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VWB Debuts All-in-One Set-Top Box
Internet-capable device also serves as a personal video recorder and a
DVD player and recorder.

Agam Shah, IDG News Service
Wednesday, January 05, 2005

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.

http://www.pcworld.com/news/articl [...] 05X,00.asp

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