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January 7, 2007

video

CES ‘07: Netgear’s Digital Entertainer HD goes head-to-head with the iTV

Posted Jan. 7, ’07, 10:06 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Video

digitalentertainer3.jpgPerhaps attempting to steal thunder from part of Steve Jobs’s Tuesday keynote, Netgear today announced a device that looks rather like a shot across the iTV’s bow. The Digital Entertainer HD streams content wirelessly from any PC, Mac, or network storage device in your house, and even allows you to attach an iPod, or other storage device via a USB connection. And, as you might guess by the moniker, HD is a big part of its game.

The device can be hooked up to your HD TV, where it’ll display its own onscreen interface for viewing photos and video, listening to music, and even streaming content from the net (YouTube functionality was demonstrated, but Netgear has also struck a deal with BitTorrent’s legit side to allow the downloading of movies and TV shows).

Here’s the kicker, though. The Digital Entertainer HD lets you stream music you’ve bought from the iTunes Store over its connection, but only from a PC. When pressed on this point, Netgear reps were went into evasive maneuvers so fast, you’d have thought they were being tracked by heat-seeking missiles. They wouldn’t speak as to how they stream the content, though they stressed that it would only work if the PC was authorized to play that song. My guess, Apple is not going to be thrilled about this.

Netgear reps also refused to comment on how their device compares to the iTV, which is reasonable as it hasn’t been announced. But come Tuesday morning, you can bet the comparisons will be drawn. Given that Macs still seem to be second-class citizens in this device, and as the UI could probably best be described as “uninspired,” I don’t expect to see Mac users flocking in droves. The Digital Entertainer HD hits in Q1 for $349; that’s a price point for Apple to beat, in my opinion.


4 Comments

Jeremy Toeman said:

When pressed on this point, Netgear reps were went into evasive maneuvers so fast, you’d have thought they were being tracked by heat-seeking missiles

I was there, I don't really agree. The reporter was badgering them on a question they had already said they weren't going to answer.

January 7, 2007 10:59 AM
Dan Moren said:

I guess I saw it less as badgering and more as clarifying a rather curious issue. If they're doing this on Windows PCs, but not on Macs, then there's no way they have Apple's approval—and, depending on how they're circumventing the DRM, it's possible that they'd be vulnerable under the DMCA. So, while it's understandable they might not want to talk about it, it still raises the question, for me, of why they'd invite this kind of trouble.

January 7, 2007 11:16 AM
Dan--the man said:

Perhaps you have to use one of your 5 Authorizations on this thing to get it to stream iTunes purchases. But then, why wouldn't Macs be able to do it too?

If it requires Apple's permission, don't expect them to get it. Expect a lawsuit, and a lot more "iTV's" in a lot more living rooms. It's going to be a masacre if the "iTV" is the only one that can stream iTunes purchases.

Apple can really hit this out of the park:

1) Cheaper
2) Smaller
3) Could have more functionality (especially if it's the only iTS streamer [legally])
4) Looks nicer
5) Probably better ease-of-use

January 7, 2007 10:41 PM
Nick said:

Still too vague to see if it really works seamlessly with Apple.

And, iTV should still be sleeker ;)

January 8, 2007 12:55 PM

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