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HP MediaSmart Server

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Back in November of 2007, we took a close look at the HP MediaSmart Server ex475, a glorified network-attached storage drive that gathers, organizes, and streams your media content over a network.

The Server also gives users open access to their content from any Windows-based, connected computer in the world. About a year after its initial release, the new ex487 model arrived in early 2009 with significant tweaks to the user interface and a beefier set of internal components. Now, HP updates us once again with the release of a software update that adds streaming content to mobile devices like the iPhoneand Sony PSP.

The updated software runs off the popular Microsoft Windows Home Server platform and flaunts a new feature that converts videos into two resolutions: the standard, high-resolution file and a new mobile resolution format (MPEG-4 H.264) version that can be played on a variety of mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, and PSP.

HP is also encouraging all iPhone users to download the new HP iStream application, free of charge, that permits mobile access to all digital media stored on a personal MediaSmart Server. Additional software upgrades include a more streamlined Apple Time Machine configuration, a more robust HP Media Collector, and the ability to create public and private albums from within the Photo Viewer.

The free software update will automatically download to all HP MediaSmart EX485/487 Servers later this month. For more hardware insights, check out our review of the HP MediaSmart Server ex475.

(Credit: HP)

When Hewlett-Packard showed us an early version of its $349 MediaSmart Connect digital media extender, our first reaction was, "It costs too much." Now that it's actually available, it appears the company has finally gotten the message. We're hearing from a source close to HP that the official price will drop to $299 in early October, and that "retailers are expected to offer instant rebates so consumers should find the product for around $249...maybe even lower."

Why the price cut? Remember that the Xbox 360 can duplicate much of the MediaSmart Connect's Windows Media Center functionality (albeit without built-in Wi-Fi, and with considerably more noise and shelf space). Recent price cuts have made the entry-level 360 as cheap as $199. The PS3 also has some impressive media streaming capabilities; it's more expensive at $400, but it's also got a built-in Blu-ray player (and, like the Xbox 360, it's a great gaming machine).

We're currently testing the MediaSmart Connect, and will have a full review soon. In the meantime, would you pay $250 or $300 for such a device? Or is the whole "digital media streaming" thing just another instance of the manufacturers trying to create a market where none really exists--do you actually want or need something that pulls your PC-based media files into the living room?

Behind the MediaSmart Connect's fold-down front panel is a USB port and a slot for an optional removable hard drive.

(Credit: HP)

Hewlett-Packard's line of MediaSmart TVs includes the built-in ability to stream digital media from your home network and the Internet straight to their screens. But for the vast majority of us who don't own an HP TV, the company will soon have a second option: the MediaSmart Connect. The little black box connects to your home network (via its built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet) and streams a wide variety of digital audio, photo, and video files--including content from compatible Internet services (including Live365, Vongo, CinemaNow, and MovieLink).

The MediaSmart Connect should be able to pull digital files from any UPnP and DLNA compliant storage devices on your home network--beyond standard Windows PCs, that includes network attached storage devices such as HP's own MediaSmart Server and Media Vault. It can also double as a Windows Media Center Extender when interfacing with Media Center-enabled versions of Windows Vista--allowing the streaming of live or recorded TV at HD resolutions. The MediaSmart Connect doesn't have any on-board storage, but users can use the box to pull compatible media straight from an HP Pocket Media Drive (found on the company's PC desktops) or a standard USB flash drive.

The MediaSmart Connect will be available later this summer for $349, and is now available for preorder. (If it looks familiar, it's because HP has been teasing us with it since January's Consumer Electronics Show.) It'll include a learning remote that can control up to four other devices, an HDMI cable, and a $20 CinemaNow coupon. To drum up publicity for the product's launch, HP is offering a trade-in program where 100 people can exchange their old digital media adapter for the MediaSmart Connect. The company is also teaming with Microsoft to offer a series of four online "webinars" to demonstrate the product's features over the next few weeks. Feel free to check them out, but don't be surprised if you're just getting an infomercial for the product in question.

We'll be doing a detailed hands-on review of the MediaSmart Connect once we get a final production sample in July. (Also on deck: the similar Linksys DMA2200.) Until then, the floor is open: do you have any interest in the MediaSmart Connect, or in Windows Media Center Extenders in general? Is the whole idea of streaming media in the home just a niche market that will never go mainstream? Or would you prefer to go with an Xbox 360, which handles nearly all of the same media streaming functions, and adds game playback to boot?

HP MediaSmart Connect product page

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

There have been various efforts to bring YouTube to the TV and other devices that bypass the computer, from Apple TV and TiVo in the living room to Archos on the road. But most of these have centered on boxes made by third parties and not the TV makers themselves.

Hewlett-Packard is trying to fill that void with its "MediaSmart" products, which include an HDTV receiver that allows viewers "to create multiple playlists from anywhere they watch TV." There's a hefty price to watch those homemade cat videos on a big screen, however, as the MediaSmart TV with built-in receiver starts at $1,900 for 42- and 46-inch 1080p LCDs.

And of course, depending on the quality of the YouTube masterpiece that's playing, you could be looking at a morass of giant pixels viewable only if you stand 20 feet away. Then again, it might be best to keep your distance anyway in case it's a next-generation Rickroll.

New MediaSmart TVs will sport full MCE functionality

(Credit: HP)

HP has updated its MediaSmart TVs for the new year. On the surface, the new SL4282N (42-inch) and SL4782N (47-inch) are very similar to their 2007 counterparts: full 1080p resolution LCD flat-panels with 3 HDMI inputs, built-in high-def and analog tuners, and--the big differentiator--the ability to stream digital video, audio, and images via their built-in 802.11a/b/g/n wireless networking connections. But the big upgrade for 2008 is the inclusion of Media Center Extender functionality, which offers easy connectivity to PCs running most flavors of Vista. Prefer a non-HP TV, but want those same media features? HP's got you covered there, too: the company's external MediaSmart Receiver x280N attaches to any TV and delivers the same functionality.

HP's MediaSmart Receiver x280N streams media via a home network, or from an optional internal hard drive (shown on the right)

(Credit: HP)

HP likes to hedge its bets. In addition to a couple of big-screen flat-panel TVs with built-in Media Center Extenders, the company is now offering a set-top box as well. Like the MediaSmart TVs, the MediaSmart Receiver x280N has the ability to stream a wide variety of video (including MPEG-2, DivX, WMV, WMV-HD, and H.264/MP4 files), audio (MP3, WMA, WMA-Pro, WAV, AAC/m4a), and images (JPEG, BMP, GIF, and PNG photos) from networked PCs to your living room TV via its wired Ethernet or wireless 802.11a/b/g/n connections. Local media playback is also available via plug-in USB drives or HP's own proprietary Pocket Media Drive (also found on many of the company's desktop PCs). The box boasts HDMI and component video output at HD resolutions up to 720p and 1080i. The MediaSmart Receiver x280N will connect easily to PCs running most flavors of Windows Vista--and will go head-to-head with very similar models from Linksys and D-Link when it becomes available later this year.