Recently, Canon announced (again) that it is developing a photo storage device called the Cross Media Station. The details are slim – only stating that it will use NFC technology to store photo and video files from Canon cameras and those files will be viewable on a TV.
It is stated to have networking capabilities as well, but again, details are slim.
In fact, details were more prominent when Canon announced its Cross Media Station in 2010 at the Canon Expo in Paris, which was virtually the same concept.
I have so many more questions than I do answers about this device. If the implementation of the device is anything like the product Canon has been working on since 2010, it probably needs to die.
People want to connect with their cameras to smartphones, not televisions . . . and that smartphone connectivity still needs to be polished instead of creating a TV box to manage (using a clunky remote) the vast quantity of photos and videos we shoot.
Nothing in Canon’s press release, which you can read below, gives me confidence that this will be a product that I would want to own.
Canon Press Release
Canon developing new-concept photo-storage device
TOKYO, September 16, 2014—Canon Inc. announced today that the Company is developing a new-concept photo-storage device, tentatively called the Cross Media Station, which will enable users to easily enjoy high-image-quality photos and movies captured by digital cameras.
In addition to offering the same key concepts as Canon’s digital cameras—high speed, ease of use and high image quality—the Cross Media Station will enable users to save and make use of their photos and movies with ease and peace of mind, allowing them to thoroughly and effortlessly enjoy their high-image-quality photo and movie libraries.
Through NFC* technology, images and movies can be easily transferred from a camera and saved to the Cross Media Station, after which they can be viewed in high quality on a large-screen television. In addition, when connected to a network, the Cross Media Station will allow users to easily share photos and movies as well as output images from a printer, along with other various functions. At this time, specifications, pricing, launch date and other details are yet to be decided.
Canon will continue to contribute to expanding the photographic and video imaging culture through new technologies and products that meet the expectations of a wide range of users.
* NFC is an ISO-defined wireless communication technology international standard.
This concept is total garbage. I hate the fact that ANY R&D resources are being spent on this at all. The Western Digital version of this was a massive failure several years back. There have been “no-name” companies to come up with similar things that have also massively failed. Add to this the fact that Canon does not have the UI design background to even make it an attractive solution to pretend to be pretty and sort of work.
Give me a camera I want to buy. Improve the DSLR technology. Actually do something with the EOS-M format for a professional. Give me 4K on something that is affordable! Be a an innovator and leader in that part of the industry that the customers want to spend their money on. Ugh.
“Sigh” Canon is greedy or stupid time after time. Connecting to cell phone with WiFi solves so many issues & is an easy basic cost effective function. Idiots didn’t put WiFi in new 7D II & want to sell a box to do what an app should do. Wake up & join this century Canon.
You know… this wasn’t a good idea in 2010 and it’s a non-starter going into 2015. Bake this technology into an Apple TV or Roku 3 and maybe you have something, but no…..
Somewhere inside Canon corporate headquarters an upper-management’s kid came up with this idea and it just won’t die because of nepotism.
I think this is a super outdated idea…. Who needs a box to put photos on TV nowadays? My router has 1 USB3.0 and 1 USB2.0 port that I can plug in 2 HDDs that my smart TV can pick that up and play videos, photos, and music on my TV. My Blueray player’s wifi also can recognize the HDDs plug in my router. My iPhone can connect to TV and play the photos in my iphone on my TV.
No wifi? My Blueray player has 1 USB port that can connect any thumb drive or HDD and play multimedia. My TV has 3 USB ports as well as HDMI port that I can plug in my 7D, 5D3 without any problem. I can also put my work on Dropbox and use iPad to connect to the TV or via Apply TV without wire to view stuff on the big screen…
There are so many easy ways to view multimedia on TV. We don’t need a box… What is Canon thinking? This is totally the stupidest idea I have ever seen in 2014 era.