Pioneer is developing an all-in-one set-top, dubbed “Project ET,” that will combine Blu-ray Disc playback with expanded Web access and home theater control capabilities.

Demonstrated during this week’s Custom Electronic Design & Installation Assn., Project ET aims to greatly expand Web options currently available to Blu-ray set-tops. One key feature is the ‘Buy It Now Button,’ which allows Project ET users, as well as Twitter followers, to purchase physical or digital copies of content based on what programming is being played in the machine.


Additionally on the drawing board is mobile device streaming, in which people can beam content from Project ET for viewing on PCs or other portable devices in the home.

Project ET users will be able to navigate the model, and its related home theater components, through their iPhones and/or iPods.

Pioneer also is integrating Netflix and YouTube, features that are becoming standard on many Web-enabled Blu-ray set-top models.

To organize Project ET’s various abilities, Pioneer is building a Web portal so consumers can quickly add and delete offered services online.

Although Pioneer seems far along in the planning process, it has not yet set a debut date for the product. Pricing also hasn’t been specified.

“Now that broadband speeds have increased to a level that lets users access high-definition-quality content from the Internet, we are able to consider a network platform like Project ET, which is based on a unique home theater approach to delivering networked content and services into the living room,” said Russ Johnston, executive VP for home entertainment business solutions group at Pioneer Electronics USA.

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