Skip to main content

Netgear Tackles Shoddy Web Video, Streaming HD in 2010

EVA9100
Image used with permission by copyright holder

For all the improvements set-top media boxes have made to ease-of-use, price and yes, even remote controls, the quality of video they actually deliver hasn’t moved forward all that much in recent years. Netgear will attempt to remedy that with new technologies incorporated into its own Digital Entertainer streaming media devices throughout 2010, claiming it can enhance both the smoothness and image quality of video from the net.

According to Netgear, future products will be able to spin standard-def content to “near-HD” quality by “enhancing contrasts and color, and reducing the graininess, mosquito noise and block artifacts.” This is a claim we’ve seen before – last year Toshiba showed off a unit that used the same Cell processor found in the PlayStation 3 to upscale Web video with certain enhancements (Update the technology is back again this year in a big way. We weren’t that impressed with Toshiba’s tech last year, but a quick demo from Netgear actually showed some promise. Although “near-HD” might be a bit of a stretch, blurry Web video from HQV.com actually appeared considerably clearer – without looking artificially amped up.

Recommended Videos

On the other end – Web video that’s already available in high quality – Netgear has focused on smoothing out the stutters and buffering typically associated with cramming such high quality data through a broadband connection. The “secret sauce,” they say, is tech that allows hardware to recover lost video packets and improve video bandwidth by up to three times. The company’s demo showed Netgear’s hardware playing silky smooth videos of storks and prairie dogs, while a competitor spat and stuttered through the same clip. Frankly, the stark difference made it a little tough to believe, but having watched Netflix struggle through buffering and the stalls on The Office during lunch breaks, we have to hope there’s some nugget of truth to it.

Although Netgear didn’t detail which devices would be making us of this tech through 2010, we hope that firmware upgrades will bring it to some of the company’s existing line up, as well.

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Editor in Chief, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team covering every gadget under the sun, along with…
This 55-inch Amazon Fire TV is 40% off as an early Prime Day deal
Amazon 50-inch Class 4 Series 4K UHD Smart Fire TV product image white bg

While Prime Day 2025 isn't going to officially launch until July 8, Amazon is already giving you the chance at a head start with your shopping. In one of its early Prime Day deals, the 55-inch Amazon Fire TV 4-Series 4K TV is on sale at 40% off, slashing its price from $520 to just $310. That $210 discount is extremely tempting, and if you're interested, we highly recommend proceeding with your purchase right away, as there's no assurance that stocks of the TV will still be available when Prime Day 2025 arrives.

BUY AT AMAZON

Read more
The best TV for Switch 2 has an $800 discount today
Samsung S90D 4K OLED TV.

Gamers who are on the hunt for TV deals to pair with their Nintendo Switch 2 or any video game console should check out Samsung's offer for the 55-inch Samsung S90D OLED 4K TV. From its original price of $2,000, it's all the way down to just $1,200 for massive savings of $800. We're not sure for how much longer though, so if you want to get this OLED TV that's great for gaming at a more affordable price than usual, you're going to have to complete your transaction for it as soon as you can.

BUY NOW

Read more
No need to wait for Prime Day — the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is 50% off
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with its box.

If you're in the market for a streaming device, you don't have to wait for Prime Day 2025 to enjoy a discount on the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. It's already on sale at 50% off, so you'll only have to pay $25 instead of its original price of $50. This is a limited-time offer though, so there's a chance it will no longer be around when Amazon's shopping event starts on July 8. If you want to make sure that you get it for half-price, you should go ahead with the purchase right now.

BUY NOW

Read more