Netgear Unveils Home Media Player - Windows Media Not Supported

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.betanews.com/article/Netgear_Unveils_Home_Media_Player/1103747329' target='_blank'>http://www.betanews.com/article/Netgear_Unveils_Home_Media_Player/1103747329</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Computer network hardware manufacturer Netgear has joined the race to dominate the living room, unveiling a new product that will let users access pictures, music and video from anywhere in their wireless home network. Released Wednesday, the Netgear Wireless Digital Media Player does not require a computer for playback. Instead, users can listen and view multimedia through their television set and home entertainment system. The unit comes with built-in software and a remote control that allows for use anywhere where there is a television, as long as it is within range of the wireless network."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/mp115.jpg" /><br /><br />OK, I'm all for more of these wireless media players, but why on earth would you release one that didn't support WMV? If the point is to free me from using my PC, wouldn't one think that they would want to support a format that is practically the default on Windows PCs? Vivek Pathela, Netgear Director of Product Management said, "Now, even average users can experience their entire collection of digital content in full glory without being tied to a PC". Sure every "average" user has all their videos in MPEG. <br /><br />Well I guess either these companies are going to have to stop using Linux as the basis for these players, or convince Microsoft to release WMP for Linux. Wonder which one is more likely to happen first. :roll:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Eh, plays only MPEG. No divx even?

[James Fee]

Just MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.

I also just found a picture of it so check the first post.

[jeffd]

Wow.. what a blatent attempt to rip off their user base. I mean this is just plain robbery.

[mcsouth]

Apple iTunes does AAC music format, right? Does this mean all the iPod owners out there are out of luck as well? I guess we can forget about all the rebels that do OOG also...


Nice concept, but poor execution IMHO.... :(

[Felix Torres]

Well I guess either these companies are going to have to stop using Linux as the basis for these players, or convince Microsoft to release WMP for Linux. Wonder which one is more likely to happen first. :roll:

There is a third option; after enough of these boxes "audrey" on them, networking companies will realize that just because they have the networking expertise to build a box that will stream "something" they don't necessarily have the expertise to build something that will *sell*.

Give it six months and most of these boxes will be available at 95% off or headed for a landfill somewhere.

[RenesisX]

Well I guess either these companies are going to have to stop using Linux as the basis for these players, or convince Microsoft to release WMP for Linux. Wonder which one is more likely to happen first. :roll:

Er?

Microsoft has allowed companies to port Windows Media to any device for a long time now - you just pay a per-device fee I believe, which is only reasonable.

There have been ports of Windows Media to Linux for at least 4 years that I know of. (The most high-profile recent license was to Linspire)

I don't know why Netgear didn't include this feature - they are going to find it hard to compete with so many Windows Media Center Xtenders/Connectors out there which are running Windows CE and have native WMA/WMV support.

[jeffd]

renis, liscensing fees to decode has NEVER made anyone popular. And actually kills formats like mp3 pro and Apples encrypted AAC format (it only seems popular because of the legions of idiots who dump their money on a medicore product and songs for it). MP3 has fees for hardware decoders, and sure they make a nice mint, but hardware players would be no where today without the hordes of free software mp3 players that made mp3 as popular as it is.