Orb Networks Does It Again
EMERYVILLE, Calif. – Jan. 22, 2007 — Orb NetworksTM announced today that Sony® PlayStation 3TM (PS3) game enthusiasts can now view and share all of the digital entertainment stored on their home PCs directly on their living room TV screen, using the company's software as the bridge. Orb turns the home PC into a personal broadcasting system, and lets users build and organize their own "channels" to enjoy their music, photos, video, TV, documents and other extras for viewing on any device with a streaming media player and Internet connection.
The breakthrough gives PS3 users the ability to stream any kind of media from their PC to the TV through the Internet for the first time, a capability not available from Sony. The announcement comes just three weeks after Nintendo® opened TVs to Internet access with its WiiTM game console, triggering a surge of demand for the Orb service from Wii enthusiasts.
"We've had nearly 50,000 Wii users download Orb so they can watch their favorite YouTubeTM videos, or enjoy a movie they have downloaded from the Web on their screen of choice – the TV screen," said Joe Costello, chairman and CEO of Orb Networks. "People like the simplicity and instant gratification of walking the ten feet from their study to their living room and being able to finally view on their TV not only Internet content, but more importantly, all their personal digital media – photos, videos, music, movies — that lives on their home PC."
Costello said the quick and positive response from Nintendo Wii users spurred the company to develop a way for PS3 gamers to use their console to get TV access to the digital content on their home PC. "The beauty of Orb is that works with any device, with a streaming media player and an Internet connection, so once we developed the pathway to connect the PC to the TV through the gaming console the rest was easy," said Costello.
"We're also seeing a steady increase in usage as Wii users discover the different ways to use Orb," said Costello. "The ability to watch YouTube videos and listen to music through Orb from your PC directly to your TV has been an eye-opener for people – you can start sharing those digital moments of your life on the big screen that until now have been locked up on your PC."
Orb's free MyCasting software allows you to enjoy all digital media from your home PC, as well as online videos from the growing source of Internet TV and content sites, on any networked device with an internet browser – be it other PCs, lap tops, PDAs or mobile phones with streaming players. And now, TV with gaming consoles such as the Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii.
How Orb Works with the Sony PS3:
- Download Orb at www.orb.com onto your on always-on Windows PC at home. It takes less than 3 minutes to do.
- Turn on your TV and pen the Web browser on your PS3.
- Using your controller, log onto your Orb account through PS3 at mycast.orb.com. That's it. Now enjoy, watch and listen to any digital content on your home PC – videos, music, Internet TV and radio or any other online content you programmed in your Orb MyCast application: they are now all airing on your TV screen.
How Orb Works
Orb MyCasting makes it possible for people to organize, enjoy and share their videos, music, photos, TV, documents and other digital media when (time) and where (place) they want it, using the devices – be it a mobile phone, PDA or laptop – that they already own. The free software is downloaded onto an always-on home PC; there is no Orb player software download required or other add-ons to install on the device used. Once the Orb MyCasting application is installed, the user can use most any Internet-connected device with a streaming media player to stream their media content whenever and wherever they choose.
About Orb Networks, Inc.
Orb Networks is an award-winning developer of software and services that unlock the digital media stored on personal computers. Orb MyCasting gives consumers secure, free, instant, and everywhere-access to everything from their photos and video to TV and music on virtually any Web-enabled device. The company's partners and affiliates include: AOL Winamp, AMD, Creative Labs, Hauppauge, Hutchison, Nokia, Orange and Vodafone. Orb Networks is a privately held company in Emeryville, Calif. For more information about Orb Networks and the Orb MyCasting service, please visit www.orb.com.