Gateway Refreshes Wireless DVD Player
By Doug Olenick -- TWICE, 3/22/2004
Poway, Calif.— Gateway has upgraded its Wireless Connected DVD Player with the addition of integrated 802.11g and a streamlined setup process.
The new device, the ADC-320, started shipping on earlier this month with the same $199 suggested retail price as its predecessor.
The 802.11g Wi-Fi 54MB per second streaming ability gives consumers an even better ability to stream video, and it fits into any of the 6.2 million Wi-Fi home networks now in place, Gateway said. This figure is expected to triple in the next two years, according to data from IDC, Framingham, Mass.
This fact is important, said Gateway's Michael Milne, senior VP and GM for consumer solutions, because the ADC-320 is set up to operate with computers running the Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition 2004 operating system. This allows video content stored by Media Center's PVR function to be streamed throughout the home, Milne said.
The other major change is that the setup process has been reduced from three steps to one. Gateway is also making available a firmware patch for those who purchased the first-generation Wireless Connected DVD player and want to bring it up to the same level as the ADC-320. The purchase of a $50 wireless card would also be required.
Like the original product, the ADC-320 will be sold as part of a $999 bundle with Gateway's KAS-303 home theater system. This will enable end users to create a home theater that can pull content wirelessly off a PC.
