Not much news here other than the storage capacity updates and pricing of Apple’s Time Capsule. As of today, you can pick up a 2TB Time Capsule for $499 or 1TB for $299. Not bad, but those prices are roughly about $100 more than the Time Machine compatible WD My Book World Edition 2TB NAS. However, it’s worth pointing out that Time Capsule does include a 802.11n Wi-Fi router with some snazzy guest networking features. So, it all comes down to your needs.

Well, well, well…. Those who counted VUDU out may be surprised by today’s announcement. VUDU has teamed up with LG to bring their 1080p HD and HDX, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound movies to LG’s “NetCast Entertainment Access” enabled LH50 and PS80 HDTVs starting this August. VUDU states that LG HDTV owners will be able to tap into their 2,000+ HD movie catalog with “no monthly fees and without having to buy, install, or connect any additional hardware.” In other words, true instant streaming — and without an additional set-top box or external storage device. What’s more, users will also be able to watch new releases through the VUDU service typically around the same time they’re available on DVD (a big advantage over its most popular competitor Netflix). MORE »

ASUS has a new product in the pipeline that is set to compete with all the current crop of HD media players and digital media adapters. The ASUS O!Play HDP-R1 [promo] is a compact device that connects directly to your HDTV and is able to playback audio, 1080p video, photo content directly from an external USB drive or eSATA drive — much like the HD media players we’ve been seeing as of late. However, the HDP-R1 has another trick up its sleeve, it can also stream media content from a networked PC or NAS server via Ethernet. No word on pricing or availability for the U.S. at this time, but Engadget Spanish states that it’s currently on sale in Taiwan for around €119, or about $169. MORE »

I’ve been bearish on portable media players (PMP) for quite some time now since the introduction of multimedia smartphones. Well, Creative’s ZiiLABS subsidiary is gunning to change that general sentiment with the introduction of the Zii Plaszma open-standards OS and EGG StemCell (ZMS-05 chip) powered handheld computer that’s capable of running Android. In other words, EGG is an open hardware platform that can run either the company’s Plaszma OS or Android. But that’s not the best part, EGG is probably the most badass, spec wise, PMP to date — easily blowing away Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch. Notable features include: H.264 / Flash lite video playback, 1080p output via HD cable, 3.5-inch 320×480 capacitive 10-point multi-touch screen, forward-facing VGA camera for conferencing, rear-facing HD camera, 802.11g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, GPS, built-in speaker/mic/headphone socket, SDHC slot for storage, and more. Just add Android’s Google Voice app and you’re golden. Video demo after the break. MORE »

It looks like all the leaked photos of the next-gen Sonos remote were accurate. Today the company is announcing the availability of the Sonos Controller 200 (CR200). The new capacitive touch screen remote will sell for $349 and will replace the company’s original (and might I add, innovative for its time) Controller 100. Product highlights include: 3.5-inch 640×480 full color screen, aluminum enclosure with rubber backing, instant on capability when removed from its charging cradle, quick access buttons (mute, volume up/down, zone), replaceable lithium ion battery, and “the best wireless performance of any wireless music product.” MORE »

Over the weekend I was doing a little research on UPnP media server applications and discovered that Revision3’s Systm video podcast show has published a couple of in-depth videos on the topic that I’m sure many of you will be interested in. In the first video (attached above), the Systm crew installs, configures, and walks viewers through the TVerity application for Windows users who would like to stream content from their PC to a PS3, Xbox 360, or other UPnP compatible device. Systm then demonstrates how to setup Windows Media Center to function with a Media Center Extender and iTunes with Apple TV. In their second video (attached below), the Systm crew installs the free, open-source MediaTomb UPnP media server on Ubuntu (also compatible with Mac OS X and FreeBSD) and showcases the application’s feature set and web interface. Enjoy! MORE »

Think your TV’s current feature set is bit boring? You might want to give it additional capabilities with the new MediaGate M²TVMedia Player (aka M2TV). The M2TV is essentially a media player set-top box (6.5 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches) that is capable of navigating and playing back audio, video, and photos stored on an external USB drive or memory card (SD/MMC/Memory Stick) to the TV in up to 1080p video resolution via HDMI or Component outputs. The M2TV supports many of the popular A/V formats people look for like VOB, MKV, H.264, Xvid, FLAC, WMA Pro, AAC, OGG, MP3, etc. While the unit itself isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing device to look at, the price tag is only $119. There’s also word that a 802.11n USB dongle is in the works as an add-on for most likely planned UPnP media streaming and Internet video access. MORE »

If you’ve been holding out on buying a Blu-ray disc player until something utterly cool comes out, then Sony’s ES Series player just might fit the bill. The BDP-S1000ES (MSRP $699) offers full HD 1080p (60/24fps) True Cinema video output, Blu-ray BD-Live support (includes a 4GB USB flash drive for download file storage), 7.1 channel audio out, DVD movie upscaling to Cinema HD quality, built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, and DLNA/UPnP support so users can playback audio, video, and photo content stored on a network PC or media server. Install PlayOn on your PC (for Hulu, Netflix, YouTube content) and you’ve got yourself a nice setup — but then again… Sony may later add Internet Video Link technology to the player at some point via a firmware upgrade. MORE »

If you’re in the market for a high-end music server with a built-in CD music ripper, you might want to have a look at Olive’s Opus No. 4. The company has just added a 2TB storage capacity option (MSRP $1.799) to their elegantly designed product, which can function alone or work in conjuction with additional Melody No. 2 multi-room players. Quick product highlights: Loseless FLAC encoded backups, 4.3-inch touchscreen menu (Apple iPhone / iPod touch app available), aluminum enclosure (silver or black), Internet radio support, wired or wireless network PC / Mac music transfer. MORE »

I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one. Sonic says they will be releasing 1080p 3D movies through their CinemaNow service in the near future. Good news, right? Well, according to the company’s press release, in order to view the movies you’ll need to a install Sonic’s software on your Windows PC, have a NVIDIA GPU to decode the movie, a 3D Vision-Ready display like the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ or ViewSonic FuHzion VX2265wm, and a pair of 3D vision glasses. Additional details on NVIDIA 3D Vision can be found here. I don’t know… the requirements make the whole offering a bit limited. It would be nice to see the service work with networked Blu-ray players or networked HDTVs at some point in the future. MORE »