Video Without Boundaries, a leading provider of media convergence, interactive home entertainment devices, and Lung Hwa Electronics have signed a manufacturing agreement.

As per the deal, the major consumer electronics manufacturer will begin production of Video Without Boundaries' new line of MediaReady Internet/DVD Players. MediaReady(TM), a revolutionary combo entertainment device that brings e-mail, web surfing, karaoke, MP3, CD/DVD playback and more value added features to any television and home theatre system. A press release says that it will ship to retailers in the US in a couple of months.

MediaReady supports DVD playback, Internet surfing, Web-based streaming media and music downloads, CD/VCD/SVCD/MP3 playback and more. The unit capitalises on the latest trends in at-home entertainment even as consumers become increasingly comfortable with the Internet as a main distribution point for music and movies. Similar in size to a standard DVD player, MediaReady includes a full-sized wireless keyboard, 5.1 Surround Sound, picture-in-picture capability, karaoke microphone jack, wireless remote control, microphone, and other features.

Additional capabilities, including PC-centric hardware/software to support digital media storage/playback as well as a number of service upgrades, will be announced in coming weeks. VWB's new MediaReady Internet/DVD Player will also be available as a private-label version that will support a variety of OEM-defined configurations.