HP has got some more enhancements coming to its MediaSmart Server this February for free which will be available via download. The 3 updates include server protection via McAfee Antivirus which will be free for the first seven months. PacketVideo technology will enhance the the media streaming process from MediaSmart Server to other digital media devices in the home and it will also add advanced graphics such as thumbnails of photos, in-menu browsing and album art. And finally Windows 64-bit support will also be added for Vista users.
One of our contributors John Czernek, had this to say:
This raises a few questions that hopefully will be clarified during CES. Will HP offer the anti-virus to current customers? And I’m curious if the improved data streaming is some new version of Windows Media Connect.
HP is also launching a lower cost MediaSmart server based on Linux and a MediaSmart Receiver that includes Media Center Extender. Microsoft probably isn’t too happy with an alternate product offering so soon. It should be interesting to see how HP positions the two.
Thanks to Nicholas Rayner and John Czernek for the news.
