It's been almost a full year since we heard a peep from the fine folks at Myka, but it looks like we could be talking about 'em a lot more often judging by the specs list on its latest contraption. The simply-titled ION is an Atom-based media PC that relies on NVIDIA's Ion graphics set and a customized interface that brings Hulu, Boxee and pretty much any other web content you can stumble upon to your television. Within, you'll find a 1.6GHz dual-core Atom 330 CPU, up to 4GB of RAM, ten USB 2.0 ports, VGA / DVI / HDMI outputs, an eSATA connector, Ethernet and plenty of audio outputs. The fanless design ensures that things remain quiet, and for those oozing cash, a Blu-ray drive, HDD and WiFi module can be implanted. It's up for order right now starting at $379, but you'll be stuck waiting four to six weeks for delivery.

Hard though it may be to believe, the Roku has been rockin' the lives of Netflix fanatics for nearly 1.5 years, and if you were thinking an updated version was in order, you'd be on the right train of thought. Images delivered to us today prove that a refreshed iteration is on the horizon, with the Roku XR (model number N1101) retaining the same overall look and feel as the original but adding in niceties like 802.11n wireless support, a USB socket (presumably for loading up media locally) and a 2.5A power input (as opposed to 1.5A). You can also see that the dedicated reset button has been yanked and the bundled remote is exactly the same; in fact, we're told that the old remote controls the Roku XR sans issue. There's no word yet on a price or release date, but we're guessing we'll know significantly more prior to Christmas. Oh, and yeah -- you're not the only one thinking this is quite the underwhelming update, but hey, maybe it'll street for $9.99.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

After a quick test run on Entone's IPTV boxes, VUDU has now done the deed with a big time player. In a joint announcement today with LG, the outfit is announcing its first major foray into STB-less movie streaming. LG's Netflix-friendly LH50 line of connected HDTVs will act as the hosts, with VUDU's tried and true high-def streaming service acting as the highly anticipated guest. The outfit's next generation movie platform will enable owners of the 47LH50, 50PS80, 60PS80 and 42LH50 to buy or rent HD and HDX (1080p) films on demand through a refreshed user interface that promises no stutters or buffering waits. The new VUDU also brings along instant fast forward and rewind as well as instant start for all movie qualities, and as before, there's no monthly fee associated with the service. Eager to dive on in? It'll be made available for everyone (existing owners included) starting next month, and just so you know, we definitely don't envision LG being the last TV maker to slip under VUDU's covers. The full release is after the break.

Update: From the sounds of Vudu's solo PR, the LG sets are just the first off the line, so we'd expect a few more manufacturers to partner up soon.

The world needs another set-top-box like it needs another Kim Jong-Il, but we'll do our best to stifle the sighs and present to you the ZyXEL DMA-2500. This well-specced box streams in material up to 1080p from any networked storage device, is DLNA 1.5 certified and supports more formats than it would be healthy for us to list. The outfit also claims that it'll handle material laced in DRM, but the vagueness of it all has us skeptical. At any rate, users can also indulge in internet TV and online radio, and there's an S-Video, composite and HDMI port to get it onto your television. Finally, the unit even includes a USB port which can presumably be used for adding local storage or a USB WiFi adapter. It's filtering out now across the pond for the somewhat hard-to-swallow price of €223 ($296).

[Via HDTVInfo]

We've never really understood the premise of at-home theater ticket buying unless you're trying to beat the crowd to a hot showing. Is it really that much more convenient to wait in line to present a Fandango confirmation compared to waiting in line to buy tickets? For DISH Network subscribers who've got it all figured out, you'll be elated to know that a new Fandango iTV application has just arrived to provide on-couch ticket ordering. Best of all, the functionality isn't set-top-box specific; anyone who tunes to channel 100 will have the option to buy, and all you have to do is show the credit card at the cinema to gain entrance. You can go ahead and color us underwhelmed and out of the loop simultaneously if you choose.

Up for an investigation? We've got a curious case going on with a recent FCC filing, which sees the user manual of the recently unveiled DuoDVR ViP 922 (yeah, the SlingLoaded one) alongside images of a heretofore unseen ViP 822 DVR. Curiously, the actual FCC label corresponds with the "922," through the logo on the pictured Sling DVR definitely shows "822." So, is this just the typical step a device takes before it hits shelves in America, or is this a DVR we've never seen before? Something tells us it's far less exciting than our imaginations are leading us to believe.

VUDU made some pretty big waves with its Blu-ray-rivaling HDX downloadable format, and now it's pushing the envelope once again by becoming the first on-demand service to actually sell (as in, for keeps... on your box, anyway) HD and HDX movies. Starting today, all VUDU owners can browse a growing library of for-sale high-definition flicks, and it should be noted that both HD and HDX titles will sport the same price tags (between $13.99 and $23.99). Initially, only around 50 films will be available, all of which are from top independent studios. Magnolia Picture's Man on Wire, which just so happened to take home an Oscar this year, is in that group of 50 along with FirstLook Studios' Transsiberian and War, Inc.. Better still, VUDU intends to make future releases available for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release, and we can only hope that major studios get with the program and follow suit. Full release is after the break.

If you thought Chumby would stop at digital photo frames, you were wrong. Dead wrong. Today, the widget-loving company has announced a tie-up with Broadcom that will integrate its rich media internet platform onto system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions that will eventually find their way into HDTVs, set-top-boxes and Blu-ray players. Essentially, Chumby is making sure it doesn't miss out on the quickly filling insert-your-connected-device-here bandwagon, and quite frankly, we'll be shocked if any of those other guys can rival what Chumby's bringing. After all, widgets are this company's forte, and we're downright giddy at the thought of having over 1,000 internet-connected snippets of information at our fingertips while intently watching future episodes of Lie To Me. Hey, TV / STB makers -- jump on this. Now. Video demonstration is after the break.

Apple may say that its Apple TV is just a hobby, but we know better. A recent survey for Apple TV users took a deep look at all activities users engaged in, and potentially more important, at which activities they didn't engage in. With the recent surge in interest in digital downloads, Apple has to be considering how it could exploit its box to take advantage of newfound interest, but that would likely require it to open its traditionally locked doors and allow other applications to ride shotgun. We already know that many users add extra capabilities not sanctioned by Apple, but boy, can you imagine the marketing on this thing if boxee, HD Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand were natively supported? We can dream, can't we?

It's hard to know how many other pay-TV providers could say this very same thing but are simply choosing not to brag, but AT&T's holding nothing back in its latest release. The operator has proudly come forward and proclaimed that 100 percent of its U-verse TV receivers meet or exceed Energy Star efficiency requirements, and all new Motorola and Cisco set-top-boxes will boast the accompanying Energy Star label. Not trying to stroke your ego or anything, AT&T, but way to be green.

From what we can gather, even Apple purist Jeremy Mehrle doesn't own one of these ultra-rare set-top-boxes, and if you think you're the only Apple fanboy out there eying this one seriously, we fear you'll be sorely mistaken. This prototype Interactive Television Box was crafted in or around 1994 and was designed to deliver content to one's TV by connecting to a central server and downloading content. Thus, the unit itself doesn't boot into anything nor does it feature an internal hard drive. Still, DIYers and collectors alike will have a hard time passing up the opportunity of snagging this piece and turning it into a makeshift iTunes server, but given the remarkably low $249.99 buy-it-now price, we'd say that window of opportunity may not be open for long. Oh, and Apple TV -- you ain't got nothin' on this in terms of desirability. Sorry, bub.

[Thanks, Marc]

We already heard what a few others had to say about Kodak's Theatre HD Player, but we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to unbox our own and toss out some impressions. We won't bother teasing you, though -- head on over to Engadget Classic for the full spill.

boxee took full advantage of its space at CES this year, and according to a recent post on its blog, it fielded quite a few inquiries from other companies about crafting a boxee-branded set-top-box. Currently, the only way to get boxee running is to install it on your TV-connected PC or inelegantly onto an Apple TV. A number of companies approached boxee asking for its thoughts on embedding the application into "existing or future products," so the cats at boxee are coming right out and soliciting your opinion on the matter. boxee does caution that getting it baked into a device would take "a long time," but it certainly seems like that ball is rolling. So, what say you? Would you snap one up? Or would you balk at the notion of adding yet another STB underneath your television?

[Thanks, cros13]

In an effort to lower subscriber energy bills as well as throw Mother Earth a bone, Sky is reportedly rolling out a software update to its set-top-boxes that will enable an automatic standby feature. In short, the update will force boxes that go unused for four hours during the day into standby, and that grace period gets cut in half (to two hours, for the mathematically challenged) at night. The update will supposedly hit all nine million or so Sky boxes by July, and the company estimates that the move will reduce its carbon footprint by around 90,000 tonnes each year. A little standby goes a long way, huh?

[Thanks, Martin]

It's pretty much impossible to say where Daewoo's DIS-E100 HD IPTV set-top-box (not pictured) is headed in terms of operator adoption, but one's thing is for certain: SecureMedia's Encryptonite ONE will be making sure no pirates can plunder with content running through it. In all honesty, little is actually known about the aforesaid STB given that it's SecureMedia that's doing the outing, but we wouldn't be shocked to see this filter out to the handful of IPTV providers operating in the States. Now, if only this thing had an HDD in it, we'd really be in business. Full release is after the break.