CES 2009

LG's home theater announcements came fast and furious at CES. Streaming is big: The LH50 series of LG LCDs will stream Netflix and other broadband content; the BD370 Blu-ray player will stream Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube; and the LG LHB977 Blu-ray home theater system also will offer online content. Read the stories below for more home theater goodies from LG.

LG's 240Hz line flashes backlight really fast
LG clips wires on high-end LCD lineup
LG LHB977: Blu-ray home theater system streams online video, includes extra inputs
LG Blu-ray players stream Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube
LG LCDs offer Netflix streaming and other broadband goodies
LG launches LED-backlit trifecta
High-end LG plasmas fuse THX and Netflix
Flagship LG sails with LED, 240Hz and wireless
LG LHB979: LG's flagship 2009 home theater system includes a host of extras
LG's LHB954 combines spherical speakers with Blu-ray and online video options

The Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9150 at Netgear's CES demo.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)

During CES 2007, Netgear joined the home entertainment department with the Netgear EVA8000 Digital Entertainer HD, a networked digital content streaming device. Two years later, Netgear unveils the device's successor, the Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9150, which offers a few significant improvements.

First off, it now comes with a 500GB internal hard drive for extra local content storage. This means the device now not only works as a media-streaming device but it can also store content on its own. The hard drive is even removable so you can change or replace it with a larger hard drive.

Secondly, the new player now sports Draft N wireless (as opposed to the sluggish 802.11g in the EVA8000), making it a true wireless HD media streamer. The device supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies with a speed of up to 300Mbps.

The EVA9150's wired connection, however, remains at 100Mbps, which is disappointing considering its wireless connection could be three times as fast.

Like the EVA8000, the new player can plays video, MP3s, and digital photos from PCs, Macs, or a network attached storage device to your HDTV. It can streams media directly from the Internet sources, such as YouTube, Internet radio, Flickr photos, RSS feeds, and podcasts. The EVA9150 can also automatically find all shared digital media files on your home network and organizes them into an easily accessible library.

The Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9150 has a long list of supported multimedia content formats, including:

• MP3 up to 320Kbps or variable bit rate
• WMA8 and WMA9 files up to 192 Kbps or variable bit rate
• WMV9 up to 1080p (to 40Mbps)
• Internet radio (streaming MP3)
• Video codecs: MPEG 1/2/4 SD; MPEG-2 HD; HP@HL to 40 Mbps; MPEG-4 Part 2 HP@HL to 10 Mbps (Xvid); H.264 HP@HL 4.1, VC1/WMV9HD to 1080p 40 Mbps
• Video file formats: AVI, DivX, Xvid, WMV9, MOV, M4V, VOB, MPG, MP1, MP2, MP4, ISO, IFO, MKV (with AC3 only), TS, M2TS, PS Audio formats: MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WMA-Pro, M4A, M4P, AC3, DTS pass-through, PCM, LPCM, AIFF
• Photo formats: JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF

On the back of the device, you will find the following ports:

• HDMI for audiovisual output
• RCA connector for composite video output
• RCA connectors for component video output (high-definition support)
• Digital audio output S/PDIF (coaxial/optical)
• Stereo RCA audio ports
• USB 2.0 port
• Ethernet port
• S-Video port
• SCART composite and RGB

Netgear's new Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9150 is expected to be available in the U.S. in February for $399. In the meantime, you can check out CNET's review of the Netgear EVA8000 Digital Entertainer HD for more information.

The EVA9150's ports

(Credit: Netgear)

LG Electronics will add video streaming features from CinemaNow and YouTube to its 2009 lineup of networked Blu-ray players, the company said Tuesday.

The company will be showing off the new functionality at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next week in Las Vegas. (Click here for CNET's complete coverage of CES 2009.)

LG launched its first network-connected Blu-ray player in July with partner Netflix. As part of the deal, viewers get access to more than 12,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix.

With Tuesday's announcement, LG Blu-ray customers will also get access to 14,000 movies and TV shows from CinemaNow. And they will be able to stream millions of Web videos directly from the Internet to an LG Network Blu-ray Player so they can watch it on their TVs.

The current economic slump is driving some consumers to and look for video content online. LG believes it can capitalize on this trend by making it easier for consumers to find entertainment online that can be viewed on their TVs.

"As millions of U.S. consumers view and download movies or TV shows through the Internet, they are demanding easier ways to access content and more home entertainment options," Tim Alessi, director of product development for LG Electronics USA, said in a statement. "From Blu-ray to instant streaming from Netflix to CinemaNow and YouTube, LG is bridging the gap between packaged media and video-on-demand services to provide entertainment solutions for consumers' demand for content."

The Philips Streamium NP2500 (front left) and NP2900 (back right)

(Credit: John Falcone/CBS Interactive)

Philips' line of Streamium products was one of the pioneers in the network audio realm, but it never really clicked with consumers (at least in the U.S.), even as competitors like Sonos and Logitech's Squeezebox began carving out their own niches. But Philips is hardly throwing in the towel: the company has unveiled two new models, the Streamium NP2500 and the Streamium NP2900.

Both models offer the same basic features of the earlier Streamium NP1100: streaming non-DRM audio files from networked Windows and Mac PCs, as well as the ability to stream Rhapsody content (subscription required) and thousands of Internet radio stations (free) over a wireless home network. The new models distinguish themselves from the NP1100 with built-in color screens for navigation and album art and larger remote controls. Furthermore, the NP2900 includes built-in stereo speakers, so it doesn't need to be connected to an external stereo or amplifier.

Both the NP2500 ($229) and NP2900 ($329) are available now. But even without reviewing them, they feel a bit underfeatured and overpriced. Consider the Logitech Squeezebox Boom. While the $300 boombox-style audio streamer lacks the color screen found on the Philips products, it offers a much wider range of both free (Pandora, Last.fm, Slacker, Live Music Archive) and subscription (Sirius) in addition to the same Rhapsody and Internet radio options found on the Philips. Thankfully--like the Logitech--the upgradeable firmware on the Philips allows the potential for such additional services to be added down the road, when and if Philips signs them up.

Read the CNET review of Philips Streamium NP1100.

The Kama Wireless Nunchuk was our favorite gaming product from last year's show.

(Credit: Nyko)

While last year's CES didn't offer much in terms of gaming, it would appear that CES 2009 has a lot more in store. This is partially thanks to the Nintendo Wii, which has not only solidified itself as the best-selling console of this generation, but because the system lends itself so well to third-party accessories. We expect to see plenty of new products announced exclusively for the Wii from companies like Mad Catz and Nyko.

It's possible that Microsoft may reveal some new info regarding the Xbox 360 hardware. Rumors of a Blu-ray drive continue to swirl, so it's always a long shot.

Sony will certainly have a presence at this year's CES, so we hope to see some new information regarding the console as well. With the PlayStation 3 now in full swing, we'd imagine the company will show off some first-party accessories, possibly even an announcement about Remote Play, which lets you use your PSP along with your PS3 in real-time gaming scenarios.

With Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 both heavily invested in digital media, we think a lot of third-party manufacturers will announce new solutions for managing your content as well as new ways to stream the multimedia to your console of choice.

Of course we expect to see dozens of new entries for all consoles in terms of charging solutions and alternative game controllers, so be sure to check with us every day of the event for the latest and greatest from the showroom floor.