This morning, Orb Networks announced that all Windows XP users can stream any of the digital media held on their home PC - music, videos, photos, (even live TV with a tuner card) to any device with an Internet connection and a media player.
Orb Networks launched the initial version of its streaming media service for Windows Media Center PCs at CES, already allowed thousands of subscribers to extend their "digital living room" outside the home. I personally use Orb Networks to access my Windows Media Center 2005 PC content and it works great. I used it to stream SmallVille from my home PC to my hotel room when I didn't have time to watch it live. I'm on the 30 day free trial which I believe is about to expire. If anyone from Orb Networks reads my blog - any chance I can get an indefinite extension? 
ORB NETWORKS STREAMING MEDIA SOLUTION NOW AVAILABLE FOR WINDOWS XP USERS
Consumer Reach Expands With Latest Release Providing Users With Spontaneous, On-The-Go Access to Digital Home-Media Content such as Live TV, Music, Videos, & Photos
EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 14, 2005 - Orb Networks, Inc., a developer of streaming media software and services, today announced that the company's groundbreaking streaming media software, Orb Media, is now available to the millions of Windows XP operating system customers in the United States.With this announcement, more "on-the-go" consumers can gain spontaneous access to the digital home-media content locked up in their home.
Orb Networks' software and service provides a simple way for consumers to spontaneously access their music, photos, videos, live TV and other digital content located on their home PC from virtually any Internet-enabled device, from anywhere in the world.Orb's intuitive solution simply streams a consumer's own content from their home PC to the Web browser and player on their cell phone, PDA, or notebook, creating a consumer's own "personal media portal".Consumers also have the capability to remotely record TV programs using Orb's Digital Video Recorder (DVR) function and then view those recorded programs at any time on any of their mobile devices.
"Now that broadband access has hit critical mass, the use of the home PC as an entertainment device has become a reality," said Jim Behrens, CEO, Orb Networks."Additionally, as the market is getting flooded with mobile devices capable of accessing digital home content through Orb -- combined with broader and better wireless connection access -- the digital home is now available outside the home.We can't always be at home, but we don't have to sacrifice all the comforts of home when we are on the road.With Windows XP support, we are making it easier than ever for consumers to have this type of access for their ever-evolving digital lifestyles."
Orb Media is available to download now at www.orb.com.After downloading the application, customers only need to complete a five-minute installation procedure and they are ready to use any Internet-connected device to view saved videos, digital photos, or listen to MP3 music files stored on their home PC.In addition, customers may use any of the TV Tuner cards which are qualified by Orb to stream live TV to their mobile devices. TV viewing is as easy as pushing a few buttons while at their favorite WiFi café, at the office, or in the airport waiting for their flight.Tuner cards currently supporting Orb's service are available from ADS Tech (Instant TV Deluxe PTV-305 PCI), Hauppauge (WinTV PVR-150, PVR-250 or PVR-350), or AVerMedia (UltraTV Media Center PCI 500 and PCI 550). Many other cards are being tested for compatibility in the coming months.The Orb Networks service starts at just $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year for the first user.
"2005 is quickly becoming the year that the ‘digital home' takes off," said Randy Giusto, group vice president, Clients and Mobility and Consumer Markets, IDC."Accessing your ‘digital home' content while on the road is the next step in evolving the consumer experience. While providing canned streams of TV shows, movie trailers, and sports updates is becoming trendy on mobile phones, consumers truly want to experience their TV, their music, their photos, and on a variety of computing and communication platforms they already own."
The rapid convergence between personal computing and entertainment has allowed personal media portals to become a reality.Consumers no longer have to be at home to be "connected" to the media they already own and use on a daily basis.By removing the complexity and limitations of many of today's digital entertainment products and services, Orb Networks leverages the best features of today's popular standards while abiding by current digital rights management (DRM) platforms.
Orb Networks' technology is based upon its elegant, robust and scalable Orb Architecture. A user simply opens a Web browser on any device, logs-in and selects what they want to view or hear from their personal library.Orb takes care of the rest.Orb's technology determines the best format, codec, bit rate, display capabilities, and network bandwidth available for a particular cell phone, PDA or laptop to view or hear the content.The media is streamed securely and directly from the user's home PC to the user's device to provide fast mobile media access.
To create your own personal media portal in a matter of minutes, Orb Media is available for download now at www.orb.com.The service will also be available through numerous strategic partnerships with content providers, electronic distributors and consumer electronic companies announced throughout 2005.
Orb Media Overview
What you need:
- Home PC.Customers with a home PC running Windows XP or Media Center Edition can have access to all Orb Media functionality, including live TV (Windows XP users need TV Tuner card for live TV access).
- Broadband connection.Anybody with a high-speed Internet connection can spontaneously access all of their home media on-the-go.
- An Internet-connected device.With Orb, digital content can be viewed from virtually all existing browsers and Internet-enabled hardware devices.
How it works:
After installing the Orb software, users need to simply complete the following tasks:
- From your Web browser on your cell phone, PDA, laptop or PC go to My.Orb.com, which will connect you to the personalized list of all your media.
- Select what you want to view or hear.Remotely access live TV, videos, music, photos, audio books, newspapers, or program a PVR.
- Enjoy.That's it!
What you can do now:
The wireless industry knows that home media access is the next frontier in digital innovation. Orb Networks extends this rapidly growing industry by providing the user a "killer application" to access the entertainment they care about.
- Live TV.Watch your home TV from anywhere in the world.See your favorite shows on your cell phone or on a laptop from your hotel room or while on vacation. Your TV goes where you go.
- Videos & recorded TV.Enjoy downloaded movies and home videos no matter where you are.Schedule and record your favorite TV shows on your PVR and watch them whenever and wherever you want.
- Music and radio.Listen to your MP3 collection and favorite Internet radio stations at the gym, in the car, or at the beach.Now you have one easy interface to listen to all of your music from any cell phone Web browser, anywhere in the world.
- Photos.Storing and viewing photos is a snap.Show off all of your photos, everywhere you go. And, send photos right from your camera phone to your home photo library.Just point and shoot.Orb does the rest.
- Web info: weather, news, stocks and more.Anything you want to know is at your fingertips.Weather, headlines, driving directions.All you have to do is ask.
- And so much more.Home security, nanny cam, and much more.Your digital content goes with you everywhere you go. With the rich and scalable Orb architecture, the possibilities are limitless.
About Orb Networks, Inc.
Orb Networks delivers powerful mobile services for the fast growing wireless industry. Orb Networks is the first developer of streaming media software and services giving people 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 both the Digital Media Association (DiMA) and the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA).Orb Networks is a privately held company located in
