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HD-ready IP set-top offers Android integration
2010-08-26 Article Rating:  / 0
N Media Corp. announced that its "!ROFL" IPTV set-top box (STB) now offers an Android-based software stack, enabling users to download apps from Android Market. The box supports 1080p playback, and offers 32GB of NAND flash along with Ethernet, HDMI, and USB connectivity, says the company.
According to In Media, an existing version of the !ROFL is running an In Fusion software stack, -- presumably based on another version of embedded Linux -- that is said to be already shipping in handheld devices in China. The company now plans to offer the box via various partners to markets including China, India, and the U.S., and to sweeten interest in the device has extended In Fusion and the !ROFL to offer an unspecified version of Android.  In Media's !ROFL set-top In Media does not offer details on this integration, but says that the !ROFL lets users "share, view, play, and interact with content driven from their handheld devices to their television sets." The company does not mention any planned support for Google's upcoming, Android-based Google TV platform for IP STBs. The !ROFL box runs Android on an undisclosed processor that is capable of supporting 1080p HD playback, according to the company. Support is said to be offered for H.264, MPEG-4, Motion JPEG, and several other video, audio, and image formats. The device, which appears to be not much larger than a MID or large smartphone, is equipped with 32GB of NAND flash and an SDHC card slot. The !ROFL also offers an RJ45 Ethernet port, says In Media. A USB 2.0 Host port is supplied, and the device is said to offer support for USB-based 802.11b/g, cameras, and keyboards. (It's not clear, however, whether all these options are available simultaneously.) Storage is also supported via USB, as well as via the SDHC slot, says the company. Other !ROFL hardware features include an HDMI port, an S/PDIF connection, and an infrared remote control, says In Media. Audio features are said to include a dual-array microphone and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The !ROFL can stream live content from its partners, and it offers video on demand content from websites such as Netflix and Blockbuster, says In Media. Telephony and videoconferencing is supported via VoIP services, such as Skype, says the company. The !ROFL offers a web browser, email and chat services, an ebook reader, a slide-show app, and Internet radio features, says In Media. Flash Lite 3.1 is said to be offered, as well as Google Apps applications, including productivity document readers. The !ROFL is said to offer "personal content storage streaming" to multiple devices, presumably via DLNA. The box also allows users to store content on the network hosted by cloud providers such as Amazon.com, thereby "eliminating the need to burn DVDs to a hard disk to create a content library," says In Media. In Media bills itself as an integrator of IPTV services and content for major platform and service providers, including cable, satellite, and Internet providers. The company provides a combination of products and services including STB hardware and software services, STB manufacturing, as well as content library and aggregation services. Stated Nick Karnik, In Media CEO, "With !ROFL, we have taken the applications to big screen TVs, not only providing a 1080P High Definition content viewing experience, while enjoying the full range of Android supported applications." Availability In Media offers no details on the pricing, availability, or provider partnerships for the iROFL, but the box appears to be aimed initially at China, with planned expansion to markets including India and the U.S. More information may be found here. Related Stories:
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