NETGEAR(R) Announces 'Digital Entertainer HD,' First Media Receiver With HDMI for Streaming HD Movies, YouTube Videos, iTunes Music and More From PCs, Storage Devices and the Internet to Home Entertai

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NETGEAR(R), Inc. (Nasdaq: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, today announced the Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) to bring the universe of digital content to television sets. The sophisticated set-top digital media receiver enhances entertainment choices by offering an attractive, highly intuitive user interface and powerful search capability for high-definition televisions to display media files and Internet content streamed from Windows(R) as well as Mac(R) computers, network storage devices and USB media devices. NETGEAR is showcasing the Digital Entertainer HD at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company is exhibiting in booth 36219 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center through January 11.

The Digital Entertainer HD automatically discovers HD movies, TV shows, music files, and personal photos on a home network, across multiple PCs, and organizes these into a single media library displayed on a TV without the need for media server software running on the computer. Using the included remote, consumers can search their entire media library by multiple criteria including title, actor, date, genre or thumbnail images (from photos, album art or DVD covers). A High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port displays video resolution up to 1080p on big-screen TVs and optical digital audio output (TOSLINK) transmits full digital surround sound to the consumers' digital audio receiver.

The Digital Entertainer HD includes an on-screen TV wizard and PC installation software for simple setup. With the included Windows PC software, the Digital Entertainer HD enables users to listen to music from iTunes, view YouTube videos and access their PC desktop from their living room. When the PC has an optional TV tuner installed, consumers can schedule recordings and pause or rewind live broadcasts using the Digital Entertainer HD without the need for an additional DVR device.

"With so many households now with HDTVs and home theater systems, people are looking for new ways to enjoy HD quality entertainment," said Vivek Pathela, NETGEAR's vice president of product marketing. "The Digital Entertainer HD enables consumers to watch high-definition videos and photos, Internet videos from popular sites like BitTorrent and YouTube, and digital video recordings on their HDTV streamed from PCs, as well as to listen to music in their iTunes libraries and iPods on their home theater system. This is a great addition to our growing family of innovative multimedia networking products as it offers consumers the ability to watch any content, in any room, at any time."

Multiple NETGEAR Digital Entertainer HD receivers can work in concert throughout a house. Using "Follow Me," consumers can pause a video in one room and resume it in another. While in "Party Mode," they can synchronize music playback for whole-home listening. They can also plug in their USB flash drives, iPods(R), or other USB storage devices directly into a Digital Entertainer HD to instantly access and play high-resolution digital media.

Similar in size to a standard DVD player, the Digital Entertainer HD makes a stylish statement on top of a television and complements other components in an entertainment system. Consumers connect the Digital Entertainer HD to their home entertainment system and to a router, such as a NETGEAR RangeMax(TM) Next Wireless-N Router with draft 802.11n-compliant technology (WNR834M, WNR834B, WNR854T, DG834N). PCs connected to the network with devices such as the NETGEAR Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter (HDX101) are assured of the smoothest content streaming. The Digital Entertainer HD can stream many unprotected file formats over a home network from Macs, Linux computers, the NETGEAR Storage Central (SC101), and many USB storage devices such as flash drives and the iPod, and can support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) media servers. The Digital Entertainer HD also supports access to created, downloaded and purchased content on standard Windows(R) XP and Vista PCs through Windows Media Connect. The Digital Entertainer HD also plays internet radio directly and can access RSS news feeds and local and national NOAA Weather and maps.

According to a November 2006 report from In-Stat, a Scottsdale, Ariz.- based market research firm covering digital communications, HDMI-enabled device shipments are expected to grow 78% per year through 2010.

"More than half of US broadband users are interested in using a media center PC or media server to record and watch TV from any TV or PC, watch purchased/rented movies on any TV or PC, and listen to digital music on any stereo or PC in the home," said Joyce Putscher, principal analyst for home networking/digital home research at In-Stat. "HDMI is the leading HD digital interface in the consumer electronics market, and devices such as the NETGEAR Digital Entertainer HD are poised to reap the benefits as consumer media collections grow, demand rises for HD programming, and more users desire to stream their content throughout the home."

The Digital Entertainer HD includes one HDMI port for digital AV connection, RCA connectors for composite and component video outputs, stereo RCA audio ports, coaxial and optical digital audio outputs, an S-video port, and a SCART connector for regions requiring it. The digital media receiver decodes many leading audio formats (MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, M4A, AAC, AC3), purchased music from iTunes on Windows (M4P), video formats (MPEG1/2/4, WMV, XviD, H.264) and image formats (JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF). It integrates a 10/100Base-T Ethernet controller, support for 802.11g wireless networking, and two USB 2.0 ports (front and rear) for additional connectivity with flash memory, iPods or other portable music and video players. It also supports multiple interoperability standards, including Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP AV), Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and emerging digital rights management technologies such as Microsoft(R) Windows Media DRM 10 for Network Devices. It also supports several security standards including WEP, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK.

The Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2007 through online e-commerce sites, and select retail sites and value-added resellers. Backed by a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, it has a target MSRP of $349. High-resolution photos of the Digital Entertainer HD can be downloaded from the company Web site.

About NETGEAR, Inc.

NETGEAR designs technologically advanced, branded networking products that address the specific needs of small and medium business and home users. The Company's product offerings enable users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, digital multimedia content and applications among multiple personal computers and other Internet-enabled devices. NETGEAR is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.netgear.com or call (408) 907-8000.

NOTE: NETGEAR(R), the NETGEAR logo, and RangeMax are trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Information is subject to change without notice.

NOTE: References to signal rates indicate maximum achievable rates under ideal operating conditions. Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for NETGEAR, Inc.:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning expected performance characteristics, specifications, market acceptance, market growth, specific uses, user feedback and market position of NETGEAR's Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following: the future demand for the Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) may not be as projected; the actual price, performance and ease of use of NETGEAR's products may not meet the price, performance and ease of use requirements of end-users; the performance of NETGEAR's products may be adversely affected by real world operating conditions; the ability of NETGEAR to market and sell its products and technology; the impact and pricing of competing products; and the introduction of alternative technological solutions. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect NETGEAR and its business are detailed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors," pages 31 through 40, in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended October 1, 2006, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 13, 2006. NETGEAR undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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