First unveiled to the world from the techno-hub that is CES, Hewlett Packard's MediaSmart media centre was designed to synchronise with your Windows Media Centre to arrange and distribute all your stored media as you saw fit. Sadly it didn't emerge, until now.
Rebranded as the HP MediaSmart Connect, it will find and display all your digital videos, photos, music and more in list fashion on your HDTV, in a move not dissimilar to how Apple TV works for Mac users. It even lets you watch online content live as long as your PC has a TV tuner.
Not a hard disk drive, the MediaSmart Connect has no storage capacity. Instead there are Ethernet, HDMI and component ports with support for the likes of MPEG2/4, DivX, XviD, WMV, MP3, WMA, AAC, JPEG and many more.
'The new MediaSmart Connect will enable people to extend their entertainment to their HDTV from a Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate-based PC - delivering innovation as a result of our relationship with HP,' said Ron Pessner, general manager of the Connected TV division at Microsoft.
There's no release date for the UK yet, but the MediaSmart Connect can be pre-ordered online now for $350, around £175.
hp.com
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