Linksys DMA2200 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Microsoft's decision to include its Media Center features in its standard Vista Home Premium OS dealt a blow to manufacturers of separate, entertainment PCs. Instead of having to buy or build a specific machine with a specific flavour of Windows, now ...

Verdict: An innovative Media Center Extender equipped with wireless draft-n and an upscaling DVD player, but you need a lot of extra kit to take full advantage.

Review summary: There are a number of new media extender products arriving at this year's CES, but Linksys was good enough to give us a sneak peek at its new DMA2200 before the show. The DMA2200 is a prime example of what you can expect to see from the Windows ...

Pros: Easy config and network setup. Dual-band wireless. Lots of Internet media compatibility.

Cons: Wireless high-def traffic reliable only at 5-GHz wireless-n. Needs a Vista PC on the network to function. High price.

Verdict: The Linksys DMA2200 media extender is a solid entry into the Vista-compatible media extender space. There will be more of these from other vendors, but the DMA2200 differentiates itself with dual-band Wi-Fi, an DVD player, and loads of Internet media ...

Review summary: The DMA2200 does nothing particularly well, and few will find its features to be adequate

Pros: Affordable; reasonable disc playback; Wireless-N; can access Freeview via your PC

Cons: Limited features and format support; lacks decent online services; poor performance with streamed media; requires Media Center to be on and running