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Nintendo of America Inc. and Netflix, Inc. today announced an agreement that will allow Netflix members who are also owners of Nintendo’s Wii™ home console to instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs. Netflix is scheduled to go live on the Wii console this spring in the United States at no additional cost to Netflix members who have a plan starting at $8.99 a month, a Wii console and a broadband Internet connection.
The partnership between the two companies will extend the reach of content streamed from Netflix farther than ever before, thanks to the mainstream popularity of the Wii console. Wii remains the fastest-selling home console in history, and reaches more consumers than any other device that currently supports streaming movies from Netflix. In December 2009, Nintendo sold well in excess of 3 million Wii consoles in the United States. Wii is the top-selling home video game system of this generation, and as such brings the Netflix experience to a broad and diverse mass market.
"Our research shows that 86 percent of all U.S. Wii consoles are located in the living room," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "The Wii console is the social hub around which friends and family members gather to play games and have fun. Soon both new and longtime Wii owners will enjoy the benefits of Netflix – and a variety of informational and entertainment options – by being Netflix members and connecting their consoles to the Internet."
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Freecom, an award-winning manufacturer of external hard drives and portable storage devices, today launched the ‘Network Media Center’, a simple to use, dedicated 3.5” network storage drive that reliably stores up to 2TB of data from an entire network in one central location. The Network Media Center makes it easy for multiple users on the same network to download and stream movies and TV programmes as well as store and access photos, music and other multimedia content from any PC that is connected to the network in their home.
Complete with a built-in BitTorrent client, the Network Media Center enables users to download and share large multimedia files across a network quickly and easily. Users can organise their data and control access to specific files by assigning individual usernames and passwords – ensuring that their individual content remains secure and segregated at all times.
The Network Media Center puts users within easy reach of their files wherever they are with a secure remote access option. The ability to access multimedia content while on the move makes sharing information with family and friends easier than ever before – the Network Media Center puts up to 2,000 movies stored in the DivX or AVI format, 400,000 MP3s, 1,336,000 digital photos or 440 full DVD movies at users’ fingertips anywhere, anytime.
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Delivering on its commitment to give consumers endless entertainment options in a stylish package, LG Electronics today introduced its 2010 family of Network Blu-ray Disc Players and Home Theater Systems that bring a new level of convenience to playing pre-recorded and online high-definition content.
Leading the line-up being unveiled this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show is the first Blu-ray Disc player to feature an integrated 250-gigabyte (GB) hard drive, allowing for easy storage and instant playback of music, photos, personal videos and online movies from VUDU(TM).
Designed to balance the look of today's HDTVs, LG's Network Blu-ray players and home theater systems feature slim, compact designs that allow consumers to easily blend their entire entertainment system into any existing room environment.
Incorporating LG's NetCast Entertainment Access, the entire line of Blu-ray Disc players and home theater systems offer consumers convenient access to a virtually endless array of entertainment content options with the largest variety of content options for consumers. NetCast Entertainment Access allows instant access to Netflix(TM), CinemaNow(TM), VUDU, YouTube(TM) and Pandora(R). New content partners for 2010 include the Picasa photo service and forecasts from AccuWeather.
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Giving consumers the best picture and ultimate convenience, P&F launched three new Philips Blu-ray players with Netflix™ streaming today at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). These sleek new players bring movies to life with the latest Hollywood blockbusters on Blu-ray disc and now Netflix members on an unlimited plan will be able to instantly watch more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes. With nearly 3,000 titles available on Blu-ray and with the added Netflix streaming, the Philips Blu-ray line is the perfect addition to any home entertainment center.
"With the multitude of movie titles available and the simplicity of getting the latest hit with the touch of a button, Blu-ray Disc is the consumer's choice for high-definition entertainment" said Todd Richardson, senior vice president of sales and marketing for P&F, the exclusive manufacturer and distributor for Philips televisions and home theater in the U.S. "Our new Blu-ray players enabled with Netflix offers consumers the best possible Full HD picture quality, access to bonus features and now the ability to watch a Netflix selection or listen to Internet radio instantly."
These new players process full 1080p at 24fps for cinema-like images. To ensure the best picture possible, Deep Color technology delivers vivid images in more than a billion colors and eliminates on-screen color banding. BonusView™ allows consumers to access a wealth of additional features, enhancing the entertainment value beyond the film. Helping make the transition to Blu-ray seamless, Philips upscales consumers' existing DVD libraries to 1080p to make the picture look even better. All three models offer DivX and AVCHD playback ensuring users can watch a wealth of videos without limiting their format options.
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Haier is expanding its line of home DVD products with the introduction of two new Blu-ray players that will enhance the movie watching experience. With full HD 1080p and streaming Internet video, the players support the high-definition content of Blu-ray discs and instantly stream thousands of movies and TV programs from Netflix or music from Pandora. BD Live 2.0 capable for access to added features on Blu-ray discs and compatible with video formats including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), AVCHD, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), and JPEG on BD/DVD/CD recordable media.
“Providing the content that consumers want is the key to customer satisfaction,” said Stewart Katz, Vice President of Portable Media Electronics for Haier America. “Haier America has entered into a number of strategic content partnerships for Blu-ray players and will continue to pursue ways to give consumers the best entertainment experience possible.”
Both units upconvert standard-definition signals of DVD’s to near HD quality and can decode the newest advanced audio codecs including Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus, and Dolby® Digital.
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Sony today introduced its new Blu-ray Disc™ line featuring Blu-ray 3D™ playback, Wi-Fi® Internet connectivity, and instant streaming of online video content from the BRAVIA® Internet Video platform. The new Sony Blu-ray Disc devices are another example of how Sony is providing consumers with networked products that enhance the home entertainment experience.
The full HD 1080p line featuring Sony’s new Monolithic Design Concept includes three stand alone models (BDP-S770, BDP-S570 and BDP-S370) and three integrated home theater systems (BDV-HZ970W, BDV-E770W, and BDV-E570), as well as a 5.1 channel matching home audio system (HT-SS370).
When connected to a broadband Internet network, the models instantly stream movies, videos, music and more from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube™, Slacker® Internet Radio, Pandora®, NPR, Sony Pictures, Sony Music, and over 25 total providers through the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video platform.
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Panasonic, a major developer and contributor to the success of the Blu-ray format, introduced the industry's only second generation portable Blu-ray Disc players at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. Continuing Panasonic's tradition of presenting innovative entertainment products, the DMP-B500 and DMP-B100 are designed to provide the ultimate high definition experience for those traveling, as well as serving as an additional stand alone Blu-ray Disc player for use with multiple TVs, either in the home, a second vacation home or a hotel room.
Both the DMP-B500 and DMP-B100 feature much of the same state-of-the-art technology found in Panasonic's stand alone Blu-ray Disc players, including the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology, a proprietary technology developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, which assures the highest level picture quality. The PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus is a high quality image-processing technology that precisely processes each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the vertical direction. It reproduces color data with twice the accuracy of conventional systems, resulting in faithful and sharp colors.
The B500 features an increased High Resolution WSVGA screen size to 10.1-inches, an expanded VIERA CAST internet functionality with Wi-Fi wireless LAN connection, an SD Memory card Slot that can playback digital still JPEG images and High Definition video (AVCHD), a USB port, Dolby® Digital and DTS™ HD and VIERA Link™, a technology that utilizes HDMI to enable control all VIERA Link combatable products with one remote. The B100 features an 8.9-inch High Resolution WSVGA screen, an SD Memory Card Slot for playback of JPEG images, an adjustable position screen, Dolby Digital and DTS HD. Both portable Blu-ray Disc players will be available in the Spring.
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DivX, Inc., a leading digital media company, today announced the launch of DivX TV™, a comprehensive embedded Internet TV platform that provides access to a diverse line-up of online media content streamed directly to any connected device from any manufacturer.
Eliminating the need for a PC or a separate, dedicated box under the television, DivX TV represents a true step forward in connected entertainment. With an elegant, user-friendly interface, unparalleled speed and performance and a broad content line-up, the DivX TV platform is easy to implement and can be supported on virtually any kind of Internet-connected consumer electronics device, including digital televisions, blu-ray players, gaming consoles, pay-tv operators set-top devices, multimedia storage devices, and even mobile phones. The DivX TV platform will also enable consumers to stream their own personal digital media content over a home network, and offers full playback of a variety of video formats, including all DivX® videos.
"DivX TV revolutionizes the television experience by giving consumers quick and easy access to a virtually limitless universe of online content, and it's as simple to operate as changing channels with a remote control," said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. "Our partners will also be pleased to know that DivX TV is designed specifically to work with today's mass market consumer electronics. It's easy to implement and support and new content sources can be added with very little effort. DivX TV - bringing the future of entertainment to a living room near you!"
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NETGEAR®, Inc., a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today announced the worldwide launch of the Digital Entertainer Express (EVA9100), a powerful and flexible digital media player that enables consumers to easily enjoy and seamlessly stream personal digital media collections and Internet content over home networks to high-definition televisions. Providing all of the playback performance and video reliability of the Digital Entertainer Elite (EVA9150), the Digital Entertainer Express is an ideal solution for the serious media enthusiast. It incorporates the latest video and audio technologies to deliver an unparalleled home theater entertainment experience.
The Digital Entertainer Express adds to the NETGEAR family of Internet-connected set-top boxes, which also includes the Digital Entertainer Elite (EVA9150) and Digital Entertainer Live (EVA2000). NETGEAR will highlight its family of Digital Entertainers along with its home media storage server, Stora, at two press events today in conjunction with the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
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Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today unveiled its 2010 lineup of Blu-ray players, reaching new frontiers in delivering quality HD home entertainment. Standing out among the four-player lineup is the winner of the 2010 CES Best of Innovations Award, the BD-C6900, featuring built-in 3D playback and supporting the new 3D Blu-ray standard. For those looking for the best in design and performance, the BD-C7500 offers the slimmest Blu-ray player to date, with a nature-inspired, contemporary form factor. The BD-C6500 combines performance and speed, and the entry-level BD-C5500 delivers an eco design. All players in the 2010 lineup support Internet@TV for the first time, providing access to a wide range of online content.
“Our new Blu-ray players really represent the spirit of Samsung – innovation that brings together the best entertainment experience and the most elegant and eco-friendly design, providing our widest range of options ever,” said Sung-Ho Jun, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Division at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited to show the world another premium Blu-ray player lineup that can be described with adjectives like fast, slimmest, and energy-efficient – we’re offering something for everyone – especially those that want a player to compliment our new HDTVs.”
