This post was written by Ellen Rocklin
Linksys Media Center Extender DMA2200 is longer than it is wide–sort of a stretched-out DVD player. The DMA2200’s disc player plays CDs and DVDs, and upscales the DVDs to HD-friendly 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolutions. The advantage here is that you can get rid of the DVD player that’s already underneath your TV, saving on space, cable clutter, and TV inputs. Setting up the DMA2200 was relatively easy. Overall, reviewers had a really frustrating time trying to search through our digital media and selecting files to play.
Sony RDR-HXD890 DVD/HDD Recorder features both a DVD recorder and hard-disk. With great recording quality, a slick operating system, loads of features and an alluring price tag, reviewers think this is one of the best DVD/HDD recorders on the market, which is hardly surprising given its similarity to the Pioneer’s machines. There are a few niggles, such as the removal of RAM recording and the inability to play DivX from USB devices or transfer them to HDD, and as ever the inclusion of a single Freeview tuner on board is a major limitation.
Vivadi MediaMaster MM110 Multimedia Server does a decent enough job at displaying DVDs from disc, reproducing the bold colours of Star Wars Episode III with eye-popping vibrancy. The lack of PVR recording functionality and smaller hard-disk make the MM110 a slightly less appealing proposition than the MM200, and the absence of Blu-ray support is still a shame, but despite that the MM110 is still an impressive product that offers decent value for money. It’s a slick, easy-to-use and flexible hub for your media content, all packaged up in a beautiful living room-friendly box.
McAfee Total Protection 2009 does provide you with a lot of flexibility but at the price it’s more expensive than most other suites on the market. Considering it feels rather bloated and is certainly not the most approachable for beginners, reviewers were left quite disappointed by McAfee’s latest solution to total home security. There aren’t many changes in the 2009 edition and, while it’s still a capable system scanner, many other packages offer all of this and more.
Linksys WRT600N router has the same package style as its single-band sibling, the WRT350N, but opts for an all-black look to convey an impression of power and elegance. If previous designs are any indication, this will be used to kick off a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) session, once Linksys gets around to adding that function in a future firmware update. For now, however, you’ll need to use Linksys’ EasyLink Advisor application or set up wireless security manually.
Linksys WRT150N is a great router option for those who want the range improvement of 11N but don’t need the other features-or the steep price tag. Setting up the WRT150N router is simple, and Linksys makes the process transparent. The Linksys WRT150N’s strength is in long-range throughput, though its maximum throughput (at 10 feet) and mixed mode performance are more than serviceable for Web browsing. It has latest security features. However, linksys scaled back the warranty for this product to one year.