NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Live (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Traditionally known for their routers and network devices, Netgear offically entered the growing home media player market this September with the Digital Entertainer Live. After owning the superb but ethernet-less Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player, I was looking for a device that could play all the 720p/1080i/p MKV videos directly off my D-Link DNS-323 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure - NAS server and D-Link DNS-321. I didn't want to have to copy files off the network onto USB hard drives then walk them over to my media player just to play them on my TV. After testing this device for several hours, I am disappointed and can say that the EVA2000 is definitely not ready for prime time.
First is the question of what resolution this device actually supports. It is not listed here on Amazon, in Netgear's press release, or on the product specifications page, and no mention is made on the box except the phrase "HD TV media player". Netgear is perhaps deliberately vague on this point. If by "HD", they mean being able to connect to an HDTV, then that is true. If they mean "HD" as in 720p/1080p, then it is not true.
Despite having HDMI out, this device does not output at 1080p at all. It also doesn't play 720p files as far as I can tell. Every one of the hi-res MKV's I tested off my external hard drive failed (18 random movie files @720p and 1080i, H.264 encodes), producing an "unable to display video of this resolution" error. Similarly, the AVI's and WMV's at 720p that I tested also failed. As far as I am able to determine, it can play only up to 480p. I tried a 720x400 .MKV that did play, so Matroska support is working, but I was unable to fast-forward or rewind the file. Other low resolution .AVI files, .MP4's played without an issue.
The device did not recognize any MKV's off my NAS through UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). MKV files on my other server, running Twonky (DLNA software) did show up, however, they could not play since they were 720p.
Next is the lack of subtitle support, or non-Western character sets. The supported system languages are German, English, and French. No Unicode support means filenames and folders will be illegible, showing up as empty squares instead (see picture in gallery).
For internet TV, this product works as described. YouTube and other streaming videos work flawlessly. You can watch videos from all over the world. There are literally hundreds of free internet channels listed, divided by world region. I tested a few CCTV channels (China), Aljezeera English, an Indian channel, Odoroku.tv (Japan), C-SPAN, some Spanish channels, as well as some random others. Almost all of them worked without a hitch, after a brief period of buffering (length depends on network conditions). A few sites couldn't be reached, or failed to buffer and kicked me back to the channels menu. Again, because these are free sites streamed from the web, picture quality is very low, though watchable and a nice option for those who don't want to watch them on their computers. You can bookmark them for fast retrieval. I found the variety of sites listed here to be a pleasant surprise. They represent a wide range of interests and are from all over the world. (These are all free sites you can access from your computer also.)
The picture quality is usually terrible, however, since most internet videos are low-res videos (320x240) that are heavily compressed. When blown up 5x or more to fullscreen on your HDTV, the compression artifacts will be much more apparent and you'll see a lot of macroblocking and pixelation. On a smaller, non-LCD TV, this might be acceptable.
Because you'll be spending a lot of time pushing buttons to navigate around, due to no keyboard or mouse, I've included a series of screenshots to give you a better idea of how the interface works. Remote control response time can be sluggish, so you'll be seeing the revolving dial a lot. Worse is that you can't hit "Back" on the remote to cancel a read command. You have to wait until it finishes trying to read the file or network. During web streamed videos, I couldn't fast-forward. Searching for videos was easy through the onscreen keyboard, but overall I found the interface clunky and not all that attractive, made worse by that spinning dial that popped up with almost every command I pushed.
Lastly, is the lack of an optical output. For wireless, you will need to buy the dedicated Netgear wireless kit. A third party USB wireless dongle (AirLink 101 AWLL6070 150Mbps 802.11n Wireless LAN USB 2.0 Adapter) I tried did not work.
To sum up, this product fails to meet expectations and went back to Amazon Returns after 2 days. It is NOT capable of hi-def playback. It only plays back standard def video. If you enjoy watching blocky internet streams on your TV and don't care about hi-def, then maybe this device would be of value. There is no way to select stream quality from the sites that offer HD streams.
At $150, with no gigabit Ethernet, no optical out, and no hi-def, this product does not compete favorably against other devices already on the market or soon to be released, like the WD TV Live ($120), which adds network support to the already solid and popular WDTV; or the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+HD ($135) and ASUS O!Play - TV HD Media Player ($99), which, like the WDTV Live, is networked and plays 1080p.

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Play your movies, music and photo collections stored on USB storage devices and computers right on your TV. Enjoy YouTube and other Internet video LIVE.n vao voas the loghsl geo Loreum ebspom thleo lakdyog alkdoeon vao voas the loghsl geo Play movies, video, music and photos stored on USB drives, computers or NAS Enjoy YouTube on your TV, without a computer Watch pay-per-view new release movies on-demand without a subscription Watch Live Internet TV from around the world via VuNow (1-year service included) Browse and play popular movies and shows from Hulu, Netflix, Amazon VOD, CBS, CNN, and ESPN and more using PlayOn on your PC. (free trial in box) Search for Internet video using key words Works with older TVs and new HDTVs Easy to use remote control Wirelessly connect to the Internet by using the Digital Entertainer Live Wireless USB Adapter

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Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter Review

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(More customer reviews)The EyeTV 250 Plus is an external USB based tuner that supports NTSC (Analog Cable and Satellite), ATSC (Digital Satellite) and QAM (Digital Cable). (Not all the models available for sale on Amazon are the newer one that added QAM support, so be careful This one definitely has the QAM support). It also has an adapter that can accept Composite and S-Video inputs along with analog stereo audio. For my purposes I was most interested in the QAM capability since I am a cable subscriber. The biggest difference between the cheaper EyeTV Hybrid and the EyeTV 250 Plus is that the 250 has an external MPEG-2 (Video)/MPEG-1 (Audio) encoder (The Hybrid model relies on your CPU to convert the signal into digital format). The advantage here is that when you're recording or viewing something off of either analog TV or the analog inputs all the encoding happens outside of your computer, so all the computer has to do is decode and display the video. This takes a lot of load off your CPU so it becomes much easier to multi-task.
The tuner itself is great. The biggest plus (in my case) is the ability to pick up Clear QAM digital HD channels. This confines you to only the broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and PBS in my case). It does take quite a bit of CPU power to handle HD broadcasts however.
More important than the tuner is the included EyeTV 3 Software, which controls the tuner. EyeTV 3 is pretty slick. It includes a TitanTV subscription so you can access TV listings and even remotely schedule a recording to your Mac. The program also allows you set up favorite channels. It also keeps the list of all the channels you have access to, which is my case is 461. Keep in mind - that's an analog and digital version of every basic channel, plus the five HD channels I can see plus all the other HD channels that I can detect but can't watch (it just says encrypted). The only other channels that show up are any non-encrypted digital channels such as the local school districts TV stations and On-demand channels.
What I like best about EyeTV 3 (and I'm using 3.0.2) is that it offers a plethora of deinterlacing options. My number one annoyance is interlaced content. The beauty of EyeTV is that it does a great job deinterlacing content, which makes SD material look a whole lot better and removes some of the annoying jaggies in HD material. While it has the standard motion-adaptive and always settings for deinterlacing, it also offers a progressive scan setting which doubles the frame rate from 30 frames per second to 60 frames per second. The results is especially noticeable when watching SD material. I have to watch Versus via the s-video inputs on the EyeTV and I can hardly believe the huge difference that the progressive scan setting makes for watching hockey. It doesn't make it look anywhere close to HD - but it makes it look a whole lot better. It's a bigger strain to use the progressive scan setting on HD content and it makes even more Core 2 Duo powered mini sweat (although I think this may have more to do with the poor on-board graphics) but with HD I don't find progressive scan to be as big of a plus.
The other great thing about EyeTV is that it functions as a super-DVR. You can set up series recordings just like you can with a normal DVR and EyeTV records the program and saves it to your hard drive. You can then use the built-in editor to remove commercials, etc. While the editor isn't iMovie, it's pretty good and the preview panes down on the bottom can help you find the commercials quickly. What makes EyeTV superior to a regular DVR is that you can keep your recordings around as long as you have disk space and you can edit them. You can automatically have recordings exported to other formats - even directly for your iPod or Apple TV. Many people have asked about a recording feature for the Apple TV, and the EyeTV is the closest thing to it. You can set up a recording, and then tell it to export to Apple TV and add to iTunes. Once the show is finished it'll do the exporting and it'll be available on the Apple TV.
So what isn't it good at? Well, I find the exporting feature the most frustrating. It captures everything in MPEG-2 video and either AC3 Audio or MPEG-1 Audio. My frustration is that the exporting feature is extremely slow. When I do a recording sometimes I'll get about 3 seconds of data on the beginning of the recording that I don't want there. Editing it out is easy enough, but then EyeTV insists on compacting the whole recording again. Also, even though EyeTV can capture and play AC3 (Dolby Digital) tracks, it can't output them to QuickTime files. It's AppleTV setting also lacks support for 24 frames per second so everything (even if its HD) is dropped to 960*540 if it has a frame rate of 30 fps. (The good news is that the solution to this program is free! - HandBrake) I also find the lack of dual tuners annoying. Although EyeTV 3 has a Picture-In-Picture function it can't be used unless you have two devices because the EyeTV 250 Plus is a single tuner only. This also means that if you're recording a program you also have to watch whatever you're recording. So if there are two programs on at the same time that you want to record you're out of luck. My final complaint is a pipe dream, but it would be really nice if the EyeTV 250 could accept component and digital inputs for the recording of HD material with digital audio.
All in all I am extremely satisfied with the EyeTV 250 Plus, despite the few shortcomings. It provides a great TV-on-you-Mac solution at a relatively low cost.

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EyeTV 250 Plus is a TV tuner and a powerful video converter in one device. Watch and pause live TV on your Mac. Record, subscribe to TV series, and create Smart Playlists. Edit out unwanted content and send your favorites to iTunes to sync automatically. Enjoy sharing EyeTV recordings over a local network with other Macs and accessing them on an iPod or iPhone via Wi-Fi. Store your collection on your Mac or external disc, or burn to DVD-Video using Roxio Toast Basic (included).EyeTV 250 Plus receives free over-the-air (OTA) HDTV, Clear QAM, and traditional analog TV, and comes with a composite video and S-Video break-out cable to connect a set-top box. EyeTV 250 Plus captures high quality video from analog sources such as a VCR or camcorder, comes with a VHS Assistant and iPod Assistant to guide you through the setup. EyeTV 250 Plus' built-in hardware encoder rapidly converts analog video to high quality digital video without using your Mac's processor.

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ACX DMX-Solo Music Server, 1-Channel Internet Streaming Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a DMX Solo, I found them when I googled for a music server to run for my Super Bowl party. I knew people would want music before the game while munching and no one can ever decide on a movie. So when everyone got here Sunday, they all just started picking their favorite music and adding it to this playlist on the server, there was never a hick up, and it ran flawlessly. The thing I loved so much was that anyone on the internet could add to it, so it didn't interrupt when my "not so brilliant" friend kicked my computer and stepped on my power strip and powered down my imac. The server was in the living room and kept going, which is something I wasn't used to with my old Sonos system. Thanks Team ACX, I appreciate it.

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The DMX-Solo is Team ACX's 3rd Generation Single Channel, Digital Streaming Server that Runs Silently on Minimal Power all while Providing the Ability to Listen to and Control Your Entire Digital Library or One of Over 25,000 SHOUTcast Internet Radio Streams Across Your Local Area Network or the Web from the Convenience of Your Favorite Browser, on any Operating System. With Automatic Configuration, Universal Synchronization and Unrivaled Convenience it is the Most Powerful Digital Audio Component You will Ever Own. Featuring a Linux Operating System - Impervious to Virus or Trojan Horse Attacks. Samba Server for Automatic NetBIOS Integration and Drag & Drop folders. On BoardTCP/IP Control Server API for integration with 3rd Party Control Platforms. UPnP for Effortless Network Integration. Analog and Digital COAX Audio Outputs. AFC© - Automatic Digital Music Cataloging. Integrated Browser Interface, for Stand Alone Control. Real Time Digital Controls - go to any Song Time Position. A Completely Silent "Always Ready" Fan less Cooling System. All Formats Supported my MSFT Media Player Winmp & iTunes. SHOUTcast Internet Radio - Never a Fee, 100% Free! Real Time Digital Time Controls With 1 Tera Byte FDB WD SATA Hard Drive - Nearly 250.000 Title Capacity. Intel Atom - x86 1.6CPU and 1G DDR 533 M System Memory.ACX Spyder - Automatic Connectivity with Alexis Servers. TCP/IP XML API for Integration with 3rd party Control Platforms. CPU Voltage Monitoring / CPU - HDD Temperature Guard - System Power Management, AC Power Failure Recovery. Accessories Included are 1qty External in-line AC Adapter - Input : 120-240V AC/ Output : 12V DC 5Amp. 1qty RCA Audio Cable - 6Ft and 1qty Cat-5e Ethernet Cable - 6ft. 10/100/1000-T Ethernet Connection. 1U Rack Mountable. No programming - Ready to Use Immediately. Made in the USA and Comes With a 3 Year Parts & Labor Warranty. Check out the ACX Web site for further details, www.TeamACX.com ACX, Anything else is just a Toy...

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Champtek USB Internet Music/ TV Receiver (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)I gave these to 3 of my family members for Christmas. I wanted to get a unique gift, one that I knew they would not have,but would also enjoy, without burning a hole in my wallet. These fit the bill and were a huge hit on Christmas morning.
What is great about it is that it truly works with all the latest operating systems,is truly plug and play, and works as advertised!
I got one for my brother, my father, and my nephew, and all have enjoyed them. And, you can't escape the cool gadget factor! It is really neat to be able to listen to music and watch TV from all over the world. It's an all around great gift, for a great price, for all ages! It is easy to use and enjoy right outta the box.
It is especially great as a going-away gift for someone because they can stay connected by being able to listen to their hometown station for example.
All in all extremely satisfied with the purchase! Thanks, Amazon for offering a great item at a great price.

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Plug - Click - Enjoy.Listen worldwide music over 20000 internet radio stations.Watch 5000 internet TV stations.Categorized by Genre / Type / Region / Language.Personalized setting to default your favorites.

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Sony DVP-SR500H 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)We had a 3-yr old Sony DVD player but were not happpy with image quality on 42" LCD TV. Bought this newer sony and it is excellent. Much smaller, lighter, and a lot quicker to load/eject a disc. Image quality finally looks as good as all the display models in the stores. Compatible with all older Sony remotes, including a 15-year old one. Simply the best.

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Upgrade your DVDs to near HD quality via an HDMI connection with the Sony DVP-SR500H upscaling DVD player. A perfect complement to your home theater, this DVD player features Precision Cinema Progressive technology for sharper and more vibrant images as well as the Precision Drive 3 system which lets you play back some of your damaged or warped DVDs without a degradation of picture quality. In addition to watching movies, you can play CDs, MP3s and share your digital photos with friends and family.
The Sony DVP-SR500H upscales your standard DVD video to near HD quality via an HDMI connection.

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