Netgear upgrades its ReadyNAS desktop data storage line to include the capacity and compatible software needed to store and stream HD video created by TiVo.
The market for the toaster-sized, desktop-seated home storage network device
appears to be heating up.
Competing with similar recent releases from Seagate
Technology,Cisco
Systems,Rebit
and several other companies, Netgear on July 12 announced that it has upgraded
its ReadyNAS storage line to include the capacity and compatible software to
store and stream high-definition video created by TiVo.
If you're into saving a lot of broadcast and cable TV content and have been
frustrated by capacity limitations on a TiVo device, this may be an option to
consider. The ReadyNAS Ultra networked-attached storage drive can stream HD
video to any TiVo box in a house or small office and provide terabytes of storage
space, the company said.
This upgraded network streaming technology is provide by Skifta, a developer of
software that enables digital media to be obtained from anywhere over a
network.
Netgear, which built its reputation making networking hardware and software for
small and midsize businesses and home users, is refocusing itself on the
"prosumer" market, said Drew Meyer, Netgear's director of storage
marketing.
"We're re-establishing ourselves in the prosumer space," Meyer said.
"In recent years, we've been more focused on the SMB commercial market.
With the ReadyNAS Ultra, we're focused on the prosumer geeks who have
complicated home entertainment systems."
The ReadyNAS devices come in two-, four- and six-bay options with each bay being
capable of holding a 1TB or 2TB drive. They also will be able to handle 3TB
drives when those become available later in 2010, Netgear said.
The units come with Intel processors-a choice of dual-core Pentium, dual-core
Atom and single-core Atom-which come in different configurations. They use Orb
software to access remote content and Netgear's client for remote navigation,
DLNA streaming and media serving. The features list is topped off with Netgear's
X-RAID for redundancy and overall capacity control.
Users can buy as many hard drives as their budgets allow. The ReadyNAS Ultra 6
six-bay]device without drives retails for $899; with three 2TB drives, the
price becomes $1,349. The Ultra 4 four-bay machine costs $599 by itself and
$800 with two 2TB drives.
Shipments of the ReadyNAS Ultra6 and Ultra4 start this week, and they are
available now for preorder on Amazon.com.
The Ultra2 will begin shipping in October, the company said. Pricing was not
disclosed.
Chris Preimesberger was named Editor-in-Chief of Features & Analysis at eWEEK in November 2011. Previously he served eWEEK as Senior Writer, covering a range of IT sectors that include data center systems, cloud computing, storage, virtualization, green IT, e-discovery and IT governance. His blog, Storage Station, is considered a go-to information source. Chris won a national Folio Award for magazine writing in November 2011 for a cover story on Salesforce.com and CEO-founder Marc Benioff, and he has served as a judge for the SIIA Codie Awards since 2005. In previous IT journalism, Chris was a founding editor of both IT Manager's Journal and DevX.com and was managing editor of Software Development magazine. His diverse resume also includes: sportswriter for the Los Angeles Daily News, covering NCAA and NBA basketball, television critic for the Palo Alto Times Tribune, and Sports Information Director at Stanford University. He has served as a correspondent for The Associated Press, covering Stanford and NCAA tournament basketball, since 1983. He has covered a number of major events, including the 1984 Democratic National Convention, a Presidential press conference at the White House in 1993, the Emmy Awards (three times), two Rose Bowls, the Fiesta Bowl, several NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, a Formula One Grand Prix auto race, a heavyweight boxing championship bout (Ali vs. Spinks, 1978), and the 1985 Super Bowl. A 1975 graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., Chris has won more than a dozen regional and national awards for his work. He and his wife, Rebecca, have four children and reside in Redwood City, Calif.Follow on Twitter: editingwhiz
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Chris Preimesberger was named Editor-in-Chief of Features & Analysis at eWEEK in November 2011. Previously he served eWEEK as Senior Writer, covering a range of IT sectors that include data center systems, cloud computing, storage, virtualization, green IT, e-discovery and IT governance. His blog, Storage Station, is considered a go-to information source. Chris won a national Folio Award for magazine writing in November 2011 for a cover story on Salesforce.com and CEO-founder Marc Benioff, and he has served as a judge for the SIIA Codie Awards since 2005. In previous IT journalism, Chris was a founding editor of both IT Manager's Journal and DevX.com and was managing editor of Software Development magazine. His diverse resume also includes: sportswriter for the Los Angeles Daily News, covering NCAA and NBA basketball, television critic for the Palo Alto Times Tribune, and Sports Information Director at Stanford University. He has served as a correspondent for The Associated Press, covering Stanford and NCAA tournament basketball, since 1983. He has covered a number of major events, including the 1984 Democratic National Convention, a Presidential press conference at the White House in 1993, the Emmy Awards (three times), two Rose Bowls, the Fiesta Bowl, several NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, a Formula One Grand Prix auto race, a heavyweight boxing championship bout (Ali vs. Spinks, 1978), and the 1985 Super Bowl. A 1975 graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., Chris has won more than a dozen regional and national awards for his work. He and his wife, Rebecca, have four children and reside in Redwood City, Calif.Follow on Twitter: editingwhiz
