NETGEAR Wireless Digital Music Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Now that I have this set up it does exactly what I wanted it to very well -- that is, in a wired network environment, it streams all the mp3 files that I have on my PC's hard drive through my traditional two-channel audio setup. It has a number of limitations: it doesn't support Internet radio, except for a paid service, and it doesn't support various rights-protected data formats. But it does do the one thing I bought it for extremely well: allowing me to enjoy my entire music collection in an organized, well catalogued way, through my home audio system.
As this whole field of products is still pretty new, I also didn't want to spend more money on one of the more advanced systems -- it seems that the customer feedback on all of these media players remains pretty mixed. So I stuck with something relatively simple, and this little box does what I want for a reasonable price. (Previously I was using my iPod on a docking station, connected to my stereo...for the modest price of this Netgear player I've now liberated the iPod that previously was wired up to my stereo.)
A couple of cautions:
1. A lot of the customer problems cited here at Amazon seem to relate to problems with wireless transmission. I did not even try to set this up in a wireless network; I just hard-wired it into the network port I had installed in my living room. I have had a lot of frustration in my home w/wireless devices so finally just gave up and dropped in wiring for a home network while I was having other electrical work done in my house. I am glad I bit the bullet -- the wired network is saving me a lot of time and trouble. This Netgear product is just one example of the kinds of things that are very happy tethered to a wire that seem to be much more problematic when they are wireless.
2. Throw away the software disk that comes with the hardware -- don't install it!. Instead, download the new software and firmware that is on Netgear's site. I couldn't get this to work at all at first -- tech support advised me to uninstall the provided software, download the software update on their site, and start over. This got more complicated than it sounds because I'd already built a database of songs for the Netgear and I had to hunt down this database file and kill it, too...it got a little bit tricky...so it took me a couple of hours in all to get this fixed. Had I started with the new software posted on Netgear's site, I would have had the whole thing done in 20 minutes. In any case, just go right to netgear's site and download their new software, and don't use the junk they ship with the product.
I also found netgear's tech support to be very, very good -- they answered the phone quickly (on Christmas Eve!) and were extremely helpful and patient.

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NETGEAR's Wireless Digital Music Player lets you enjoy your digital music files stored on your computers and unlimited, worldwide Internet radio with your friends and family throughout your home. It connects your existing home stereo to your home computer network so you can listen to the digital music collection from any PC on your home stereo system. You can also listen to music directly from a 30,000 track digital jukebox using the RHPSODY¿ service (only available in U.S.) or hear thousands of Internet radio stations even when your PCs are turned off. Easy-to-install software on one PC automatically finds all your music files on any networked PC and collects them into one complete database. The remote control and stylish user interface let you sit on the couch and wirelessly stream MP3s or Windows Media format files from any PC on your home network straight to your stereo! The MP101 supports many PC operating systems, not just Windows XP, and the LCD display means you don't need to turn on your TV when you want to listen to music.

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VortexBox 1TB Automatic CD ripping NAS Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this gadget after a considerable amount of frustration with a Netgear ReadyNAs I had expected to use as a server for my Logitech Squeezebox Duet. The ReadyNAS supposedly performs this function but with a large collection of files it is simply too slow to keep up with indexing and searching etc. Plus ripping my 2,000+ CDs was a real chore. I read about this product and jumped on it.
Well, within a week of getting my Vortexbox appliance, all my CDs are in my mini storage, my Levinson 31.5 transport sold on eBay, and my entire CD collection is now available to me throughout my home without the slightest issues, disappointments or problems.
I initially corresponded with the manufacturer a few times with questions about configuring this device to suit my particular needs I got immediate, understanding an useful help. I cannot speak more highly of the builder. In fact, I sent a modest voluntary donation to them as I felt the help I got was above-and-beyond. Since I became familiar with this gadget, I have had zero issues, it has been up and running for over sixty days without a reboot, issue, glitch etc. You just pop a CD in the slot and it will rip it to flac and/or any almost any other format you care to have.
Useful tip: if you are ripping a large collection disable the creation of MP3 copies (the system rips to both flac and mp3 by default). This will speed up the tedious job of ripping enormously and you can go back later on and create MP3 versions of any or all of your stuff as a background task when you're done transcribing your collection. Info on how this is done is on the manufacturer's simple but very useful web site.
Anyway, this is a great product from nice people and if anything happened to it I'd buy another in a flash.

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Your entire music collection, available anywhere in your home! VortexBox is designed to store your entire CD and Media collection in one easy to access location. With an integrated CD ripping engine and a huge amount of storage, the VortexBox is a single device connected to your home network, allowing blissful music management. It really couldn't be any easier - simply insert an audio CD into the DVD/CD burn drive. The CD is converted within a few minutes, added to the media library, shared on your network. You can then access your music from your Logitech SqueezeBox , iTunes, Windows Media Player, or other Media Player. VortexBox is easy to configure: just plug it into your home router and browse to the easy to use interface through your favorite web browser. Available in 500 GB or 1 TB (1000 GB) capacities, VortexBox distributes your entire collection throughout your home and has plenty of room to grow. Watch anything, anywhere at home. VortexBox doesn't only stream music. Add movies, TV Shows, and other content to its storage to stream to any part of your house. Works with Logitech Squeezebox, Sonos, XBMC or ReQuest server. VortexBox includes Slimserver for media serving to any network connected audio device.

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Creative Labs Xmod Wireless Music System with X-Fi Technology Review

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(More customer reviews)The Xmod Wireless comes in 2 parts, a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter connects very simply to your PC via USB and it functions as a USB soundcard, applying X-Fi sound enhancement to any sound or music that is passed through it. Compressed audio like AAC, WMA and MP3 files are upscaled to 24 bit quality and surround sound effects can be added.
You have to experience this to appreciate it. It really does make your music sound better. Sometimes the improvement is more subtle than at other times, but the quality X-Fi provides really shines when you connect the receiver end of the Xmod Wireless to a good set of speakers that you might have in your theater or family room.
So, on to part 2 of the package. The wireless receiver. This enables you to control and listen to your music anywhere you place the receiver in your house. Your PC music collection is streamed around the house with top notch quality and fidelity. I have my receiver connected to my theater setup and the sound is fantastic. You can purchase additional receivers if you'd like to play your music in multiple rooms.
Cool things about the package overall. The range is great and there is no lag. Plus, it just works. You don't need to have your own network or anything running already. Just turn on the receiver and transmitter and away you go, nothing to fuss with. If you do have a network running, this won't interfere with it at all. I think both units are stylish as well. They fit right in with high end equipment and they are pretty small.
You also get a remote for each side and there are inputs so that you can connect an MP3 player. With the remotes, you can skip tracks, pause tracks, turn on and off the X-Fi features, etc.
I don't really have any negatives other than the price, but I still think it's worth it. Sonos has products with similar features that cost up to $1000. Xmod Wireless gives you what you need with better audio technology for a lot less. It would also be nice to have a small display on the receiver unit so you can see what you are browsing.
Overall, Xmod Wireless is highly recommended. The unique combination of a driverless and simple to use USB soundcard with a high quality streaming device is an excellent way to introduce your PC to your home theater setup or to any room of your house.


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Play music from your PC wirelessly in any room, Make your MP3s sound better than CDs, Connect in seconds - no configuration needed.

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Netgear Powerline AV Adapter with Ethernet Switch Review

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(More customer reviews)I picked up one of these along with the V101 in a combo package to run my Xbox 360 and DirecTV DVR downstairs from the cable modem and router in my upstairs office. I had been using wireless networking for the past several years but had issues with wireless failing from time to time and went through 3 routers over 3 years accordingly. Since the wired portion of the routers worked just fine at retirement in each case, I thought I'd give an alternative a try. I researched a few different brands and finally settled on Netgear's Powerline offering. I specifically went with the ones rated for 200Mb for HD streaming options.
I am very satisfied with the performance so far. The Windows Media Center functionality with my Xbox 360 is finally performing in a manner that I expected. With wireless I was getting VERY slow response in the Media Center menu but it operates much more smoothly with the Powerline adapter connected.
I ordered an additional adapter for a computer and DirecTV DVR in another room of my home and all 3 devices are operating well together with excellent connection speed. In addition, setup was completely simple. It was literally plug and play. No configuration required whatsoever.
I would definitely suggest this product line without reservation.

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Perfect for connecting HDTVs, Blu-ray players, DVRs, and game consoles to your home network and the Internet; Extends a high speed Internet connection to any power outlet1; Provides wired reliability with no new wires; Connects up to 4 devices

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NETGEAR Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have only had this for a few days, but hookup is a breeze (took about 5 minutes from openning the box to fishing wires under my furniture behind the TV), and it is much faster than wireless G. I am streaming Netflix through my TivoHD without undue buffering, and at the claimed Netflix full HD quality. The utility software included with the product allows the user to turn off the three LEDs on the four port switch, implement security on the devices, and create network priorities if there are multiple adapters on the network. The utility software scans the powerline network and details the speed at which the network is operating. My speeds vary between 72 mpbs to 88 mbps in my 3,100 sqft house that is about 7 years old. My network router is upstairs and my home theater is downstairs. Longevity of the device is yet to be determined since I have only had it a few days, but so far I am very pleased with the product.
***UPDATE***
I had a lamp that operated by touch to turn it on and off. It kept turning on by itself after installing the netgear powerline adapter. Well, after unplugging the lamp from the wall, I am getting about 160 mbps transfer speeds on my network to my home theater. Its fast, stable, and streams video like crazy.

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Turn Any Electrical Outlet into a High-Speed Home Network Connection NETGEAR\'s Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (XAVB1004) is a convenient solution for extending your home network by using standard electrical outlets. This kit delivers the devices you need to set up an Internet connection in any room without running new wires.The XAVB1004 connects up to four (4) devices to your network: Game consoles including Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 Networked attached storage devices including: NETGEAR ReadyNAS, Notebook PCs, Wired and wireless routers, TiVo, AppleTV,VUDU box, Desktop PCs, Slingbox, BD Live enabled Blu-ray player Features Turn a power outlet into a high speed Internet and home network connection Connects up to 4 devices Delivers fast 200 Mbps speed, fast enough to stream HD videoFor use with both wired and wireless routers and gateways Simply plug an XAV101 into your router and connect as many as 4 Ethernet-ready devices to the XAV1004 Port-based Quality of Service (QoS), ensures that the highest priority applications are allocated more bandwidth Red, yellow, green status LEDs indicate maximum data rate 128-bit AES data encryption ensures privacy and security, secure your Powerline AV network by just pushing a button Supports Windows Vista HomePlug AV compatible

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D-Link DSM-320 Wireless Media Player, Audio/Photo/Video, 802.11g Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My expectations were fairly low after having read all the other reviews, but I really liked the option that you get from adding a home media drive from D-Link to this set-up (DSM 602H/4H). I've been waiting for a media server that doesn't require me to keep my PC running in my bedroom 24/7. The network drive from D-Link and this media server looked like an awesome combination.
In an effort not to repeat everything that's already been said ... here are the things I believe haven't been mentioned yet ... first and foremost, don't expect to spend any less than a solid weekend getting this up and running .. and even after you do I expect multiple hours will be spent updating firmware etc. over the next few months (at least I hope there are firmware updates coming)
The physical connection was easy and intuitive, but getting the player up and running and connected to my wireless network was a royal pain. I tried to use my media drive as it is advertised by D-link, but apparantly that's not possible without a firmware update. Of course, that firmware update is still in beta release ... do I need to say more. It actually royally p*sses me off that D-Link advertise the combination of the media home drive and the media server, before they can actually deliver that option. I wrote a glowing review of the home media drive, but that was before I updated the firmware to enable use with the media server ... after the firmware was updated, I can't access the management interface for the drive for more than one or two pages before the device has to be restarted (read pull power plug and re-insert) .. the drive doesn't seem to stream the media evenly, so every single song comes across with large gaps where nothing is playing ... pictures don't come across in the right format and shows up on the screen in some oddly twisted aspect ratio ... the media server software that's resident in the media drive firmware update apparantly doesn't read ID3 tags correctly either; it doesn't pick up genres, and artist and album data isn't alphabitized
On a slight possitive note, the media server software running off my PC works much better. It streams evenly, ID3 tags seem correct and pictures are correctly formatted. I still haven't been able to stream a single movie across the media server, but that's personally less of an issue for me personally.
Oh, and although I didn't want to repeat other reviewers .. I have to say this ... THE REMOTE CONTROL ABSOLUTELY STINKS ... worst piece of hardware I've ever held in my hand ... period ... and that includes all those awefull Sony-Ericson phones I've tried over the years ;-)

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D-Link's DSM-320 Wireless Media Adapter is a next generation multimedia product that streams all your favorite media files to your home entertainment center.It supports 802.11g wireless standards with transfer speeds up to 54Mbps. The DSM-320 supports all popular media formats including MP3, WAV, and WMA for audio files, MPEG1/2/4, AVI, and DivX4/5 for video, and JPEG, GIF, BMP, and PNG for images. Plug the DSM-320 directly into your TV to easily access all your media content through the user-friendly TV interface with the included remote control.Experience your digital media like never before with the DSM-320 Wireless Media Adapter.

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Cisco-Linksys WMA11B Wireless Digital Media Adapter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)...
First Impressions:
Nice packaging. Nice looking device, it's not much bigger than a four port hub. It has both the Cisco and LinkSys logos on the face. Vertical or horizontal mount. The package contained the device, quick setup poster, and a CD.
Installation:
I have an existing server, running Win2K Server, that I store my MP3 collection on. This product works by installing an agent on a PC and then connecting the device over a hard wired LAN or WiFi (802.11b). My setup allows me to use either LAN or WiFi and of course I chose the wired setup for max bandwidth and so I could actually listen to music and use my phone or microwave without dropping packets and thus songs. The agent installation was flawless and the media adapter and my server were talking within a few minutes after cracking up the box. Once the agent is installed on a PC, you really only have one option: Point the agent to your media. So of course I decided to point it to my entire (29 gig) mp3 collection which began in a single MP3 folder. Well, it starts to "Search" and then simply would disappear. No error, no nothing. Ok, maybe my collection was too big, so I start dragging my genre folders which were maybe 1 gig a piece...same thing happend. Ok...so I decide to drag a single album over to the agent and finally it seems to take the 6 songs in the folder and I rush over to my TV to fire up the device...it was able to play three of the songs and then the entire folder disappeared and thus I had no music to pull up anymore. After a few reboots and trying different folders I had similar results. My trade, I'm an IT guy...so there were no 'technical user' issues...I can assure you of that. To this day the device is flakey. It forgets entire folders for no reason at any given time. I've even loaded XP with similar results.
Audio:
The sound is on par with my expectations, though I wish for the price the device would have at least coax digital out. Your stuck with a pair of RCA, which I hooked a pair of Monster cables up to for optimal sound. The unit is equipped with an Intel StrongArm 400 MhZ (The same processor the latest PocketPCs use) and thus is pretty good at decoding and playing the MP3/WMAs.
Display:
The menus are sloppy. There is absolutely no customization on for menus either. There are NO visualizations while songs are playing. You can't see anything important like bit rate or most of an ID3 tag (genre, year, etc.). You are stuck with an unsizable screen that shows you the track name and album name and running time. That's it. Plus they use such a huge display, that a band or song title with a long name (13 chars +) gets lopped off. Sloppy stuff all around on the visuals. Again, I expect more.
Photos:
Photos are displayed well. No real problems here. The device sure could flip through them faster though with this processor. One plus is the ability to play MP3s while viewing photos. However, some lag does occur on larger photos. Whether this is due to bandwidth, processor, or a combination I'll leave up to the "engineers" over at Linksys to figure out and hopefully fix over the next decade or so...
Support:
This is where the stars began to seriously dive. ... I doubt the engineers who designed this paper weight released this as a stable product under their free will. It's a joke.
Conclusion:
... I would recommend looking at the new Gateway DVD/MP3 network device or waiting as this market opens up more. We will all want to stream over DivX movies, MP3s, and every other type of media soon. I'm just going to wait a few years while they refine this technology better.

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The Linksys Wireless-B media adapter lets you bring the digital pictures and music stored on your computer to your home entertainment center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the media adapter displaysyour digital photographs on the TV for the whole family to enjoy. And your digital music collection is finally freed from those little computer speakers and can play in full glory through your stereo system.
The Wireless-B media adapter sits by your home stereo and television and connects to them using standard consumer electronics cables. Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking or, if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. Using the included remote c ontrol and the user-friendly menus on your TV, you can browse through the digital pictures on your computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail. You can view pictures one at a time, or watch an automatically created slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The media adapter supports five popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF, and BMP. Use the remote control's Zoom button to get a close-up of the details in your pictures. You can also use the remote to browse your MP3- or WMA-formatted music collection by title, artist, genre, folder, or playlist. Choose the music you want, and let the Wireless-B media adapter play it through your stereo system. You can even let music play in the background while you browse your pictures.
Power and Simplicity

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Actiontec MegaPlug 200 Mbps AV Powerline Ethernet Adapter and 4-Port Hub Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)ActionTec plug Av
Very Easy to set up if you had all the instructions.
A quick review and as typical for me an update will follow. I had everything set up and truly believed the Quick Start Guide when it said no configuration required. Unfortunately.... I first disabled my wireless card in the Windows Control Panel just so I would not have any conflicts. Then I plugged in the two devices as described above. The LEDs on both boxes were green and red, sometimes green and yellow. The Guide said "Make sure both lights turn solid green". The guide warns you not to plug the devices into any outlet that is surge protected or filtered, which I did not. Oh well I said, I started moving both boxes into different outlets and could not get both "link" lights to turn green unless they were plugged into the same outlet. Rats I said. There is no explanation in the guide at all as to what to do when the lights are not both green. NO troubleshooting guide at all. I tried to hook up to the Web, but nothing happened.
Here I will save you the trouble of the hour long process that followed, and just tell how you can save yourself the trouble I had
1. It does not really matter what color the "link" light is. It is only the quality of connection indicator. Please go to the [...] website and download the user manual for the HPE400AVP. There is no manual and no CD with the box you buy and in my case it was the critical missing step. Here is the lights portion of the manual
Red means the condition is poor and less than 50Mpbs,
Orange indicates a fair line condition of 50-100Mbps,
Green means the line is in good condition with over 100Mbps throughput.
Of course since I was using wireless previously in a remote location with a 18 Mpbs transfer speed, even a Red light meant a vastly improved connection. The connection speed varies for me between yellow and red, and always is better than the wireless. My wireless was a Linksys WRT54G with the power setting at 75mw, the distance involved was about 50ft with 3 walls in between.
2. There are small black buttons on both boxes, but NO explanation in the User Guide as to what they do. You have to download the manual for that. They are the security enable keys, and you have to go thru a sequence of four timed presses to set it up. In my trials of various outlets in the house, I must have pressed one or both, but in a wrong sequence and must have messed up the communications, hence even with the connection established, I could not connect to the web. At the time I still thought that it was because I had red lights and they needed to be green. I had to reset both boxes using a pin.
3. At this point following the reset, even though the link light on both boxes was red, the Internet magically appeared. So the setup is truly plug and play, unless like me you believe the dreaded step #13 in the quick setup guide "Make sure both lights are green " or you accidentally press the security buttons.
Finally when set up, and even with my troubles it only took an hour. The connection speed to the web as judged by [...] was 50% faster than my best wireless connection and 3 times better than my worst connection. Great product, and only a one star downgrade for no packaged in manual or CD.
Lastly you may also try the following steps to improve your speed at lower costs.
1. Get an antenna with gain for the router and your wireless card (10-30$, 50% improvement)
2. Change the wireless channel in the router utility (G networks conflict with 2.4 ghz cordless phones)
3. Move the antenna even slightly for possible improvement, Use a utility like network stumbler to fine tune the position
4. If available for your wireless router, get an open source custom firmware for it which will allow you to fine tune the antenna transmit power (I use Tomato).
UPDATE
5. Get an inexpensive N standard router with multiple antennas (used to be called MIMO multiple in multiple out). I have picked up one recently and now all my remaining computers have a better signal as well. While you will not get speds higher than G standard of 54mb, you will get closer to nominal. You would ned a N adapter in the pc as well to get all the benefits.
Happy Powerline and Wireless networking.


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Actiontec MegaPlug 200 Mbps AV Powerline Ethernet Adapter and 4-Port Hub Kit

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