Product Reviews

Media streamers are growing in capability, with this the first to be DivX accredited. Installation is easy (even more so with a Viiv PC and router), with 802.11g wireless and wired networking options, plus USB for local content. There's no server software included, but Windows Media Player 11 can be used to access your host PC's audio, photos and video. Most files played flawlessly (including DVR-MS and H.264), although more obscure variants failed. Gripes include displaying all (rather than album) artists in the music library and painfully slow photo browsing, as well as the 720p/1080i limit. On the plus side, there are HDMI, composite and optical audio packed into the tiny case. But while format support is good, the menus are too basic to warrant the high price.