 7.1 channels of lossless DTS-HD Master Audio™ content – including movies, music and games – at the highest level of quality that today’s advanced digital consumer electronics and home theaters were designed to support.

How XStreamHD Works – No-Hassle HD

Using a small outdoor satellite antennae, your XStreamHD system collects multiple streams of studio master quality HD entertainment at lightening fast speed. The content is streamed directly into one sophisticated XStreamHD Media Server in your home that collects, stores and organizes your pre-fetched movies, music and games in your Virtual Personal Library.

The HD Server is loaded with up to 4TB of removable internal storage, and additional access to external storage via an eSATA connection. Further, the XStreamHD Media Server includes a built-in Network Video Recorder that uses three HDTV (ATSC) tuners to capture all of your favorite off-air HDTV programs from start-to-finish – regardless of schedule changes – thanks to a unique patent-pending Adaptive Recording feature.

XStreamHD Whole Home Entertainment Solution

As a whole home solution, the XStreamHD Media Server can deliver multiple streams of content throughout your home to any television equipped with a compact XStreamHD Media Receiver or any DLNA Certified™ device – from computers, to next-generation televisions and game consoles.

With every XStreamHD Media Receiver you get an ergonomic, state-of-the-art XStreamHD RF One Remote Control that requires no line-of-site and integrates with most home A/V equipment. Additionally, XStreamHD has just released an audiophile-class PRO Media Receiver that permits you to leverage your
elite audio equipment that supports analog inputs to decode and output the latest generation of HD studio master quality audio and video.

Pre-Fetched Entertainment – Immediate Access to Studio Master Quality HD

Only XStreamHD provides you with Pre-Fetched Entertainment (PFE). PFE automatically delivers just-released HD movies, music and electronic games
directly to your Virtual Personal Library.

Leap forward to a world in which you can enjoy immediate access to the highest quality content sent directly to your home, without the wait times and hassles associated with in-store shopping, mail order programs, and slow Internet content downloads. Never be denied any of the latest titles.

XStreamHD Calling – FREE In-Network Calling

XStreamHD also provides you with a Business Class Phone Upgrade. Enjoy XStreamHD Calling – FREE in-network calling between XStreamHD customers.

Plus, you can add multiple extensions to your existing phone lines and gain additional VoIP advanced phone features including interactive voice response (IVR) and access to voicemail through your computer or television.

XStreamHD Interoperability – Easy Installation, Easy Integration

XStreamHD is a simple-to-install solution and operates with many existing home electronic components. XStreamHD integrates with DLNA Certified™ devices that include advanced flat-screen televisions, Blu-ray players, computers and game consoles.

The system promises to deliver unmatched quality, convenience and value to everyone who chooses to improve their in-home entertainment standard of living!

Price & Availability

The introductory model will contain a modest 500GB drive in the Xstream Media Server and come with HD Media Receiver for a relatively steep $399. 1TB and 2TB models will cost more.

The XstreamHD will also have an undisclosed monthly service as Dave Zatz pointed out. This will be for service, guide data, and VoIP calling to fellow customers

XStreamHD will soon be taking pre-orders for an expected spring delivery. When the devices are available on eBay live auctions will appear below:

You May Also Be Interested In:

• DISH ViP 922 1TB DVR Review | Slingbox Technology & HD On-Demand Streaming Full Episodes with TV Everywhere
• More DVR Reviews on WebTVWire
• 1TB DVRs on eBay

A new promising placeshifting device with the potential to become the ultimate all-in-one home TV device is due for launch in March 2010.

The ‘Volcano’ from Monsoon Multimedia (the makers of the HAVA placeshifting line) is WebTVWire’s favorite device from the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. Quite simply this slimline set top box is packed with a variety of promising features.

It is essentially does all of the following:

• HD placeshifter – Allows you to view 720p high definition streams of your home Cable TV connection and home video library over the internet.
• DVR – Plug in your cable box or other TV source and you have the typical DVR functions of recording and playing TV.
• Internet TV – Right not its YouTube for online video and CinemaNow for paid movies. In the works are many other web TV services including Boxee and Netflix.
• Apps – The device should also allow you to play on Twitter and Facebook as well as do a lot of other stuff like play games and check the weather through third-party apps.
• Live Broadcast - It can even broadcast video from your home live across the internet.
• Home Network Media – Access and share video and media across your home network wired or wirelessly.

Soak up some pics and watch a video of it in action…

An Internet TV Set Top Box

In addition to placeshifting the device also tries to be an internet enabled set top box like the Roku. It can play a variety of content including videos from YouTube and on-demand movies from CinemaNow.

Simply putting YouTube on the TV screen will make a lot of people happy, and makes the PopBox, which lacks YouTube streaming, look a lot less appealing when this slim little box can access the biggest video site on Earth.

Digital Video Recorder

Monsoon describe the DVR feature as being akin to TiVo with a recommendation engine that records your favorite TV for you. The typical DVR features of pausing and rewinding live TV are also present.

It doesn’t come with an internal tuner so you will need to hook it up to your cable box or other TV source. Lacking a tuner will mean that you probably won’t be able to record and play different TV stations at the same time.

The DVR can also be accessed remotely so you can manage your recording schedule.

A Media Extender

It doesn’t end there however! The Volcano can also play videos off local storage media via USB, eSATA and UPnP. It even crosses into media extender territory with support for DLNA meaning it can access DLNA compatible devices on the home network.

It can also stream files over a home network over UPnP, and video streaming in this fashion is also planned.

To be clear you can both access media on other devices and play them, and other devices can access the Volcano and play the media stored on it.

App Crazy

Monsoon is very keen on getting as many apps for the Volcano as possible. Already guaranteed for launch are YouTube and CinemaNow, but also planned is Twitter, Netflix, Facebook, Last.fm, Boxee and many more.

App production is open to third party developers.

A TiVoToGO-esque Function

No it doesn’t stop there either! You can copy videos from an attached set-top-box (say your recorded programs on your DVR) and quickly export them to external media, or the integrated storage that is planned on later models. This is a bit like TiVoToGo.

A Placeshifter

Simply connect to your home theater using the software available ot PC, Max OS X, iPhone, Symbian, or Windows Mobile smartphone.

To stream content over the net it uses a 150kbps uplink speed, as well as H.264 video compression technology developed by Monsoon

A Live Broadcaster – aka SlingCatcher

Also planned for the Volcano is the ability to stream live (or recorded) video from your home across the internet. This is what the SlingCatcher does.

If the Volcano can pull all this off it will be a media extender, Slingbox, SlingCatcher, Internet TV set-top-box & TiVoToGo machine all in-one!

Monsoon looks set to take the place of Slingmedia as the innovative company coming out with ground-breaking disruptive technology. Slingmedia seems to have lost its disruptive passion when it was taken over by Echostar (aka DISH Network).

Volcano Features Overview

• All-in-One video convergence device combines major features of TiVo, Slingbox/HAVA, Roku and Remote DVR features for a fraction of the cost
• High-quality video playback
• Includes hardware remote control; smartphones and computers have on-screen remotes
• Free app with EPG supports Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile smartphones
• Streams high-quality video at H.264 and MPEG-4 standards at 150kbps
• Enables full remote control and channel changing capabilities of any TV source such as Cable, Satellite, DVD or TiVo
• Wireless N for video uplink and broadcast throughout the home
• Smooth video over 3G as well as Wi-Fi
• Browse EPG for schedules, series and episode descriptions
• Built in infrared to control set-top box remotely
• Multiple users can have recordings on the Volcano hard-drive and access them independently

GUI Let Down?

According to Dave Zatz the GUI is a little rough around the edges so usability could be an issue, although Monsoon did say the interface is stll being worked on and improved. The media interface is Cover Flow-esque (like how you browse albums on the iPod) which looks promising.

The box design however is certainly very sleek (pictures coming shortly), it is a thin black design with a healthy selection of inputs and outputs on the back.

How Much?

The Volcano is expected in March in a 4GB flash memory version for $199. A Pro edition will also be sold for $299 which features a more healthy 250GB drive. A lifetime or term-based subscription will also be needed, but details on this have not yet been released.

Buy Monsoon Volcano

As soon as the Monsoon Volcano is available to purchase it will be listed here:

Also See

• DISH Network DVR with Slingbox technology
• More Slingplayer & Placeshifting News
• Monsoon HAVA placeshifters on eBay

It features an overhauled interface, and new apps and content. And it’s pretty damn awesome, though not yet perfect.

Boxee Begins

Boxee seems to have been building up to its open beta status for years now. Probably because it has been doing exactly that. But the beta has now finally been unleashed, unveiled during the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show.

If you haven’t yet heard or used Boxee, it’s a free, open-source piece of software that acts as a central locale for a user’s multimedia content. Films, TV shows, and photos from the Web and your local drive are brought together in one easily manageable setting.

Boxee Beta Launches

The Boxee beta has been on its way for six months now, and been rolled out to private, invite-only testers since the beginning of December. But the beta has now switched to being open, with everyone invited to take part.

The beta is set to run for a year, with the Boxee team hopeful of hitting the 1.0 release at next year’s CES. So unless you want to wait for another year before trying out the software you may as well grab it now.

The Boxee beta is available for Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu, and requires a user sign-up/log-in.

[via XYHD]

Boxee Beta Details

The user interface has been given a complete overhaul, and is now both much sexier and easier to use. Content can be filtered in a number of different ways, while the social elements have been increased and improved.

New content partners include TV.com, which should see shows such as Family Guy, Heroes, NCIS, South Park, House, and How I Met Your Mother added to the service over the next few months. Blip.tv and IGN are also added to the mix.

Some existing channels now have their own apps, which makes viewing their content easier than ever.

Conclusions

Overall, the Boxee beta is a vast improvement. There are still some slight niggles, and more content (and more premium content) would also be appreciated. And there’s still no Hulu. But it’s definitely worth trying out the Boxee beta.

Boxee on Apple TV

It is possible to run Boxee on an Apple TV, and modified Apple TV’s are available to buy on eBay that come with Boxee pre-installed creating a powered-up Apple TV:

Also See

The PopBox Internet TV Box
More Media Center Software News
More Devices using Boxee on eBay

Netgear has announced ‘Stora’ at CES, an easy to use Network Attached Storage device packing a friendly 1TB drive.

Netgear describes it as the device for “first-time users who don’t want to learn server administration as a hobby,” and it is certainly simple to use.

It supports gigabit internet, has a USB 2.0 port, is DLNA certified so can stream media to compatible devices, and also has an in-built iTunes server.

The ease of use, decent size disk space, and ability to stream media also makes it double as a entry level media extender allowing you to watch video and listen to music on different devices on your home network.

Setting It Up

Simply connect the included Ethernet cable to the Stora box and your router, plug in the power, and turn it on. A lengthy install process on your computer is needed, but its simple enough.

The installed software allows you to transfer files and even play music and video directly within the app, although the only formats supported are MP3, MPEG-4, MOV, and FLV.

Remote Access

A premium Stora service is available for $20 a year which offers remote access features. These include managing your media files over the internet, downloading files remotely and playing media files using the embedded media files giving it a simple Slingplayer-esque functionality.

It retails at $230 device.

Netgear Stora Marketplace & Deals

On Amazon:
Available to buy from Amazon

On eBay:

[Via NewTeeVee]

Also See

• The DVR of the Future
• More on CES Products on WebTVWire
• NAS Devices on eBay

Toshiba has announced its new Cell TV which promises 2D to 3D conversion, HD upscaling and internet video. It’s certainly promising, but will it deliver?

The Cell TV does have some power inside it with the ‘Broadband Engine’, a new proprietary eight-core processor. That’s ten times the average power of a PC and 143 times more powerful than a run of the mill LCD TV.

2D to 3D Upscaling

These processors are used to convert all content up to 1080p 3D, so a regular 2D video in standard definition (and even 2D games) becomes a 3D experience. Sounds on paper like you’ll be getting the Avatar experience.

But don’t get those old Baywatch tapes out just yet! SD to HD up-scaling in past HDTVs has not been the true HD experience promised, so its highly unlikely the 2D to 3D up-scaling will be either. After all even movies shot in 3D don’t always look that good.

If good 2D to 3D up-scaling technology was emerging then I’d expect movies would already be getting a 3D re-release. If the movie industry can’t find the hardcore technology to do this, I’m skeptical it could be fitted into a living room TV.

Of course for anything already shot in 3D the Toshiba Cell TV would likely be a great way to watch it.

Internet Enabled Set Top Box

The TV comes alongside the Cell TV set-top-box which will allow the TV to connect to sources like Netflix and VUDU.

The sound and image distortion that is common in online video is fixed up by the Cell TV too, which suggest access to sites like YouTube through the TV/Set Top Box.

A 1 terabyte hard drive will also be in the Set Top Box so DVR functions are likely, and a Blu-ray player is thrown in too.

It also acts as a media extender by communicating with other devices on the home wi-fi network, presumably allowing you to play video content from other sources.

Auto Color Temperature Adjustment

The Cell TV claims to be the brightest TV in the market, which is always good if you happen to be sitting in bright sunlight, but probably not essential for the average viewer.

Like other high-end LCD TVs it will automatically adjust to the contrast, brightness and other levels in the room, but more unique is its ability to adjust to the room’s ‘color temperature’ by detecting the actual color of the room.

The Cell TV Low Down

It promises a lot which does sound fantastic, but I doubt it will live up to the expectations and will be more suitable to those of you wishing to try out the latest and greatest technology, even if it is still in its infancy and doesn’t work quite as it should.

It’s likely to hit shelves in the late quarter of 2010, but no pricing details are available. Once it is being sold eBay auctions will be here:

Also See

• The PopBox HD Internet TV Set Top Box
• More TV Gadgets on WebTVWire
• 3D HD Televisions on eBay

2010 will be the year that web TV set-top-boxes start to make it into the mainstream. The recently announced Popbox priced just shy of $130 has received a lot of promising buzz, but does it deliver?

The PopBox is replacing its predecessor, the Popcorn Hour box with newer features and a sleeker interface.

Content Partners

The PopBox has partnered with a number of companies to bring a variety of video. It’ not got everything, but it’s got decent selection to keep you busy.

• Netflix – rent and buy movies instantly.
• Crunchyroll (Asain entertainment site)
• BlipTV – video clips and independent episodes
• NextNewNetworks – independent web TV shows
• Revision3 – independent web TV shows with a tech focus
• Livestation – live TV from various worldwide sources
• Internet Video Archive – archive of public domain video and old movies.
• MalaysiaKini – Malaysian videos

App Innovation Myth?

Apps were certainly big in 2010 on cell phone devices, and Popbox is trying to cash in on the app craze for the set-top-box.

It boasts over 20 apps at launch, but from what I can see some of these are simply content partners like NetFlix and Blip.tv. So I think Popbox is using the definition of apps very loosely.

That said it does give access to:

• Twitter
• IMDB
• Clicker – An Internet TV guide
• FunSpot – Gaming
• SHOUTcast – Web radio
• Eyecon – Media extender to stream media to other devices in the home
• Mediafly – Manage vodcasts and podcasts
• MetaChannels – A video aggregation and distribution service that enables device manufacturers and application developers to integrate the best shows on the Web into their product offerings
• Photobucket – Photo and video sharing
• PicoChannel – Share photos and videos on friends TVs.
• Swarmcast – Broadcast internet video
• Twonky – Media extender to stream media to other devices in the home
• Waterfront Entertainment: – Gaming
• WeatherBug – Control the weather outside your house. No just kidding, just get a weather report.

Apps All That?

It’s a pretty similar idea to Yahoo’s widgets for the TV. There’s certainly a good amount of options in there, but many are probably more than what the average TV watcher needs.

Sure the average viewer might like to check out a bit of web radio, play some games and check on the weather, but they won’t get into the media extenders, video broadcasting or photo sharing.

I can see tweeting from the couch being popular but most hardcore tweeters would have an iPhone or smartphone in hand, which is probably easier to write on than a remote.

I’m guessing the average techie would probably prefer to switch on their Mac, PC or iPhone to share photos, upload video, broadcast live video, tweet and manage vodcasts and podcasts, at least that’s what I’d do.

So I think a few apps may be redundant for both techies and geeks here, but at least the option is there. The shoutcast app for internet radio is certainly a gem, but I’d like to see Last.fm and Spotify in there too, hopefully they are in the works.

The apps and content that I really want to see are lacking though…

No Facebook App – coming Soon?

So with all those apps that most people won’t use, where’s the app that almost everyone would use? Facebook!

Killing hours from the comfort of your front room to browse Facebook would certainly be a hugely popular feature of PopBox, but it is not there.

PopBox told me that a Facebook app is in the works though, which will certainly make this device a lot more appealing. It will likely be available at launch.

No YouTube, No Hulu, No iTunes

When Google realized it could cash in from set-top-boxes it changed the terms and conditions for its API; set-top-boxes could no get access to the YouTube API without prior permission. As a result the Popbox predecessor, like many other internet enabled set-top-boxes, lost access to YouTube.

YouTube is apparently absent from the PopBox so it misses out on the biggest central hub for video. I’m also surprised to see that PopBox hasn’t even gone with some of the secondary video sites like Metacafe, DailyMotion, CollegeHumor and Liveleak.

A whole world of video is completely missing, making the Boxee box and Monsoon Volcano which do have YouTube access look a lot more appealing.

PopBox confirmed to me they do not intend to add YouTube functionality in the future due to the high licensing costs demanded by Google.

Of course Hulu is also missing, but that’s pretty common in the set-top-box world. You can’t expect NewsCorp to be so open to providing content to a new source of viewers without a monthly charge, on top of the advertising.

iTunes has also failed to make the list so this probably is not the device for Apple fans. But anything non-Apple is going to have trouble playing iTunes DRM music as Apple doesn’t like to share.

Hands-On with the PopBox

Jim Louderback, the CEO of Revision3 takes a hands-on look of the PopBox:

Gui & Home Network Streaming

The device itself does earn some style points, a silent black box that’s so cool it doesn’t need a fan. The video processor can handle full HD decoding at 100 megabits per second and a HDMI connection is there as expected.

With USB and SD ports you can hook up external devices for additional media, and many formats are supported.

Media Extender Functionality

Like the Apple TV the device will also allow you to watch anything stored on your home network. Like the Apple TV it has a sweet interface, if not sweeter, and better than the Apple TV its supports a wide host of video formats.

A pleasant and useful feature is when it finds a video to play it can show the DVD cover and information from the Internet Movie Database.

A downside is the interface does have some display ads which is probably why this box comes pretty cheap.

Full Spec List:

Video outputs
HDMI (1080p/720p/480p), Component video (Y/Pb/Pr)

Audio outputs
Stereo analog audio, S/PDIF optical

Video file containers
PEG1/2/4 elementary (M1V, M2V, M4V), MPEG1/2 PS (M2P, MPG, DAT, VOB), MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MTS), AVI, ASF, WMV,
Matroska (MKV), MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4

Video codecs
XVID SD/HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4.2 ASP@L5, 720p, 1-point GMC, MPEG-4.10 (H.264), BP@L3, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], WMV9, MP@HL, SMPTE 421M (VC-1), MP@HL, AP@L3

Audio file containers
AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA), WAV, WMA, FLAC, OGG

Audio codecs
Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA, WMA Pro, MPEG-1 Layer 1, 2, 3, MPEG-4 AAC-LC,
MPEG-4 HE-AAC, MPEG-4 BSAC, LPCM, FLAC, OGG Vorbis

Photo formats
JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF

PopBox RoundUp

If you look at this device simply as a media extender to get videos from your PC onto your living room TV, then it’s a good choice given the extra apps and variety of content partners to bring you some online TV content.

However, if you are looking for a full on internet TV set-top-box that gives you access to the most web TV content you can find then then PopBox is falling short until it can bring on some more content partners.

The Popbox will be available in March in the US only, for a recommended price of $129. Given the overall functionality for the price the PopBox is definitely a good deal. eBay deals will appear below once it becomes available:

• Available to buy on Amazon

You May Also be Interested in…

• DivX Launches DivX TV | Streaming Internet TV Platform Replacing Set-Top Box Strategy
• More Devices for Watching Web TV on a Home TV Set
• YouTube enabled Set Top Boxes on eBay

Evolving DivX

DivX has been a name synonymous with online video for a long time thanks to the codec and player which have been around for years.

However, in more recent years, DivX has tried to break out of these self-imposed walls by trying to enter the hardware market.

But having pretty much failed with its own set-top boxes, DivX is now entering the crowded Internet TV platform market. Which is a risky move.

DivX TV Devices

At the Consumer Electronics Show today, DivX unveiled its DivX TV, an Internet TV platform designed to stream a range of Web content to as many devices as will carry the service.

DivX plans to make its DivX TV service available on as many devices as possible, including TVs, Blu-ray players, and games consoles. LG Electronics is the first hardware manufacturer to sign up to carry DivX TV.

DivX Content

DivX is claiming to already have 70 content channels lined up, with partners including:

* Associated Press
* blip.tv
* Break
* CNET
* Roxio CinemaNow
* Dailymotion
* Diggnation
* Pandora
* Picasa
* Revision 3
* Rhapsody
* TED
* Tekzilla
* The Street.com
* Twitter
* VBS.TV

Conclusions

While some of these content partners are fine and good, they’re not exactly A-list when it comes to video content providers. There’s no Netflix, there’s no Hulu, there’s no premium content which would make this announcement something special.

That’s not to say this content isn’t highly watchable, it’s just that most of it is available online for free already. Whether watching it on television rather than a PC is enough of a draw remains to be seen.