Netgear Digital Entertainer HD EVA8000 review

The Netgear Digital Entertainer HD EVA8000 is a media streaming device for your living room. It plugs into your TV and lets you watch and listen to the music, video and photos stored on your PC.

The black casing oozes style and the device feels very well put together. On the front is a USB 2.0 socket, to connect to hard drives or MP3 players, and a full-size headphone jack. A very versatile set of audio and video connections includes an HDMI socket for connecting to the latest HD TVs as well as SCART, S-Video, composite and component for older models. Phono, S/PDIF and S/PDIP digital audio are also included. With this many connections, it's unlikely you'll have a TV that the Netgear won't suit. It'll also connect to your home wireless network, and even has two antennae to improve reception. If you prefer a wired network, there's an Ethernet port too.

Setting up is a breeze: connect the cables, install the software on your PC, then turn on the Digital Entertainer. The configuration wizard is very easy to follow, and took us less than five minutes. The first time we scanned the network for files, though, it did take quite a while to find and sort through all our content. Once you've enabled the EVA8000, you navigate to the files on your PC through an easy-to-follow menu system. Viewing photos and videos or listening to music is a matter of highlighting the file you want. Image quality is very good. There was some delay while video was first sent over the network, but once it began playing it was smooth and jitter-free. You can also tune into a vast number of Internet radio stations, and there's an RSS reader so you can keep up to date with your favourite websites. A nice extra touch is a weather indicator on the main screen. Tell the EVA800 where you live, and it'll show the current temperature and weather.

If you'd rather not have a Media Center PC in your living room but want to access all your music, video and pictures, the Digital Entertainer EVA8000 is a great solution. With a full set of connections, it's a great all-rounder, and very easy to use. Our only gripe is that the integrated TV recording doesn't work in the UK at the moment. Despite this, there's more than enough to justify the price.