Sydney – May 20, 2009 \u2014 Seagate (NASDAQ: STX), the world\u2019s leading provider of storage solutions, today unveiled the new Seagate\u00ae FreeAgent\u00ae Theatre\u2122 HD media player, a complete home Theatre solution designed to enhance the experience of enjoying digital media by providing an easy way to play your favourite videos, movies and photos on your TV. The Seagate FreeAgent Theatre media player is a new accessory designed to work with the company\u2019s award-winning FreeAgent\u00ae Go\u2122 portable hard drive, enabling people to easily enjoy stored digital media on their TV screens rather than their computer monitors. Just tuck the media player next to your TV, pop in your FreeAgent Go hard drive, point, click, and enjoy as your personal memories and favourite movies come to life before your eyes in HD quality video with surround sound.<\/p>\n
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The FreeAgent Theatre HD Media Player also comes with the front-mounted USB port for use with any USB storage device, such as digital cameras, flash drives or external hard drives. The FreeAgent Theatre HD Media Player is available in Australia and New Zealand as a standalone version only so you can have the option of using it with a FreeAgent Go portable hard drive as a complete solution or only with USB devices you already own.<\/p>\n
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\u201cConsumers are awakening to the fact that the PC isn\u2019t the best place to store or view their photos and videos, says Chris Chute, research manager for IDC. \u201cOver time the living room and robust storage solutions will go hand-in-hand to facilitate the next-generation of sharing memories.\u201d<\/p>\n
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According to IDC\u2019s digital imaging research[1], consumers the world over capture and archive over 15 billion gigabytes of digital photos and video every year, most of which is primarily viewed and stored on the home computer. However, according to a recent survey by Parks Associates[2], more than a quarter of consumers are interested in accessing personal content \u2013 such as photos and music \u2013 directly on the TV, while nearly a third of respondents expressed interest in being able to view movies and other PC-hosted video through the TV. Historically the only way to transfer digital files from the computer to the home entertainment centre was through complicated home networking solutions or the time-consuming task of burning multiple DVDs or CDs. Now the Seagate FreeAgent Theatre Media Player provides a way for people to easily store and move their media library between their PC and home entertainment system so they can share their favourite photos, movies and videos with family and friends in a familiar and comfortable setting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Key Features and Benefits<\/p>\n
The Seagate FreeAgent Theatre media player introduces a new way of thinking about how an external hard drive is used. Back up, storage and protection have always been the primary function of an external storage device. With FreeAgent Theatre, Seagate now introduces enjoyment:<\/p>\n
Experience high-definition movie viewing with DVD-like playback control and surround sound.
\nPair slideshows of high-resolution photo libraries with music collections and customize with specialized transition effects.
\nEasily sync and organize digital media from multiple computers using the FreeAgent Go drive.
\nInstantly access entire libraries of digital media by simply popping a FreeAgent Go drive into the media player or connecting another external storage device using the external USB port.
\nOn-screen navigation is a snap with the handy remote with an intuitive interface and familiar button layout.
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Seagate FreeAgent Theatre couples cool functional design with technical simplicity. The docking solution eliminates the need for fumbling with excessive amounts of cables or complicated network setups, while its familiar DVD-style remote control interface makes it a breeze for any member of the family to use. Its sleek, piano-black encasing makes this new component look right at home beside the DVR, DVD-player and television.<\/p>\n
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The included FreeAgent Theatre software is a rich media-specific synchronization application for the automatic transfer and organization of all the photos, music, videos and movies stored on your computer. And since the FreeAgent Go drives are now available in a rainbow of colours, it will be easy to catalogue and organize digital libraries according to the colour of the drive\u2014storing favourite movies on one drive, family photos on a second and music on yet another.<\/p>\n
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\u201cConsumers today are the number one creators and aggregators of digital content\u2014most of which holds a sentimental or emotional value and is unfortunately trapped on their home computers,\u201d said BanSeng Teh, vice president and managing director of Seagate Asia Pacific. \u201cFor years, Seagate has provided solutions for storing, organizing and protecting this personal content \u2013 now, with Seagate FreeAgent Theatre, we provide the ability for families and friends to share and enjoy these memories together in the comfort of their living rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Technical Specifications<\/p>\n
One of the key features that make the Seagate FreeAgent Theatre so easy to use is the number of supported Audio\/Video formats. The FreeAgent Theatre media player supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 formats, and DIVX files with video resolutions for NTSC, PAL and HD up to 1080i and even provides support for subtitles. The audio formats supported include 5.1 channel surround sound, where available, and also plays the popular digital audio formats including:\u00a0 MP3, WMA, WAV and OGG. To download and transfer content to the Seagate FreeAgent Go, a Windows XP or Vista operated PC is required, with 256MB RAM and an available USB port. FreeAgent Theatre connects to any TV with either composite, S-video or component video and audio inputs and an AC outlet.<\/p>\n
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Pricing and Availability<\/p>\n
The Seagate FreeAgent Theatre Media Player Solution will be available in June at major retailers as a stand-alone player with the remote control at a manufacturer\u2019s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $199.00 AUD and $249 NZD.<\/p>\n
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For Additional Multimedia and Product Information:<\/p>\n
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