Moxi HD DVR update: Hulu & Netflix, DLNA, home automation

Digeo have released an update for their Moxi HD DVR, adding DLNA streaming support and a workaround to bring Hulu, Netflix and other streaming content direct to the set-top box. There’s also new support for controlling Z-wave home automation devices, together with Rhapsody music streaming and the ability to view and bookmark websites.

Press Release:

Digeo® Releases Major Enhancements to Flagship Moxi® HD DVR

Moxi® Entertainment Experience Gets Even Better with PlayOn™ Internet Video; Rhapsody®
Music; Home Theater Controls; and Enhanced Photos, Internet Services and DLNA-Certified™
Home Networking

KIRKLAND, WA – April 09, 2009 – Digeo, Inc. today announced new features and enhancements to the Moxi® High Definition Digital Video Recorder (HD DVR), further advancing the world’s best DVR. The Moxi HD DVR has new services available directly from the on-screen menu including Internet video from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu™ and more streaming directly to the TV through MediaMall Technologies’ PlayOn™ media server software as well as the streaming digital music service from Rhapsody®. The Moxi HD DVR also now includes eControls, a home automation feature that allows users to customize the home theater experience by adjusting lighting and other Z-Wave supported products. The Flickr® online photo service and MoxiNet Internet browser were also enhanced, and Moxi is now certified to support the DLNA® standard for improved home networking.

These new services will be available automatically to customers with a Moxi HD DVR via a software upgrade at no additional charge from Digeo.

Additionally, as part of this new functionality, the company is offering existing and new Moxi customers a PlayOn® license key (value $39.99) free for a limited time, as well as a free 30-day Rhapsody trial (value: $12.99).

“In the current economic climate, people are more focused on at-home entertainment options and on getting the most out of their HD investments,” said Greg Gudorf, CEO, Digeo. “The world’s best HD DVR now delivers even more valuable entertainment services for the best home entertainment experience.”

The Moxi HD DVR is designed to appeal to the most demanding digital cable entertainment enthusiasts. With its native HD interface and Emmy® award-winning Moxi Menu, dual tuners, and up to 75-hours of HD recording space (up to 300 hours at standard definition, and expandable well beyond with an external eSATA drive), the Moxi HD DVR makes it effortless for consumers to discover, experience and share high definition media from their digital cable provider, PCs on the home network and the Internet.

Adding to an extensive list of advanced features and services, the enhancements announced today as part of the Moxi HD DVR Spring 2009 software release include:

• PlayOn – This media server software currently provides access to Internet videos from YouTube, Hulu, CBS, Netflix, CNN, ESPN and more through the Moxi HD DVR from a PC on the home network. Video formats are automatically converted so Moxi users can watch Internet video directly on their widescreen HDTV.

• Rhapsody® – The leading on-demand digital music service is now available through the Moxi HD DVR, allowing users to easily listen to any one of more than 7 million songs from all the major record labels and hundreds of smaller independent labels. Rhapsody delivers complete control over the music experience, helping users to easily find and play full length tracks, build playlists of favorites or listen to Rhapsody’s professionally programmed genre & artist channels. Starting today, Rhapsody and Digeo are bringing music without limits to every user of the Moxi HD DVR.

• Media Link – Certified to support the DLNA home networking standard, Media Link connects the TV or home entertainment system to PCs on a home network. Moxi users can easily stream digital movies, videos, music and photos from their PCs for viewing or listening from the comfort of their home entertainment environment.

• eControls – Moxi users can now manage their home entertainment environment through the Moxi menu to set the mood. Users can adjust most Z-Wave-certified products such as lighting (e.g., turning sets of lights on, off or dimming), control volume and power on AV devices, as well as monitor IP baby-cams or outside cameras, all from the remote control.

• Mosaic – A new browsing feature for the Flickr® online photo service available through the Moxi menu, Mosaic allows users to rapidly scroll up, down and across their photos as they are displayed as mosaic tiles on the display.

• MoxiNet –Moxi registered users can now bookmark their favorite websites at Moxi.com and browse them on their home entertainment display using the Moxi remote as a virtual mouse. This expands upon MoxiNet’s quick access to news, sports scores, movie times, weather and other information from the Internet.

For more details, including details of the PlayOn license key offer, technical specifications and screen images of the Moxi HD DVR expanded feature set, please visit: www.moxi.com. You can also follow Moxi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/moxi_hd or on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/c9vuxf

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Hitachi Details Updated Wooo TVs

The last generation of Hitachi's Wooo TVs hardly left us wanting, so it's with open arms that we welcome their 2009 successors.

Coming form April the 25th we have three LCDs, two - the 42in L42-XP03 and 37in L37-XP03 - with Full HD 1,920 x 1,080 pixel panels and one - the 32in L31-XP03 - with an HD Ready 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution. All three TVs feature built-in 250GB hard drives, DLNA connectivity, and add what Hitachi calls Wooonet - Yahoo widgets to you and I. All three sets have three HDMI ports,

Hitachi's plasma line is being similarly updated. The entry level 42in, L42-HP03 sports a 1,024 x 768 pixel resolution a 30,000:1 contrast ratio and three HDMI ports, with the 50in P50-XP03, 46in P46-XP03 and 42in P42-XP03 offering four HDMI connections alongside 1,920 x 1,080 pixel displays with 40,000:1 contrast ratios. Again DLNA, Wooonet and hard drives are present.

Next up, we have the UT800 series, with the 47in UT47-XP800 (pictured), 42in UT42-XP800, 37in UT37-XP800, 32in UT32-XP800. All offer 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolutions and as per the last generation are notable in keeping all their inputs, tuners and the like in a separate, UWB-connected, unit. Again, DLNA streaming, Wooonet and hard drive-recording capabilities are present.

All of the above televisions, both LCD and plasma, also have "Intelligent Auto" sensors, optimising their output depending on ambient conditions, helping improve power efficiency. That's in addition to improvements which make the latest range more power efficient to begin with.

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Panasonic rolls out new $500 Blu-ray player in Japan

Panasonic announced the DMP-BD60 in Japan today [JP], a Blu-ray device, which is at the same time the company’s first without a recording function. Panasonic is marketing the $500 player as a low-priced machine that people can use as a second device, for example in their bed rooms.

The Blu-ray disc player is equipped with DLNA, supports 1080/24p as well as 1080/60p, is compatible with BD Live and comes with a YouTube function. It also features an HDMI port, VIERA Link, a LAN port and a SD/SDHC port.

The DMP-BD60 goes on sale in Japan on April 25. Panasonic hasn’t said yet whether it will be available outside Nippon as well. The company plans to produce 2,000 units per month.

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Handsets embrace magnetic coupling

alm Inc. has demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show its Palm Pre with built-in magnetic induction, which is expected to ship by mid-2009. A handful of other handset makers are said to be designing wireless charging capabilities into mobile phones this year. Several component vendors are angling to help them do it, using a variety of approaches. Two of them have started a standards effort in hopes they could attract a broader set of design wins.

Magnetic coupling has been around for years, but 2009 may be the year mobile phones adopt the technology, giving wireless power a toehold in a mass market.

The Pre is the first of many mobile phones that will build in magnetic couple by next year's CES, said Jim Schuessler, senior technical marketing manager for portable products at National Semiconductor. "I know of several major companies designing it in, but we see this as a long adoption cycle on the order of 5-10 years," he said.

Interest in wireless power has been slowly building, according to Mitch Randall, chief technology officer and founder of WildCharge, a Boulder, Colorado-based start-up using a conduction technique that it first showed at CES in 2007

"The first year it was really new to everyone, a curiosity," he said. "Last year there was tremendous interest, but it had the flavour of 'why would I want it and how can I make money from it?' Now I'm getting the impression people are ready to do it and want to figure out which approach to use," Randall said.

The trend to wireless power has come and gone before, taking with it a handful of start-ups. But those involved say the momentum now feels real.

Several factors are driving interest, said Schuessler. Smartphone makers increasingly need something to differentiate their products. In addition, users need to charge the devices more frequently because batteries are not growing in size or capability as fast as handsets are packing in new power-sucking features.

"A phone in 2002 had standby power of three or four days, but today you are lucky if it lasts full day, so people are looking for more convenient ways to charge them," he said.

Growing environmental concerns are also a factor. "If this trend is successful there will be a diminishing need for a charger in ever box," he said, decreasing the growth in electronic waste in so-called wall warts often left plugged in and sucking unneeded energy.

The components needed are relatively simple. A metallic coil embedded in a plugged in base station links to ones embedded in a handset, digital camera or other device. They typically need a rectifier, some filters and a basic microcontroller to supervise the charging regime, leading to a total bill of materials of perhaps Rs.500.36 ($10) per device.

"We know it has to go lower than that, and we see a road map to get to much lower costs with integration on both sides of the link, but that won't happen unless there is a larger market," said Schuessler, indicating an all-too-familiar chicken-and-egg game in electronics.

Although most of the components are based on off-the-shelf chips, National ultimately plans to roll out patented synchronous rectifiers that could raise efficiency and lower heat for wireless charging systems. "We believe with our intellectual property we have a leg up," he said.

At least half a dozen companies are offering different approaches to magnetic coupling, most of them using induction. One of the trade-offs they face is that by using higher frequencies they can shrink the mechanical coils—but that typically requires larger or more expensive electronics.

Two of the players—ConvenientPower Ltd. (Hong Kong) and Fulton Innovations LLC (Ada, Mich.) are collaborating to draft an induction standard. Others, such as Powermat (Neve Ilan, Israel) want to pursue advantages they see in their proprietary approaches.

"Unlike other systems that require a lot of space for the charging area, our system requires very little," said Ron Ferber, president of Powermat. "That's why for our [charging] mats are very thin and our electronics can be scaled to embed into surfaces such as walls and ceilings," he said.

The company's approach will serve relatively low power devices such as mobile phones as well as high power ones like notebook computers, he added. It demonstrated prototypes at CES that will be on sale in the fall for prices ranging from Rs.2,501.82 ($50) to Rs.7,005.09 ($140).

By using conduction, Randall claims the WildCharge approach will cost less and be easier to use. Users won't have to lay down devices directly over a coil embedded in a mat because the technology relies on direct metallic contacts in the device linking to a proprietary pattern of pins in the mat.

"No matter how you sit device down, you get one plus and minus," said Randall.

The approach delivers up to 150W, suitable for charging everything from earbuds to laptops, he said.

To kick start the market, WildCharge licensed the technology to Griffin International, which has launched a retail product for rechargeable batteries. But WildCharge hopes to get its products designed into consumer devices, claiming it could deliver end user prices of less than Rs.2,501.82 ($50) for a pad and Rs.1,701.24 ($34) for a receiver skin.

"They have benefits in efficiency because they are directly conducting," but exposed metallic connections on devices could wear away or cause short circuits without cleaver mechanical design, said Schuessler. "We don't see it as the full potential of wireless charging," he added.

Intel researchers have been exploring longer-term approaches that don't require any physical contact. Using a so-called magnetic resonance approach pioneered by MIT, Intel used relatively large coils to deliver 60W of AC power at 10 MHz over three feet to switch on a light bulb at its annual conference in August.

In December, the company powered a small notebook PC in its lab, delivering 12W of DC power over three feet. "We even took the battery out to make sure it wasn't running on battery power," said Joshua Smith, a principal engineer in Intel's research group.

Intel's goal is to find a way to bring wireless power to its notebook customers. So far its coils are "about the right size to put in a laptop lid," said Smith.

The group is now working defining the usage model and "looking to find the maximum base power level to transmit safely within global regulations," Smith said. "We haven't thought much about the cost yet."

If users are going to be able to use one mat to wirelessly recharge a variety of products from different vendors, the industry needs a standard. The Wireless Power Consortium aims to deliver one, perhaps before the end of the year.

The group initially aims to deliver a spec for induction systems delivering 5W, probably using a 120kHz frequency. A follow on spec will target 100W for notebooks.

The consortium currently includes two start-ups with their own wireless power technology—ConvenientPower and Fulton—as well as component suppliers National and Texas Instruments, potential users Logitech, Philips, and Olympus, battery maker Sanyo and Shenzhen Sang Fei Consumer Communications Co., a Philips ODM.

The group has had three face-to-face meetings since it was formed in December and hopes to attract new members soon. It has outlined market requirements and is now drafting technical specs.

"In the future where there are millions of wireless power devices, the dream is to get to OEM costs of as low as a dollar to enable a receiver," said Camille Tang, president of ConvenientPower.

"There's a constructive mood in the group, said Schuessler who called the 2009 target "aggressive but not impossible. I think we have good coverage of the technology and intellectual property with Fulton and ConvenientPower participating," he added.

ConvenientPower has filed about ten patents on its technology that lets users place devices anywhere on its mat. It aims to ship in May retail products for the Nintendo DS and Blackberry Curve, but ultimately aims for OEM design wins.

In late January, TI announced it is working with Fulton. TI suggested it may design special chips to support Fulton's eCoupled technology that sports a similar ability to let users place devices anywhere on an inductive pad. Fulton uses a proprietary protocol that lets users simultaneously charge multiple devices with different charging regimes.

- Rick Merritt
EE Times

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IR remotes move to RF

The traditional IR remote control device used to command consumer electronics devices including TVs and STBs is good at what it does, but in today's terms, somewhat limited.

Even "universal" remotes that control multiple devices are quite one-dimensional. If some major CE manufacturers have their way, the next generation of remotes will be based on RF technology. The growth curve for these products is just beginning, but is forecast to show a 55 per cent CAGR through 2014.

According to senior analyst Jason Blackwell of ABI Research, the first such products are already appearing in Japan. "RF remote controls are starting to ship with a few high-end Japan TVs such as Sony's premium Bravia models. Companies like Sony hope to start with early adopters, then ramp up volumes, drive down costs and move these remotes into more mainstream products."

IR remotes work fine, so why move to RF?

The reason is interactivity, which is becoming prevalent in today's digital home. As more devices add Internet connectivity and the ability for two-way communication and greater interactivity, RF remotes offer the prospect of better communication with devices: They can sense the status of the devices they control, for example, and report that back to the user. Users can also input information through more evolved interfaces. There's no need for the line-of-site required by IR, so an RF remote could control STB or audio receiver in another room.

The move to RF remotes is being driven by major OEMs, not by consumer demand. But, Blackwell adds, "If vendors can make consumers aware of the benefits, that will drive consumer adoption. And if manufacturers can offer a remote that works with a wide range of devices, RF adoption becomes that much easier." To that end, a number of manufacturers are currently hammering out standards.

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The end of the plug? Scientists invent wireless device that beams electricity through your home

by DAVID DERBYSHIRE
Last updated at 12:31 08 June 2007

Scientists have sounded the death knell for the plug and power lead.

In a breakthrough that sounds like something out of Star Trek, they have discovered a way of 'beaming' power across a room into a light bulb, mobile phone or laptop computer without wires or cables.

In the first successful trial of its kind, the team was able to illuminate a 60-watt light bulb 7ft away.

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If it works and it's safe, it will be one of the greatest achievements ever. Online forum

The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who call their invention 'WiTricity', believe it could change the way we use electricity and do away with the tangle of cables, plugs and chargers that clutter modern homes.

It could also allow the use of laptops and mobile phones without batteries.

The inspiration came when the lead researcher, Dr Marin Soljacic, was standing in his kitchen at night staring at his mobile phone.

"It was probably the sixth time that month that I was awakened by my cell phone beeping to let me know that I had forgotten to charge it. It occurred to me that it would be so great if the thing took care of its own charging," he said.

To turn this dream into reality, Dr Soljacic needed a way of transmitting power wirelessly.

Scientists have known for nearly two centuries that it is possible to transfer an electrical current from one coil of wire to another without them touching.

The phenomenon, called electromagnetic induction, is used in power transformers and electric motors around the world.

However, the coils in motors and transformers have to be close for power to pass from one to another. Attempting to transfer power over distances is impossible.

The breakthrough came when Dr Soljacic realised there was another way of transferring energy through the air.

Rather than sending power from a transmitter to a receiver as a conventional electromagnetic wave - the same form of radiation as light, radio waves and microwaves - he could use the transmitter to fill a room with a 'non-radiative' electromagnetic field.

Most objects in the room - such as people, desks and carpets - would be unaffected by the electromagnetic field. But any objects designed to resonate with the electromagnetic field would absorb the energy.

It sounds complicated, but the result demonstrated by the American team this month was a dramatic success. Using two coils of copper, the team transmitted power 7ft through the air to a light bulb, which lit up instantly.

The scientists say the technique works only over distances of up to 9ft. However, they believe it could be used to charge up a battery within a few yards of the power source connected to a receiving coil.

Placing one source in each room could provide enough power for an entire house.

The receiver and transmitter would not have to be in view of each other.

Professor Peter Fisher, another of the researchers, said: "As long as the laptop is in a room equipped with a source of wireless power, it would charge automatically without having to be plugged in. In fact, it would not even need a battery to operate inside such a room."

The researchers believe there is little to worry about on safety grounds, saying that magnetic fields interact weakly with living organisms and are unlikely to have any serious side effects.

Dr Soljacic said: "When my son was about three years old, we visited his grandparents' house. They had a 20-year-old phone and my son picked up the handset asking, 'Dad, why is this phone attached with a cord to the wall?' That is the mindset of a child growing up in a wireless world.

"Hopefully we will be getting rid of some more wires and batteries soon."

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Panasonic rolling out WirelessHD in Japan

AV Watch is reporting that Panasonic has announced its first WirelessHD capable TV range, to be released on April 20th.

The televisions in question (three of them) are full 1080p HD, 40000:1 contrast, plasma, and come in at one inch thick.

Pricing comes in at about $6,156 for the cheapest 46-inch model, about $6,715 for the 50-inch model and a hefty $7,835 for the 54-inch version. WirelessHD removes the need for any cables to the TV (besides the power of course -- that technology is yet to come) without any compromise of quality. In addition to this, walking in front of the wireless transfer device doesn't cause any problems either, and easily switches between sources automatically.

WirelessHD aside, the new TVs have half the power consumption than Panasonic's previous models of large widescreen HDTVs, and comes with full YouTube support, and a 2.4GHz remote.

This is a very nice looking TV, but in order just anyone that isn't in Japan to get one, importing is the only choice.

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