LAS VEGAS -- In the effort to converge home entertainment devices, Video Without Boundaries (VWB) announced its MediaReady 5000 this week. It is an Internet-capable set-top box that also functions as a personal video recorder, networked storage device, and a DVD player and recorder.
It will be displayed at the International Consumer Electronics Show starting Thursday in Las Vegas.
The set-top box incorporates a TV and cable tuner, allowing it to record live television either on its 120GB hard drive or directly to the DVD+RW drive, according to the company. An electronic program guide helps a user select what program to view or record.
VWB's Media Jukebox software can play and manage music, video, or picture files stored locally, from PCs connected to a network, or from attached peripherals like an MP3 player, digital camera, or portable hard drive. The box supports CD, WAV, and MP3 audio formats, and MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and DVD video formats. Files pulled off a network can be stored locally or be burnt to a CD or DVD.
Using the television as a monitor, the box allows a user to surf the Web, send e-mail messages, and view streaming video or hear audio off the Internet.
However, the set-top box cannot tune in high-definition TV channels, according to Katie Eakins, a spokesperson for the company.
System Specs
Based on VWB's Linux-based MediaReady operating system, the box is powered by a Via Technologies 1-GHz C3 processor and a Via chip set with a built-in MPEG-2 decoder. It has 128MB of DDR RAM (Double Data Rate RAM), IEEE 1394, and USB 2.0 inputs and S-Video, VGA, and RCA TV-Out video outputs.
The box can connect to a network or broadband Internet through a 10/100 megabits per second Ethernet port or a PCMCIA slot, in which a wireless card can be inserted.
Software upgrades for the box can be downloaded off the Internet, according to the company.
The $899 device comes with a wireless keyboard and remote control, both of which have trackball mice. It is available immediately, according to the company.
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