LINKSYS EXTENDS WIRELESS FUNCTIONALITY TO THE TELEVISION AND
STEREO WITH NEW WIRELESS-B MEDIA ADAPTER
New Wireless Adapter Converges Home Networking and Consumer
Electronics
IRVINE, Calif. - July 14, 2003 - Linksys®, a division of Cisco
Systems, Inc., and the leading global manufacturer of broadband,
wireless, and networking hardware for home and Small Office/Home
Office (SOHO) environments, today announced a new wireless
multimedia product called the Wireless-B Media Adapter (WMA11B)
that allows users to enjoy digital music and pictures stored on
their PC to view and play on their TV and stereo system. This is
the first in a line of new Wireless Home products from Linksys.
In spite of the high growth and fast acceptance of MP3 players,
Internet-delivered music, and digital cameras, the average home
entertainment system is still designed for analog input. The new
Linksys Wireless-B Media Adapter bridges the analog and digital
worlds using 802.11b wireless networking to deliver digital
content to conventional TVs and home stereos.
The Wireless-B Media Adapter sits by the television and stereo
and connects to them using standard A/V or S-Video cables. Then
it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b)
wireless networking, or if users prefer, it can be connected via
standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. The media adapter also works
in peer-to-peer mode (direct connection between the media
adapter and wired or wireless enabled computer) so no Internet
service is required.
Listen to your digital music collection through your stereo
system
The media adapter enables the user to stream MP3 and play WMA
music files on the home TV and stereo system. Users can set the
adapter to play songs individually, by directory, or create M3U
or ASX playlist files. Linksys is also working to include
playlist support from popular music providers and music services
such as the RHAPSODY digital music service from Listen.com® and
MusicMatch®. Users can also set up their own play lists by
album, song title, genre and much more. Other convenient options
include Repeat and Shuffle. Music is selected through the TV
menu screen and the easy to use remote control.
Browse your digital pictures on your television InfoTrends
Research predicts that by the end of the year, 60% of Internet-
connected households will own a digital camera (over 26 million
homes). The Linksys Media Adapter provides a more convenient way
for this growing group of users to view pictures. Using the
included remote control and the user-friendly menus on a TV,
users can browse through the digital pictures on their wireless-
enabled computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail. Pictures can
be viewed one at a time, or through an automatically created
slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The Media
Adapter utilizes Intel's XScale™ architecture PXA250
application processor not only to decode digital music files,
but also to support popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF and
BMP. The remote control's zoom button enables close-up details
in the pictures being viewed. For added entertainment, streaming
digital music can also be played at the same time the pictures
are being displayed.
"Linksys is innovating products that extend the network beyond
traditional applications such as internet, file and resource
sharing for which home networks were developed. The result is a
new line of Wireless Home products that add on to the home
network to provide connectivity and access to other devices
around the home," said Mike Wagner, Director of Marketing at
Linksys. "The wireless media adapter, our first Wireless Home
product, not only brings together consumer electronics and home
networking but also provides users the ability to do more with
the networks they have installed."
Pricing and Availability
The Wireless-B Media Adapter comes complete with an Infrared
Remote Control with 2 AAA batteries, three-lead Audio/Video
cable, S-Video cable, Ethernet cable, power adapter, setup CD-
ROM and installation guide. The WMA11B is immediately available
through retail, online resellers, distributors and direct
response for an estimated street price of $199.
