I am with you. I have tried to find alternatives to my HTPC that use less power, like these media streaming boxes, and none of them are as flexible as a Windows 7 HTPC. The fact that I only need one box to handle all of my media needs is just great.
Thanks for the update. Am I the only one who is getting tired of these companies advertising features that either do not work or are not available at release???
As far as the Netflix certification process with the PCH, I wouldn't be surprised if Syabas simply decided it wasn't worth pursuing since non-US makes up a large part of their customer base. Had the Popbox been a viable product at launch maybe that would have motivated them to move forward with certification
Is PCH trying to get Netflix certification for their players? That is news to me.
If they are trying for their 8654 based player (do they have any?) then it is possible since that platform is certified by Netflix. If it is for their C200 (8642 based), I hope customers aren't holding their breath.
I hope that at least some media streamer manufacturers endeavour to market a box with equal and good emphasis on both local and OTT media playback.
Thanks for the update. Can you also clarify the situation on BDA certification and support for external blu-ray drives? This was promised in some early reviews but now seems to have been dropped from the specifications.
So on the whole the Dune players are more polished devices? I've heard that they do have some problems of their own though - the big one for me is that apparently they can't even play back CD audio (let alone FLAC or MP3) gaplessly.
Having experienced Netgear's lacklustre support for the EVA8000 media player, I've got to say I'm not that suprrised to find the same kind of thing here. While the EVA8000 kind of mostly worked, it was never great.
Worse, was Netgear's rather dismal view on telling the truth in the forums (to be fair, they had a couple of really helpful guys... but they were obviously required to toe the corporate line wrt to disclosure of what was really going on).
What I learnt was a) Netgear releases products before the firmware is fully cooked b) They aren't that interested in cooking the firmware properly. c) read the forums thoroughly before purchasing (keeping in mind forums are by their nature heavily waited towards those people having problems).
In general, I don't think media appliances are quite done yet, there's a few more years of evolution to go yet before they're ready for everyone.
I didn't spend too much time checking up on the EVA lineup. Now that I see more talk about those products, I think what you are writing seems well substantiated and the NTV 550 also seems to be going the same route.
That said, I am hoping that the sort of coverage we do for media streamers on AnandTech will somehow make the NTV 550 a better player (Or, I can just keep on dreaming :D)
Sigma doesn't have enough resources to continue updating the SDK of the 8642/8643 for the new Netflix UI, so it is highly improbable that they want to work on Cinavia support for this SoC. Considering that Netflix certification should get them more design wins.... Also, they have to make sure the 8646 and 8190 go out to customers with proper SDKs.. I think Cinavia will probably be a real threat only to streamers based on those SoCs...
I want to work for a media player outfit just to see first-hand why it is so hard to bring such a unit to market. If this was actually something new, I wouldn't think twice, but media players are practically commodities these days. It reminds me of the early days of MP3 players, minus a killer device on the market (i.e. iPod).
I think thats the first time I've ever seen that acronym. I'm guessing that it means On The TV?
Also, are you planning on doing updates to any of the other media players that were released a while ago but had issue? I'd be happy with just a basic round up where you recapped what did and didn't work in the past, then tested to see if they fixed or added anything new. (I would be very surprised if they removed or broke a previous feature since Sony doesn't make any of these. I'd especially like to see the popbox and/or their A200/C200 models. I know that they were missing a few key features at launch and weren't entirely stable, but I haven't seen any updated reviews newer than a month or two after their respective launches.
OTT refers to Over-the-top, which is basically any method of delivering content other than the standard means (cable TV or satellite or over the air). In this context, it refers to services such as Netflix, Vudu etc.
PS: I will present a review of the Boxee Box as soon as 1.1.1 firmware is released to the public. The second part of the AC Ryan POHD2 review is coming soon (next in line in the media streamers section).
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oops, i meant to ask Do 'they' have a firumware update and a stable one at that... And also is NTV550 only one around with complete Menu feature for blueway ISO as well as one with good pass thru for Dolby HD and DTS HD.. I check WD TV live hub and they dont have the licensing for pass-thru...
Looking forward to read a complete review on NTV 550...
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mfenn - Saturday, May 7, 2011 - link
should be this morningMeSh1 - Saturday, May 7, 2011 - link
I'd go for AMD fusion htpcburntham77 - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
I am with you. I have tried to find alternatives to my HTPC that use less power, like these media streaming boxes, and none of them are as flexible as a Windows 7 HTPC. The fact that I only need one box to handle all of my media needs is just great.Blaze-Senpai - Sunday, May 8, 2011 - link
There goes the DRM making things more difficult than it has to be....dbone1026 - Sunday, May 8, 2011 - link
Ganesh,Thanks for the update. Am I the only one who is getting tired of these companies advertising features that either do not work or are not available at release???
As far as the Netflix certification process with the PCH, I wouldn't be surprised if Syabas simply decided it wasn't worth pursuing since non-US makes up a large part of their customer base. Had the Popbox been a viable product at launch maybe that would have motivated them to move forward with certification
Cheers
Damian
ganeshts - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
Damian,Is PCH trying to get Netflix certification for their players? That is news to me.
If they are trying for their 8654 based player (do they have any?) then it is possible since that platform is certified by Netflix. If it is for their C200 (8642 based), I hope customers aren't holding their breath.
I hope that at least some media streamer manufacturers endeavour to market a box with equal and good emphasis on both local and OTT media playback.
shawkie - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
Thanks for the update. Can you also clarify the situation on BDA certification and support for external blu-ray drives? This was promised in some early reviews but now seems to have been dropped from the specifications.So on the whole the Dune players are more polished devices? I've heard that they do have some problems of their own though - the big one for me is that apparently they can't even play back CD audio (let alone FLAC or MP3) gaplessly.
stevekgoodwin - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
Having experienced Netgear's lacklustre support for the EVA8000 media player, I've got to say I'm not that suprrised to find the same kind of thing here. While the EVA8000 kind of mostly worked, it was never great.Worse, was Netgear's rather dismal view on telling the truth in the forums (to be fair, they had a couple of really helpful guys... but they were obviously required to toe the corporate line wrt to disclosure of what was really going on).
What I learnt was
a) Netgear releases products before the firmware is fully cooked
b) They aren't that interested in cooking the firmware properly.
c) read the forums thoroughly before purchasing (keeping in mind forums are by their nature heavily waited towards those people having problems).
In general, I don't think media appliances are quite done yet, there's a few more years of evolution to go yet before they're ready for everyone.
ganeshts - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
I didn't spend too much time checking up on the EVA lineup. Now that I see more talk about those products, I think what you are writing seems well substantiated and the NTV 550 also seems to be going the same route.That said, I am hoping that the sort of coverage we do for media streamers on AnandTech will somehow make the NTV 550 a better player (Or, I can just keep on dreaming :D)
micksh - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
Maybe they are busy implementing Cinavia and can't dedicate enough resources for Netflix?ganeshts - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
I think that is very unlikely.Sigma doesn't have enough resources to continue updating the SDK of the 8642/8643 for the new Netflix UI, so it is highly improbable that they want to work on Cinavia support for this SoC. Considering that Netflix certification should get them more design wins.... Also, they have to make sure the 8646 and 8190 go out to customers with proper SDKs.. I think Cinavia will probably be a real threat only to streamers based on those SoCs...
IKeelU - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
I want to work for a media player outfit just to see first-hand why it is so hard to bring such a unit to market. If this was actually something new, I wouldn't think twice, but media players are practically commodities these days. It reminds me of the early days of MP3 players, minus a killer device on the market (i.e. iPod).QChronoD - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
I think thats the first time I've ever seen that acronym. I'm guessing that it means On The TV?Also, are you planning on doing updates to any of the other media players that were released a while ago but had issue? I'd be happy with just a basic round up where you recapped what did and didn't work in the past, then tested to see if they fixed or added anything new. (I would be very surprised if they removed or broke a previous feature since Sony doesn't make any of these.
I'd especially like to see the popbox and/or their A200/C200 models. I know that they were missing a few key features at launch and weren't entirely stable, but I haven't seen any updated reviews newer than a month or two after their respective launches.
ganeshts - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
OTT refers to Over-the-top, which is basically any method of delivering content other than the standard means (cable TV or satellite or over the air). In this context, it refers to services such as Netflix, Vudu etc.ganeshts - Monday, May 9, 2011 - link
PS: I will present a review of the Boxee Box as soon as 1.1.1 firmware is released to the public. The second part of the AC Ryan POHD2 review is coming soon (next in line in the media streamers section).flyvog6 - Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - link
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Our Website: ===== www voguecatch com ====
Our main product list is as follows:
flyvog6 - Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - link
sells clothing,footwear,handbags,SunglassesOnline Store,Get Name Brand Fashion From 12USD Now!
Our Website: ===== www voguecatch com ====
Our main product list is as follows:
aa0101bb - Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - link
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Our Website: ===== the web w w w voguecatch com ====
Our main product list is as follows:
Dakiya - Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - link
i am looknig forward to buying NTV 550.. Do you have frimware update which was supposed to be release in June.Have you reviewd it..
Cheers, Dakiya
Dakiya - Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - link
oops, i meant to ask Do 'they' have a firumware update and a stable one at that...And also is NTV550 only one around with complete Menu feature for blueway ISO as well as one with good pass thru for Dolby HD and DTS HD.. I check WD TV live hub and they dont have the licensing for pass-thru...
Looking forward to read a complete review on NTV 550...
JCott - Monday, July 27, 2015 - link
Got another suggestion for NetGear: a support software for customer feedback called <a href="http://helprace.com">Helprace</a>JCott - Monday, July 27, 2015 - link
Got another suggestion for NetGear: a support software for customer feedback called http://helprace.com