May 18th, 2009
Discontinuation Day: HP pulls plug on MediaSmart TVs, Linksys switches off its Media Center Extenders
On the march toward the integration of the PC and the home theater, there have been numerous casualties, and today apparently you can add a couple more to the list. Gizmodo has confirmed that HP has finally given up on a couple of its living-room initiatives, specifically the MediaSmart TVs and Media Connect receivers. If you’re saying to yourself, “HP made TVs?” then you can see exactly the problem the MediaSmart line had. Like Dell and Gateway, HP tried to break into the HDTV market, but like those other companies, they had little success against Sony and Samsung, not to mention Vizio and Westinghouse.
The Media Connect line had even less of an impact. Ironically, HP may have a better chance in the living room utilizing its Media Vault network-attached-storage devices, which have been well-received and could easily incorporate more robust streaming-media features.
Linksys’ foray into a streaming media device, in the form of the Media Center Extenders, has also run its course, according to Engadget. These relied on connecting wirelessly with a Windows Media Center-equipped PC, but they never took off the way using an Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender has. Other companies haven’t exactly leaped aboard the Media Center Extender bandwagon, which isn’t totally surprising given the fact that you could instead get a dedicated streaming video box from Roku or Vudu or a Blu-ray player with streaming capabilities.
Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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