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D-Link DSM-510 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £130
inc VAT

D-Link’s DSM-510 earned four stars in our last group test of streaming media receivers.

Like Zyxel’s DMA1100P, the DSM-510 looks more like a router than part of a home entertainment system and will be more conspicuous under most TV units than Netgear’s larger EVA9150, but its compact case and optional stand that props it on its side is an advantage if you want to save space.

The DSM-510 is easy to set up, and its simple interface is effortless to use. It responded quickly as we browsed through large lists of files. It works with any UPnP streaming server, including Media Player 11. Video looked great over HDMI, but the DSM-510’s small size means that space for other connections is limited. There’s an optical S/PDIF output for connecting a 5.1 surround sound system, but no component output and no SCART socket. Anyone with a CRT TV will have to make do with low-quality composite video.

Our 720p video streamed smoothly over both the wired Ethernet and 802.11g WiFi connections. The DSM-510 plays WMV-HD videos but can’t handle H.264-encoded video, which is a shame. It supported all our other test files, though.

We were disappointed to find that the DSM-510 lacked many of the extra features found on other multimedia receivers. You can’t listen to internet radio or watch YouTube videos, and while there’s UPnP support, the DSM-510 doesn’t support SMB.

If you simply want to play content from a server, this is still an excellent multimedia receiver with great image quality and a good interface. It’s let down only by its lack of support for H.264 video. However, it’s cheaper than any of its competitors and both its interface and HD support are better than those of Freecom’s MediaPlayer II. If you can live with converting your H.264 video files, this is a great budget choice.

Basic Specifications

Rating****
Media Streamer typestreaming multimedia receiver

Audio Compatibility

Audio MP3 playbackYes
Audio WMA playbackYes
Audio WMA-DRM playbackYes
Audio AAC playbackNo
Audio Protected AAC playbackNo
Audio OGG playbackYes
Audio WAV playbackYes
Audio Audible playbackNo
Other audio formatsAIFF
Internet radio stream compatibnone

Video Compatibility

Video MPEG-1 playbackYes
Video MPEG-2 playbackYes
Video MPEG-2 VOB playbackYes
Video MPEG-4 AVI playbackYes
Video MPEG-4 MP4 playbackYes
Video MPEG-4 DivX/XviD supportYes
Video H.264 supportNo
Video MPEG-4 MP3 audio supportYes
Video MPEG-4 AAC audio supportYes
Video WMV playbackYes
Video WMV-HD supportYes
Other video formatsDVR-MS
Internet video stream compatibnone

Image Compatibility

Image BMP supportYes
Image JPEG supportYes
Image TIFF supportYes

Network Interfaces

Wired network ports10/100
Wireless networking supportYes
128-bit WEPYes
256-bit WEPNo
WPAYes
WPA2Yes

AV Interfaces

Minijack line outputs0
Minijack headphone outputs0
Stereo phono outputs1
Coaxial S/PDIF outputs0
Optical S/PDIF outputs1
Total SCART sockets0
HDMI outputs1
Component outputs0
S-video output0
Composite outputs1
Other connectorsUSB

Physical

Size42x150x125mm
Antennas1
Internal/external antennasexternal
Upgradeable antennaYes
Power consumption standby4W
Power consumption on5W

Server Compatibility

Software includednone
UPnPYes
iTunesNo
SlimServerNo
SMBNo

Buying Information

Price£130
Warrantyone year RTB
Supplierhttp://www.play.com
Detailswww.dlink.co.uk

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