It isn’t the biggest, baddest router on the market, that’s for sure, but for $30 it is a solid product.

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Amazon certainly has your entertainment electronics needs covered.

The highlights are Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Pandora, Napster, Flingo, and gaming. Yes, it seems like everyone is getting into the casual gaming on TV thing. They don’t have a full list of available channels, but the product images show Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Vimeo, Revision3, Blip.tv, TMZ, TED, Howcast, Crunchyroll, The Economist, and more. And note that Vudu support is more than just Vudu Movies, it also includes Vudu Apps. So that’s a whole suite of apps in addition to whatever they support natively.

The other big trick up the NeoTV’s sleeve is smartphone apps for both iOS and Android. You can use your smartphone as a remote control and it appears there will also be some social media integration from the Smartphone interface, such as sharing what you’re watching on Facebook. If you’re interested in more, check out the product page.

The Netgear NeoTV NTV200 is available for pre-order at Amazon for $79.99. It looks like a decent little box, but they’re got a big mountain to climb if they want to knock Roku off their perch. This is a good product, but is it better than Roku? I don’t know, I kind of doubt it. And there is the question of whether Netgear will stick with it and keep adding channels and features. After all, they dropped their Roku-based box pretty quickly. Between Roku, AppleTV, and a Google TV platform about to be reinvigorated with the Honeycomb update, they’ve got their work cut out for them to carve a niche. Boxee, Popcorn Hour, and others have already struggled to do so.

Sidenote, I’m amused that I immediately recognized the image they’re using for their YouTube feature as Natalie from Community Channel.

Via Engadget.

Pricing for this speed demon is $179.99, and it is available for pre-order now, shipping September 20th.

It is the first consumer router to include Clear Channel Selector and the first to include Netgear’s ReadySHARE Cloud service. As they describe it:

Clear Channel Selector, previously available only in more costly wireless routers for businesses, automatically detects when the WiFi channel currently in use becomes overcrowded and switches to another less-crowded channel. WiFi overcrowding is a growing problem as the number of WiFi access points proliferates and there’s more competition for WiFi frequencies from household devices such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors and from neighbors. Clear Channel Selector creates a more reliable home WiFi network by greatly reducing sudden disconnects and slowdowns, especially important for demanding applications such as HD video streaming, multi-player gaming and online voice or video chats.

ReadySHARE Cloud transforms a USB hard drive or flash drive plugged into the USB port of the N600 Premium Edition into a private “cloud” storage system for securely accessing and sharing files within the home network or across the Internet. There’s no need to go through the lengthy process of selecting a public file-sharing site and then uploading files, and no worries about privacy policies or what happens if the service suddenly goes out of business. Instead, ReadySHARE™ Cloud makes it easy to designate which files and folders on the USB drive can be shared. These shared files can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection, as well as through apps from NETGEAR for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android smartphones and Android tablets.

The router also has a USB port on the back which can be used for a USB drive or a USB printer, both of which can be shared over the network for other devices. When USB storage is attached the router acts as a Netgear ReadyNAS storage device and it even has built-in DLNA streaming to share your media with DLNA-enabled devices, like the PS3 and many Blu-ray players.

It also has support for TiVo. A built in TiVo HMO server allows it to stream music and photos to your TiVo. But it also seems to act as a TiVoToGo client and“a USB drive connected to the router can serve as extra storage for TiVo video recordings.” Of course, you’d only be able to copy shows to the attached storage if they’re not copy protected on the TiVo. You can also play content from the router attached storage on the TiVo.

Those with a hacking bent will like it because it is an open platform and can readily run DD-WRT, OpenWRT, and Tomato firmware.

The downside for all of these features is the price. It carries a $179.99 MSRP, though Amazon has it for $149.99.

The Buffalo Technology N600 that I just ordered for myself have very similar specs, and it is only $89.99 at Amazon. The Netgear has a few more bells and whistles, but personally I don’t think they’re worth $60. If I’m going to use network storage I’d want something with RAID, like Drobo. But if the extra features are worth it to you, it looks like a good product. I’m happy with the Buffalo units I’ve ordered.

It streams content from popular sites such as BBC.com, CNN.com, ESPN.com, EuroSport.com, NBC.com, PGATour and TMZ.com, as well as video powerhouses YouTube, Google Videos™, Yahoo Videos™ and MetaCafe™. NETGEAR’s Internet TV Player supports streaming of live TV broadcasts from Internet sites around the world, and premium, paid movies on demand such as CinemaNow.com, in addition to downloaded videos from sites such as BitTorrent®. Its superior VTap™ video search capabilities enable the intelligent search of Internet videos, including targeting video sites by country, topic of interest, person or popular website. Consumers are also able to play video, music, and photos from a local USB flash drive as well as from the NETGEAR ReadyNAS® family of storage solutions.

And it does all this with an MSRP of $199 – that’s sounds like a pretty good price for a box that does all of this, and I fully expect it to be updated with more content access. It is connected to your network via the built-in Ethernet port, or via a USB WiFi adapter. It will be available in early summer.

The other unit is higher end, the Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9150, slated for a February release with a $399 MSRP. For that higher price you get a built-in 500GB drive, easily user upgradable to larger capacities, and support for Blu-ray quality output at 1080p. It works simultaneously with Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs, as well as NAS devices. And it supports a wide array of formats and codecs:

— Video formats: AVI, DivX, Xvid WMV, MOV, M4V, MP4, VOB, MPG, MP1, MP2, MP4, ISO, IFO, MKV, TS and M2TS;
— Audio formats: MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WMA-Pro, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, LPCM, Dolby AC3 5.1 stereo downmix, Dolby AC3 5.1 passthrough, DTS 5.1 passthrough, Dolby TrueHD Downmix, Dolby+ Passthrough and DTS-HD Master Audio passthrough;
— Subtitle formats: SUB, SRT, SMI, SAMI, TXT and DVD Subpicture; and,
— Video codecs: MP1, MP2, MP4, Xvid, VC-1/WMV-9, H.264 and OpenDivX.

That’s quite an extensive list. It has an Ethernet port, but also built-in 802.11n wireless for high-speed WiFi connections. And it is dual-band – operating in both 2.4Ghz and 5GHz bands, which means you can get higher performance in areas saturated with 802.11b/g 2.4GHz signals. It sounds like a fairly impressive unit, I’d like to play with one.

Press release:

Jan 7, 2009 12:00 ET

NETGEAR Unveils Two New Internet-Connected Set-Top Products to Enrich TV Entertainment for Internet Families and Serious Media Enthusiasts

Bringing the World of Internet Videos, Live Internet TV, YouTube, Popular Websites, HD Media Collections, Family Photos, Music and More to the TV

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opening today, NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTGR) , a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, introduced two new products that enable consumers to enjoy the world of Internet videos and digital entertainment content on their HDTV screens. Designed to enhance the connected lifestyles of Internet-generation families and serious media enthusiasts, the NETGEAR Internet TV Player (ITV2000) and the NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Elite (EVA9150) will be demonstrated this week in the NETGEAR booth, 30769, in the South Hall 3 of the Las Vegas Convention Center. (See press release, “NETGEAR Delivers the Connected Lifestyle at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show.”)

“Internet video consumption is at an all-time high,” said Vivek Pathela, NETGEAR’s vice president and general manager of home/consumer products. “Just in the month of October 2008 alone, comScore® estimated that almost half of the total U.S. population viewed more than 13.5 billion online videos. That’s a large number of Internet videos that are viewed mostly on PCs, even though many people would rather watch them on their TVs.”

Pathela added, “Our new family of Internet-connected set-top products will, for the first time, enable users to benefit from viewing the broadest spectrum of Internet videos and digital content on their HDTVs, in the comfort of their living rooms. We’re offering a diverse line-up of networked entertainment products designed to suit the needs of various connected lifestyles, from the Internet family to the serious media enthusiast.”

Internet TV Player (ITV2000)

NETGEAR’s Internet TV Player (ITV2000) is a compact, easy-to-use, “plug in and go” Internet set-top device with a simple remote control that enables viewers to catch up on the world of Internet videos including YouTube™, live Internet TV, popular Internet video websites, premium video-on-demand and online video searches retrieving billions of Internet videos from a place it was previously unavailable — the TV in their living rooms. Rather than watching videos on PC screens in separate rooms, families can watch video from a variety of Internet sources on the TV together, in the comfort of their den or family room.

The Internet TV Player unlocks the value of new HDTVs as well as old analog TVs. It is ideal for the Internet families who enjoy online video, and for those who are geographically displaced from their preferred television content, such as international sporting events and Bollywood productions. It streams content from popular sites such as BBC.com, CNN.com, ESPN.com, EuroSport.com, NBC.com, PGATour and TMZ.com, as well as video powerhouses YouTube, Google Videos™, Yahoo Videos™ and MetaCafe™. NETGEAR’s Internet TV Player supports streaming of live TV broadcasts from Internet sites around the world, and premium, paid movies on demand such as CinemaNow.com, in addition to downloaded videos from sites such as BitTorrent®. Its superior VTap™ video search capabilities enable the intelligent search of Internet videos, including targeting video sites by country, topic of interest, person or popular website. Consumers are also able to play video, music, and photos from a local USB flash drive as well as from the NETGEAR ReadyNAS® family of storage solutions.

Slightly larger than a deck of cards, the compact Internet TV Player connects to the home network and the Internet via Ethernet or wireless USB adapter. It does not require a PC to play Internet video, nor does it require installing any PC software or setting up file sharing or firewall settings.

The NETGEAR Internet TV Player (ITV2000) is expected to be available in early Summer 2009 through leading retailers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers, at an MSRP in the U.S. of $199. More information can be found at (http://www.netgear.com/Products/Entertainment/DigitalMediaPlayers/itv2000.aspx).

Digital Entertainer Elite (EVA9150)

An ideal solution for serious media enthusiasts, NETGEAR’s Digital Entertainer Elite (EVA9150) is the most powerful and flexible digital media player available, incorporating the latest video, audio and wireless technologies to deliver an unparalleled living room experience. Its integrated 500GB hard drive, easily user-upgradeable to larger capacity disks, makes the Digital Entertainer Elite the world’s most powerful home video jukebox on the market. Consumers can play on their TVs Blu-Ray quality up to 1080p digital video, high-resolution digital photos, MP3s and recorded television shows from their PCs or storage on their network. They can also enjoy Internet content, such as YouTube, Internet radio, Flickr™, RSS feeds, and videos from popular websites. The Digital Entertainer Elite automatically finds all digital media files on the home network and organizes them into an easily accessible library.

The Digital Entertainer Elite is exceptional in that it works simultaneously with Windows®, Mac® and Linux computers, and Networked Attached Storage (NAS) devices, such as NETGEAR’s award-winning family of ReadyNAS® storage solutions. It supports an unmatched list of file formats, including:

— Video formats: AVI, DivX, Xvid WMV, MOV, M4V, MP4, VOB, MPG, MP1, MP2,
MP4, ISO, IFO, MKV, TS and M2TS;
— Audio formats: MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WMA-Pro, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV,
LPCM, Dolby AC3 5.1 stereo downmix, Dolby AC3 5.1 passthrough, DTS 5.1
passthrough, Dolby TrueHD Downmix, Dolby+ Passthrough and DTS-HD
Master Audio passthrough;
— Subtitle formats: SUB, SRT, SMI, SAMI, TXT and DVD Subpicture; and,
— Video codecs: MP1, MP2, MP4, Xvid, VC-1/WMV-9, H.264 and OpenDivX.

The Digital Entertainer Elite’s two USB ports also enable instant access to content on a USB flash drive, digital camera, iPod® or other USB storage device. Three of NETGEAR’s exclusive RangeMax™ internal metamaterial antennas and Dual-Band wireless 802.11n give the Digital Entertainer Elite the best wireless performance of any digital media player on the market. More specifically, the Dual-Band wireless enables the Digital Entertainer Elite to pick from not only three 2.4GHz channels, crowded by 802.11g wireless networks in the neighborhood, but up to twenty clearer channels in the 5GHz band. Further, the Sigma Designs 8635 chip ensures the most powerful and flexible audio and video performance.

Multiple NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Elite units can work in concert throughout a house. Using “Follow Me,” consumers can pause a video in one room and resume it in another. While in “Party Mode,” they can synchronize music playback for whole-home listening.

The Digital Entertainer Elite also features NETGEAR’s award-winning Push ‘N’ Connect to seamlessly and securely connect wireless clients based on Wi-Fi Protected Set-up (WPS), eliminating the need to remember or input password keys. Further, NETGEAR’s Digital Entertainer Elite includes environmentally friendly features, such as an energy-efficient power supply and auto-sleep mode.

Backed by a one-year warranty and full 24/7 technical support, the NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Elite (EVA9150) is expected to be available in February through leading retailers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers at an MSRP in the U.S. of $399. More information can be found at (http://www.netgear.com/Products/Entertainment/DigitalMediaPlayers/eva9150.aspx).

“NETGEAR’s product introductions take advantage of two major trends that we are seeing with consumers — digital media and connectivity,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst of Parks Associates, which specializes in research and analysis for digital living technologies. “First, as digital media collections grow, we anticipate that the average broadband household will require a significant amount of additional storage and media centralization capabilities. Second, our Digital Media Evolution study finds high demand for connected CE experiences that can deliver premium Web content to the living room.”

About NETGEAR, Inc.

NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) designs innovative, branded technology solutions that address the specific networking, storage, and security needs of small- to medium-sized businesses and home users. The company offers an end-to-end networking product portfolio to enable users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, multimedia content, and applications among multiple computers and other Internet-enabled devices. Products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in over 29,000 retail locations around the globe, and via more than 41,000 value-added resellers. The company’s headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. NETGEAR is an ENERGY STAR® partner. More information is available by visiting www.netgear.com or calling (408) 907-8000.

(C) 2009 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR®, the NETGEAR logo, RangeMax and ReadyNAS are trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Information is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved.

Note: Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual data throughput will vary from maximum signal rates stipulated. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for NETGEAR, Inc.:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning the expected performance characteristics, specifications, market acceptance, market growth, specific uses, user feedback and market position of NETGEAR’s products and technology are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following: the actual price, performance and ease of use of NETGEAR’s products may not meet the price, performance and ease of use requirements of customers; product performance may be adversely affected by real world operating conditions; failure of products may under certain circumstances cause permanent loss of end user data; new viruses or Internet threats may develop that challenge the effectiveness of security features in NETGEAR’s products; the ability of NETGEAR to market and sell its products and technology; the impact and pricing of competing products; and the introduction of alternative technological solutions. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect NETGEAR and its business are detailed in the Company’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled “Part II – Item 1A. Risk Factors,” pages 31 through 44, in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 28, 2008, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 7, 2008. NETGEAR undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030730/NETGEARLOGO)
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030730/NETGEARLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com/

Source: NETGEAR, Inc.

CONTACT: Shira Frantzich of Sterling Communications, +1-408-884-5156,
sfrantzich@sterlingpr.com, for NETGEAR, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.netgear.com/