Rich Fiscus
17 Sep 2007 8:53
A new line of set-top boxes described as a digital media receivers (DMRs) from OEM manufacturer Digeo is expected to be available from select retail outlets in the U.S in time for this year's holiday shopping season. The boxes, which will be marketed under the Moxi brand currently distributed only to cable providers, will combine DVD playback, digital cable reception, DVR, IPTV, and music jukebox features.
Digeo CEO Michael Fidler believes that the units, which can not only receive and store digital media, but also control non-A/V systems like lighting, climate control, and security. Some units will also be able to supply content to thin-client hardware that can be located in different rooms. One of the key selling points of the boxes, according to Fidler, will be the unified GUI provided to control all of the DMR's features via remote control.
"We have very modest goals for the product," said Fidler. "We think it is establishing a new category. We know that TiVo has been out there with their product starting that, and this is a great new opportunity for retailers, who really haven't participated in the cable industry at all, until the availability of a national umbrella [CableCARD] that allows this product to be sold in any retailer in the country [or] to any operator in the country."
Although many of these features are available on the set-top boxes sold to cable companies, Digeo's retail line will be the first to offer this many features in a single box.
Besides competing with DVR boxes provided by cable companies, as well as those provided by vendors like TiVo, these boxes may find a market among people who want the flexibility of an HTPC, but are intimidated by the idea of evaluating and learning PC based systems.
Source: This Week In Consumer Electronics