| Windows-powered audio/video entertainment devices |
(updated Jun. 5, 2009)
This guide contains a sampling of audio/video entertainment devices based on Microsoft's embedded Windows operating systems. The devices featured in this section mostly target professional installers. For example, set-top boxes and lighting controllers are featured here. Given the versatility of Windows, of course, media playback is also provided by handheld devices, mobile phones, general-purpose panel PCs, and tablet-style devices -- so be sure to check out the relevant sections of our showcase if you don't find what you're looking for here.
Note that this list is not meant to be all-inclusive; many of the manufacturers represented here offer additional models covering a spectrum of features and specs. This list will be updated frequently, so be sure to check back periodically for the latest info. The devices are listed in order of our coverage, from most recent to earliest.
 Crestron TMPC-3X -- Jun. 23, 2009 -- Crestron's remote control runs Windows CE 6.0 and is designed to work with the company's home automation systems. The "TMPC-3X" includes 27 programmable buttons, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, 802.11a/b/g wireless networking, and can play video from security cameras.
 Sega RingEdge and RingWide -- Feb. 24, 2009 -- Sega adopted the Windows Embedded Standard (WES) 2009 operating system for these arcade gaming consoles. The RingEdge and RingWide, intended for installation in video arcades, include Pentium or Celeron 440 CPUs and solid-state storage.
 Silicon Mountain Allio Lite -- Feb. 3, 2009 -- Silicon Mountain's 32- and 42-inch HDTV receivers include embedded PCs running Windows Vista. The "Allio Lite" devices include dual-core Intel Atom 330 CPUs, read/write DVD drives, 250GB of hard disk storage, and 250GB of hard disk storage.
 Sotec HDC-1L -- Dec. 3, 2008 -- Japanese computer manufacturer Sotec and audio specialist Onkyo offer a co-branded "music nettop" based on Windows XP and Intel's Atom 230 processor. The HDC-1L features 1GB of RAM,a 160GB hard disk drive, four USB ports, Ethernet, and a slot-loading DVD writer.
 Bang and Olufsen BeoSound 5 -- Nov. 13, 2008 -- Danish stereo equipment vendor Bang & Olufsen (B&O) offers this digital music server based on Windows XP Embedded (XPe). The BeoSound 5 comprises two units including a high-styled "remote" with a flat-panel display, and a "black box" server with a 2.0GHz Via processor and a 500GB hard drive.
 Qumu Capture Studio -- Sep. 29, 2008 -- Qumu's Capture Studio is a Windows-based appliance designed to record presentations and business meetings. The "Capture Studio" has a quad-core Intel Core 2 Q6600 processor, eight video inputs and four audio inputs, integral A/V switcher and mixer, and creates video in multiple formats simultaneously.
 Crestron ADMS (Adagio Digital Music System -- Sep. 18, 2008 -- Crestron's digital media server runs an embedded version of Windows Vista. The ADMS (Adagio Digital Music System) includes a DVD or Blu-ray disk drive, up to 1TB of RAID hard disk storage, Internet Explorer, plus HDMI, S/PDIF, and component outputs.
 Elan Home Systems XP-8.4 -- Sep. 9, 2008 -- Elan Home Systems uses Windows XP Embedded on this wireless panel PC, intended to control A/V, lighting, temperature, spa, and security systems. The "XP-8.4" includes an 8.4-inch touchscreen, WiFi, an AMD Geode LX800 processor, docking station, and up to six hours battery life.
 VidaBox PicoPC -- Jul. 21, 2008 -- VidaBox's mini-PC that runs Windows XP Embedded (XPe) and is designed to add computer functionality to large-screen televisions. The "PicoPC" features an AMD Geode LX800 processor, fanless operation, from 2GB to 16GB of solid-state storage, Ethernet, and optional Wifi.
 VidaBox TouchClient 12 -- May. 19, 2008 -- VidaBox's touchscreen panel PC runs Windows XP Embedded (XPe) and targets home entertainment installations. The fanless TouchClient12 features a 12-inch display with 1024 x 768 resolution, two 10/100 Ethernet ports, two serial ports, stereo speakers, and optional 802.11b/g wireless.
 Asus Essentio CS5110 -- Apr. 24, 2008 -- When launching this media-oriented mini PC, Asus said it was the world's first to have an embedded discrete graphics card. The Essentio CS5110 offers a Blu-Ray drive, plays 1080p HD video via HDMI, offers S/PDIF audio output, and has up to 1TB of disk storage.
 Martin Professional Maxxyz Compact -- Apr. 13, 2008 -- Martin Professional built this professional lighting and effects console around a Pentium M-based computer running Windows XP Embedded. The "Maxxyz Compact" can control up to 32,000 fixtures with 1,000 cuelists and up to 32 DMX512 universes.
 Embedded Automation mPanel -- Mar. 10, 2008 -- Embedded Automation designed this Windows CE 6.0-based touchscreen computer to stream music from other devices on a local area network. The mPanel features a built-in 20-Watt amp, support for power-over-Ethernet, and interfaces for Z-Wave, Insteon, and/or X10 automation technologies.
 Tvcompass SR1500 Digital Media Remote -- Jan. 28, 2008 -- Tvcompass offers this Windows CE-based remote for home theater systems. The "SR 1500 Digital Media Remote" (DMR) boasts a color display, wireless networking, and Web browsing capabilities, and can be used to control more than two dozen different devices at once.
 Dynavisions Solo HD 200 -- Jan. 18, 2008 -- Swiss company Dynavisions offers this "provider independent" set-top box (STB) based on Windows CE 6.0 Professional. The Solo HD 200 provides 720p HD video and "supports all known video formats."
 Asus Nova -- Dec. 6, 2007 -- Asus offers a media-oriented PC it refers to as a "two-liter" system, referring to the system's small volume. Measuring 9 x 7.25 x 2 inches, the Nova offers integral speakers, plus 5:1 surround sound via a digital optical output, a remote control, a carrying handle, and Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processors.
 NEC Lui and Remoter -- Dec. 4, 2007 -- Styled like a home stereo component, NEC's Vista-based media server is designed to send content to specialized thin clients based on Windows CE or Window XP Embedded. The "Lui" server can send video to two "Remoter" clients at once via wired or wireless networking.
 Advantech UbiQ-350 -- Aug. 28, 2007 -- This remote control panel for home theater offers both WiFi and ZigBee wireless interfaces. Advantech's UbiQ-350 also features a 7-inch touchscreen and the "Windows CE 5.0 core" operating system.
 A2i X-720 -- Aug. 1, 2007 -- A2i's Windows CE-based set-top box (STB) supports IPTV (Internet protocol television) and video-on-demand (VOD) features. The X-720 uses Sigma's SMP8634 streaming video SoC (system-on-chip), which among other things endows the X-720 with its stated HDMI support.
 Fifth Media Axia A608R -- Mar. 26, 2007 -- Malaysia-based Fifth Media offers a multimedia set-top box that merges 3.5G HSDPA mobile broadband with WiFi and Bluetooth wireless technologies. The Axia A608R runs Windows XP Embedded, and targets a diverse range of applications, including entertainment, surveillance, IP-telephony, payment terminals, and kiosks.
 Navicom Pulse -- Nov. 27, 2006 -- Navicom Technologies' Windows CE-powered home automation controller is part of its "Pulse" product family. The Pulse Controller integrates with a variety of home automation protocols for control of lighting, HVAC, curtains, IP cameras, and other systems in homes or hotels.
 Advanced Technetix AccessKey Home IP-STB -- Oct. 26, 2006 -- Advanced Technetix offers an IP-STB (Internet protocol set-top box) with a USB-based "cable card" that allows users to access subscription content from Internet-connected PCs. The "AccessKey Home" runs Windows XP or XP Embedded and targets IP-TV service providers.
 Interactive Television Networks IP-STB -- Oct. 17, 2006 -- Interactive Television Networks (ITVN) offers a Internet protocol set-top box (IP-STB) that runs Windows CE. ITVN's new IP-STB is based on NXP's STB810 reference design, and offers video telephony,DVD playback, storage and PVR (personal video recording) functionality.
 Crestron TPMC-8X -- Sep. 20, 2006 -- Home automation specialist Crestron used Windows XP Embedded to build this member of its family of wireless-enabled touchpanel controller/mediaplayer devices. The TPMC-8X controls audio/video distribution, lighting, climate control, and security, while also being able to run standard PC applications.
 Elan Home Systems VIA!dj II -- Sep. 1, 2006 -- Elan Home Systems used Windows XP Embedded for the VIA!dj II Digital Music Server. The device is a "multi-output digital audio storage and music management system" that provides access to music from a VIA! touch-panel, or from a network-enabled television.
 Exceptional Innovation Lifetouch -- Aug. 24, 2006 -- Exceptional Innovation (EI) used Windows XP Embedded to build a series of touchpanel controllers that work with the company's Lifeware home automation and digital entertainment software. The company's "Lifetouch" panels have 2GHz Pentium M processors and a widescreen LCD that can simultaneously display up to four HD video streams.
 High End Systems Hog iPC lighting console -- Apr. 28, 2006 -- This small, mid-range theater lighting controller is based on an integrated PC motherboard (hence the name iPC) running Windows XP Embedded. It directly controls up to 2048 DMX dimmer channels with an additional 2048 channels available through USB connected devices. The accompanying Wholehog III operating software offers an advanced graphical user interface with an intuitive programming environment and a high degree of user configurability.
 HP z556 and z558 Digital Entertainment Center -- Oct. 17, 2005 -- The next generation of Media Center PCs from Hewlett-Packard boasts two standard definition TV tuners and one ATSC high-definition tuner. They run Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Update Rollup 2 on 3 GHz Pentium 4 processors. The DVD burner can also burn "professional looking" greyscale laser-etched labels onto CDs and DVDs using "LightScribe" technology.
 View Interactive Jukeboost -- Sep. 22, 2005 -- Jukeboost is a family of conversion kits that upgrade coin-operated jukeboxes from playing CDs to receiving music over a secure broadband Internet connection from Ecast's collection of over 200,000 song titles. The kits run Windows XP Embedded on a Pentium-based embedded single board computer.
 Talegent Evolution1 series STB platforms -- Sep. 6, 2005 -- The Evolution1 series of set-top box (STB) platforms aims to offer an "all-in-one concept" for home entertainment devices based on Windows CE. The series currently includes three models, and supports widely used standards and protocols such as ISO H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Windows Media, IPTV, and DVB.
 Martin Maxxyz lighting console -- May. 23, 2005 -- This top-of-the-line lighting control console for live entertainment productions runs Windows XP Embedded on a pair of industrial-strength, Pentium III based single-board computers (SBCs) with failover redundancy. It can control up to 4096 dimmer and special effects channels, expandable to 16,384.
 Microsoft Xbox 360 -- May. 13, 2005 -- With its custom triple-core IBM PowerPC processor together with a custom graphics processor by ATI and 512MB of system DRAM, the Xbox 360 is likely destined for much more than just game playing. The big question is: what operating system does it run? Much of the speculation in a WindowsForDevices talkback forum centers on some variation on Windows NT.
 Tiger Telematics Gizmondo -- Jan. 8, 2005 -- This pocket-sized gaming console combines GSM/GPRS cellular, GPS, Bluetooth, a camera, and accelerated graphics. It runs Windows CE on a 400MHz ARM9 CPU coupled with a GoForce 4500 graphics chip.
 Universal Electronics NevoSL universal remote -- Jan. 4, 2005 -- The NevoSL, running Windows CE allows users to access and control digital media and other devices throughout the home from a single wireless handheld controller. According to UEI, the device can control virtually all home theater and stereo equipment, enabling users to "play any song, display any digital picture, and view any movie in any room from the palm of their hand."
 Microsoft Xbox Media Center Extender kit -- Nov. 18, 2004 -- The Xbox isn't just for games anymore. This kit turns the Xbox console into a Media Center Extender connecting home entertainment devices to a Media Center PC over the home network.
 x5400 Media Center Extender -- Nov. 4, 2004 -- This companion to HP's Digital Entertainment Center uses wired or wireless Ethernet to stream audio and video from the z545 to additional TV and audio devices throughout the home. -- Nov. 4, 2004 -- this companion to HP's Digital Entertainment Center uses wired or wireless Ethernet to stream audio and video from the z545 to additional TV and audio devices throughout the home.
 HP z545 Digital Entertainment Center -- Nov. 4, 2004 -- It may look like an ordinary DVD player, but HP's z545 Digital Entertainment Center is actually a full-featured multimedia PC packaged to look great in a home theater or family room. The z545 is one of the first devices to hit the market running Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005. It boasts a 3 GHz Pentium 4 processor, 200 GB internal hard drive, built-in DVD writer, dual RF TV tuners, and a long list of interfaces ports and audio/video features.
 DAVETV Xport -- Oct. 27, 2004 -- This set-top box (STB), running Windows CE 5.0, aims to combine mainstream programming with original, end-user-generated content. DAVETV is touted as a "new kind of television broadcast network" that offers not only traditional programming, but also new original content self-published by end users using allegedly secure, peer-to-peer DAVETV networking technology. DAVE is an acronym for Distributed Audio Video Entertainment.
 Linksys Wireless A/G Media Center Extender -- Oct. 12, 2004 -- The Wireless A/G networks home entertainment devices with content-rich PCs running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. It connects to home entertainment devices using standard cables such as RCA plugs and to the home network via either 802.11a or 802.11g (hence the "A/G"), or 10/100BaseT by means of wired Ethernet.
 Microsoft MSN TV 2 -- Oct. 6, 2004 -- This "Internet & Media Player," the broadband-oriented successor to Microsoft's earlier modem-bound WebTV Internet receiver. Microsoft describes the new set-top box (STB) as a broadband- and home network-enabled, livingroom-oriented device for use on top of the TV or inside the entertainment center cabinet.
 Pace Digital Technology DB440 -- Sep. 14, 2004 -- Pace claims the DB440 is one of the world's first commercially available set-top boxes utilizing the VC-1 "advanced compression video codec," an emerging Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard based on Microsoft's Windows Media Video 9. The DB440 contains two processorsan ATI Xilleon core processor and an Equator BSP-15 digital media processorand runs Windows CE.
 Hush Technologies ATX MCE -- Aug. 30, 2004 -- This set-top box runs Windows XP Media Center Edition and combines TiVO-like capabilities with A/V media-playing, web-browsing, email, and PC functions. Couch potatoes need only a remote to access the device's multimedia features.
 CoCom DMC 200 -- May. 11, 2004 -- This device combines the functions of set-top box (STB), personal computer, home audio player, media storage, residential gateway, and VoIP telephone in a single platform. Running either Windows CE .NET or XP Embedded on a Geode processor, the unit is highly customizable allowing service providers to offer new and highly innovative entertainment and educational services over cable, satellite, digital terrestrial and broadband networks.
 Akimbo by Akimbo -- Apr. 20, 2004 -- Two hundred channels, and nothing good on TV? If you've had enough of reality shows and reruns, cop dramas and commercials, there is an alternative. It's called Akimbo and is said to be "the first fully functional marriage of TV and the Internet." The device runs Windows CE .NET on Intel's set-top box reference design using a Celeron processor.
 Gibson Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox -- Mar. 30, 2004 -- This device, which runs Windows CE in both its wireless remote and its base control unit, won the "Best of Audio" award at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show. The system is controlled by custom embedded computer boards developed by Applied Data Systems (ADS), and based on Intel PXA255 XScale and Cirrus 9315 processors. The Jukebox also has a sound system featuring high-end Klipsch speakers.
 TeleHealth Services TigrNet -- Sep. 23, 2003 -- TigrNet enables hospital patients to access the Internet, send and receive email, select entertainment programs, order meals, and provide real-time feedback via their bedside TV set. It leverages the hospital's existing TV platform to provide an array of computer-based programs employing Microsoft's Windows CE .NET operating system.
 Wyse IPV400 and IPV500 -- Sep. 16, 2003 -- This pair of STB platforms, based on Intel's 815 digital set-top box Reference Design, was designed in conjunction with Intel and Microsoft to support Windows Media 9 Series for "high-quality audio and video in the smallest file sizes." They are not sold directly by Wyse to end users, but are instead aimed at OEMs and ODMs planning to develop and market consumer electronics products, and to companies seeking to introduce new video media delivery services to "digital living rooms" or large-format displays in retail environments.
 Entertainment Technology Marquee lighting console -- May. 12, 2003 -- The Marquee 24/48 stage lighting console runs Windows XP Embedded and is similar in power and functionality to tracking style lighting controls used in Broadway productions, but with a "much more affordable price point." It features a user-friendly graphical interface makes it easy to design macros and preset lighting sequences.
 Hy-tek Tek Panel 300 -- Jan. 6, 2003 -- This ultra thin wide screen entertainment PC supports standard NTSC TV, cable, satellite, DVD and interactive Internet browsing. It runs Windows XP Media Center Edition on a Pentium 4 processor. A multi I/O connectivity block allows instant access for video gaming systems, camcorders, and digital cameras. Combined with an ultra wide active matrix display, the device delivers a complete multimedia experience.
 Fujitsu-Siemens ACTIVY series -- Jun. 29, 2002 -- This open platform for set-top boxes provides a flexible, modular system for a variety of applications including Video on Demand, Pay per View, Data/IP distribution and streaming. The ACTIVY platform, running Windows XP Embedded on a Celeron processor, is open for 3rd party service development for the converging broadcasting, computing technology and telecommunications markets.
 AudioRamp iRAD-R -- Jun. 29, 2002 -- This Internet radio combines streaming and compressed audio with traditional AM/FM reception. It allows access to thousands of stored audio files (MP3/WMA) stored on a PC's hard drive, and provides standalone access to the Internet via modem or a shared network. It's based on an Intel StrongARM processor running Microsoft Windows CE 3.0.
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
news feed
