D-Link Pebble Media Player For Local & Network Streaming
D-Link would like to point out that Sling Media aren't the only company who can do place-shifting with interestingly-designed hardware, and to that end the networking specialists have outed the D-Link Pebble Media Player at CES 2010. A curvaceous lump with both HDMI and ethernet connectivity, the Pebble can stream media from across a network or play it from local memory cards or USB sticks.
It's not entirely clear how many USB 2.0 ports the Pebble has; D-Link's press shot shows little more than a shiny black mass, and the press release is similarly opaque. Still, we're thinking more than one, since you can apparently plug in a WiFi 802.11n dongle for wireless streaming along with USB hard-drives.
There's also a multiformat memory card reader, and you can also stream content from the internet. Audio outputs include analog and composite. The D-Link Pebble Media Player is expected to arrive in the first half of 2010, priced at $119.99.
Press Release:
D-LINK TOSSES 'PEBBLE' INTO MEDIA PLAYER POND AT CES 2010LAS VEGAS, CES Booth 36232, South Hall, LVCC, Jan. 6, 2010 -D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, today introduced a stylish addition to any home entertainment environment — the D-Link® Pebble™ — a uniquely designed media player that lets users play virtually all of their media in an attractive, easy-to-use and compact device.
Lightweight, decorative and functional, no other media player of its style and price offers full network capabilities in such a compact package. Pebble streams music, photos and video wherever they are stored – on external hard drives, in USB thumb drives, SD/XM/Flash memory cards, network attached storage (NAS) devices, PCs or the Internet. An optional dongle is available for wireless 802.11n connectivity.
When attached to a home network – either wired or wireless — the D-Link Pebble accepts media files from any PC on the network or NAS device, and allows playback on the entertainment center TV and stereo with high-resolution quality and crystal clear sound. The intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) makes user navigation quick and point-click-and-play easy.
The USB 2.0 ports support an external hard drive, thumbdrives, various memory card formats and a USB wireless dongle. HDMI 1.3 and analog video output and composite audio also are built into the Pebble for the ultimate viewing and listening experience.
Price and Availabiilty
The D-Link Pebble will be available in the first half of 2010 through the company's vast network of retail and etail outlets, and at D-Link's online store, www.dlinkshop.com, for the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) of $119.99.