We get our hands on the new DivX Connected device from D-Link, which promises to be a more open media streamer than the Apple TV.
The concept behind the D-Link DSM-330 is simple. Take whatever video your computer is running, let the PC encode it with the DivX codec, and stream it to the box. The DSM-330 works with an ethernet connection or 802.11g for Wi-Fi. It sounds simple enough, but the implications could be much larger. Unlike the Apple TV, which contains a full processor, hard disk drive and RAM, the D-Link device is not a mini-computer, but rather relies on your PC for the heavy lifting.
The nicest thing about the DivX Connected setup is that it's an open model. Anyone can program apps or channels for the device. In our hands-on time at the Digital Focus show in New York City, we saw the device running Google Maps, as well as videos, a Web browser and a spoof of the Apple TV interface, created by a DivX enthusiast. Actually, we didn't see the device running anything, as all the running was being done on a PC out of site, but we watched the DSM-330 stream the content to an HDTV, and it looked great. Not like a router or a technical set-top box, the D-Link device has a nice user interface, with an easy menu structure and large icons.
Protected content, like videos from the Apple Store, won't work, but just about everything else will. This is DivX, after all, the company, and codec, that is famous for "just about everything else," including plenty of illegally downloaded content, but this isn't what the company is pushing, obviously. Still, we think the device's immediate appeal will be for users who have a library of DivX content, and no way to play it on another streaming media box without DivX support.
The D-Link DSM-330 features an HDMI output, so the sky is the limit for high-definition resolutions, as the DivX codec will support just about anything you throw at it, including full 1080p resolutions. Again, another step above the Apple TV, whose poor video quality has been a major complaint since its launch.
We're curious to see the DivX Connected boxes in action, because we're skeptical on a few points. First of all, our home PCs are hardly powerhouse machines, but the DivX Connected boxes require them to do all the encoding. This may not be possible on our kit, but even if it is, it means nobody in the house will be Web surfing on the PC while we're watching "300" on our HDTV.
Also, by adopting an open source model, we expected that the DivX Connected boxes would have a lower price tag than the Apple TV. Without a hard disk drive or heavy-duty processor, what would be expensive about it? Instead, the D-Link DSM-330 costs $300, the same as an Apple TV.
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