D-Link(R), a global leader in consumer network connectivity, today unveiled the industry’s first Digital Media Player supporting Microsoft Windows Connect Now to help ease network installation andnetwork expansion for consumers in the digital home. The D-Link MediaLounge(TM) Wireless Media Player with DVD and Flash Card Reader (DSM-320RD) is based on the best-selling D-Link MediaLounge Playerplatform and will be demonstrated at both the D-Link Booth # 35832 in Upper South Hall 4 and at the Microsoft booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6 – 9,2005.
“We are pleased to be working with D-Link on the introduction of the streaming wireless media player with DVD and flash card reader that supports Windows Connect Now,” said Erin Cullen Harris, group product manager for the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft Corp. “The setup process is a snap for consumers and will ensure easy access to a wide range of commercial digital media content across a home network on Windows-based PCs, televisions and other devices.”
“We are excited to introduce the industry’s first Media Player that supports Windows Connect Now software for easy wired and wireless setting and configuration throughout the digital home,” said A.J. Wang, chief technology officer at D-Link. “By working closely with Microsoft, we will extend our leading position in the media player market and further enable anytime, anywhere access to digital entertainment inside the home for consumers.”
D-Link and Microsoft engineers worked closely to incorporate Microsoft’s new Windows Connect Now protocol, a breakthrough combination of software and hardware that allows consumers to set up a wireless network in a home or office quickly and easily between PCs, televisions and other media devices. Equipped with a USB connector, the D-Link MediaLounge Wireless Media Player uses the Wireless Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP to easily transfer secure wireless settings from the PC to other devices in the home.
The D-Link MediaLounge Wireless Media Player with DVD and Flash Card Reader (DSM-320RD) can be used to view images, play music, and play movies stored on your PC, in addition to its capability to play DVD, DVD-R/RW, Video CD, Kodak Picture CD, Music CD, MP3 and WMA audio files on CD-R/RW. The Flash Card Reader enables users to take a compact flash, SD and other flash memory cards out of a camera and view pictures or videos directly on the TV without having to upload them first onto a PC prior to viewing and sharing with friends and family. The D-Link MediaLounge Wireless Media Player with DVD and Flash Card Reader (DSM-320RD) resides within a home entertainment center and connects to the television and/or stereo using standard A/V or S-video cables. For users with high-end entertainment systems, the D-Link DSM-320RD supports component video, optical digital audio and coaxial digital audio connections. Using the included remote control and step-by-step TV interface, it is then easily connected to a home network via 802.11g wireless, or if preferred, through standard Ethernet cabling.
The D-Link Wireless Media Player with DVD and Flash Card Reader includes D-Link MediaLounge Media Server Software for Windows 98 SE, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows 2000, Windows XP and the new Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. The MediaLounge software intuitively compiles digital content from network PCs and devices and organizes it by file type (audio/video/photo), cataloguing the individual audio files by categories such as genre, artist and title for immediate access through the Media Player.
Users can wirelessly locate and stream multiple types of digital content from the Internet or hard drive using the included remote control and intuitive interface. The D-Link Player supports virtually all digital content standards, including the popular WMA, MP3, WAV, and AIF audio formats, the JPG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, JPG2000 and GIF Image formats, the MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Quicktime, AVI and XviD Video formats and the M3U and PLS Audio Playlist formats.
The D-Link MediaLounge Wireless Media Player with DVD supports the streaming of multiple audio and video Internet services. Consumers can view, play and listen to premium content directly on their television after the content is wirelessly streamed from their broadband Internet connection. The D-Link MediaLounge Player includes an exclusive offer with the Radio@AOL for Broadband service featuring Best of Breed radio programming. D-Link DSM-320 and DSM-320RD customers receive a limited time free trial of over 175 CD-quality Radio@AOL stations. Additionally, D-Link customers can also stream protected content downloaded from the included 30-day limited trial from Napster, the world’s most recognized brand in online music. For fans of the RealNetworks’ Rhapsody Internet jukebox service, D-Link MediaLounge owners will receive a limited trial of streaming music service from the leading creator of digital media services and software.
