Netgear is Looking to Replace Cable Set-Top Boxes

[exfileme]

Netgear is looking to replace the set-top-box provided by cable companies.

Netgear is Looking to Replace Cable Set-Top Boxes : Read more

 

[razor512]

Hopefully it has a good price point. Given that many other devices like this already exist, they would have likely one-up'ed everyone else in terms of hardware.

 

[drwho1]

I don't get "smart TV's".

I rather use a normal remote control.

There might be a future is this crap stays on where all TV's might have "smart TV features"....
I just hope that when that day gets here we can still Turn all "smart TV features" OFF.

 

[Recycled]

> I don't get "smart TV's".
> I rather use a normal remote control.

> There might be a future is this crap stays on where
> all TV's might have "smart TV features"....

> I just hope that when that day gets here we can still
> Turn all "smart TV features" OFF.

I'm guessing You've never used a "Smart TV" (HD Media Player.) It's just another box plugged into another input on Your TV. You can choose to do web-based stuff (like streaming video) or You can play media off a storage device, like a flash drive or a hard disk. If it is a separate box (which mine always have been,) then You can just unplug it.

 

[Recycled]

> Hopefully it has a good price point.

Not likely, since it's a big name-brand. For good prices, order direct from China (from a vendor with MUCH MORE EXPERIENCE in this field.)

> Given that many other devices like this already exist, they would
> have likely one-up'ed everyone else in terms of hardware.

They do have Wireless AC on board, which is a step up from most other players. That surprised me. There are a few common chip for these things. Everyone uses the same chips. (I love my R300 based on the RTD1186DD chip.)

It's unlikely that they fabbed a chip just for the one device, or that they were first-to-market with some new chip I've never heard of. Netgear, like WD before them, will put out a HD media player that is more stable than their cheap competitors, and put it on the shelves at US & EU electronics stores.

Other than that, it's the same thing we've been using for years.

 

[SpaceWrangler]

I don't get "smart TV's".I rather use a normal remote control.There might be a future is this crap stays on where all TV's might have "smart TV features"....I just hope that when that day gets here we can still Turn all "smart TV features" OFF.

I think you are mistaking what a Smart TV is with a voice command remote. There is a major difference. A Smart TV allows you to watch (stream) video from Netflix, Hulu, HBOGo, ESPN, Crackle, Amazon Video, etc. I am hoping for the day that we can phase out TV cable that allows the user to subscribe to channels directly. I can live without my cable TV with the exception that I love watching sports, of which my alma mater is across the country. I have to subscribe to expensive cable service to have ESPN to see their games. I would cut cable if I could directly subscribe to ESPN for $5-10 a month instead of paying $80 to Comcast. That would be a great thing.