19 December 2008 @ 11:23Neuros LINK Open Source Media PC

The Neuros LINK can be called a Home Theater PC (HTPC) or a Media PC, but no matter what you call it, it is one small box with big aspirations. The Neuros LINK can play streaming content from NBC’s Hulu and other services, as well as play audio and video files on external drives (not included) using the built-in media player software (MPlayer, VLC, Xine).

The Neuros LINK also works with Pandora and Last.FM to stream music, and Picasa and Flickr for photo sharing.

Listen up, geeks. Neuros actually encourages you to tweak the LINK hardware and software, and they won’t void your warranty simply because you chose to add features to the LINK that weren’t included out of the box. As a matter of fact, Neuros is offering some prize money to developers who add important features to the LINK. Check their “bounties” page for more details.

The Neuros LINK is $299.99 and comes with a 4-month “no questions asked” return policy. That sounds to me that Neuros feels pretty confident that customers will like the LINK.

Product features:

Open Source Media PC connects to your HDTV via HDMI and streams Internet based TV for your viewing enjoyment.
Works with Hulu, NBC and most other streaming video sources
Pre-installed Bit Torrent Client (requires external hard drive to store downloaded movies, not included.)
Seamless integration with Neuros.TV, a free service that lets you organize and watch Internet TV on your TV
Runs Neuros distribution of Ubuntu 8.10
Pre-installed Open-source video players (MPlayer, VLC, Xine)
Support for streaming audio services like Pandora and Last.FM
Use Photo sharing sites such as Picasa and Flickr
Full Widescreen 1080p Support
1080p H.264 video playback
HDMI (max resolution 1920×1200, 1080p) output
Includes 2.4 GHz wireless keyboard/trackball controller
High-definition 6-channel Audio output
Optical S/PDIF audio output
Gigabit Ethernet
802.11 g/b WiFi, up to 54Mbps
6 external USB 2.0 High-speed Ports
Dimensions: 300mm x 90mm x 326mm (11.8″ x 3.5″ x 12.8″)
Noise: under 27dB