Media Player Hardware Review

I currently use the Linksys Kiss 1600 and this is the only unit I have hands on experience off. All the other reviews are based on looking at the literature. As far as I can tell it would be legal to use most of the units discussed without a TV Licence; the exceptions are the Netgear ITV 2000 and the Sling Catcher.

Linksys Kiss 1600 (£80 at Dabs.com)

For the price this is hard to beat. The unit is compatable with a PC running Windows XP and there is a small software app that must be set up on the PC so that the Media Player can find your video, audio and picture files. It also plays DVDs from a front loading tray and any files on a USB stick inserted in the back.It has an HDMI video output and separate audio outputs.

One problem I have found is that the unit does not recognise the .M4V file suffix (which for instance CNN use). This can be bodged by changing the suffix to .MP4 and the files play without problem. Another issue which may annoy some people is that support for internet radio is through a website setup by Linksys which is very badly organised.

Unfortunately this unit no longer appears on the Linksys website which probably means they have stopped production. There is still stock at Dabs.Com.

Linksys DMA 2200 (£127 at Dabs.com)

This unit is similar to the Kiss 1600 but requires a PC running Vista to interface with. This blog is no fan of Vista but if you are already running Vista on your PC then this would be a good choice. Hopefully Linksys will think about releasing some software that also lets you interface to an XP machine.

Apple TV - 40GB (£189 at Dabs.com)

If you have a Mac, an iPod, an iPhone, and other iGizmos then you really need one of these as well. I suspect this will work with files that you did not download from the iTunes store but why take the chance.

Netgear Entertainer EVA 8000 (£284 at Dabs.com)

This Netgear unit will work with Windows XP. A more upmarket version works with XP or Vista which saves you buying a new media player when you upgrade your PC. A major drawback compared with the Linksys boxes is that there is no DVD drive. However it does support a wider range of file formats than the Linksys box.

This unit is worth considering if your budget allows and you dont mind having a seperate DVD player.

Netgear ITV 2000 (Not yet on sale)

This unit is designed to interface direct to the internet and does not need a PC. It includes support for live streaming video. No doubt this is technically a fine product that provides good functionality. The problem is that if you do not have a TV Licence then the live streaming video function could land you in trouble even if you do not make use of that function. Whether this unit (or similar boxes) falls within the scope of the current regulations is something that will very likely be tested in a court at some point. If you dont mind the prospect of being a test case then this product could be what you are looking for.

Sling Media Sling Catcher (£195 at Dabs.com)

The Sling Catcher is a device that acquires a TV signal and forwards it as streaming video to somewhere on the net. For instance you can send TV pictures to your laptop. I think that clearly you would need a TV Licence for this; it is after all a TV receiver. There are a number of similar devices which are known as “place shifters”. For our purposes this class of devices are not what we need.

The ITV 2000 could be the start of a trend where manufacturers start supplying media players that all include support for live video feeds. For the moment however there is a good choice of products without this feature.

At present the Linksys units appear to offer the best combination of functionality and value. There are a number of other units which we have not covered here and a future edition may find time to look at them.