Diamond Multimedia's "XtremeTV" TV Tuner/PVR Media Center Upgrade Offers Remote Viewing Of Home Television From Orb Be
Los Angeles and Emeryville, California - April 3, 2006 - Diamond Multimedia, a leading manufacturer of peripherals and accessories for getting the most out of PCs, is now shipping new versions of Diamond’s XtremeTV TV Tuner /PVR product combining a full-featured Personal Video Recorder (PVR), also known as DVR (Digital Video Recorder) with remote viewing capabilities powered by Orb Networks, an award-winning developer of media-delivery software and services. Diamond will offer two versions of the new products, PVR560 (PCI) and PVR660 (USB).
The PVR560 and PVR660 feature the latest in digital video processing technology and feature on-board MPEG-2 hardware acceleration for faster video encoding. This enables XtremeTV to provide outstanding visual quality even for processor-intensive tasks like time-shifting and pausing live TV, without putting a strain on the computer’s central processor. Also, these products feature an FM Tuner and the Mini Firefly Remote Control. With XtremeTV, users can watch TV on their PC or laptop, pause and rewind live TV, use an integrated program guide to record shows with a single click.
The partnership with Orb Networks will enable Diamond XtremeTV TV Tuner/PVR users to watch live or recorded television from anywhere with broadband internet connection. It also gives them time-shifting features that allow them to schedule recordings to watch later from any Internet-connected device. It only requires that the Orb software be installed on the home PC where the tuner card is installed, and users can handle all functionality of the home TV from the road, including scheduling recordings, checking listings, monitoring web cams and more.
The Orb software also gives added functionality to Diamond XtremeTV TV Tuner/PVR users when dealing with photo, audio and home video. Users can view photos from the home computer while on the road to share with friends, even giving friends access to special photo albums. Orb gives users remote access to their music, TV, photos and other personal digital content, allowing them to stream live TV, recorded TV, and music to the mobile phone, Windows PDA, desktop computers, or laptop.
"Orb is the best place-shifting product for use with any mobile device, including cell phones, especially since there is no additional software to load.†noted Ian McCarthy, vice president of product marketing at Orb. "I’ve been watching a lot of basketball this past month and this is perfect for the Diamond user who expects the best in their products, and is looking for an easy way to watch their favorite sports and TV shows, regardless of where they are."
"Remote home viewing represents the next frontier in television functionality using the Diamond PVR," said Diamond Multimedia CEO, Bruce Zaman. "Remote viewing of the home television is a quickly growing space and we’re glad to team up with Orb Networks who makes this added functionality a reality for Diamond customers.", moving from the time-shifting of Tivo-like devices to complete place shifting
PVR560 and PVR660 will ship with retail prices of $99.99 and $149.99, respectively. They will be available through most North American distributors, such as Ingram Micro, Tech Data and D&H along with most leading computer retailers and e-commerce sites.
About Diamond Multimedia
Diamond Multimedia is a leading manufacturer of communications and graphics hardware, with its well-known lines of Stealth and Viper graphics cards based on ATI technology always at the top of the list for product demand. Also a communications company, Diamond is committed to keeping people connected with its SupraMax 56K and DSL modem products. Other exciting product lines have recently been released, including the XtremeTV PVR product for turning the PC or laptop into a media center.
With respected industry veteran Bruce Zaman at the helm, Diamond Multimedia products are available throughout North American-based retailers, resellers, and systems integrators. Corporate headquarters are located in Chatsworth, California. For more information, visit www.diamondmm.com.
About Orb Networks, Inc.
Orb Networks is the first developer of streaming media software and services giving people free spontaneous access to digital home media – any kind, at any time, from any location in the world. The groundbreaking Orb Architecture allows users to access music, live television, videos, photos and other digital content from any device that can connect to the Internet, such as a cell phone, PDA, or notebook. Orb Networks develops, licenses and markets its services in partnership with leading content providers/creators, wireless carriers, electronic distributors and consumer electronic companies. As an active participant in the issues affecting digital media, Orb Networks is a member of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA). Orb Networks is a privately held company located in Emeryville, Calif. For more information about Orb Networks, please visit http://www.orb.com
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