The announcement, made earlier today at the Digital Hollywood Conference, means that consumers who purchase VWB’s newly debuted MediaREADY 4000 will be able to produce content as well as watch television shows, individual titles and entire libraries.
“This is not just another mainstream Video on Demand service,” said Ken Nelson, president of C.A.C. Media, a company that develops embedded software for networked devices. “Anyone interested in producing their own television programming and meeting the minimum quality and time standards will be able to pilot their own channel on the network.”
Independently developed channels scheduled for the 2005 season include Frat Party USA, Celebrity Gossip and Extreme Pranks & Jokes.
“This system will offer a great opportunity for established content providers, as well as niche programmers, amateur producers, youth and the general public to make their content available to consumers,” said Jeffrey Harrell, CEO and president of VWB.
Debuted earlier this month, the MediaREADY 4000 is about the size of a DVD player and connects to televisions, stereos, home networks and the Internet. Features of the new entertainment system include a Karaoke system, high-speed television-centric Internet browsing, and a DVD player with 5.1 Digital Surround sound.
The MediaREADY 4000 allows users to rip their music collection to its 40 gigabyte hard drive and use it as a media jukebox, as well as stream full-screen DVD quality video or music over the Internet and check their email.
A suggested price for the new product has not been announced.