Wireless Digital Media Players and the ever increasing list of internet-enabled digital video boxes, Blu-ray players, home theater systems, and HDTVs, can turn your wireless networking from a simple home-office to a fully integrated wireless home entertainment system. Today's wireless digital technology has made all this easily achievable.
In this series of short reviews/product guides, we cover some of the best products available on the market that can help you take full advantage of this wireless home entertainment reality.
As expressed in our guide to wireless digital media players, today one can easily move music, video, and other digital media content around the house without wires. Thanks to the development in software and wireless digital technology, today's wireless media players can enable even average home PC users to experience their entire digital collection in its full glory over a big screen TV and proper surround sound system without being tied to a PC. In particular, wireless digital media players provide an affordable solution for ease of integration of digital content from a PC, a NAS, or any other device accessible through the home network, and the rest of your home entertainment system.
In this series of short reviews/product guides, we cover some of the best products available on the market that can help you take full advantage of this wireless home entertainment reality.
As expressed in our guide to wireless digital media players, today one can easily move music, video, and other digital media content around the house without wires. Thanks to the development in software and wireless digital technology, today's wireless media players can enable even average home PC users to experience their entire digital collection in its full glory over a big screen TV and proper surround sound system without being tied to a PC. In particular, wireless digital media players provide an affordable solution for ease of integration of digital content from a PC, a NAS, or any other device accessible through the home network, and the rest of your home entertainment system.
Priced at around three hundred dollars, these devices pull digital content through your home network, in order to play it anywhere in the house, say over an existing TV in the kids' room, a stereo speaker system in the garage, or a big screen in your dedicated home theater room. Further more, the ever increasing array of wireless internet-enabled gear like the Samsung BD-P2500,BD-P2550 or the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, and the latest range of Panasonic Viera G10 series of plasma HDTVs, as well as the so-called 'instant' media players like the inexpensive Roku digital video player that can pull digital media content direct from the internet without the need for a PC, help make this whole wireless home entertainment integration a simple reality even for non-proficient PC users. Yes... even non-proficient PC users can enjoy the latest in wireless home entertainment. You see, thanks to developments in wireless technology, installing a wireless digital media player or one of the latest 'instant' internet-enabled digital media boxes, is truly a simple straightforward process.
Digital Media Player Installation... a simple straightforward process
Wireless digital media players that pull content from your PC require the installation of the accompanying software that transforms your PC into a multi-media server. Such wireless media players include the D-Link DSM-520 MediaLounge Wireless HD Media Player.Others like the Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite require the installation of a media utility driver to be installed on your computer. This will enable these wireless media players to play audio and video digital media content using your favorite media player application like Apple iTunes. Using a standard media player application would often represent a significant advantage since these would normally include a host of features that one gets used to and that are often missing from dedicated media server software that come with some wireless digital media players.
On the other hand, with the so called 'instant' media players and internet-enabled gear that do not pull content from your PC, you do not need to install anything on your computer. OK, not being capable of pulling content from your PC may be an issue with some but the fact that you can browse online content direct over your TV screen without any PC is surely appealing.
Part of the setup process of any networked wireless digital media player - like any other networked devices, requires you to configure the media player to join your home network. In most simple terms, all you need is to run the player set-up wizard and key in the wireless network name or SSID, the security type (WEP, WPA, or WPA2), and security key or passphrase when instructed so, to connect to your network. Depending on your network security setup and the player in question, you may also need to open or unblock your firewall to allow the media player to connect to your PC, as well as configure additional network related information such as IP, channel number, and connection mode.
Digital Media Player Installation... a simple straightforward process
Wireless digital media players that pull content from your PC require the installation of the accompanying software that transforms your PC into a multi-media server. Such wireless media players include the D-Link DSM-520 MediaLounge Wireless HD Media Player.Others like the Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite require the installation of a media utility driver to be installed on your computer. This will enable these wireless media players to play audio and video digital media content using your favorite media player application like Apple iTunes. Using a standard media player application would often represent a significant advantage since these would normally include a host of features that one gets used to and that are often missing from dedicated media server software that come with some wireless digital media players.
On the other hand, with the so called 'instant' media players and internet-enabled gear that do not pull content from your PC, you do not need to install anything on your computer. OK, not being capable of pulling content from your PC may be an issue with some but the fact that you can browse online content direct over your TV screen without any PC is surely appealing.
Part of the setup process of any networked wireless digital media player - like any other networked devices, requires you to configure the media player to join your home network. In most simple terms, all you need is to run the player set-up wizard and key in the wireless network name or SSID, the security type (WEP, WPA, or WPA2), and security key or passphrase when instructed so, to connect to your network. Depending on your network security setup and the player in question, you may also need to open or unblock your firewall to allow the media player to connect to your PC, as well as configure additional network related information such as IP, channel number, and connection mode.
Reviewed Wireless Digital Media Players:
Apple TV 
The original Apple TV was already a great product on its own; two years down the line, the upgraded Apple TV offers even more in terms of functionality and digital media content for the price.It still suffers from the same original restriction - namely it would not interface with a non-HDTV; but if this is not an issue, then the upgraded Apple is worth looking into as a wireless digital media player for your home entertainment.
The original Apple TV was already a great product on its own; two years down the line, the upgraded Apple TV offers even more in terms of functionality and digital media content for the price.It still suffers from the same original restriction - namely it would not interface with a non-HDTV; but if this is not an issue, then the upgraded Apple is worth looking into as a wireless digital media player for your home entertainment.
D-Link MediaLounge DSM-520
Like the Apple TV, the D-Link DSM-520 is already two years old but it is still a capable performer. It does not support 802.11n wireless technology; hence you should avoid a double wireless hoop when streaming HD media. But it is still capable of delivering solid streaming performance even with HD digital media content. And its present price tag makes this wireless digital media player even more affordable than most of the competition.
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