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Complete Home Entertainment Ecosystem! From Seagate? YES!

November 17, 2009 – 8:25 am

Seagate_FA_TheaterPlus leftremoteSeagate Technology – the hard drive company that has been around for 30 years – actually has a complete set of products that can enable a home entertainment system that is beyond your imagination!

By using a Seagate BlackArmor NAS product (a 440/420, 220 or 110), or even a Seagate FreeAgent DockStar USB network dock, you can host all your content – pictures, music, videos and movies – and have it available to your Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ that is attached to your big screen television!

I’ve done this in my home, as well as my brother’s. Networked storage – even networked storage that is simple to setup and accessible outside the home and shareable – serving up all your content to your televisions, each TV enabled with its own Theater+. And for that content that you want tighter control over (not available to everyone on the network), simply put that content on a FreeAgent Go and slide it into the FreeAgent Theater+ when you want to enjoy it.

BA NAS440Thanks to the USB ports on the Theater+, you don’t even need a network to get this capability. You could simply take all your rich media content on your PC, put it on either a FreeAgent Go or any other USB storage device, and connect that directly to your Theater+ to bring it back to life.

With this simple setup, you can have: slideshows of all your digital pictures, complete with elegant transitions and music playing in the background; all your home movies off your camcorders, presented in easy to access menus for simple viewing; your entire music library available to you throughout the home, wherever you have placed a FreeAgent Theater+; all the movies and video content that you may have accumulated from whatever sources you have, complete with full menuing support for content that has it (like your ripped DVDs).

And the costs?  Well, it’s not thousands of dollars, as you might expect. No professional installers are needed. Each FreeAgent Theater+ will set you back $149.99 – you will want one for each television. A FreeAgent DockStar (where you use your own storage, but it is networked) lists for $99.99. If you wanted to move up to a BlackArmor NAS, they start at roughly $200 for a 1TB network attached storage system, complete with media streaming capability.

So….  A simple apartment setup could be as inexpensive as $250 (one Theater+ and one DockStar). A larger system – say a 3 television home – would be between $550 and $650 (depending on whether you go with a DockStar or a BlackArmor NAS 110).

DockStarAnd you can always add more storage. Sure, the costs will start going up, but adding storage to DockStar is as simple as plugging in standard USB drives, such as our FreeAgent Go, or FreeAgent Desk.

And all this is brought to you by Seagate – 30 years of quality and reliability for all your storage need!

How simple is that? Give it a try! Or ask me how you can do it yourself!

By Jon Van Bronkhorst | Also posted in Digital Home, Digital Living, FreeAgent, Industry trends, Laptop PC, Media Center, Music, Photography, Products, Seagate, Technology, The Digital Den, Uncategorized, Videos, desktop, freeagent go, laptop, trends | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Have you seen YouTube on Seagate FreeAgent Theater+? Firmware update enables it!

November 12, 2009 – 4:04 pm

Seagate_FA_TheaterPlus leftremoteLast week, Seagate released a firmware update for its recently release Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ product that provides access to YouTube – and it’s been approved by YouTube!

There are many other improvements in the product through this firmware update, like improved alphabetic sorting.

But there are also some other fascinating features – RSS video feeds from places like CNN and HD channels and text RSS feeds from the likes of CBS, CNN and NPR.
On top of that, UPnP has been added, so that the Theater+ now easily sees any media servers that are located on your network, making access just that much easier.

With these additions, FreeAgent Theater+ takes on new strength in your home entertainment center. Use Theater+ to access all your pictures and music, whether located on your FreeAgent Go (or other USB attached storage device) or on your networked media server. Enjoy the latest YouTube videos in the comfort and social atmosphere of your family room. And get the latest news, information and entertainment from your favorite RSS video feeds.

And if you have a Seagate FreeAgent DockStar, you can even access the rich media content located on the attached storage devices through your network on your Theater+. Keep it all in one place, attached to your DockStar, for access from outside the home, sharing capabilities, and now enjoyment on your television with Theater+!

Simple. Easy. Connected with the now available FreeAgent Theater+ Wireless Adapter.

Your complete home entertainment solution. For all your rich media content. All brought to you by Seagate.

By Jon Van Bronkhorst | Also posted in Digital Home, Digital Living, Film, FreeAgent, Industry trends, Laptop PC, Media Center, Music, Photography, Random, Technology, The Digital Den, Uncategorized, Videos, desktop, freeagent go, laptop, trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New O’Neill Video on Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac

November 3, 2009 – 11:28 am

There’s a great new video out today about the importance of hard drive storage in the creative process. Marc Prefontaine, a Staff Photographer from O’Neill Surf, discusses all the many uses and needs he has for the Seagate FreeAgent family of products, specifically for the Mac.

Marc does a lot of photo shoots for O’Neill, and he has to protect the content that he shoots while still in the field, as well as make sure that he has backups of all his content libraries when he is in the office. Amazingly, Marc actually travels with 4 FreeAgent Go for Mac disk drives in his bag when he travels. He loves them for their reliability, capacity, and high speed Firewire 800 interface.  He keeps multiple copies right off the camera, and then makes additional copies when he returns to the office.

Marc knows from experience the value of the content he has on his Seagate FreeAgent hard drives, and he knows that he will need to have access to this content for a long time, whether he uses the images today or not. You never know when you will need something. So by having so many copies in the places he needs them, Marc is certain to always have access to the images he needs.

Marc carries as much capacity as he can with his FreeAgent Gos (models come in capacities as high as 1TB). He has even more capacity sitting on his desktop, with the FreeAgent line of desktop products that come in capacities as high as 2TB. And then with networked multi-drive products in the BlackArmor NAS line, we deliver capacities as high as 8TB.

Digital photography and video work require increasing amounts of storage space. Here at Seagate we take great pride in providing leading capacities with the quality and reliability that people like Marc depend on to store, protect and secure all the things that are so important to his livelihood.

By Jon Van Bronkhorst | Also posted in Business Solutions, Digital Home, Digital Living, Film, FreeAgent, Industry trends, Photography, Products, Seagate, Seagate Blogs, Technology, The Digital Den, data security, desktop, freeagent go, laptop, trends | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Seagate Expands FreeAgent Line for Macs!

June 24, 2009 – 4:55 am

Today, Seagate announced a series of new products in its FreeAgent line that are targeted specifically at the Mac marketplace.

First is the new FreeAgent Go for Mac USB product. This is the same thin, svelte drive that the PC market has drooled over since it was introduced last Fall. Now formatted specifically for the Mac market, this offering rounds out the Mac products by providing USB only interface offerings for the MacBook Air and MacBook notebook products (those products that don’t have Firewire).

Next is the enhancement and performance improvement of the FreeAgent Go for Mac. Now dubbed FreeAgent Go Pro for Mac, this Firewire 800/400/USB interface product now has a 7200 RPM drive in it – perfect for the video professionals who crave and need performance in their external storage products. Again, formatted specifically for the Mac marketplace, the FreeAgent Go Pro for Mac provides 500GB of high performance storage that is simple plug and play.

In addition, Seagate announced the expansion of the FreeAgent Desk for Mac product offerings to now include a 2TB capacity point. Like the FreeAgent Go Pro for Mac, the FreeAgent Desk for Mac has Firewire 800/400 and USB interfaces – performance for the desktop video producer, or anyone looking for speed and capacity.

Lastly, Seagate announced an extension to its accessory line with the addition of the new FreeAgent Go + USB dock. This new dock is not just a dock for your FreeAgent Go USB drive, but also a powered USB hub for your desk, giving you simple and easy access to three additional USB ports on your desk for use with all your other USB attached products. This is a great idea for those with crowded desks!

Not part of the announcement is the new FreeAgent Go Special Edition that is already shipping. For those looking for that ‘little bit more’ in their external storage products, this new Special Edition is something to check out! Coming in a 500GB capacity point, it has a new color scheme, with rich metallic colors and chrome sides, and includes a black dock and case for your Go drive in the package. This is truly a ‘Special Edition’!

All these products are shipping now (with the exception of the FreeAgent Desk for Mac, which is scheduled to be available on July 12), and available online at www.seagate.com, and also through various retailers and online resellers.

By Jon Van Bronkhorst | Also posted in Digital Home, Film, FreeAgent, Industry trends, Laptop PC, Music, Photography, Products, Seagate, Seagate Blogs, Technology, The Digital Den, Videos, desktop, freeagent go, laptop, trends | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

How’s your DVR space?

May 15, 2009 – 3:46 pm

An interesting blog post by Gizmodo’s Wilson Rothman hit close to home for me today. Partly because I work for Seagate and focus on the storage market for consumer electronics which is dominated by DVRs, but also because I’m a DVR fan and a fan of Tivo.

Wilson’s blog post happens to focus on Tivo’s lack of interest in testing or supporting Seagate’s Showcase DVR expander. However, it highlights an increasingly irratating issue for many people, me included – runing out of space on your DVR.

I have two teenage daughters and a wife who have long ago figured out the benefits of our DVR. We quickly filled up our 80GB Tivo , and had to take time to “manage our space” now and then. I don’t know about you, but “managing my space” is not what I want to spend time doing. Not to mention the tough choices about what stays and what goes…. I still have bad memories of when my daughters found out I nuked a bunch of episodes of America’s Next Top Model ;-\

I’m sort of mystyfied why service providers and DVR makers don’t take more advantage of enabling external storage options. In my case, when my Tivo ran out of space and I started getting tired of “managing my space”, I started shopping for my next DVR, which happened not to be a Tivo!

At the risk of sounding self serving, next time your running low on DVR space, call your service provider and investigate options for storage expansion. You might just maintain a bit more peace in the family!

By David Burks | Also posted in Digital Home, Digital Living, Products, Seagate, Technology, dvr | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Cutting the telephone cord…

May 8, 2009 – 3:44 pm

Cutting the telephone cord…

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I’m sure you’ve noticed, but there are quite a few options for residential phone service these days. You have your traditional service from your local Telco, a number of Voice over IP options such as Vonage and there are digital cable services like the one I’m currently using from Comcast called Comcast Digital Voice service. I’ve used VoIP from Vonage and I’m now using Comcast Digital Voice and let’s just say, they both have a few little “issues”. So I’m one of the many millions of people out there thinking of going pure wireless with my cell phone and cutting the cord on the my home phone line. I just have a few reservations…

First, I’ve had our same home phone number for years. It’s almost part of my identity! Not to mention a whole bunch of my family and friends have that number to reach me. Second, I really don’t like the idea of using a cell phone at home phone for several reasons. Traditional home phones styles and functionality (speaker phones, multiple handsets, ergonomics…) still appeal to me. Technology to the rescue!

I’ve found a couple of interesting options that will allow you to use a cell phone at home, but connected into your standard home phone infrastructure. Check out the potential:

1) Add a line to my family plan for $9.99/month. (Verizon)

2) Transfer my old land-line number to my new cell phone line.

3) Use my existing set of home phone equipment already in place.

There are two relatively new devices that will enable this type of scenario. The first is a system called Dock N Talk from PhoneLabs. The other is a series of products from GE branded Cell Fusion. Both devices are designed to connect a cell phone into the existing infrastructure of your home phone system. The result is that you can make and receive cell phone calls using your existing phone wiring & hand set equipment. Sound intriguing? We’ll see… I just ordered the GE Cell Fusion Gateway – the most basic in a series of products from GE’s Cell Fusion line. In my next post, I’ll let you know how it’s working!


By David Burks | Also posted in Digital Home, Digital Living, Products, Seagate, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Lock and Unlock Your Notebook With Your Bluetooth Phone? YES!

May 7, 2009 – 11:07 am

I just heard about a cool new technology that allows the user of a Windows notebook (that has a Bluetooth receiver in it) to secure their notebook when they are away without any keystrokes! And the best part? It UNLOCKS when they return, again, without any keystrokes!

This cool new technology is called Phoenix Freeze, and it comes from Phoenix Technologies, the bios and systems utilities company. What this product does is tie your Bluetooth cell phone to your Bluetooth enabled notebook. When the phone leaves the vicinity, the computer automatically locks. When the phone returns, the computer unlocks. How much more simple can a locking/unlocking procedure be?

Now I know what you’re going to ask – what happens if I lose my cell phone? Or someone else borrows it? Well, as with any good, well thought out application, there is always a password unlock capability, in case you forget your phone, or lose it.

I can really use this at work. I constantly have to worry about making sure my computer is secured before walking off to a meeting. And I can’t tell you how many times I’m in such a hurry that I just forget! Sure, my computer will lock itself after a fixed period of time without activity. But this is so much easier. And, on top of that, it will unlock without me needing to do anything other than walk back into my office.

This product is only available for Windows XP and Vista 32 bit versions right now. The website says they are working on Windows 7 and Mac OS versions.

Interested? You can download a free 14 day trial at www.phoenixfreeze.com.

Security. Made simple!

By Jon Van Bronkhorst | Also posted in Business Solutions, Digital Home, Digital Living, Industry trends, Laptop PC, Products, Security, data security, desktop, enterprise, laptop | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Console gaming can enhance your social life!

April 7, 2009 – 10:58 am

Console gaming can enhance your social life!

There are several ways to enjoy playing your game console in competitive or cooperative ways with others.  Both Sony and Microsoft have full featured on-line services to allow people the world over to connect and play.  I prefer being able to look my opponent in eyes (to plead for mercy) when I play. If you have a console game at home and have not ventured into the live multi play with others you’re really missing out…  There are a host of games you can choose that will fit almost any social situation from small party’s (gotta try Rock Band) to multi-player war games (historic, to futuristic) , to 1-1 virtual sports (Car racing, basketball, football).

The simplest way to multi play is to connect multiple controllers to your console. Xbox 360 supports up to four simultaneous controllers, and PS3supports up to 7! Keep in mind that this mode of play means you are sharing a single TV screen with all players so the bigger the better! You can get beyond the direct connect controller method and also get beyond sharing a TV if you delve into the world on console networking! This is not really that complicated and for certain situation like college dorms or special events this can be a very cool way to go.  At Seagate, we have had the opportunity to host the Frag Dolls (professional gamers)   for promotional events that features this multi-player gaming mode with 6 Xbox 360 consoles linked together.

For those of you who are already gamers, I’m preaching to choir… But if you’ve been thinking about a console game or you have one at home the kids use, think about taking the plunge!  You can have a lot of fun with your own friends and a find some new ways to connect with the kids too.

By David Burks | Also posted in Cloud computing, Digital Home, Financial, Flash, Industry trends, Products, Seagate, Seagate Blogs, Technology, The Digital Den | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)