Friday, February 10th 2012
ASUS Introduces the O!Play TV Pro Smart TV Set Top Box
The ASUS O!Play TV Pro upgrades living room TV viewing to a completely digital HD and live experience, enabling easy content consumption and distribution. Features open up playback and recording of digital programs, as well as almost any multimedia file currently available with over 50 formats supported, including 3D. Exclusive O!Easy technology adds specific one-click functions that cover file streaming, sharing, and replay, while an always-on design affords direct access to many major online entertainment and content services, all from a single user-friendly device.
Playback and recording of digital TV
The O!Play TV Pro comes with a built in DVB-T digital tuner for immediate access to free-to-air high quality digital TV programming. Consumers can readily plan ahead with the Electronic Program Guide (EPG), which offers location-sensitive scheduling for up to a week in advance. Plus, content can be recorded onto an internal 3.5" hard drive using the included Personal Video Recorder (PVR). ASUS has integrated TimeShift into the device, which can pause and resume digital broadcasts in real time should consumers need to get away from the screen, but wish to avoid missing out on their favorite shows.
Support for over 50 formats - including 3D media
Compatibility remains critical for media players, and so the O!Play TV Pro offers seamless use of over 50 major multimedia standards for a worry-free user experience. These include ISO, MKV, RM/RMBV, MVA, AVI, MPEG1/2/4, and MP4. Adding 3D support, the set top box uses H.264 MV (TS, M2TS, and BD-ISO), extending compatibility to cover the most current 3D formatting on the market.
Exclusive ASUS O!Easy technology renders more enjoyable HD multimedia
Playing, streaming, and sharing HD content have been made much easier thanks to the inclusion of O!Easy technology, which connects the O!Play TV Pro to other devices and home networks intuitively. The suite includes multiple one-click functions:
The O!Play TV Pro offers consumers a totally live product, with constant connectivity over Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi to a wealth of online-based content and services. The device maximizes bandwidth availability to reduce lag and latency for faster downloads and buffer-free streaming. Acetrax, Facebook, YouTube Leanback, DailyMotion, Flickr, and Picasa all come pre-configured for instant access. ASUS offers regular device and service updates, so consumers can expect the range of online content to continue to grow.
Playback and recording of digital TV
The O!Play TV Pro comes with a built in DVB-T digital tuner for immediate access to free-to-air high quality digital TV programming. Consumers can readily plan ahead with the Electronic Program Guide (EPG), which offers location-sensitive scheduling for up to a week in advance. Plus, content can be recorded onto an internal 3.5" hard drive using the included Personal Video Recorder (PVR). ASUS has integrated TimeShift into the device, which can pause and resume digital broadcasts in real time should consumers need to get away from the screen, but wish to avoid missing out on their favorite shows.
Support for over 50 formats - including 3D media
Compatibility remains critical for media players, and so the O!Play TV Pro offers seamless use of over 50 major multimedia standards for a worry-free user experience. These include ISO, MKV, RM/RMBV, MVA, AVI, MPEG1/2/4, and MP4. Adding 3D support, the set top box uses H.264 MV (TS, M2TS, and BD-ISO), extending compatibility to cover the most current 3D formatting on the market.
Exclusive ASUS O!Easy technology renders more enjoyable HD multimedia
Playing, streaming, and sharing HD content have been made much easier thanks to the inclusion of O!Easy technology, which connects the O!Play TV Pro to other devices and home networks intuitively. The suite includes multiple one-click functions:
- O!Capture: media and TV program sharing on Facebook
- - O!Replay: replay a program's most recent seven seconds
- - O!Direct: streaming content from desktop or notebook PC to TV
- - O!MediaShare: wireless streaming of content from mobile devices to TV
- - AutoPlay: plug and play videos stored on USB drives or SD/MMC/MS/xD cards without additional setup or installation
The O!Play TV Pro offers consumers a totally live product, with constant connectivity over Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi to a wealth of online-based content and services. The device maximizes bandwidth availability to reduce lag and latency for faster downloads and buffer-free streaming. Acetrax, Facebook, YouTube Leanback, DailyMotion, Flickr, and Picasa all come pre-configured for instant access. ASUS offers regular device and service updates, so consumers can expect the range of online content to continue to grow.
14 Comments on ASUS Introduces the O!Play TV Pro Smart TV Set Top Box
This thing has me intrigued.
This single devise can replace a lot.
one thumb up, one thumb down.
also would save me the money from having to up my receiver.
ill prob buy one if price is right.
edit: also does most satellites or dvd players have usb 3.0?
Nice feature set on paper...but that is all.
Unit keeps crashing, sometimes it went into a never ending reboot after activating SAMBA, DVB-T tuner not working in Portugal, sluggish and slow menu navigation, no connection to iMDB for movie picture or details, on-line features freeze often (not ASUS fault), most YouTube videos do not work and display an Adobe Flash icon (out of the box at least), the paper manual is very bad (Although very thick and written in a thousand languages) -ok there is always the pdf version..
This was my first expirience with the unit (maybe I am being unfair) but I am quite disappointed.
ASUS needs to fix the problems with the firmware and for the price customers expect a lot better.
What it really bothers me as a missing point of this box is that does not receive HD Channels?!?!:mad: Come on Asus!!!, it would have cost you a minimal effort :banghead:to make this device with a decent DVB-T2 Tuner and get all channels including BBC-HD,BBC One HD and ITV1-HD, I will definitely not consider this device as HD Channels it's what I am currently missing from my TV Set and buying something like this is pointless. Better off spending less money to get some other models like the O!Play Gallery (same thing without TV Tuner) and be probably a lot cheaper. I do have to say though that the Hard Drive insert mechanism looks like the best as per every other models and thus still making a good buying point. Come on update this beauty with an HDTV Receiver or even like an HD Freesat viewer as someone mentioned :respect:
www.asus.com/Multimedia/Digital_Media_Player/OPlay_TV_Pro/#download
Version* 2.5.0926C
Description TV PRO firmware
Global (Germany Excluded) Version 2.5.0926C
UPnP service for Windows 7 has been blocked on TV Pro by security zone policy
File Size
86,85 (MBytes) 2012.10.12* update
It means that given it's Tuner specific DVB-T, at least in UK you wont be able to tune in HD Channels. In some EU countries DVB-T Standard will allow to get their respective HD Channels but not in the UK. In the UK you need DVB-T2 Tuner type to allow you watching HD's.
The firmware update you are referring to has nothing to do with the TV functionality of this box other then Windows OS' features and there is nothing that a firmware update can do to change hardware capabilities. So it is a permanent limitation for this box in terms of Freeview programs.