Just what does a subscriber do with all that data that’s accumulated in home media files? Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has come up with a solution: the Optical SMART Hub, a SE-208BW optical disc drive (ODD) that Samsung says works as a “personal cloud,” backing up and accessing pictures, movies, MP3s and data files.

The new product will be available sometime during the first quarter and will retail for $129.99.

The Hub can be accessed from a tablet, smartphone or Smart TV, with as many as four devices working on the device simultaneously; it also allows a CD and DVD writing function without having to turn on a desktop or notebook. For TVs with data-sharing standard Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compatibility, the SE-208BW features such DLNA apps as Allshare, which enables users to view drive content through the TV menu to play multimedia files on CDs and DVDs. 

Here’s what the Optical SMART Hub allows users to do:

>> Build a Wi-Fi home cloud system;
>> Take advantage of Wireless, Ethernet, and USB connectivity;
>> Support mobile devices, PC, Read/Write devices; and
>> Establish scalable support for storage with external USB

An Android app for the Hub is available now, with an iPhone app set to launch soon; Samsung also has plans for a Kindle app and Smart TV app.

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