Smart Home Blog

UK TV integrator DaweVision Ltd has announced its new product - BabelTV. Basically, BabelTV is full featured PC but pre-configured to be used in the home entertainment area. It’s based on Xubuntu Linux and provides:

• full set of PVR functionality - Freeview TV,
• share and store photos,
• play and manage iPod or other MP3 player music,
• make free or cheap Internet phone calls.

As you may see from the BabelTV specification below it can replace not only DVD player and satellite receiver but your home PC also. Because it includes everything you need (except games probably).

The demo video of BabelTV is available here.

Fill spec of BabelTV:

Hardware
System

• Babel.TV uses a low power, standard x86 PC architecture
• 512MB RAM
• One PCI bus slot

Storage

• 1 x 160Gb IDE HDD, though the system can also support SATA and USB drives

Display

• VGA resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 supported
• S-Video and composite TV supported

Audio

• Stereo and 5.1 Dolby
• Microphone input

Tuners

• 2 x USB2 Freeview tuners

Network

• RJ45 supporting Gigabit Ethernet, 100BaseT and 10BaseT
• Support for Inovatech 200Mbs Ethernet over Powerline
• Support for optional Babel.TV WiFi
• Support for selected USB ADSL modems

Peripheral support

• Optional DVD player, CD R/W Drive
• 4 x USB2 – 2 used by tuner, 1 used by wireless keyboard
• Camera – Support for USB mass storage interface
• MP3 etc. - Support for USB mass storage interface
• Printer – Support for wide range of printers

Software
Operating system

• BabelDisc - based on Xubuntu Linux

TV, Video and Audio

• Two tuners
• Record and view at same time
• Record two programmes while watching recorded programme
• Pause, rewind, fast-forward
• View full screen or part screen
• Internet and file player:
• Video: MPEG 1,2,4; Flash, RealVideo, Xvid, H.264, QuickTime
• Audio: AAC, MP3, OGG, RealAudio
• Note: Digital Rights Management currently supported
• Play recordings stored on other Babel.TV devices
• Schedule recordings on other Babel.TV devices

Web

• Full Firefox browser
• Flash, Real and many ‘plug-ins’ installed

Photo

• Download images from Internet, or ‘USB mass storage’ device cameras etc.
• Manage, view and print photos
• Combine slideshow with music tracks

Audio

• Download and upload music from Internet, and ‘USB mass storage’ music players etc.
• Manage and play tracks
• Dolby 5.1 capable

Messaging

• Email: Web, POP and IMAP supported
• Instant messenger: AIM, ICQ, IRC, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo
• Telephone
• Voice over IP - SIP
• Sign is name is a national or geographic phone number
• Automatic registration on sign in
• Parental control – whitelist, blacklist and time of day
• Call forwarding
• Voice mail

Office

• OpenOffice suite – Microsoft Office and ODF compatible document editor, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing

System and file management

• All software and systems are automatically, remotely managed by DaweVision
• Minimum user configuration requirement
• All files other than recorded TV programmes are automatically stored on ‘BabelBank’ - our Internet storage system
• All files are accessible anytime, anywhere – simply plug any Babel.TV into any broadband connection.
• Intelligent caching of files means near ‘local disc’ performance
• All user files protected from other Babel.TV users
• System tolerant to network outages
• System usable without network connectivity
• System is hardened against the installation of malicious software

Share This