D-Link demos first DivX media streamer

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 9 Oct 2007 at 15:50

D-Link will be launching the first DivX Connected HD media player in mid-November, the company revealed at a London launch event today. The DSM-330 will stream DivX video, MP3 and digital photos from a PC.

Content can be streamed over a wired Ethernet connection or 802.11g WLAN. The omission of draft-n was said to be for cost reasons, although D-Link insists that 802.11g is "more than enough" for video streaming.

The player ran impressively in the presentation, although unrealistically, the PC, router and media player were all within five feet of one other. The menus were attractive and responsive, and video streaming was smooth.

One thing that may put off potential customers is the box requires a PC to be running constantly, and cannot run directly from a NAS. The system is effectively driven by the PC, and menu screens are simply streamed to the set-top box as DivX frames. The included remote control passes commands back to the PC, via the box.

The DSM-330 is only being launched in Europe, and although there are no current plans for a US launch, a D-Link spokesperson admitted that "there is nothing to stop it being delivered to the US." This strategy makes sense, as DivX is far more popular in Europe than in the US.

During the presentation, DivX co-founder, Jerome Rota, mentioned in passing that DivX Inc has discussed the possibility of a similar product that would plug straight into a television's SCART or HDMI socket, consisting of only a very small and hidden box.

The DSM-330 will be priced at £130 (inc VAT) when it launches next month.