Monday, March 29, 2010

Specs and reviews of the Kodak Theater HD Player

While there are lots of options out there for connecting your TV to the Internet, the Kodak Theater HD Player is one of the first big-name players out there. Priced at $199, but on Woot today for $59, is the Kodak 8032187 Theater Wireless HD Player with Gyro-based Wireless Pointer Remote worth the price? Or would it be a better idea to use that cash advance on a GoogleTV when it hits the market?

What the Kodak Theater HD Player 8032187?

The Kodak Theater HD Player is designed to connect your PC, along with the internet, to your television. It works with either a wifi or wired internet connection and claims to have the ability to stream videos, pictures and music.

You are able to also connect with Flickr and on-demand video feeds in this streaming. To control the user interface, the box uses a “gyro-based wireless pointer remote”. The battery-powered remote, which is half Wiimote-like pointer and half mouse, uses your wrist motions to move the pointer around the screen.

What do reviews say about the Kodak Theater HD Player?

User reviews vary widely when it comes to actually using the Kodak Theater HD Player. The high-resolution compatibility is pretty amazing – videos and photos come out really nice when displayed properly. The gyro-based remote is also almost universally loved – it elegantly solves the issue that a keyboard is too bulky when a standard TV remote does not provide enough functionality. The biggest problem, however, with the Kodak Theater HD Player seems to be the software it runs on. Engadget summed it up best in their review:

Should I invest in a new Kodak Theater HD Player?

The Kodak Theater HD Player does some things very well – it displays photos from your PC and Flickr incredibly well, the set-up is easy, and it connects to WiFi without a problem. On the other hand, the box also will not display numerous web pages properly, like your Facebook images, and it tends to have problems buffering iTunes movie files and YouTube video clips. So does that mean you have to get no faxing payday loans to make the purchase? The truth is the Kodak Theater HD Player is not as powerful as the other stuff high-tech users are used to, but it is very clean and simple. The Kodak Theater HD Player has a lot of good things going for it, and it does a few very basic things very well.



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