The continually morphing home-entertainment
arena has turned to local-area networks (LANs) to tie
things together. This year we chose three products, two fixed
and one portable, as the first or best in their categories.
One of the offerings supports the Digital Living Network
Alliance (DLNA), and you can count on DLNA becoming
more of a force within this realm. These days, you can select
from a range of NAS devices that are DLNA media servers.
For example, I’ve set up D-Link’s DNS-321 with a pair of Seagate
1.5-Tbyte Barracuda drives. Content from these servers
can be streamed to the products I’ve chosen this year.
DLNA IN HDTV
Samsung (www.samsung.com) essentially put a PC into its
46-in. LN46A750 HDTV (Fig. 1). However, it’s specifically
designed to deliver multimedia via the network, hence the little
RJ-45 Ethernet jack on the back panel. It can stream movies
from DLNA media servers as well as audio and still images.
Viewers can use the standard remote control to access media as
well as choose what HDTV channel to watch or what AnyNet
HDMI device to view, such as a Blu-ray player.
The LN46A750 is one of a family of HDTVs from Samsung
with built-in DLNA support. It can also handle Samsung’s
InfoLink, which delivers RSS feeds for everything from
finance to sports to the screen. This might just be a precursor
of what the LN46A750 can deliver since it has a flash-based
processing system embedded within. The processor already has
the ability to decode and display high-resolution video combined
with hi-def audio from DLNA sources, so streaming
from other sources is a simple step.
The LN46A750 delivers Samsung’s high-quality picture
with 120-Hz Auto Motion Plus support, a 50000:1 dynamic
contrast ratio, and a 4-ms display response time. This
1080p-capable system essentially eliminates the motion blur
that is common in slower sets when showing high-speed action
such as sports events or special effects in movies. It also has a
wide viewing angle of 178°. A pair of 10-W speakers, a built-in
subwoofer, and the SRS Trusurround XT sound-effect systems
provide great audio. And, the HDTV mounts nicely on a wall
as it is only 3.4 in. deep and weighs just under 36 lb.
MOBILE VIDEO YOU CAN SEE
The Apple iPod was a Best of 2007 pick, but now users are
also looking at larger screens (800 by 480) like the Archos 5
and 7 (Fig. 2) from Archos (www.archos.com). These Internet
Media Tablets have on-board hard drives. As a result, you can
take them with you while the built-in Wi-Fi support allows
streaming from media servers and the Internet.
These Linux-based devices are full-blown mobile PCs
that come with a range of applications, including an e-mail
client. There is plenty of space for applications on the
160-Gbyte or 320-Gbyte hard drives as well. Of course,
most of this space will likely be used to store somewhere
around 200 videos.
Video recording is possible when combined with the
DVR Station or DVR Snap-on. These DVR units can capture
video. Just choose what to record from the Electronic
TV Program Guide. It even has an HDMI output for hi-def
720p playback in addition to S-video, VGA, and component
video outputs. The system, run by a 600-MHz ARM Cortex-
A8, includes a DSP for encode/decode chores.
Multimedia Web browsing and video
streaming are augmented by Adobe Flash
support that takes advantage of the hardware
acceleration. There are a number of
Flash-based sites users can enjoy, such as
YouTube and Dailymotion.
The user interface is via touchscreen.
The only buttons are for power and volume.
The built-in applications are designed
for fingers. There is a stylus just in case you
need finer control over the cursor. Overall,
it’s a great travel companion.
THE SOUND OF WI-FI MUSIC
Logitech’s (www.logitech.com) Squeezebox
Boom (Fig. 3) can blast hard rock
or stream soothing jazz from a PC-based
SqueezeCenter media server, PC, or
Internet radio station via Ethernet or an
802.11b/g wireless network.
The Squeezebox Boom has a pair of
1.9-cm high-definition tweeters and
7.6-cm, high-power, long-throw woofers
driven by a 30-W digital amplifier. It
also has a subwoofer/headphone output
as well as line-in for external devices like
an iPod. The SqueezeNetwork handles
online services like Rhapsody and Slacker,
while the open-source SqueezeCenter
can deliver PC-based audio to the
Squeezebox Boom.
SqueezeCenter can provide content
stored on the PC to the Squeezebox
Boom. It also can control the Squeezebox
Boom remotely. This is very useful
for creating playlists as well as controlling
volume and the current playlist from
the PC. Much of this can be done using
the remote, though a full screen, Webbased
interface is usually faster. There are
some features that can only be accessed
through such an interface as well.
The Web-based aspect of controlling
the Squeezebox Boom may not be
apparent to must users with one PC, but
users can access the interface using the
Archos 7’s Web browser.
The Squeezebox Boom has a builtin
seven-day alarm clock. The compact
all-in-one design just needs a power outlet.
The auto-dimming display is handy
in the bedroom, and a wireless remote
provides convenient control and music
selection. Logitech’s designers included
small features like a magnetic remote
that mates with the top of the player too.
Need more audio? Get a pair of Squeezebox
Booms. They can even be synchronized
to play the same songs. The unit
handles all popular formats, from MP3
and WAV to Apple Lossless.
These technologies represent the wave
of new, networked consumer products
that are sweeping the market. Standalone
devices are going from the norm to the
extinct. Check out Lab Bench Online
at www.electronicdesign.com for a hands-on look at these
products.