Iomega's ScreenPlay Director media server accesses online videos

Iomega unveiled its new ScreenPlay Director HD Media Player at CES 2010. The ScreenPlay Director is a media server that can store your videos, music, and photos and play them back on a TV. It can also access Internet content.

The ScreenPlay Director can play AC3, MP3, OGG, WAV, and WMA audio files (no AAC support). Supported video formats include MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI/VOB), MPEG-4 (AVI/DivX/XViD), and H.264. The device can display video at 1080p resolution (24 frames per second).

The built-in ethernet connection lets you place the ScreenPlay Director on your home network (a USB WiFi Adapter is available separately for $50). The ScreenPlay Director has three USB ports, and additional hard drives can be conencted to the device to expand the storage capacity.

TV connectivity includes HDMI, Composite video, Component video, and coaxial S/PDIF.

The ScreenPlay Director allows for access to Roxio CinemaNow, where you can buy or rent videos and download them to the device.

Iomega says that the ScreenPlay Director is compatible with Macs, but there is no mention of iTunes interoperability.

The ScreenPlay Director will be available in January in 1TB capacity for $250. It comes with a three-year warranty.