Available for preorder online at Amazon.com, ZvBox's pioneering ZvCast
technology defines new 'localcasting' product category
LITTLETON, Mass., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Startup company ZeeVee Inc.
announced today the launch of ZvBox(TM), a new consumer electronics product
for watching any Internet TV, online video, or computer content on HDTVs at
home. Available for preorder online exclusively at Amazon.com
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018L7NUA), ZvBox will redefine
television as we know it.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080501/NETH042 )
Until today, the explosion of Internet TV and movie downloads has been
confined to the computer's small screen. Alternative solutions have failed
to solve this problem, with drawbacks including limited content, added
subscription fees, the need for a box at each TV, and the inability to show
everything a computer can do with high-quality video and audio. ZeeVee's
new ZvBox is the first device that allows consumers to watch anything they
can get online or on their computers on all the HDTVs in their homes. ZvBox
achieves this by simply connecting to the monitor output of the computer
and turning it into a new high-definition (HD) TV channel called Zv, which
is then broadcast across the existing cable wiring to all HDTVs in the
home. As a result, ZvBox frees TV watchers from restrictive set-top boxes,
rigid network schedules, and the strain of hunching over laptops to view
online video.
ZvBox represents a new product category for consumer electronics called
"localcasting," a breakthrough method for broadcasting anything a computer
can do using the home's existing cable wiring and the TV tuners already
embedded in HDTVs. As demonstrated by ZeeVee's own ZvCast(TM) technology
upon which ZvBox is built, localcasting has several benefits which surpass
alternative methods for watching Internet video on TV:
-- Lets you watch anything available online or on your computer, with no
new subscription fees
-- Broadcasts the same great HD resolution that is displayed by your
computer
-- Uses your existing cable wiring to reach all the HDTVs in your house
with just one box
-- Eliminates the need for a receiving device near your HDTV
-- Experiences no wireless interference or performance problems
-- Allows you to start watching Zv in one room and finish in another
The best benefit of all is that ZvBox requires no change in consumer
behavior. Because ZvBox localcasts its signal to an open TV channel, you
only need to turn to that channel to watch Zv -- just like any other TV
channel. And since ZvCast delivers such a crisp screen resolution, any
computer application is accessible from the HDTV, including email, web
browsing, photos, music, home movies, and of course the computer's own DVD
player.
"ZvBox closes the huge gap that has existed between HDTVs, which have
the best viewing experience, and the computer, which provides virtually
unlimited content options and many applications already in use by
consumers," said ZeeVee Co-founder and CEO Vic Odryna. "Instead of the
walled garden world of set-top box solutions, ZvBox opens up the entire
universe of Internet video and computer applications, where innovation
usually happens first. And since ZvBox provides a duplication of what you
see on your monitor, anything you can do on your computer you can now do on
your HDTVs."
To enhance the Zv viewing experience, ZeeVee has also pioneered a new
remote control, called ZvRemote(TM). ZvRemote controls your media playback
and has an integrated touchpad which controls the computer's mouse and
desktop interface from across the house - up to 150 feet away. The
ZvKeyboard(TM) makes it even easier to compose email, surf the web, and
type text for desktop applications. ZeeVee also provides a "widescreen
guide" called Zviewer(TM) that is optimized for a 10-foot viewing
experience on an HDTV.
According to Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates, premium
online video streams and downloads (TV shows and movies) will grow from one
billion in 2008 to more than 18 billion by year-end 2012. "Why should
Internet video be exiled to the PC?" said Kurt Scherf, vice president and
principal analyst at Parks Associates. "The Internet hosts an increasing
treasure trove of high- quality video content, but it's been a difficult
road for vendors to come up with a seamless solution that does not add
clutter or complexity and does not limit the menu of content available.
ZvBox solves a big problem for consumers eager to watch online shows from
sites like Hulu and Joost. ZeeVee's straightforward approach eliminates
thorny technical issues like competing encoding formats, APIs, and video
player support."
ZeeVee Inc. is a startup funded by venture capital firms Alpond Capital
and JLL Ventures.
Pricing and Availability
The ZvBox is being offered as a bundle including the ZvRemote and
Zviewer and is now available for preorder exclusively at Amazon.com's
Electronics store (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018L7NUA) for $499.
ZvBox will be shipped to customers on June 30, 2008, its scheduled release
date. "Our customers have come to expect breakthrough products to be
available at Amazon.com first, and we're excited that ZvBox is available
for preorder online exclusively at Amazon.com," said Paul Ryder, vice
president of consumer electronics at Amazon. "ZvBox aims to fill a clear
need for a simplified and flexible way to enjoy Internet content on HDTVs
throughout the home. It's a fresh approach and a full solution for enjoying
media and entertainment in new ways."
About ZeeVee
ZeeVee Inc., the creators of ZvCast(TM) technology for localcasting
anything a computer can do to all the HDTVs in the home, is helping to
redefine television as we know it. The company's ZvBox(TM) is liberating
captive TV viewers from hardware, content and scheduling restraints, and
opening the HDTV to the universe of Internet and computer video and
applications. Through the creation of a new high-definition channel called
"Zv," localcasted from ZvBox across the home's existing cable wiring,
ZeeVee's technology allows for a more content-rich, interactive, and
enjoyable entertainment experience -- all from the comfort of the couch.
For more information, visit http://www.ZeeVee.com.
SOURCE ZeeVee Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.ZeeVee.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018L7NUA
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080501/NETH042
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org AP PhotoExpress
Network: PRN4 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Michelle Dillon, Beaupre & Co. Public
Relations, +1-603-559-5835, mdillon@beaupre.com
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