Amino and Orb Networks announced a partnership during CES that will integrate Amino's AmiNET series of set-top boxes (STBs) with Orb's software and roll out a series of product offerings throughout the year. The combination of technologies will close the gap between the STB and the PC, using the Orb MyCasting application platform as the bridge. Orb and Amino also are working to improve the consumer experience by providing an enhanced user-friendly interface.

Like the Slingbox, Orb has created a "MyCasting" product that gives consumers the ability to stream their media over the Internet and watch or listen to it on nearly any device. But unlike Slingbox, Orb's MyCasting is a software-only solution that installs on the users computer to create a personal broadcasting system.

"This integration of technologies really unleashes the power of what IPTV ever promised to be," said Joe Costello, Chairman and CEO of Orb Networks. "People increase their media consumption when you give them more control of the type of digital content they want to enjoy -- they get to mix and match their programs. Grandparents can look at home movies on their big screen TV, powered by Amino and streamed from the Orb PC of their grandchildren, thousands of miles away. This opens up so many options for how consumers can unleash all of their digital media -- and how service operators can bring their own customers to participate in the promise of IPTV."

"The partnership between Orb and Amino reemphasizes they way the video over IP industry is headed," said Karthik Ranjan, Vice President, Internet TV, Amino. "Consumers are looking for a lot more than just 'traditional media.' They want to access video content on the open internet as well as user generated media which is on their PC. The Orb application combined with our STB has finally enabled this to be a reality."