Netgear joins streaming set-top box fray with $80 NeoTV

The latest entrant in the already crowded streaming set-top box market is Netgear: Later this month, the company will debut the $80 Netgear NeoTV, an outboard streaming media player that brings Web-based content to the TV.

NeoTV—also known as the NTV200— will be competing with a growing array of streaming-media players, including the $100 Apple TV, the recently price-reduced $99 Logitech Revue, the $180 Boxee Box from D-Link (which also recently had a price cut), and three new iterations of Roku devices, which cost between $60 and $100.

The NeoTV box, which looks a bit like the Apple TV, connects to a TV via an HDMI connection. It has access to a lot of online content, including streaming TV shows and movies from Netflix and Vudu, videos from YouTube, and news and information feeds from sources including The Economist and Engadget. You can also use NeoTV, which includes the Vudu Apps platform, to connect to music services such as Pandora and Napster, share photos on Picasa, and interact with Facebook and Twitter. The company says more content partnerships may be announced after the product's launch.

Like its competitors, NeoTV has both built-in Wi-Fi and an Ethernet jack, and it supports 1080p video, something that some competitors do not. It also has an optical audio (S/PDIF) output, allowing for multichannel sound to be sent to a receiver that lacks HDMI inputs. A free app lets you use your iPhone or Android smart phone as a remote control, though a separate, regular remote is included for those who don't have a smart phone.

Given the current market, Netgear is hoping that NeoTV finds a niche by offering the most extensive assortment of content at a price $20 or more lower than most of its competitors. But the similarly priced Roku 2 XD model—the least expensive Roku box that supports 1080p video—also has access to a lot of content, including movies from Amazon and Netflix, though not Vudu.

Although NeoTV won't be available until the end of the month, you can pre-order the media player now at several retailers and online stores, including Best Buy, Staples, Amazon.com, and Frys.com.

Have you been considering a streaming media player—a good, inexpensive way to add Web content to a TV that lacks Internet access—? Let us know if you find the NeoTV a compelling choice, and if not, which of the alternatives make the most sense to you.

Netgear NeoTV

—James K. Willcox