News

PRISMIQ Introduces High-End Entertainment Gateway Product, The PRISMIQ MediaPlayer/Recorder (16/12/2003)

Diskless Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and Networked Set-Top Box Leverages Home Computers and the Home Network to Record TV Shows, Access PC Media, and Provide Broadband Services

PRISMIQ, Inc., a leader in networked entertainment devices and software, today announced a new, high-end entertainment gateway product, the PRISMIQ MediaPlayer/Recorder (MP/R). The PRISMIQ MP/R is the next generation in entertainment gateways -- a diskless digital video recorder (DVR), a full-featured digital media hub for playback of personal media stored on home PCs, and an IP set-top box. PRISMIQ will debut the product at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 8-11. The company also announced today that it has won the CES Innovations award for the PRISMIQ MP/R.

Residing within the home entertainment system, the PRISMIQ MP/R easily connects to the cable or satellite TV set-top box, to all household computers via the home network as a node on the network, and to the Internet through the home router. As a networked and diskless DVR, the MPR can record scheduled or ad hoc shows, pause live TV, and store shows limitlessly throughout the home network or archive to DVD. Furthermore, the PRISMIQ MP/R is the first digital video recorder (DVR) product to have different show lists for all family members, true parental control, MPEG-4 encoding, advanced search and display capabilities, and integrated ability to archive shows to a PC's DVD-RW drive. There are an estimated 3 million DVR products in the North American market today, and The Yankee Group projects there will be over 19 million by the end of 2006.

"The PRISMIQ MediaPlayer/Recorder simply adds TV recording capabilities to its sister product, the PRISMIQ MediaPlayer," said Ken Goldsholl, president and CEO of PRISMIQ. "Among DVRs, this product is unique in that it contains no hard drive, thus eliminating the noise, added cost, and lack of expandability plaguing all other DVR products -- yet the product is able to record shows, pause live TV, and play back recorded shows as if it had a hard drive in it. Best of all, by using both the MediaPlayer and the MediaPlayer/Recorder in the same home, you end up with a much more logical and affordable multi-TV solution for the home, since the lower cost MediaPlayer can play back shows recorded from the MediaPlayer/Recorder."

Taking its cue from its predecessor, the award-winning PRISMIQ MediaPlayer, the PRISMIQ MediaPlayer/Recorder can also transport PC media to the TV and stereo. The MP/R can play MP3/WMA/WAV audio files, play MPEG-1/2/4/AVI/Motion-JPEG/WMV/Real PC video files, and display digital photos and slideshows. The MP/R's associated PC software converts the home PC(s) into a media server without affecting performance of the PC. The MP/R can support all computers on the home network simultaneously.

The PRISMIQ MediaPlayer/Recorder also functions as an IP set-top box and is able to support both carrier-based IP video-on-demand offerings and web-based movie-on-demand services, such as CinemaNow(TM), at the TV. Similarly, the MP/R is able to support audio services, such as Emusic(TM), Listen.com(TM), and MusicMatch(TM), at the stereo. The MP/R also supports IPTV, Internet radio, Web-based gaming, instant messaging, and portal-on-TV service.

The complete PRISMIQ MediaPlayer/Recorder product package consists of a compact set-top unit, a hand-held remote control, a CD with software that converts your PC to a media server, cables, and documentation. The product will sell for $299.95 and be available in Q2 2004 through retail and e-commerce channels. There are no monthly service fees associated with the product.

www.PRISMIQ.com