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Thumb-Drive-Sized Streaming-Media Device Announced

Vendor Roku announced yesterday it is creating a streaming-media player in a thumb-drive-sized format that can be plugged directly into a TV’s high-definition multimedia interface port. The Roku Streaming Stick will need no external power and can be operated using a conventional television remote control. Its other features include built-in Wi-Fi. The device, which will cost between $50 and $100, will convert ordinary TVs into smart TVs–televisions with Internet-connectivity capability that function more like a computer--if they have at least one mobile high-definition link-compliant HDMI port. Media players and set-top boxes are typically used to add this feature to conventional televisions. The Streaming Stick won’t be available until the second half of this year, leading the San Francisco Chronicle to speculate that Roku timed its announcement “to be heard above the high volume of news about the latest and greatest TVs that is sure to come out of Las Vegas next week during the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show.” (SlashDot)(The San Francisco Chronicle)(MSNBC)(MHL Consortium)

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