We weren't massively impressed by the quality of YouTube videos. Although they were watchable, the HD clips didn't look any better than standard-definitions ones. The YouTube functionality is an area where the user interface lets the you down. Clips play in a small window to start, but you have to press a button on the remote to expand them to full screen. We'd prefer if a clip automatically jumped to full screen.
Unsurprisingly, the weak point for us is the user interface -- both on the machine itself and via the horrendous 'Digital Entertainer' app that sits on your PC to share video, audio and photos with the Entertainer Elite hardware. The software does do the job it's supposed to, but it's ugly, sluggish and basically embodies everything we dislike about Windows software. We can't understand why Netgear thinks it's okay to ship a premium product with software that would have been considered unsightly in the Windows 3.11 era.
We desperately wanted to copy video from our PC onto the Netgear's built-in drive. Because we didn't have a suitable SATA dock on our PC and no mechanism to connect the drive via eSATA, we were left with using the software to send files. Unfortunately, the 'copy to files to your Digital Entertainer' function just refused to work, showing an error each time. This is despite the software managing to stream video to the EVA9150 without any problems.
Also irritating is the 'add folders' functionality. If you set up the software with a particular set of files and later decide to add another file, the app will insist on re-scanning all the previously-added folders. This can cause long waits while the software just repeats itself.
Conclusion
We certainly can't complain about the
EVA9150's format support. Of course, it comes at a price, and we think
it's will give some people pause. For all-round performance, the
EVA9150 doesn't manage quite the gusto of the Popcorn Hour A-110. It's not quite as nice to use, and a sluggish and aesthetically unpleasant user interface doesn't help either.
We think the EVA9150 is expensive and not as good as many of the other media streamers on the market. If you want brilliant, simple video streaming, then the Popcorn Hour A-110 is for you. If you need slightly better photo/music support and aren't fussed about video, you could consider Apple TV.
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fairwinds 11 September 2010
Good: Build quality, versatlility
Bad: Not streaming youtube, very poor customer support
Comment: My EVA9150 has never streamed Youtube, even though it is one of the first claims in the literature. It is also very hit and miss as to which AV formats it will play. Unfortunately for me, it does not play the VOB files created by my Panasonic DVD recorders, which means I have to convert them all, which is a big job. It has played other VOB files from other media, so it’s not all bad. To be honest, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this piece of kit. Being positive, it is a well-made solid metal lump that stacks with standard AV and hi-fi components. It has dual band wireless connectivity and a useful 500GB drive. Setting it up on the network could not have been easier. You will need to install software on at least one PC to complete the setup. The unit will then be able to stream media from that PC as well as any DLNA enabled device. It will also enable you to remotely access and control any PC on which the client software is installed. Clever! The Netgear Digital Entertainer works very well with my Netgear ReadyNAS Duo on which all my media is stored, so I do not need a PC running to stream media to the TV.
Various RSS podcasts are built in but not all of them worked for me. However, I hunted around and found some more which I could add. These feeds enable streaming of various media such as international newscasts; if that’s the sort of thing you are interested in. I also found one from Comedy Central if the news gets too depressing.
The Netgear Digital Entertainer (NDE) comes with a better than average multi-function remote control which can be configured to control three other devices. You can also add additional NDE’s around the house and they will all work in harmony. Given the learning curve required to get these things optimised, it does make sense to get another to make use of all the time you will spend tearing your hair out. I did! So now I can watch movies, listen to my music collection, look at all my photographs, watch NBC news podcasts (and many others) on my two plasma screens. It also comes with pre-coded messages you can send to other NDEs around the house, such as “Dinner!†and “Come Hereâ€. You can make up your own messages too. Handy if you want to annoy your partner.
Having spent a lot of time in the support forums I do feel (personal opinion) that Netgear abandons it’s customers to their fate when it should be taking action to resolve their problems.
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