[HH] Streaming media player the size of a USB Flash drive

[Tom Metro]

Roku HD media player the size of a USB drive:
http://mashable.com/2012/01/04/roku-streaming-stick/

  Roku does mention shipping replaceable Roku Streaming Sticks with new
  HDTVs and this seems like a more robust business plan. After all, if a
  consumer can buy a connected television set that is, in essence,
  "upgradeable," that might have real value.

Requires a TV with a mobile high-definition link (MIL) enabled HDMI
port, which provides power to the stick.

I guess it is about time one of the commercial media player box makers
adopted this form factor. A while back I ran across this generic version
of the same form-factor:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?t=114973
(A thread asking whether XBMC can be ported to it.)

I haven't yet seen an explanation for how you get IR remote control
signals to be seen by one of these sticks plugged into the back of a TV.


In related video player news...it isn't quite as small as a USB stick,
but the Raspberry Pi board is close:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/12/raspberry-pi-a-pocket-sized-1080p-capable-computer-for-25/

A $35 version will have an 700 MHz ARM CPU (Broadcom), Ethernet port,
and be capable of 1080p video. Work is underway to port XBMC to it.

 -Tom