Netgear launches Internet TV Player

CES 2009: Set-top box blurs online video lines

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7 January 2009 19:37 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Netgear has announced the launch of the Internet TV Player, slightly confusingly for UK residents called the ITV 2000.

The device is described as a compact, easy-to-use, plug in and go internet set-top device complete with a remote control.

So far, so what, but the ITV2000 lets owners watch internet videos including YouTube, live internet TV and other internet video websites - presumably the BBC iPlayer - on the TV in their living rooms.

Netgear says that rather than watching videos on PC screens in separate rooms, families can watch video from a variety of internet sources on the TV together, "in the comfort of their den or family room".

As well as free internet videos, the player supports streaming premium, paid movies on demand such as CinemaNow.com, in addition to downloaded videos from sites such as BitTorrent.

Users will also be able to play video, music and photos from a USB flash drive as well as from Netgear's ReadyNAS storage products.

Slightly larger than a deck of cards, the Internet TV Player connects to the home network via Ethernet or wireless USB adapter, it will be available early summer 2009 for $199.