New HP receiver sends PC-based media wirelessly to HDTVs
Hewlett-Packard's MediaSmart Connect digital receiver -- which enables people who store content on a home network or notebook PC to transfer it via wired or wireless connection to their HDTVs -- is now available for pre-order.
Originally introduced during the CES last January, the MediaSmart Connect receiver uses Windows Media Center to connect HDTV viewers not only to locally stored programming but also online content. This includes renting or purchasing movies using CinemaNow, sharing photos on Snapfish, and listening to online radio through Live365, according to HP.
What HP is calling a "receiver" is what Microsoft typically calls an "extender," with respect to Windows Media Center-endowed equipment. In any event, MediaSmart Connect receiver users will be able to access content on-demand through MSN, including shows from A&E, DIY, Food Network, Fox Sports, History Channel, and MSNBC. And owners who have a TV tuner card installed in their PC will be able to record content from their HDTV unit.
The receiver device supports MPEG2/4, DivX, XViD, DVR-MS, WMV, MP3, WMA, AAC, JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, and TIFF formats. Available for pre-order now through HP's Web site and popular e-retailers, the device will be released next month for $349 MSRP.
Microsoft is hosting a one-hour online seminar on Thursday, June 26, to be led by HP's director of connected entertainment Brian Burch, which will demonstrate the MediaSmart Connect device in depth. There, Microsoft says Burch will demonstrate how multiple hard drives in a home network can be perceived as a single provider of media for the connected HDTV.
HP also offers a MediaSmart-branded Server that enables users to stream media data to networked PCs as well as home entertainment PCs, using Windows Home Server. But despite the branding similarities, customers will not be required to use the MediaSmart Server with the MediaSmart Connect receiver. HP designed the MediaSmart Server as a server designed to centralize media so it can be shared on each computer installed with the Control Center. The lowest priced HP MediaSmart Server is available for $599.99.