Submitted by Paddy97:
manufacturer of broadband, wireless, and networking hardware for home and Small
Office/Home Office (SOHO) environments, today announced a new wireless
multimedia product called the Wireless-B Media Adapter (WMA11B) that allows
users to enjoy digital music and pictures stored on their PC to view and play on
their TV and stereo system. This is the first in a line of new Wireless Home
products from Linksys.
In spite of the high growth and fast acceptance of
MP3 players, Internet-delivered music, and digital cameras, the average home
entertainment system is still designed for analog input. The new Linksys
Wireless-B Media Adapter bridges the analog and digital worlds using 802.11b
wireless networking to deliver digital content to conventional TVs and home
stereos.
The Wireless-B Media Adapter sits by the television
and stereo and connects to them using standard A/V or S-Video cables. Then it
connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking, or if
users prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. The
media adapter also works in peer-to-peer mode (direct connection between the
media adapter and wired or wireless enabled computer) so no Internet service is
required.
Listen to your digital music collection through
your stereo system
The media adapter enables the user to stream MP3
and play WMA music files on the home TV and stereo system. Users can set the
adapter to play songs individually, by directory, or create M3U or ASX playlist
files. Linksys is also working to include playlist support from popular music
providers and music services such as the RHAPSODY digital music service from
Listen.com® and MusicMatch®. Users can also set up their own play lists by
album, song title, genre and much more. Other convenient options include Repeat
and Shuffle. Users can select music on the TV menu screen and the easy to use
remote control.
Browse your digital pictures on your television
InfoTrends Research predicts that by the end of the
year, 60% of Internet-connected households will own a digital camera (over 26
million homes). The Linksys Media Adapter provides a more convenient way for
this growing group of users to view pictures. Using the included remote control
and the user-friendly menus on a TV, users can browse through the digital
pictures on their wireless-enabled computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail.
Pictures can be viewed one at a time, or through an automatically created
slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The Media Adapter utilizes
Intel's XScale™ architecture PXA250 application processor not only to decode
digital music files, but also to support popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF
and BMP. The remote control's zoom button enables close-up details in the
pictures being viewed. For added entertainment, streaming digital music can also
be played at the same time the pictures are being displayed.
'Linksys is innovating products that extend the
network beyond traditional applications such as internet, file and resource
sharing for which home networks were developed. The result is a new line of
Wireless Home products that add on to the home network to provide connectivity
and access to other devices around the home," said Mike Wagner, Director of
Marketing at Linksys. 'The wireless media adapter, our first Wireless Home
product, not only brings together consumer electronics and home networking but
also provides users the ability to do more with the networks they have
installed."
Pricing and Availability
The Wireless-B Media Adapter comes complete with an
Infrared Remote Control with 2 AAA batteries, Audio/Video cable, S-Video cable,
Ethernet cable, power adapter, setup CD-ROM and installation guide. The WMA11B
is immediately available through retail, online resellers, distributors and
direct response for an estimated street price of $ 199.
About Linksys
Founded in 1988, Linksys, a Division of Cisco
Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the global leader in Wireless and Ethernet
networking for both consumer and SOHO users. Linksys is dedicated to making
networking easy and affordable for its customers, offering innovative,
award-winning products that seamlessly integrate with a variety of devices and
applications. Linksys provides 24/7 Grade 'A" product support to all its
customers. For more information, visit the Linksys web site at www.linksys.com.
Source: Linksys
