and TV Without Limits or Fees
EMERYVILLE, Calif., Jan. 4 // -- When Nintendo(R) announced it had opened up Internet access on the new Wii(TM) recently, the people who bought the popular video game console got an unexpected holiday gift -- a simple new way to enjoy all of the digital entertainment on their home PC directly on their living room TV screen using Orb Networks(TM) software as the bridge. Orb's free 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 other networked device with an internet browser -- be it other PCs, lap tops, PDAs or mobile phones with streaming players -- and now TV with the Wii.
"What Nintendo did -- offering Internet connectivity on its game console was so simple and easy -- yet it tears a big hole into the walled content garden erected by gaming manufacturers," said Joe Costello, Chairman and CEO of Orb Networks. "Consumers want the freedom to surf the Web while sitting on their sofas but that really just scratches the surface of what is available. People can get any digital content on their home PC, be it videos, music, TV, photos, whatever they want, and watch it on their TV screen without limitations or additional fees, which is what Orb promises and the Wii helps deliver. Nintendo opened the door for millions of gamers to see the power of what the Internet can offer in terms of media freedom, choices and access: other gaming manufacturers should follow suit, and the content providers and programmers should notice."
Costello said more people downloaded Orb on Christmas Day than any other and that online forums and blogs were abuzz with how easy it was to use Orb with the Wii. Within 24 hours of Nintendo's announcement, an avid fan had posted a tutorial on how to use Orb with Wii on YouTube, which thousands have already viewed over the holidays at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPt6bfVtWGc "That type of response shows people want to be able to consume media on whatever screen, whenever they want, without constraints," said Costello.
"Simplicity is what consumers are looking for in today's media experience," said Costello. "They just want to press play and begin enjoying their media. With the Wii, users can use the remote to select the media they want to watch and Orb ensures everything plays regardless of the format."
How Orb Works with the Nintendo Wii:
1) Download the free Opera Internet browser available at
http://www.wii.nintendo.com onto your Wii game console.
2) Download Orb at http://www.orb.com onto your on always-on Windows PC at home.
It takes less than 3 minutes to do.
3) Turn on your TV and access the Wii main menu. Select the Internet
Channel when connected to the Internet and open the browser.
4) Using your Wii remote, log onto your Orb account through Wii 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's MyCasting service 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, using the devices 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 -- be it live or recorded TV, music, videos and photos -- anytime, anyplace.
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 http://www.orb.com .
NOTE: Orb and MyCast are trademarks of Orb Networks, Inc. All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
