Neuros Technology
Encyclopedia
Neuros Technology is a Chicago, Illinois-based company that produces a number of audio and video devices with the brand name Neuros. Founded by Joe Born
in 2001 as a division of Digital Innovations
and previously operated under the name Neuros Audio. Like Digital Innovations, Neuros is distinguished by its use of open innovation
and crowdsourcing
techniques in bringing products to market, as well as its prominent use of open source
software and open source hardware
. In its development model, end users are involved throughout the product development process from reviewing initial concepts to Beta testing initial product releases.
(Home Theater PC), digital media receiver
(a.k.a. media extender), and the standard Internet-to-television devices or set-top-boxes. It is open and allows access to all content sources using software and hardware components from a PC, but positioned as a lower cost, smaller consumer electronics device designed to be connected to a television set.
s, VCR
s and others. The video input is converted to MP4 format and then output to a user-installed device, either a memory card
, a USB flash drive
or USB hard drive, or to a network-connected PC. The resulting MP4 files can then be played back by the OSD on a TV, or by other devices with MP4 playback capability such as Sony's PlayStation Portable, Apple's iPod, Neuros 442 and other portable devices.
OSD stands for "open source device", because the device runs Linux
and a variety of open source software, as well as to reflect the vision that the device will become a general purpose device for linking computer and electronic devices. The successor to the Neuros MPEG 4 Recorder, the Neuros OSD was released to initial production on September 20, 2006.
The development platform uses a Texas Instruments
DM320 system on chip, comprising an ARM926EJ core and a TI C54x DSP core. This design will support the DM320's High Performance mode of operation. The maximum ARM clock is then specified as 203 MHz. The DSP is rated in excess of 120 MHz. In addition, the SoC also contains dedicated hardware acceleration for video encoding and decoding, making it capable of achieving DVD-like quality playback as well as high quality, D1 resolution video encoding using MPEG-4.
, Ogg Vorbis, WAV
, and DRM
-free WMA
formats.
Neuros DACs feature a two-piece design, separating the unit into a player and a "backpack". The player unit is upgradeable by firmware
upgrade from the website. The intended purpose of these design decisions are that you can upgrade your player/backpack without paying for an entirely new model. There are currently two types of backpacks. The smaller backpack contains just a pair of NiMH batteries, so the player depends on the internal flash memory to store music. The larger backpack contains a LiIon battery and a 2.5-inch hard drive. The main difference between Neuros1 and Neuros2 players is the backpack on Neuros2 has a USB 2.0 connector allowing it to be used, independently of the player unit, as a stand-alone USB hard drive. The Neuros DAC is not currently in production, but a third version of the product has been rumored.
-based digital recorder that works like a miniature VCR (sans TV tuner card
), allowing users to record live TV from an analog video sources (for example a DVD player
or camcorder
), have it encoded in real-time and stored onto a flash memory card. It is capable of recording and playing back MPEG-4
and has several unique consumer benefits like ignoring Macrovision
's automatic gain control
copy protection.
The Recorder was first released to the public on February 9, 2005 in woot.com's
first product launch. That launch was part of Neuros Technology's gamma test
program and consisted of 850 units sold at $119.99 (US) each.
The Neuros MPEG4 Recorder was revised as version 2 with an enhanced processor and higher resolution recording (480p) for use with devices such as the iPod
, PlayStation Portable
, smartphone
s and other handhelds.
software and use open source methods in the development of their devices; open source software is regularly used as well as the release of documentation surrounding the hardware. This also allows the devices to be adapted for other purposes than the advertised uses, such as including home and auto security recording.
In addition the company advocates consumers digital rights by making products that assert those rights, allowing unfettered recording from a variety of sources.
In December 2007, Neuros developed an "Unlocked Media" name and logo for DRM
-free media to allow companies to brand their products in such a way that consumers know they're getting a fully portable file.
Joe Born
Joe Born As CEO of Neuros Technology, and contributing inventor to many of its products, Joe Born has advocated on behalf of open source hardware, digital rights and generally on the subject of connecting global teams and innovating in the electronics industry using open source...
in 2001 as a division of Digital Innovations
Digital Innovations
Digital Innovations is a consumer electronics company that produced the SkipDR and Neuros product lines. It sells a relatively broad line of electronics and computer peripherals under the Digital Innovations, SkipDR, and Micro Innovations brands...
and previously operated under the name Neuros Audio. Like Digital Innovations, Neuros is distinguished by its use of open innovation
Open Innovation
Although the idea and discussion about some consequences date back at least to the 60s, open innovation is a term promoted by Henry Chesbrough, a professor and executive director at the Center for Open Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, in his book Open Innovation: The new...
and crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
techniques in bringing products to market, as well as its prominent use of open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
software and open source hardware
Open source hardware
Open source hardware consists of physical artifacts of technology designed and offered in the same manner as free and open source software . Open source hardware is part of the open source culture movement and applies a like concept to a variety of components. The term usually means that...
. In its development model, end users are involved throughout the product development process from reviewing initial concepts to Beta testing initial product releases.
Neuros LINK
The Neuros LINK is an open set-top device designed to bring Internet television and other video to the television, it comes pre-installed with XBMC Media Center. The Neuros LINK supports the web's open standards allows Internet television sites to be viewed directly on a television set. The Neuros LINK is positioned between three categories, a HTPCHome theater PC
A Home Theater PC or Media Center appliance is a convergence device that combines some or all the capabilities of a personal computer with a software application that supports video, photo, music playback, and sometimes video recording functionality...
(Home Theater PC), digital media receiver
Digital media receiver
A digital media receiver , also commonly referred to as a media extender, media streamer, digital media hub, or digital media adapter , is a home entertainment device that can connect to a home network to retrieve digital media files from a personal computer or other networked media server and...
(a.k.a. media extender), and the standard Internet-to-television devices or set-top-boxes. It is open and allows access to all content sources using software and hardware components from a PC, but positioned as a lower cost, smaller consumer electronics device designed to be connected to a television set.
Neuros OSD
The Neuros OSD is a device to archive, organize, and play video content. It can record from any source with composite output including DVD playerDVD player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive...
s, VCR
Videocassette recorder
The videocassette recorder , is a type of electro-mechanical device that uses removable videocassettes that contain magnetic tape for recording analog audio and analog video from broadcast television so that the images and sound can be played back at a more convenient time...
s and others. The video input is converted to MP4 format and then output to a user-installed device, either a memory card
Memory card
A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...
, a USB flash drive
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
or USB hard drive, or to a network-connected PC. The resulting MP4 files can then be played back by the OSD on a TV, or by other devices with MP4 playback capability such as Sony's PlayStation Portable, Apple's iPod, Neuros 442 and other portable devices.
OSD stands for "open source device", because the device runs Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and a variety of open source software, as well as to reflect the vision that the device will become a general purpose device for linking computer and electronic devices. The successor to the Neuros MPEG 4 Recorder, the Neuros OSD was released to initial production on September 20, 2006.
The development platform uses a Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
DM320 system on chip, comprising an ARM926EJ core and a TI C54x DSP core. This design will support the DM320's High Performance mode of operation. The maximum ARM clock is then specified as 203 MHz. The DSP is rated in excess of 120 MHz. In addition, the SoC also contains dedicated hardware acceleration for video encoding and decoding, making it capable of achieving DVD-like quality playback as well as high quality, D1 resolution video encoding using MPEG-4.
Neuros Digital Audio Computer
The Neuros Digital Audio Computer (Neuros DAC) is a portable audio unit designed for playback and recording of audio in MP3MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
, Ogg Vorbis, WAV
WAV
Waveform Audio File Format , is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs...
, and DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
-free WMA
Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs...
formats.
Neuros DACs feature a two-piece design, separating the unit into a player and a "backpack". The player unit is upgradeable by firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
upgrade from the website. The intended purpose of these design decisions are that you can upgrade your player/backpack without paying for an entirely new model. There are currently two types of backpacks. The smaller backpack contains just a pair of NiMH batteries, so the player depends on the internal flash memory to store music. The larger backpack contains a LiIon battery and a 2.5-inch hard drive. The main difference between Neuros1 and Neuros2 players is the backpack on Neuros2 has a USB 2.0 connector allowing it to be used, independently of the player unit, as a stand-alone USB hard drive. The Neuros DAC is not currently in production, but a third version of the product has been rumored.
Neuros MPEG 4 Recorder
The Neuros MPEG 4 Recorder is a flashFlash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
-based digital recorder that works like a miniature VCR (sans TV tuner card
TV tuner card
A TV tuner card is a kind of television tuner that allows television signals to be received by a computer. Most TV tuners also function as video capture cards, allowing them to record television programs onto a hard disk much like the Tivo digital video recorder does.-Variants: The interfaces for...
), allowing users to record live TV from an analog video sources (for example a DVD player
DVD player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive...
or camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
), have it encoded in real-time and stored onto a flash memory card. It is capable of recording and playing back MPEG-4
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
and has several unique consumer benefits like ignoring Macrovision
Macrovision
Rovi Corporation is a globally operating, US-based company that provides guidance technology, entertainment data, copy protection, industry standard networking and media management technology for digital entertainment devices and services...
's automatic gain control
Automatic gain control
Automatic gain control is an adaptive system found in many electronic devices. The average output signal level is fed back to adjust the gain to an appropriate level for a range of input signal levels...
copy protection.
The Recorder was first released to the public on February 9, 2005 in woot.com's
Woot (retailer)
Woot is an American Internet retailer based in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton, Texas. It was founded by electronics wholesaler Matt Rutledge and debuted on July 12, 2004. Woot's main website generally offers only one discounted product each day, often a piece of computer hardware or an electronic...
first product launch. That launch was part of Neuros Technology's gamma test
Gamma test
Gamma test can refer to:* software release life cycle* Gamma test...
program and consisted of 850 units sold at $119.99 (US) each.
The Neuros MPEG4 Recorder was revised as version 2 with an enhanced processor and higher resolution recording (480p) for use with devices such as the iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s and other handhelds.
Open Innovation
Neuros uses many of the tools of the open source world to not only collaborate on building the software but to get user feedback on features and implementation as well. Products are typically launched explicitly before the software is complete under Beta and Gamma programs. As community members develop new features, often in response to posted bounties, Neuros promotes that work to other users and gauges reaction. This crowdsourced process has been viewed by some as a hybrid between traditional market research and open source collaboration.Open source software and hardware
A distinguishing feature of the Neuros devices is that they use open sourceOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
software and use open source methods in the development of their devices; open source software is regularly used as well as the release of documentation surrounding the hardware. This also allows the devices to be adapted for other purposes than the advertised uses, such as including home and auto security recording.
In addition the company advocates consumers digital rights by making products that assert those rights, allowing unfettered recording from a variety of sources.
In December 2007, Neuros developed an "Unlocked Media" name and logo for DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
-free media to allow companies to brand their products in such a way that consumers know they're getting a fully portable file.
External links
- Official Website- neurostechnology.com
- Neuros OSD against other FLOSS Media Centers in Comparison Chart
- Newsforge Article on Neuros Open Source Approach to Hardware and Software Development
- Review: Neuros MPEG4 Video Recorder 2
- Review: Neuros MPEG4 Video Recorder 2
- Linux Link Tech Show interview (audio), 2005
- Linux Link Tech Show interview (audio), 2006
- DVR Playground's Review of the Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2
- ArsGeek reviews the Neuros OSD
- "What This Gadget Can Do Is Up to You" -(New York Times review of the Neuros OSD)