Netgear introduces more connected entertainment gadgets

Connected entertainment is clearly a big theme at the International Consumer Electronics Show taking place this week in Las Vegas.

Today Netgear showed off three products that make it a lot easier to use the Internet with consumer electronics gear.

Its first product was the Netgear Internet TV Player, which is enabled by the company’s partnership with
Mountain View, Calif.-based Verismo Networks. This little $199 set-top box will connect to a TV and give users access to hundreds of video web sites. While some TV makers are integrating web connectivity with their TVs, they are only giving access to a few sites like YouTube or Netflix. But with the Netgear player, you can access paid or rental movies on CinemaNow, free content on sites such as YouTube and BitTorrent, and video content on lots of other sites.

The integration with the TV looks easy. With a remote control, you can access channels such as the Oprah Winfrey channel at the press of a button. The product will be out this summer.

The second product is good for construction site workers, campers, or anyone else who needs broadband on the go. The Netgear 3G Mobile Broadband Router can access a 3G broadband cell phone data network to give access to the web just about anywhere you can get 3G reception. It will be out in January. Not sure of the price.

The third product is a follow-up to one introduced a couple of years ago. The Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite connects the collection of videos on your PC — including Blu-ray quality high-definition videos — with your TV. You can use a remote to browse through your PC video collection on your TV. It will sell for $399 starting in February. These three products are just a few of 15 being introduced.