Mediabolic, Inc. describes its Network Media Player (NMP), just announced and demonstrated at the [email protected] conference, as a standards-based technology platform for wirelessly integrating a TV with home PCs and the Internet. Designed around a video processing chip from Equator and embedded Linux, the NMP complies with DLNA and UPnP standards, emerging DRM technologies, Intel NMPR specifications, and major media formats such as DivX 5, MPEG 1,2 and 4, WMA, WMV, MP3 and ASF; and it supports HD and SD television, as well as DVI, HDMI, component and standard composite video.

(Click for larger view of the Mediabolic Network Media Player)

The Mediabolic NMP is able to present “PC and Internet applications optimized for a lean-back, remote-controlled TV viewing experience,” according to the company, which is a leading provider of software infrastructure and services for connected entertainment devices. These applications include playback of personal entertainment content, including music, photos and videos, plus access to premium content services such as full-length movies on-demand.

Mediabolic's Network Media Player has the appearance of a DVD player
(Click image for a larger view)
The NMP, which looks somewhat like a low-profile DVD player, also “enables dozens of new, personalized applications optimized for the TV,” according to the company, including local weather reports, on-demand customized news reports, etc. Mediabolic maintains a catalog of on-demand applications based on open standards for this environment.

Mediabolic's application browser
In operation, the NMD sits between TV and its video source and it provides both Ethernet and a wireless adapter for the interconnection to home PCs. With the press of a button, users can search and view media located on the PCs, and the NMD can be tied into home security monitoring system, as well. There is no need to switch inputs with the NMP because, according to the company, it “tightly integrates the TV viewing experience with a user interface that is an overlay to the TV video source.”

Rear panel connections include DVI, HDMI and Component; the two USB ports are reserved for “later enhancements”
(Click image for a larger view)

The NMP's embedded computer is based on a highly-integrated system-on-chip processor, equipped with 64 MB of RAM and 32MB of Flash memory.

Mediabolic expects products built on its NMP “ready-to-go” reference design to become available in Q4 2005 from leading consumer electronics, PC and PC peripheral manufacturers, and it also expects the NMP to be embedded into televisions themselves.

The company said that the “remote application technologies” of the NMP that bring PC-based applications to the television will “help to accelerate the growth of the television as an application platform, much as the PDA and cell phone have become.” The number of such applications available will grow quickly, Mediabolic predicted, because they are easy to write using existing programming tools and techniques such as HTML, JavaScript, Flash, and ActiveX.

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