With fully updatable firmware, the Malata DIVA 2 can be upgraded with completely new features and functions at any time, and Aeon Digital has big plans. First, they're in final negotiations with many big-name studios to distribute recent movies from their website. The DIVA 2 already has DRM (digital-rights management) keys in place, so this content can be protected from piracy.

An upcoming software upgrade will provide video conferencing and allow the DIVA 2 to communicate with any computer on the network in order to access and play all sorts of media files stored there, including WM9, MP3, and JPEG. You'll also be able to burn a disc in your PC and play it in the DIVA 2; this will require some special Windows software for the PC, which will be available for free beginning in November 2004.

Next year, Aeon's big push will be toward high-definition downloads, but that will require a different hardware platform. There are also plans for a hard-disk version of the DIVA with DVD recording.—SW