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HTC's Media Link goes where AirPlay has gone before

HTC's Media Link accessory looks to offer an Android-friendly alternative to the same media streaming and mirroring features currently available on the Apple TV with the iPhone.

Matthew Moskovciak Senior Associate Editor / Reviews - Home theater
Covering home audio and video, Matthew Moskovciak helps CNET readers find the best sights and sounds for their home theaters. E-mail Matthew or follow him on Twitter @cnetmoskovciak.
Matthew Moskovciak
HTC Media Link
The HTC Media Link (that little black box under the TV) mirrors your cellphone content to your TV. Stephen Shankland/CNET

HTC finally has an answer to Apple's AirPlay.

The latest incarnation of the HTC Media Link is a small box that allows you to stream music, photos and videos straight to a TV from an HTC phone using a three-finger swipe.

Media Link will also support full mirroring, allowing you to stream whatever is being displayed on your phone to your TV. That could potentially allow for streaming video from premium video sources like Hulu Plus or HBO GO, although that hasn't always been the case with Apple's competing AirPlay streaming standard, which allows apps to block full-mirroring.

Apple's AirPlay standard, which lets you stream media from iPhones and iPads to the Apple TV set-top box, seems to be the obvious inspiration for HTC. However, the company already has an existing Media Link box on the market.

When asked about the differences between the current and new versions of the Media Link, a spokesperson for HTC told us that the older box used "DLNA connectivity to wirelessly stream content, whereas the Media Link announced today uses proprietary wireless connectivity." That's intriguing to say the least--we're looking forward to hearing additional details.

Price and availability on the Media Link weren't immediately disclosed.