Released as a competitor to the Roku lineup of streaming video set-top boxes, D-Link has launched the MovieNite video streaming media player. Sold exclusively through Walmart for $48, the MovieNite player offers 1080p video playback and access to streaming services such as VUDU, Netflix, Pandora and YouTube. It also comes with a $5.99 free movie credit from VUDU to allow new users one free rental of a film streamed at 1080p quality. The closest match to video playback specs in Roku’s lineup of products is the $79.99 Roku 2 XD, but Roku players offer access to wider variety of services such as Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, HBO GO and several sports subscriptions packages.
On the back of the MovieNite player, users will find a single HDMI port, an A/V connection for older televisions, a Ethernet port for network connectivity and the A/C power connection port. The player also offers a Wi-Fi connection if the router isn’t located near the television and the player supports wireless N standard for faster speeds.
Since D-Link has preloaded a specific set of applications to the device, the remote that comes with the player has specific buttons for launching the VUDU, Netflix, Pandora and YouTube apps. It’s unlikely that D-Link would expand the player to offer access to other movie rental services such as Amazon Instant Video as Walmart owns VUDU.
If the user also owns mydlink-enabled network cameras, the feeds from those cameras can be viewed through the MovieNite player as well. For instance, a user could pause a movie playing on Netflix to launch the mydlink application and view an outdoor camera feed when someone knocks on the front door. D-Link has also released both an iPhone and Android application for controlling the MovieNite media player instead of using the included remote to control apps on the device.
