Group test: Media streamers pt2

Overview Price: £89.99 (barebones wired) to £220 (500GB wireless) More info: Freecom Size: 57x185x150mm Internal storage: up to 500GB Connectivity: HD DVI, Component, S-video, composite, optical audio Format support: AVI, WMV9, WMV, MP4, DAT, VOB, MPG Max resolution: up to 1080p Freecom Mediaplayer-350 WLAN Freecom isn't particularly known for mind-blowing innovations in the tech market, but has unleashed a bit of a gem in the Mediaplayer WLAN. It's a 3.5in hard drive enclosure with built-in streaming capabilities, and can be bought either empty or with a hard drive shipped for you, to form a media hub in the home. The wired bare-bones version will set you back less that £90, with the wireless around £135, the latter of which we'd recommend for a no-nonsense solution. To begin with you'll find some decent connectivity on the back that includes HD DVI and component, with optical audio. Using the DVI port you'll also find it can play and stream the current maximum resolution 1080p format, with component reaching 720p/1080i. Once hooked up to your TV it's pretty straightforward to set the device up on a network, and we were extremely impressed by how it handled both standard and high-definition streaming, even wirelessly. There's a pretty short buffer time before the file plays back and only occasionally did we notice it struggling with HD content over a wireless connection, in which case switching to a wired network clears things up altogether. Although there aren't many bells and whistles here, such as access to online content or an interface as customisable as the Archos, it's a great no-nonsense solution that gets the important things right and won't break the bank.

Verdict Plus points Well priced, excellent streaming performance up to today's HD standards, impressive file support Minus points Fairly basic in terms of features, no HDMI

Overview Price: £220 More info: Netgear Size: 413x254x51mm Internal storage: N/A Connectivity: HDMI, composite, component, S-video, Scart, optical audio Format support: MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, WMV, XVID Max resolution: 1080p Netgear EVA8000 Netgear has a few media streaming devices in its range, with the EVA8000 headlining as the 'premium' option. This is mainly down to its support for full HD streaming up to 1080p resolutions, although this is only available in an appropriately sized WMV format. There are plenty of other features here that should appeal though, including HDMI out, a choice of wired or wireless connections and access to both internet radio stations and online media from YouTube directly from the box. You can also view RSS feeds, local weather forecasts and get notification of new emails or instant messages. It's potentially very versatile then, but in practice this wide range of online and media-oriented features don't always sit too well together. We weren't overly convinced by the way it allows you to browse your media collection, with categories such as genre, cover art or starring actors only really helpful if you take the time to label all of your media files appropriately using Netgear's Tag Tool application. We also noticed substantial lag streaming online media, something a more effective buffer time would have solved. Streaming performance is pretty impressive however, although not quite as good as the Freecom, and for HD resolutions you'll really need a wired connection. So despite receiving some rave reviews elsewhere in the industry we found that considering the price, there were just a few too many chinks in the EVA8000's armour to really challenge the rivals in this test.

Verdict Plus points Impressive range of features, streams up to 1080p Minus points Menu structure can affect usability, online streaming issues, no internal storage, quite pricey

Final verdict This was a hard-fought group test and it's fair to say that no one device has truly nailed this market quite yet. These are four of the best streamers currently available though, with impressive HD performance (the Archos aside) across the board. Which of these devices you'd choose is heavily reliant on your needs. Netgear's entry offers a range of impressive features and connectivity and, if you're prepared to take the time to tag your media properly, works very well. Similarly the AppleTV would be fine for those using a Mac and iTunes, but neither of these are particularly good in terms of generic support. In contrast both the Freecom and Archos could handle almost everything thrown at them. The Archos offers a massive range of additional features but lacks support for HD content, and the Freecom handles the basics extremely well but lacks the bells and whistles, so this one was a very tough call. Since we're basing the test on 'media streaming' with an emphasis on high definition, the Freecom takes the Archos in a photo finish, but ask us which we'd rather have sitting in our living room and we'd be singing a different tune.

< Previous page: Apple TV, Archos 605 with DV station 1 2

AVR Glossary