Smart TV ownership is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years, merging traditional TV with web connectivity for tens of millions of new viewers. Media players, however, continue to bridge that gap for consumers unwilling (or unable) to drop hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on fancy new sets. Netgear announced on Wednesday its own bridge: the NeoTV media player.
The online streaming device is limited to HDTVs that feature HDMI ports, said Netgear. Smartening up your average TV requires it to have some intelligence, anyway. Despite that caveat and predicted smart TV market gains, Netgear believes customers will bite.
"There's no longer any reason to miss out on all the new entertainment choices streaming to homes through the Internet," said Damir Skripic, Product Line Manager for Connected Entertainment at Netgear. "The Netgear NeoTV Streaming Player is an easy, affordable way to transform the television you already own into a smart TV."
The NeoTV player will boast the usual online suspects as featured options; YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vudu, Pandora and Netflix are all accessible through a connected set. News channels such as The Economist and TMZ are also slated for inclusion.
Flexibility and cross-platform features are front and center. Users can connect to the Internet via wired Ethernet or 300MB/s WiFi for 1080p content said Netgear. On the audio front, an S-PDIF audio out is available. A free app from the company will let viewers use smart phones as makeshift remote controllers, though Netgear confirmed a vanilla remote would also be included.
On the video games front, Netgear is promising some simple yet free casual titles, such as Blackjack and Texas Hold 'em. Not quite as impressive as competitor Roku, who struck a coup in July when it announced a free copy of hit mobile game "Angry Birds" would be included in the initial run of its Roku 2 media player.
Anthony Wood, Roku CEO, elaborated that video games were a major focus for the company. Netgear seems uninterested in pursuing that popular facet more aggressively.
Netgear says the NeoTV streaming player will be available in stores later this month for $79.99.
Media player or smart TV? Let us know in the comment section.
