Zotac Intros Streambox, RAIDBox for Media Sharing

Zotac said on Tuesday that it's embarking on a new era of digital media sharing with the launch of its StreamBox and RAIDbox accessories. The former is designed as a platform for sharing content between a mobile device and an HDTV whereas the latter is a customizable external storage solution using mSATA SSD drives.

According to Zotac, the StreamBox pulls content stored on an Android-based smartphone or tablet, or even from a notebook using the DLNA protocol. Display mirroring capabilities are also available for select Android mobile devices via Miracast compatibility. Additional features include dual-band Wireless N connectivity, 10/100 (old school) Ethernet, HDMI output, and a USB port for direct file playback.

"We focused on making the Zotac StreamBox easy to use for users of all skill levels," said Zotac senior director Carsten Berger. "All a user needs to do is connect to the Zotac StreamBox via WiFi and launch a DLNA-compatible application such as the free Realtek AirFun app and begin sharing your music, movies and images. Advanced users can take advantage of screen mirroring features found on select devices too."

As for the RAIDbox, this is a pocket-sized external storage enclosure sporting a USB 3.0 interface. It accommodates up to two mSATA SSDs and lets users select the best storage mode to suit their needs: maximum performance with RAID 0, enhanced data security with RAID 1, independent drives with JBOD, or span the data across both drives with BIG mode.

"The ZOTAC RAIDbox makes creating your own external storage device easy. A user simply needs to install their own mSATA SSD modules inside the ZOTAC RAIDbox and plug it into a USB 3.0 port," Mr. Berger added. "The tool-less design makes customizing the ZOTAC RAIDbox easy as well."

Zotac didn't say when these two devices will be available here in the States, or how much they will cost. However, both products are listed on the international website, meaning they'll likely land Stateside soon.

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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

6 Comments Comment from the forums

anxiousinfusion

I first read "Steambox". I almost thought there was an exciting product release.
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anonymous_user

The RAIDbox looks interesting however I would rather see a raid enclosure for 2.5" drives so I could at least use notebook hard drives for mass storage.
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BigBodZod

anxiousinfusionI first read "Steambox". I almost thought there was an exciting product release.
Yes I thought I read the very same thing, had to read a couple of more times to see it was the word STREAM and not STEAM ;)
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mousseng

Hm. What's different between RAID0 and BIG mode?
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Vorador2

moussengHm. What's different between RAID0 and BIG mode?
RAID0 splits data evenly across drives without redundancy. It is very fast, but in case of drive failure, you lose all the data.
BIG mode is simply uniting all physical disk so they appear as a single unit.
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habaneroit

Mmm... what is the point of a Raidbox?

Keep in mind SSD's already has a fast read/write speed so the RAID 0 is pointless, especially it will just be capped at the max USB3.0 read/write speed (Duh?). SSD's also has a 100+ years life and hardly breaks or file corruption, what's the point of RAID1 mirroring? Why would I spend big money on larger size mSATA SSD's, to mirror them when they already last forever?

Word of advise, make one that supports 2.5" SSD and ditch the RAID support, then you may get some sales.
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