Wi-Fi Entertainment Guide - Home Media Servers

So just what is a wireless media player anyway? The short answer is that these devices access the video, audio and photo files on your PC, Mac, or networked hard drive for playback on your high-end stereo system or big-screen TV, and they do it without any wires running from the computer to the living room. Some can also access the Internet directly for playback of Internet radio and video streams.

In order for the player boxes to be able to make sense of the files on your computer or network drive, they need to be in some kind of standard form. This is achieved by either running vendor-supplied server software on the computer, or the free Microsoft Windows Media Connect server that runs on Windows XP. (Some players also interface with the Windows Media Center or Intel ViiV platforms.) The player boxes themselves mostly use a standard interface called UPnP. UPnP helps media server PCs and player boxes communicate readily without any special configuration. (See TwonkyVision for excellent information on UPnP media players.) The other major standard to look for is PlaysForSure support. The PlaysForSure logo means that your player supports protected Windows Media DRM files, including music and video downloads from many online stores.

Apple TV

iTunes devotees will be well served by the Apple TV set-top box for streaming their music, movies, TV shows and photos from networked PCs or Macs. With the best media server interface around, including a handy remote control, the Apple TV makes the whole process easy, from setup to viewing. A 40GB hard drive holds content you want to store, and draft-802.11n WI-Fi assures smooth video (pair it up with the draft-802.11n Apple AirPort Extreme router). The box has 1080i/720p HD video support and both HDMI and component inputs, but no surround sound output.

Netgear Digital Entertainer HD

While it only works with Windows PCs and some NAS drives, Netgear's Digital Entertainer HD goes the Apple TV a few steps better, supporting many more types of content, including Internet Radio, YouTube clips, Windows Media Connect and so on, including purchased iTunes content streamed from an authorized PC. The HDMI interface supports 1080p video, and if you have a TV tuner card in your PC, you can schedule recordings and watch and pause live TV from your living room. Another big plus is that you can view your PC desktop on TV, surfing the Web and using applications with the remote control. The Entertainer connects to your network via Ethernet or the built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi.

Buffalo LinkTheater High-Definition Wireless Media Player PC-P3LWG/DVD

This popular media player was the first to support high-definition wireless video streaming (of WMV HD and DivX HD files), and it doubles as a DVD player, with a built-in progressive scan unit that supports recordable DVDs as well as standard movie discs. A USB 2.0 port allows attachment of USB hard drives or flash drives for media storage, and you can also access Internet media directly. It can play protected Windows Media files, but it's not Mac-compatible.

D-Link MediaLounge DSM-320 Wireless Media Player

D-Link has a full range of wireless media players, from the basic DSM-320 (about $150), to the DSM-320RD with card reader and DVD player ($250), and the DSM-520 with HDTV support but no DVD player ($225). All have comprehensive media format support, and the PlaysForSure stamp of approval for protected files. All also play Internet radio and have good remote controls. The DSM-750, a high-definition model with 300Mbps draft-802.11n wireless, is coming soon.

Windows Media Connect

Don't have a Windows Media Center PC? No worries, just add Microsoft's free Windows Media Connect software to your regular XP machine, and stir briskly. You'll be rewarded with a media server that works with many major player boxes, including the D-Link DSM-320, Roku's SoundBridge series, and Microsoft's own Xbox 360. Look for the PlaysForSure logo on player boxes for compatible devices. Similar functionality is included with Windows Media Center in the Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions.