Flip Video—recently acquired by networking giant Cisco—have introduced the FlipShare TV, a new device that connects to a users HDTV (or plain old TV) and enables users to put their Flip-shot videos and photographs on the big screen. But that’s not all: also enables users to share their videos and image s with other FlipShare TV owners. The folks at Flip see the FlipShare TV as an easy way to share video with friends and family (think grandparents!) who may not be entirely plugged in to the YouTube and Facebook generation.
“We’re bringing back the home movie night,” said Cisco consumer products senior VP Jonathan Kaplan, in a statement. “There’s now a simple and affordable solution to view and share photos and videos on any TV.”
The FlipShare TV connects to televisions or HDTVs via composite or HDMI cables. Users transfer video and images to the device using a FlipShare TV USB key that pops into a PC or Mac: just put the key into a PC or Mac running the included FlipShare 5.0 software, and the USB key communicates wirelessly with the FlipShare TV to put images and video on the television without using a Wi-Fi network. Users can navigate photos and images using the included remote control, without having to worry about what their computer is doing. However, if users do have Internet access on their computers, they can also tap into videos shared by other Flip Video owners via “Flip Channels.”
The FlipShare TV’s wireless connection uses a proprietary point-to-point version of 802.11n Wi-Fi networking with WPA2 encryption and does not require an in-home wireless network.
The Flipshare TV is available now from major electronics retailers for a suggested price of $149.99.
