HP MediaSmart Family Grows To Include Linux Server, Set-Top Receiver and New TVs

The futuristic skyscraper look that HP conjured up for its MediaSmart Server will be seen in a number of new products branded with the MediaSmart name:

• First up is the mv2120 Media Vault, a junior Linux-based server with the Photo Webshare and iTunes server functionality of its big brother but a much lower cost. (They’ll start at $US300.) • MediaSmart TVs are coming of age—both the $1,900 42″ and the $2,400 47″ of them will have built-in Microsoft Media Center Extender connectivity and an improved higher-contrast panel. One catch: though you can rent movies without your PC, the PC still needs to be running, and there’s a bit of a delay.• Lamezoids lacking the wherewithal to fund a MediaSmart TV can now have the next best thing, the HP MediaSmart Receiver. The $US300 set-top box is both a Media Center Extender and a MediaSmart receiver, so you’ll have a choice of interfaces for your music and video. One weird feature: A hard-drive slot lets you shuttle your data from your Media Center PC to your receiver the old-fashioned way. It does not, however, turn the Receiver into a DVR.• Finally, the MediaSmart Server itself will get three key enhancements come February: integrated server-side anti-virus software from McAfee; improved data streaming to Media Center Extenders and other receivers; and support for Vista 64-bit. [HP]