Flashing a diamond ring is all good and well, but if it’s too puny to see, what is the point? This seems to be the mindset Archos was in when it forged its mammoth 705 Wi-Fi portable video player. If you like your mobile audio and video served up in super-sized portions, open your eyes wide because you are about to be dazzled. Unfortunately, open your wallet, too, as this gem doesn’t come cheap, especially after shelling out extra for accessories you’ll actually want.

When you see how the 705 sparkles, though, you will understand why. Above all else, the 705 is gigantic (4.96 x 7.05 x 0.775 inches [HxWxD]) by mobile device standards. A 7-inch touchscreen display (800 x 480) lets you view movies, home videos, and photos. You can also watch TV you record using a DVR (digital video recorder) function which complete with personal TV guide that saves programming straight to the player. You also get a full-fledged digital audio player, two integrated speakers, and a palm-sized remote. Further, an integrated kickstand means you can set the 705 down, and the 3.5mm headphone jack doubles as a composite video out port to display images on a TV.

Need more bling for your money? No problem. The 705 also displays PDFs, plays Flash-based games, and has an excellent user interface and file browser to navigate content. Better, the 705’s built-in Wi-Fi is actually useful, letting you stream audio and video from a networked computer; whip around the Web via a Flash-supporting Web browser; and download movies, TV, and audio from Archos Content Portal. More bling? How about two built-in USB ports? I connected a digicam and moved photos and video to the 705’s hard drive. And then there’s the 705’s arguably most alluring trait: the scores of audio and video formats it supports, including MPEG-4, AVI, WMV, DivX, H.264, MPEG-2, MP3, WMA, protected WMA, WAV, AAC, and AC3.

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Tags: Wi-Fi

Sure you’re waiting for media-streaming devices to catch up to 802.11n, and the Linksys DMA2200 Media Center Extender does it in style, geek style, that is. The box isn’t particularly attractive, but the dual-band Wi-Fi radio inside that’s capable of operating on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency bands.

The built-in DVD player that is capable of scaling standard-def DVDs to 1080i. The wireless connection stumbled when tried to stream HD video with 5.1-channel audio attached, however, and it broke down completely when moved the extender into a more enclosed area of the cabinet.

Aside from delivering the familiar Windows Media Center user interface, the primary advantages that devices like the DMA2200 offer are support for PCs equipped with CableCARD digital tuners and hooks to online media content offered by the likes of Comedy Central, Showtime, and the Discovery Channel.

Unfortunately, the user interfaces most of those services offer to be utter crap. The ability to pause playback on one media extender and resume it on another, on the other hand, is a slick benefit.

Unlike the less-expensive Xbox 360, this new class of extender freezes out Windows XP Media Center users altogether. Your host PC must run Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate. In fact, aside from the wireless feature and the consumer-electronics form factor, there is not a whole lot here that would lead to recommend the DMA2200 over Microsoft’s gaming console, especially if you’re into games.

Streaming 1080p video on a wireless network is compelling; being forced to use Vista to do it isn’t.

For more, click Linksys DMA2200 Media Center Extender

Tags: Wireless

Creative is a little late to the wireless music-streaming party, but the company comes with a gift its competitors can’t match: the X-Fi Crystalizer technology lifted from its X-Fi soundcard line.

The Xmod Wireless base station captures your PC’s audio stream and transmits it to a remote receiver. The system relies on your PC’s media-player software, which means it can stream any track your media player is capable of playing, including WMA Lossless, FLAC, and DRM-protected songs.

The transmitter receives power and audio from your PC over a USB cable, but it’s also equipped with line-level RCA jacks. A 1/8-inch stereo jack enables you to plug in a set of local speakers. The receiver is powered by an AC adapter and has line-level RCA and 1/8-inch outputs. Both modules have buttons for play/pause, track forward, and track back as well as a large volume-control knob, so you don’t need to hunt for the simple included remote to control the devices.

The Xmod Wireless costs $120 more than Logitech’s Wireless DJ, but it can’t match that player’s awesome remote (which displays your track list and current tune on its LCD). On the other hand, the Xmod sounds considerably better than Logitech’s product and it can stream to multiple receivers (a feature Logitech promised but never delivered). The Xmod wireless costs $70 more than a Squeezebox, doesn’t rely on your wireless router, and is much cheaper to expand to a multizone system. But it lacks that device’s excellent display and it can’t stream Internet radio.

And then there’s the Sonos Digital Music System. For its price, you could buy three additional Xmod receivers and have $160 left over to buy music. But all the Xmod receivers will play the same music, the system can’t be expanded beyond four zones, and each receiver must be within 100 feet of the transmitter. The Sonos comes with that brilliant remote control, supports up to 32 zones and can stream independently to each, and operates on a wireless mesh network that delivers substantially greater range.

If music alone isn’t enough for you, some players can stream video and show pictures thru wireless connection as well. These multimedia boxes let you send almost any video or still images that are stored on your PC to your TV set without needing to run cables in between. In this post, we will look at devices that able to progressive-scan DVD as well, so they can replace a regular DVD player in your home theater setup.

D-Link DSM-320RD

A step up from the audio-only DSM-120, the DSM-320RD has excellent audio quality and supports a broad range of music formats, including Live365 and Radio@AOL. It also has a 5-in-1 card reader. But the photo and video playback quality was mixed, mainly due to the inherent limitations of a TV screen versus a PC monitor.

Unless you have an HDTV set and an HD-capable streamer like the Buffalo unit, your digital photos will be reduced in resolution to about 720 by 480, and their edges might be cropped. That said, navigating to photo folder and selecting pictures for display via the player was simple, and a slide show-creation feature lets you choose accompanying background music.

Video files don’t share the transfer troubles of still images. Most standard-format videos that you might store on your PC are already in the right aspect ratio and resolution for your TV, and the D-Link’s playback quality was similar to system monitor. Its major drawback for video is its lack of high-definition output. Also, as with the DSM-120, the remote control is small and overly sensitive buttons.

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Wi-Fi: It’s not just for laptops anymore. With these products and tips, you can cut the cord when making phone calls, streaming music or video, sharing files, and more.

If you think your wireless network is good only for using a laptop in the living room, think again. A slew of new Wi-Fi peripherals promises to send your music, movies, pictures, and even phone calls flying from room to room, no cables required. These days, we’re seeing products for just about any task that might benefit from going wireless.

Not surprisingly, some of the newcomers don’t live up to the hype. In this series, we checked out 12 of the latest cordless creations in several categories to determine which products are good mates for Wi-Fi and which still need some work.

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The startech MP3 Airlink lets you send music across your home without making your floor look like a snake pit. The 2.4-GHz transmitter and receiver are two nearly identical 1- by 3.1- by 3.1-inch (HWD) plastic boxes. Each box has its own wall-wart AC power adapter, and the system comes with two sets of RCA-to-3.5mm cables and one 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable.

Overall, the AirLink’s sound quality and ease of use is impresive. It has a significantly clearer signal than Bluetooth-based products. But if you have a lot of interference in your space from other devices that use the 2.4-GHz frequency band (Bluetooth headsets, microwaves, some RF remotes), the AirLink may disappoint.

With a dead-simple setup and a price that won’t hurt your wallet, this is an excellent wireless music system. If you don’t, you’ll find this is a very useful, and affordable product.

Store your entire CD collection on a 40-GB hard disk and listen in every room. Looking like a super sleek plasma screen music to up to five Station units in any room you want. Everyone can set-up their very own playlists or select albums of their choice, and with a remote control it’s pure joy to operate. Philips legendary audio quality is enhanced with an innovative Super Sound Panel with deep bass and clarity for pitch perfect grooves. Even if you’re no audiophile, you can’t deny the high cool quotient. A must have for every living room.

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