We are not abandoning the DSM-520 or ActiveTV application! I know there has been a lot of buzz around PlayOn - the new Xbox360/PS3 product, but that does not mean that we don't love the 520. In fact, much of the development we are doing for PlayOn will enable us to enhance ActiveTV as well.

I received an email today asking: Was hoping to see something for the DSM520 and CBS.com...any details?

So - we currently have CBS.com running on the DSM-520 in a Beta version which I mentioned a while back. It is still Beta because we haven't perfected the ad units yet (we are working on that), but otherwise it is fully-functional. If you want to check it out, you can email me at tracy@themediamall.com and I can get you into the Beta program so that you can watch your favorite CBS shows on your big screen TV!

Here it is -- the last ActiveTV release...http://www.themediamall.com/dlink/install

Also -- If you are one of the select few who have version 1.04.xx of the D-Link MediaLounge software, you will need to manually upgrade your firmware -- this is because for whatever reason, D-Link doesn't recognize this as an older version (even though we are on .06 now). How do you know what version you have? On your 520, click the setup button on the Remote Control, then scroll down to version and enter.  If it says 1.04.xx or less, you will need to manually upgrade (the auto search won't upgrade you). To manually upgrade, put these 2 files on a usb key and plug the usb key into the front of your DSM 520 -- it will auto-detect and upgrade. This is not an ActiveTV upgrade, but gets you back on D-Link's official upgrade path so that you will get all future upgrades automatically (including the ActiveTV one posted above, which will be released by D-Link in the coming weeks).

Enjoy!

Jeff Gedgaud just did a product review of the D-Link DSM-520 MediaPlayer (the first device powered by MediaMall).  They call the MediaMall feature ActiveTV, and his review of the DSM-520 was as follows:

Ease of Use, Performance: 23/25, Look & Feel: 23/25,
Features 25/25, How much I enjoy 24/25

Total: 95/100

And his review of MediaMall:

"The system is very easy to use and the additional software I installed went automatically to install the Active TV setup and the system had the most up to datefirmware. Active TV is a service provider that adds a section on your media player that has movies, videos and audio like You Tube, MovieLink and VH1 VSpot. You can also get several other pay per view providers such as CinemaNow and Movielink where you can rent or buy full length movies from current release hits to older movies.

These pay per view or monthly subscription services are all available through your PC as well as the media player so you can watch them on your TV or PC. That is one feature that is really nice, especially for finding videos on sites like You Tube, you can browse on your PC to find the content you want and then save it for later viewing. Using the media player to browse for videos is not exactly user friendly so finding them on your PC may be a bit easier. "

Yes - we know the ActiveTV YouTube page is not the best for browsing and searching.  We need to add some features to it -- like an on-screen keyboard and some better browsing features.  It is on the list ;).  We are hoping that YouTube itself will create and manage a great 10-foot UI page, but we're not holding our breath.

I have a question for editors writing about the DSM-520.  Why does MediaMall never get mentioned as the service provider of this great ActiveTV feature?  Is the MediaMall name bad?  Should we call the product Active-TV Player or something like that?  Or is our PR department just really bad (ha! we don't have one -- isn't that obvious?)  We're open to suggestions!

Laptop magazine recently rated the D-Link DSM-520 with Active TV Technology (which is powered by MediaMall) as one of the best new devices in 2008. Laptop Magazine's special edition showcases the "Best Gear of the New Year" and the DSM-520 with Active Tv was in the top 5 -- along with Apple TV, Linksys Media Center Extender DMA 2100 and the SlingCatcher from Sling Media. We are honored to be placed among these leading edge devices and technologies. You can see the review yourself here: Best Gear for the New Year

We are excited to launch our blog. We will focus on the Broadband Video industry as well as give you a glimpse of what is going on inside MediaMall Technology's virtual walls. To introduce myself -- I am one of the Founders of MMT (MediaMall Technologies) -- and you can find out the boring stuff about me elsewhere. Here, I want to focus on the interesting stuff -- like why my 14 month old son LOVES MMT. We have a D-Link DSM-520 that enables us to easily watch YouTube on our TV (powered by MediaMall's Active TV technology). My son can watch his favorite YouTube video -- Rhino -- over and over while I work on my computer without a nagging son trying to crawl in my lap saying "Rhino, Rhino, Rhino" over and over. If you have kids, you really get the "over and over" part. It is nice for him to be able to watch Internet videos without sitting in front of the computer screen (and for me to be able to work simultaneously).

Last time I checked, Amazon had the best price on the DSM 520. And -- we are working on getting MediaMall integrated into lots of other devices to enable more folks to use it! Stay tuned.