Linksys DMA2200

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By Rory Reid, CNET.co.uk
Mar 12, 2008

Media Center PCs are a great idea. They let you enjoy the videos, music and photos on your hard drive in the comfort of your living room. Since not everyone wants a noisy, unattractive PC in the center of the home, that's where Media Center Extenders (MCE) come into play. These devices act as a bridge between your PC and your television. Your PC can live out of sight while the extender, which is far less intrusive, brings all your multimedia files to your TV.

One of the first newer Wi-Fi 802.11n-series extenders to hit the Asia market is the S$499 Linksys Media Center Extender DMA2200, which promises to deliver where ordinary media streaming devices have failed.

Editors' note:

This review is based on evaluations conducted by our sister site CNET.co.uk. Review ratings on similar products may differ due to differences in regional market trends and competing product lineups.

Design

Aesthetically, the DMA2200 has much in common with an ordinary DVD player. While this is no cause for fanfare, it means the device won't look too out of place in your living room. The only clue as to the DMA2200's cleverness is the three aerials protruding from the rear.

The DMA2200 works as an upscaling DVD player if your TV supports 720p, 1080i or 1080p resolutions.

At the front, the DMA2200 has a tray-loading DVD drive with a thin LED indicator strip that displays status messages or animations when the system is in standby mode. The drive allows you to watch DVD movies upscaled as high as 1080p--the same resolution Blu-ray or HD-DVD movies.

Round the back, the DMA2200 is festooned with input-output ports. The most important of these include an HDCP-enabled HDMI port, composite- and component-video and S-video outputs. If your telly doesn't have one of these sockets going spare, then you've probably been ripped off.

Other connections include a digital coaxial port for Dolby surround sound shenanigans, and a USB port. Unfortunately, this is for service purposes only--you can't use it to access files on a USB thumbdrive.

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