Combined AV Devices > 140 GBP to 209 GBP Combined AV Devices

Advantages: The media center interface, decent codec support, HD movies stream really well.
Disadvantages: The DVD player is terrible.

Okay, the big pull of this DVD player is the built in Media Center Extender software, which once set up runs really well. You need to have vista installed on a PC (which needs to be on for it to work) and you also need a good network connection between the two. I have tried both a 200mbps powerline ethernet network and a wireless N network and for me the wireless network performed better for HD movies, but this will differ for most people so just ...
...wifi connection. The built in DVD play is poor to say the least, it doesn't scale DVD's out to widescreen it simply takes the DVD's basic resolution and outputs it to the middle of the screen. I tried watching an old cracker and had to stop as it was displayed as a 640x480 picture in the middle of my 720p HDTV, believe me this looks terrible. Its worth it for the media center as it works seemlessly and is a lot easier to access than the XBOX 360 ... Read review

Advantages: Plays MP3, photo and movie over your network to your HiFi/TV.
Disadvantages: Stutters very badly on any HD content.

...last week to order the D-Link DSM-520 from Komplett.co.uk at £172 inc VAT & del. Reasons for buying : I wanted to stream HD movies, photos and music. Reviews have been mixed, admittedly, but seemed to indicate that this was the best of the bunch. I also looked at the Freecom and the Pinnacle before deciding. The DSM-520 arrived on Monday 4th Dec 2006, and was installed very easily and quickly. That part at least was painless. I used D-Link's own ...
...pen drive. * The D-Link media server is actually not as bad as some other reviews make it out to be. One very minor niggle though, was in playing MP3 files from one artist - it showed me the list of tracks, with all Track 1s first, then all Track 2s, and so on. Using the album feature got around this, but the interface is still just very slightly clunky on MP3. The TwonkyVision server seemed to have some good and some bad points too but I'm not ... Read review

Advantages: "Free" TV from the other side of the world... where-ever you are!
Disadvantages: Really none I can think of that concern the device itself

...version of this product, SlingMedia's Sling Box SB150-120. The UK model is the SB150-110, and as far as I have been able to establish (from friends actually using it on my advice), the UK model differs from the Japanese model only in respect of the TV Tuner. The UK Model * I am told * features a TV Tuner that is DVB/FreeView capable (which would not work in Japan anyway) and is of course based on the PAL TV system (whereas Japan's model uses NTSC ...
...etc. Also, using the Help>My Sling Account option to set up an account to hold the details of your device, including its "Finders key". This is a long string of characters that you'll need to set up a Player wherever you are. If you have an account, you can then set up a Player on anyone's PC suitably internet capable, as you can download the Player software, and lookup your key without having to remember it. There are a million more ways of configuring ... Read review

Advantages: HD footage anywhere in the house, quality
Disadvantages: wi-fi not always capable of HD streaming

A great addition to any HD tv you may have in your house, perfect for a secondary TV such as a bedroom this will allow you to stream from your PC to the TV over wifi in HD. Although there isn't exactly what could be considered a huge amount of HD on the net you are legally allowed to rip Blu-Ray/HD-DVD movies. Streaming devices for music and standard definition video have been around for a couple of years now and have done their job perfectly, it ...
...reasonable prices. The EVA8000 coming in at just below £200 is a lot cheaper than a blu-ray player with more features. Connections: -Scart -S-Video -Component Video -A 1080i HDMI socket (although this will be upgraded to 1080p via new firmware) -Phono Output - Coax and Optical Digital outs -Ethernet Jack -USB The EVA offers two different ways to stream the footage, wi-fi or Ethernet, I would definitely recommend using Ethernet if possible ... Read review

Advantages: Direct USB Play, Wired & Wireless Connectivity, Intel Viiv Certified
Disadvantages: Less than perfect User interface, No HDMI Connectivity

This is the first Intel Viiv certified digital media adaptor. Great for those who want to share media content from their PC all over the home. This device can connect to your network either wired or wirelessly, the wireless supports the 802.11b/g standards, but if you want to play with HD content, then you'll probably want to use the wired connection, it gets a bit slow over wireless. The wireless security on this model is up-to-date, which is ...
...at the moment, (128-Bit Encryption). All of the major video, audio and image filetypes are supported by the device, so no need to worry about incompatibility. Installation is a little tricky, as it sometimes won't work with Windows Media Centre very well. Overall, it's a good device, with all the features you need in such a device, superb. ... Read review