CES: Netgear Targets 'Connected Lifestyles,' Unveils New Routers

Another lifestyle segment Netgear has in its sights is what Pathela calls "Internet families," mainstream technology users who are looking to broaden their digital experience. For them, Netgear will release the Internet TV Player, a small Internet-ready set-top box through which users can access millions of Internet videos from their televisions without using a PC.

"Internet video consumption is at an all-time high," Pathela said. "Just in the month of October 2008 alone, comScore estimated that almost half of the total U.S. population viewed more than 13.5 billion online videos. That's a large number of Internet videos that are viewed mostly on PCs, even though many people would rather watch them on their TVs."

The Internet TV Player, he said, is a compact plug and play box with a remote control that delivers Web video content like YouTube, Internet TV, video on-demand and other popular Internet video sites directly to a television. The device works with both HD and analog televisions. It can also stream video from myriad popular sites like BBC.com, CNN.com, ESPN.com, NBC.com, TMZ.com and a host of others, along with enabling users to download videos from sites like BitTorrent.

The Internet TV Player uses a video search engine called VTap to help users find and search video. The device also lets users play video, music and photos from a local USB flash drive or from Netgear ReadyNAS storage devices.

The Internet TV Player is about the size of a deck of playing cards and connects to the home network and the Web via Ethernet or wireless USB adapter and does not require a PC or any PC software. It is expected to be available in early summer for $199.

Lastly, Netgear is targeting at CES the serious media enthusiast. For that group, the company is rolling out the Digital Entertainer Elite. Expected to be available in the first quarter for $399, the Digital Entertainer Elite is a digital media player that lets consumers play digital video, music and pictures on their high-definition televisions, while playing the media from their PC or network storage device. The device automatically converts video to 1080p for high definition. Users can also browse the Web, including YouTube, Internet Radio, Flickr, RSS feeds and video services. The device automatically finds all digital media files on the home network and organizes them into an easily accessible media library, so users can view it on their HDTV, regardless of whether it's stored on their PC, MAC or NAS device.

Pathela said the Digital Entertainer Elite uses Netgear's RangeMax internal antennas for dual-band wireless 802.11n to deliver media at high speeds. It offers two USB ports, so users can plug in a camera, iPod or USB drive. It requires no tools for installation.

Overall, Pathela said, Netgear is adapting to help consumers move past just in-home connectivity and to take the leap to a truly connected lifestyle.

"We've gone beyond just Internet broadband in the home," he said. "These products are designed to meet the needs of any connected lifestyle."