Netgear is in talks with several Australian content providers in an effort to secure content for the two new HD Media players that will be launched in Australia shortly.
The new NeoTV 350 HD and the NeoTV 550 incorporates aTV operating system from Zixi and the 550 allows users to access IPTV content as well as stream HD content.
Both are designed to play back digital content stored on USB external hard drives, network storage devices, or the Internet.
According to Netgear, the new players support both DLNA and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) streaming standards, video resolution up to 1080p with Dolby Digital, and DTS surround sound.
Brad Little, Director of Consumer Channels at Netgear, said: “We are currently talking to several content providers in Australia and we would love to be involved with Telstra who are a key broadband partner. With the two boxes we can easily stream the likes of Big Pond Movies and other content,” he said.
The NeoTV 550 also gives support for eSATA external storage devices and for portable Blu-ray disk readers. It also has an SDslot.
Set to ship in October, the NeoTV 550 will cost around $299 and will be a superior offering to the Seegate GoFlex TV if local content relationships are introduced.
The NeoTV 550 acts as a sort of home networking gateway that bridges consumers’ TVs with content stored on other devices throughout the home through a Wi-Fi connection, allowing users to play movies and display other content on TVs.
