Netgear Digital Entertainer HD Model EVA8000

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Given the choice, who wouldn’t prefer a big HD display over their PC’s monitor for watching movies, Web videos or even cover art while listening to music? The Digital Entertainer HD is Netgear’s solution for letting your home theater get all the multimedia benefits your PC’s got to offer. And without any of the tech-hassles. So let’s see what Netgear’s DVD player-sized EVA8000 can do about moving media files from the computer to my home theater.

I chose the Entertainer’s HDMI output (and shortly 1080p from its resolution setting menu), leaving out Component (up to 1080i) or S-Video or Composite (shudder). Audio goes from the optical output to my receiver (bypassing the coaxial and RCA stereo plugs), and the Ethernet plug attaches to my wired network (experience has shown that streaming HD can be problematic using 802.11G, so I’ll pass on the built-in wireless). No need for the headphone jack and more later on the USB 2.0 ports found front/back.

Now where things usually fall apart is in getting the PC to open Firewall sockets and other security stuff so that another device has free access (i.e., the Digital Entertainer HD). But the included Configuration disc’s “Wizards” handle all this, so I can blithely surrender to the software’s mastery of Windows XP and to its organizing and managing the media (keeping in mind that the software must be running for some of Entertainer’s functions to work). Pretty much all A/V formats are supported, even those protected by Digital Rights Management, providing you’re using Windows Media Player 11, Intel Viiv Media Server or iTunes. You can also augment audio files with cover art and text, and create macro scripts and playlists.

So I turn on the Entertainer and wait as it automatically joins my network, prompts for a Zip code and then loads local news feeds (RSS type with still photos) and weather reports (complete with satellite maps). Nice, crisp imaging is what I’m seeing, with no-headache text displayed. Streaming video looks good too, especially when recorded in high-resolution (low-res exhibiting its usual fuzzy blockiness). You’re also able to watch YouTube videos online as well as flickr for photos, and it’s clear audio sailing when listening to tunes or Internet-based radio stations.

The Entertainer can also integrate with selected PC-based TV tuners for “live” television as well as recording programs (there’s an optional TV show guide to download for this) and results looks as good as any DVR-recorded video. Now with regards to the Entertainer’s two USB 2.0 ports, they allow plugging in USB flash memory/hard drives for accessing files directly — including iPods (formatted for Windows or Macs. Playing files off of these has none of the problems of networking obviously.

Moving through menus and accessing movies, music and pictures off of files and the Internet is much cooler when they’re coming off of a big display and sound system. About the only problem I had was an occasional video “stutter” when playing high-def recorded vids, probably a network slowdown or some CPU intensive task hitting the PC (this happening more often when I tried using the wireless connectivity). And for those who care, you can also access the PC desktop for e-mail and Web browser use, although this does require some patience to get a “feel” for.

By the way, it’s possible to use the Digital Entertainer HD with a Macintosh or Linux box, but some technical know-how on the part of the user to get it set up will be needed (but DRM-protected files won’t play at all on a Mac). And with just the one PC, I wasn’t able to see how the Entertainer could find media across multiple computers on the network, nor how multiple Entertainers could be linked in concert for whole-house audio.

For a home theater, Digital Entertainer HD performs, and does a solid job of getting computer stuff up on the big screen where it belongs. yy