WD200711ZA-sm.pdf

Video Gear
Apple TV
$399 • apple.com
Apple’s cute little silver box bridges the gap between
your PC and your home theater. It sets up in minutes
and pipes iTunes music, videos, photos, and podcasts,
as well as YouTube content, into the living room. Gone
is the original model’s paltry 40-GB hard drive; the new
Apple TV sports four times the storage, enough for
200 hours of video. But, oh, the sting: You can’t order
new episodes of Lost from the comfort of your couch.
iTunes shopping requires a computer.
WIRED Blissfully easy to set up. Supports both wired
and wireless network connections. Syncs automatically
with iTunes. YouTube from the couch!
TIRED Teeny, underpowered remote is easily lost
among sofa cushions. Requires a widescreen TV. Video
looks a bit soft. No DVR capabilities.
Media Streamers
Free your tunes, TV shows, movies, and
more from the prison of your PC. These
devices will beam the good stuff straight
to your home-theater system. —R.B.
Netgear Digital
Entertainer EVA8000
$349 • netgear.com
This bulky box sends all kinds of media from your
PC to your TV—even protected iTunes and Windows
Media music. Unfortunately, standard-def video stuttered
like a nervous date when sent just one floor
up across our 802.11g Wi-Fi network; we shudder to
think what HD would look like. Wired Ethernet saved
the day for this feature-rich streamer, which lets you
plug in cameras and iPods to access mobile media.
WIRED Comes with HDMI and analog cables. Record
and play TV shows (if your PC has a tuner). Streams
Internet radio, YouTube, and Flickr galleries.
TIRED Nearly as large as a cable box. Ugly interface
is no match for Apple TV. Queued media starts slowly.
Doesn’t auto-update when you add media to your PC.
Sonos Digital Music
System Bundle 130
$999 • sonos.com
The Sonos Digital Music System streams music from
your PC and the Internet to any room with a base station,
a pair of which come in the Bundle 130. A kick-ass
wireless remote determines which music goes where—
you can queue up different tunes for different rooms.
And if you’re sick of your iTunes collection, Sonos also
integrates with Pandora Internet radio, Rhapsody, and
Sirius and supports other services. Your home has
never rocked so hard.
WIRED Plucks music from multiple PCs. Works
with various online music stores. You can serve up
to 32 rooms by buying more receivers. iPod-inspired
remote simplifies navigation.
TIRED Two years old and it’s still a thousand bucks?
Won’t play DRM-protected iTunes purchases, only
WMA format. Pandora might disappear owing to newly
imposed royalties; thank you, Copyright Royalty Board.
Sling Media Slingbox Pro
$230 • slingmedia.com
Placeshifting is just a fancy word for pretending you’re
in your living room when you’re not. The Slingbox
furthers the make-believe by sending video from your
home theater to other PCs and even mobile phones.
You enjoy total control over your TV, cable box, DVR,
DVD player, and the like—just as though you were
parked in your fave recliner. Watch local sports from
your Shanghai hotel room. Catch last night’s episode of
Heroes on the train to work. Fly, little sofa spuds! Be free!
WIRED Excellent setup instructions and desktop
software. Good software controls. Supports up to four
video sources. No monthly fees. Solid video quality.
TIRED Special software needed to access the Slingbox
from your PC. People actually at home have to watch
what you’re watching. Network lag hobbles playback.
GENE LEE, STYLED BY ROB OXENHAM/ARTIST UNTIED