XStreamHD - Page 2

Originally Posted by mproper

Ditto on that. I'm even signed up to be a Beta tester (hoping I get picked) but it's been a LOOOOOONG time with absolutely no news or updates. I was actually surprised they're even at CES since I assumed it had been abandoned.

I'm curious to see what they have at CES.

XStreamHD a CES No-Show
Categories: HDTV & Home Theater Systems
Tags: XStreamHD

A year ago, XStreamHD provided one of the highlights of the CES 2008 show in Las Vegas, trotting out an aging Michael Douglas to roll out its set-top box. The only thing the company lacked was customers.

Fast-forward to 2009, and XStreamHD was scheduled to hold a second press conference. The expectation? Someone would back the service. But alas, it was not to be. I asked Michael Muchmore to cover the press conference, and he called back, puzzled: the room was empty. Even the conference officials didn't know what happened.

Well, we don't know much more, but BetaNews reported that XStreamHD told them that the press conference was contingent "upon a certain event taking place, which did not". What happened? At best, a customer deal probably fell through at the last minute. At worst -- well, in a crowded set-top market, it's possible a venture capitalist decided XStreamHD was too risky a venture.

Originally Posted by Richard Tywoniak

not good - looks like VUDU is it if you want something of decent quality - or for quality - BluRay. This would have been a great service - but it really is starting to feel like it is going the way of VOOM :-) the defunct sat service

Originally Posted by qz3fwd

Problem is that xstream never was, while voom was for a while.

Originally Posted by Richard Tywoniak

They have continually missed announced product milestones and they were a no show at CES. They had a scheduled press conference and never showed up. While there has been no official announcement and while there web site is still up - many believe that they are in the grave yard of promising technologies that never made it (i.e. Voom. TAW video processor, Beta etc.)

Originally Posted by aaronwt

Wasn't he one of the investors?

Maybe investing with Bernie Madoff would have been a better idea?

XStreamHD

Think of this soon-to-come service as satellite TV with a high-def twist. Mount a dish on your roof to grab tons of HD movies, record some basic-cable programming and watch it all on any room in the house. Everything is stored on a giant hard drive inside a box that looks like an old DVD player ($399 plus movie-rental fees to be determined; xstreamhd.com).

My take: I had a long chat with XStreamHD CEO George Gonzalez, who is a big dreamer and a big doer. He says in the next couple of weeks, he'll have a big announcement to make about which Hollywood studios are on board. Even if XStreamHD takes off, I don't see how he can keep a lid on what consumers will be charged, which will make things tricky. But he's eager to prove me and all the other skeptics wrong.

Originally Posted by larrimore

Sounds cool. Can't wait to see what it is all about. Wonder if a Tivo could be used as a client, I already have one of those connected to every TV and they are all networked.

Originally Posted by jameskollar

I was seriously looking at Vudu. Not any more. From prevous announcements, it seems XStreamHD will be using geosynchronous satellites for transmission which means you need a clear southern view. Fortunately, I have one.

OTA tuners have not been that important to me since I can't seem to get the stations very well (have to shoot through trees and such) but I still have an OTA antenna on my roof that I can try out. Perhaps I can use it now since the between the last time I used it and now the stations should have added more power to the OTA signal. So perhaps I am dismissing that feature a bit too early.

If I can get OTA signals, I'll never have to worry about filling up my Comcast DVR's again. I'll still keep one of the two DVR's I have for non OTA stuff, but I'll be in network TV heaven as I get tired of having to juggle my recordings between the two DVRs.

I am truly excited to see this prodcut come online. Hope it happens. Sign me up!

PS. One thing I will not like is if they do not have an IR solution for the remote. I have a Universal remote that controls EVERYTHING in my AV setup. I even have it set up so that it will send RF to a remote location and the base unit at the remote location converts it back to IR. Please don't make me add another remote!

Originally Posted by aaronwt

I have no need for OTA tuners, not with seven TiVo with the capability to record 14 HD programs at one. Plus two tuners in a PC and the HD tuners in each TV. I also don't need the phone service that XstreamHD is supposed to offer.

Originally Posted by jameskollar

Guess you won't be buying anything from XStreamHD?

7 Tivos? WOW! How do you find time to watch all that? Must be nice though since you can basically capture all primetime shows and even get some of the premium shows and record movies too. I have to selectively choose what to watch for fear of filling up my DVR's which means I have lost out on trying some new shows that looked interesting and later on turned out to be shows I wish I had. I also don't record a lot of movies since they are such space hogs. The product from XStreamHD will solve some of these problems for me so I am truly excited about this. Hope it happens.

Originally Posted by Richard Tywoniak

I think it is still vaporware - I have tried to contact the company to get on a beta list or just buy the product and nothing.

On another note - I have five Directv DVR's (but 3 have been hacked with terabyte drives) so do I get the prize for wanton excess?

:-)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
XStreamHD Introduces an Audiophile-Class PRO Media Receiver
First Direct-to-Home Full HD Company Builds a Breakthrough HD Solution Designed to Leverage Elite Audio Components
MCLEAN, Va. - February 16, 2009 -- XStreamHD, an emerging leader in the delivery and distribution of Full High Definition (HD) entertainment to the home, is introducing the XStreamHD PRO Media Receiver, an audiophile-class breakthrough in home theater electronics.
The XStreamHD PRO Media Receiver is designed especially to meet the requirements of elite audio enthusiasts. The PRO Media Receiver is a rack mountable device that enables audiophiles to leverage their existing elite audio equipment that support analog inputs to decode the latest generation of HD studio master quality audio and video. The PRO Media Receiver permits full decoding of 7.1 channels of lossless DTS-HD Master Audio providing up to 118 dB of dynamic range from the analog gold plated audio outputs.
In addition to the analog audio outputs, the PRO Media Receiver includes composite, component video, and HDMI interfaces. This device allows consumers to experience Full HD (1080p) video and all the best studio-quality analog and digital audio.
The XStreamHD PRO Media Receiver was designed to integrate with elite audio equipment so that audiophiles can experience next-generation Full HD, said George Gonzalez, founder and CEO of XStreamHD. Not only does the equipment permit full decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio, but it also includes a rich feature set that works in tandem with the XStreamHD whole home entertainment solution.
In addition to the PRO Media Receiver, XStreamHD's product portfolio also includes an HD Media Server, an HD Media Receiver and an RF Remote Control. The XStreamHD Media Server can simultaneously deliver multiple streams of Full HD (1080p) video with up to 7.1 channels of lossless DTS-HD Master Audio throughout the home to any television equipped with an XStreamHD Media Receiver, or any DLNA Certified device including HDTVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles, or personal computers. An ergonomically advanced RF Remote Control that requires no line-of-sight and is equipped with IR technology that integrates with most AV equipment is included with every PRO Media Receiver.