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(Credit: John P. Falcone/CNET)

HP has one big request for when you're talking about its new DreamScreen product line: don't call it just a digital photo frame.

Fair enough. The DreamScreen can display your photos effortlessly, but that just scratches the surface of what it can do. Available in 10.2-inch and 13.3-inch versions (both 800x480 resolution), the DreamScreen offers 2GB of onboard memory, plus slots for all standard flash media card types as well as USB storage. If loading your digital media via flash memory is too old-fashioned for you, the DreamScreen can also connect to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and--according to HP--the included software lets you drag and drop the files you want to move to it via the network.

Beyond photos, the DreamScreen can also play videos (MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264) and music (MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV) through its built-in speakers (or you can use the headphone jack to connect to an outboard stereo); it can also play music in the background while displaying a slideshow. But if you don't have a single audio file, you can instead opt for one of thousands of Internet radio stations or Pandora's streaming audio service instead.

But wait, there's more! ... Read more

The main menu of the YouTube client on Samsung's Blu-ray players.

(Credit: CNET)

Add YouTube the growing list of streaming media services supported by Samsung Blu-ray players. Effective immediately, Google's megapopular online video site will be added to the Samsung's current 2009 (and future) Blu-ray players via a free firmware update. The update also adds support for playback of MKV files. (A placeholder button has been added for the previously announced Blockbuster video-on-demand service streaming service as well; it's still on track to be added later this year.)

We were able to run the automatic firmware update on our Samsung BD-P3600 review sample quickly and painlessly. The YouTube main menu (shown above) looks different from the Yahoo Widget-ized version you'll find on Samsung TVs, but it's otherwise pretty similar to the YouTube experience on other electronics products. Our only beef was--just like other non-PC YouTube players--it doesn't stream YouTube's HD content.

Its MKV support was also good. We played back an MKV-wrapped AVC file (1.37GB, 1,024x550-pixel resolution) from a USB thumbdrive. Aside from a slight stutter at the very beginning, playback was smooth and problem-free, and we had no problems using fast-forward and rewind. (For the uninformed: MKV support is a favorite of digital media geeks who get their HD movies from more unconventional sources, such as BitTorrent.)

The YouTube upgrade was first mentioned just yesterday at Samsung's IFA news conference in Berlin. It's available on all three current 2009 Blu-ray players: the BD-P1600, BD-P3600, and BD-P4600. Those services join Netflix and Pandora that are already available on the players. For those keeping score at home, this upgrade makes the Samsung Blu-ray players more competitive with the excellent LG BD390.

Separately, a Samsung representative has confirmed to CNET that YouTube and Blockbuster support will also be rolled out to the company's 2009 Blu-ray home theater systems (HT-BD1250, HT-BD7200, HT-BD8200, HT-BD3252) later this year, but no date has yet been specified.

This post has been updated from its original version to include hands-on testing of the software upgrade and additional information. Also, the state of the Blockbuster service has been clarified. CNET's David Katzmaier and Matthew Moskovciak contributed to this report.

Mitsubishi's soon-to-be-released Unisen Diamond LT-249 LCD TVs will now feature Vudu's streaming video-on-demand service.

(Credit: Mitsubishi)

Mitsubishi's upcoming line of Unisen LT-249 LCD TVs were already notable for being the first flat-panel TVs with built-in soundbar speakers. But now the 46-inch and 52-inch models have a second bragging point: built-in support for Vudu. When the TVs hit retailers later in September, they'll have nearly all of the same streaming video features available in the Vudu BX100 set-top box. That includes access to YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, and Pandora online streaming as well.

For Vudu, it's the second such hardware partner in as many months to offer the on-demand video service embedded into TVs (LG was the first). While Vudu is one of many such online options on the LG Netcast TVs (they also do Netflix, YouTube, and Yahoo Widgets), Mitsubishi ups the ante by including a $50 Vudu credit for buyers of its TVs (though it must be used within the first 60 days of activation).

CNET will have a hands-on review of the new Mitsubishi models in upcoming weeks.

Netflix compatibility coming soon

Netflix streaming will be coming to online-enabled Sony Bravia televisions this fall.

Once enabled via a software update, the Netflix feature will give Bravia sets access to the same 12,000-title catalog of Netflix streaming movies and TV shows that's available on a growing number of devices, including the Xbox 360, Roku Player, and all recent Samsung and LG Blu-ray players and home theater systems.

Compatible Sony TVs include the XBR9 series, the Z5100 series, and the W5100 series. However, a wider variety of sets can access the Netflix feature by adding the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, an add-on accessory that currently costs about $200.

In addition to Netflix, Bravia Internet Video-enabled products currently support content from Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, CBS (the parent company of CNET), and a variety of lesser-known online video providers. (For an overview of the pre-Netflix Bravia Internet experience, check out our recent slideshow.) Recent additions include Demand Media (videos from Golflink.com, Livestrong.com, and eHow.com) and ON Networks (programs such as Golf Tips, Play Value, and Beautiful Places).

The addition of Netflix will certainly go a long way to ameliorating our decidedly less-than-enthusiastic experience with the Bravia Internet Video features. (That said, remember that Netflix and Amazon video can be added to any TV with the $100 Roku Player.) Moreover, we hope that the fact that Netflix and Sony are now partners means that we'll eventually see Netflix added to Sony's Blu-ray players and, eventually, the PlayStation 3 (which currently only supports Netflix via the third-party Play On software).

It's bad enough that Sling Media charges $29.99 for its SlingPlayer Mobile app (which you can see demonstrated in the video at right), but limiting it to Wi-Fi connections? That's downright criminal.

Fortunately, the gadget gurus over at Gizmodo have documented a way to stream SlingPlayer video across 3G connections, thereby overcoming one of the app's major annoyances. (Now if they could just talk Sling Media into a reasonable price tag. Like, say, $5.99.)

As you might expect, there's a catch: You have to jailbreak your iPhone. It's not hard to do, particularly if you follow Gizmodo's iPhone jailbreaking guide, but it's definitely a do-at-your-own-risk procedure. (Fortunately, you can undo it if the need ever arises, like for support or warranty service from Apple.)

Once you've completed that step, all that's left is to install an app called Tricker Three3G. After that, SlingPlayer will always think it's running on Wi-Fi, even when it's running on 3G. (Bonus: Tricker pulls the same trick on Skype and Fring--great if you're looking for a way around their own connectivity restrictions.)

I haven't put this to the test myself, as I'm slightly chicken when it comes to jailbreaking my iPhone. Plus, I don't own a SlingPlayer. But based on anecdotal tests I've read elsewhere, it works as advertised.

What do you think? Does this improve SlingPlayer Mobile's functionality enough to justify the $30 price tag? Are you willing to jailbreak your phone just for this app? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The long-delayed SlingPlayer for iPhone will be hitting the iTunes App Store in the next 24 hours--but the software will only stream video over Wi-Fi, not AT&T's 3G data network. The restriction is a big blow to the usability of the software, which allows owners of Slingbox set-top boxes to stream their home TV in real-time to anywhere in the world.

The SlingPlayer app will cost $29.99--expensive for iPhone apps, but the exact same price as previous iterations of the SlingPlayer Mobile apps available for Windows Mobile, Palm OS, BlackBerry, and Symbian handhelds. SlingPlayer Mobile should work on all existing iPhones and iPod Touch models. Also, while Sling had indicated that the iPhone player would only work with the Slingbox Solo, Slingbox Pro, and Slingbox Pro-HD models, the company has now indicated that it will work with legacy models as well--though tech support will only be available for the aforementioned trio of models.

We'll have a more in-depth look at the software and an updated video soon. But so far as we can tell, the software hasn't changed very much since the beta version was unveiled earlier this year. Thus, Tom Merritt's hands-on video (embedded above) gives you a very good idea of what you'll be getting with SlingPlayer Mobile. (Update: See Jeff Bakalar's hands-on review and video.)

So, what do you think? Is the dearth of 3G access a deal-killer? Or will you be picking up a Slingbox just so you can stream video to your iPhone or iPod Touch via Wi-Fi? Sound off below.

Update (5/13/2009, 8:40am): The SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone app is now available.

Boxee is releasing on Thursday a new version of its media center software that adds support for Netflix Watch Instantly streaming movies.

Unlike streaming solutions from Roku and Microsoft's Xbox 360, Boxee's effort includes the option to both browse and search through Netflix's library. Roku's box and the Xbox are currently limited to showing users the videos from their saved queues. The two also require special hardware (and in the Xbox's case a paid Xbox Live Gold membership), whereas Boxee works on any Intel-Mac or Linux PC. Boxee's service is not yet available for Windows.

Another caveat: Netflix streaming is not yet available for the AppleTV version of Boxee. I'm told the main reason is that Microsoft Silverlight, which is what Netflix uses as a delivery method for its streaming content, has hardware requirements roughly double that of the processor inside the AppleTV. Silverlight requires a 1.83GHz dual-core Intel processor, while the AppleTV only sports a 1GHz "Crofton" processor--a derivative of the Pentium M.

Along with Netflix support, Boxee now links up with MTV to pop up music videos for any songs in your library that it can match. There's also support for YouTube videos that have been encoded in h.264, and new player interfaces for Hulu, CNN, Picasa, YouTube, and Flickr. The updated UI offers slightly more streamlined playback controls, solving one of my big quibbles with the last release, which actually kept you from being to skip around a video's timeline in Hulu and CBS videos.

Existing Boxee users should get an update notice when firing up the app later Thursday. The service remains in private alpha. You can sign up for it here.

Netflix on Boxee includes both your instant queue and the option to browse and search through Netflix content.

(Credit: Boxee)

(Credit: Sling Media)

You can finally remove the SlingCatcher from the vaporware list. Following reports that it was popping up on store shelves around the country, the $300 product officially begins shipping today, ending a wait that began more than 18 months ago when it was first unveiled at CES 2007.

The SlingCatcher is a playback device that's designed to pull digital content from three sources and display them on your TV. It can play a variety of digital video files from an attached USB storage device (anything from a thumbdrive to a hard drive); display anything on your PC screen (including full-motion video) via the SlingProjector "screen scraping" software; and stream video from any source connected to a Slingbox (elsewhere in the house in high-resolution, or from a remote Slingbox source over the Internet at lesser quality).

While the SlingCatcher may sound like a niche device, there's strong indication it will gain more widespread appeal with forthcoming feature upgrades. Enter Sling Media's Sling.com Web site, which recently entered a closed beta phase. Originally intended as a home for the YouTube-style "Clip-n-Sling" snippets (another Slingbox feature first demonstrated months ago), the site appears to have morphed into a more Hulu-like "premium library of movies, TV shows, and Web videos" (to quote the site splash screen), with content from NBC, Fox, CBS, Showtime, Break.com, National Geographic, and MGM highlighted on the homepage. (Also mentioned: the capability to watch your Slingbox in the browser, directly through the Sling.com portal, presumably without the need for a software install.)

How does the eventual launch of Sling.com tie into the SlingCatcher? Blogger Dave Zatz--a former Sling employee-- writes, "SlingCatcher will eventually tap directly into Sling.com for some web video, perhaps partially taking the PC out of the mix." In other words, the need to have your PC nearby and be running the SlingProjector software may be more of an intermediate step to a direct pipeline to Web video for the Catcher. Sounds intriguing indeed.

We'll have a full review of the final SlingCatcher hardware as soon as our sample arrives. In the meantime, check out our hands-on preview of the product from September, and our full review of the recently released Slingbox Pro-HD.

Editors' note: Sling Media and CBS (the parent company of CNET) are working together on Sling's Clip-n-Sling project and the CBS' Interactive Audience Network.