Comments on: Netgear’s New Box Takes Aim at Roku

By: Netgear’s Digital Entertainer Live: Easy Setup, Poor Video Quality

Netgear’s Digital Entertainer Live: Easy Setup, Poor Video Quality — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:48:09 +0000

[...] in my tests, Digital Entertainer Live proved mixed. I like its smaller design and ease of use. And I especially like that it comes with a [...]

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:46:36 +0000

As Roku ads more content providers It is clear that this type of streaming technology is the future direction of Televsion. There still remains a number of problems with wide open streaming of internet content, namely in the way of parental controls and family friendly programming. Something traditional network tv & cable still provides in various forms.

By: NetGear’s Digital Entertainer Live available next week | InformationAppliance.com - The Frame Media Information Appliance Blog

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:31:06 +0000

[...] For a good review of the product. Click here. [...]

By: brightfonops

brightfonops — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:46:38 +0000

Thanks Chris. After the Boxee-Hulu thing, would want to be careful. Your explanation clarifies things and helps. Looks worth trying out.

By: Chris Albrecht

Chris Albrecht — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:29:25 +0000

@brightfonops - Netgear is getting content from CinemaNow and YouTube on the up and up. The web video is pulled from internet feeds unmolested, though Hulu is only possible through PlayOn.

@Davis - I don't know how important all that stuff is for more mainstream audiences. Actually, I do. It's not. :)

By: Davis Freeberg

Davis Freeberg — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:58:44 +0000

Brighfonops comment is just FUD. Take a look at the specs and you'll see that the real story with this box isn't what's available it's what's not there. Despite having a long history with DivX, we don't see any support for DivX or MKV files. This seems like a really curious decision for a company that is trying to sell an "internet video" device. At $99, Roku is definitely the better alternative, but if they would have included support for content outside of their precious walls, then the extra $50 would be a drop in the bucket for the added convenience.

At the very min., Matroska support could have been included at zero additional cost. The lack of support for these two sources of content make me wonder whether or not the movie studios are playing hardball with the gadget makers. Why else would Netgear neuter their product? If the studios refused to let them Netflix or other content on the same box as a DivX or MKV supported device, how would this not be collusion and some kind of anti-trust violation? Over the last few years, the stand alone box has seen strong support for these formats, yet none of the connected devices hitting the markets these days seem to offer a solution for consumers who don't want to be wedded to a single video provider. If the studios told the gadget makers to stop supporting these formats, it would explain this omission. In the meantime, consumers are still left waiting for a solution that is truly format neutral and will still support advanced services like Netflix, Amazon and Blockbuster.

By: brightfonops

brightfonops — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:59:18 +0000

The big difference may be that Roku is getting its content legally via content partners. Does Netgear have content partners or is it simply diverting the content meant by web sites for the PCs to the TV via this box? It will be interesting when the cable operators find out about this one. That would make me nervous about buying this box. More so when it is $50 more than Roku.