Canon has been working on a photo and video viewing station for TVs for more than 5 years. Initially shown as a prototype at the 2010 Canon Expo in NYC, the device has finally been officially announce for public sale.
The Canon Connect Station CS100 is expected to ship in June 2015 for $299.99.
The Connect Station CS100 uses NFC and WiFi to connect to compatible Canon devices and import photos and videos to the built-in 1TB hard drive. Users can then use their TV to view the photos and video.
It also has card readers to import files from SD and CF cards. It also allows you to print wirelessly to select Canon PIXMA and SELPHY printers from the TV menu.
You can read the full press release below.
Canon U.S.A. Announces Connect Station CS100: The Centerpiece That Unites Your Canon Imaging Devices
New CS100 Provides Convenient Ways to Store, View, Share and Manage your Photos and Videos on One Device
MELVILLE, N.Y., January 5, 2015 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the new Canon Connect Station CS100i, a photo and video storage device that has the capability to connect to multiple compatible imaging devices allowing users to easily store, view and share images and videos. First shown as a prototype at the 2010 Canon Expo in New York, the Canon Connect Station CS100 device provides up to 1TB of storageii exclusively for photos and videos allowing users to free up space on media cards quickly, without the use of a computer. Featuring NFC™ (Near Field Communication) capabilities and Wi-Fi® technology, users can simply tap the NFC icon on their compatibleiii Canon digital camera or camcorder to automatically import new images and videos wirelessly to the CS100 making them ready to view and share on a connected HDTV.
“Canon designed the Connect Station CS100 device to help consumers quickly and easily view, share and store their most valuable images and videos using Wi-Fi and NFC technologies,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Today’s imaging culture is passionate about photography and videography and our goal at Canon is to make it as easy as possible for everyone to protect and share all their precious memories.”
Once movies or photos are stored on the Connect Station CS100 device, users can view them in crystal clear Full HD via HDMI™ connection to a compatible HDTV. With the Canon Connect Station CS100’s wireless remote control, users can easily navigate through the device’s stored images and video files while viewing them on a large screen. The user-friendly menus appear on the screen when interacting with your Connect Station CS100 device and will allow sorting and managing image and video files by albums, date taken or by device. Freeing the user from having to use a computer to manage their images, the Connect Station CS100 device also features SD and CF memory card slots and a USB connection for importing images from compatible devices that may not feature wireless capabilities or when wireless connectivity may not be available.iv
Sure to be a hit at parties, the Connect Station CS100 device also wirelessly connects to select PIXMA and SELPHY printersv in the home to quickly print those favorite images, helping to make memories that will last for years to come.
The new Connect Station CS100 device will also allow users to view, upload, and download images from compatible smartphones, tablets or PCs using a web browser. Users can also send or receive images with other Connect Station CS100 units in different locations using the CANON IMAGE GATEWAY.vi The CANON IMAGE GATEWAY also allows users to share their images and videos to their favorite social networking sites.
File formatsv supported include JPEG, RAW(CR2vii), MP4, MOV and AVCHD. Backup and restore functions are possible using the USB connection and an external hard drive (sold separately).
Attendees at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 6th-9th will have the opportunity to see the Canon Connect CS100 device in action when they visit the Canon booth (#13304 in the Central Hall). The Connect Station CS100 device will be the centerpiece that pulls together and displays the input to output capabilities of Canon EOS, PowerShot, VIXIA and PIXMA products in the Home and Play Zone of the Canon booth. Demonstrations of the Connect Station CS100 device will occur in booth and there will be Canon product representatives on-site to answer questions regarding the Connect Station CS100 device, as well as the full line of Canon consumer digital imaging products.
The Canon Connect Station CS100 is scheduled to be available in June 2015 for an estimated retail price of $299.99. For more information, and full list of product specifications, visit http://www.usa.canon.com/connectstation.
Another overpriced POS… CANON, JUST GIVE US 4K CAMERAS!
I’m not certain I understand the point of this device. Anyone serious enough about photography isn’t going to spend $300 to view their pictures straight off the camera and on their tv screen.
Computer, editing, final result. Then maybe viewed on the t.v. when they want to share them with a crowd, but otherwise?
This device is 5 years to late. then again it’s a consumer device so there may be a market that want to see their selfies on the tv screen
It seems as though you can/could use this as back up storage & did I read you can plug another hard drive into it?
If it is dependable & can rapidly download tiff&jpegs it might actually be handy.
Biggest sticking point I see is dependability because there’s been other card reader drives & all seem to crash & fail to a ridiculous 100% extent.
Now that I’ve thought about it some more… this should be given away by Canon to anyone purchasing a 7D Mark II or higher model.