1. D-Link Boxee Box
Price: $370
Website: www.dlink.com
Ratings: 5/5
D-Link
Boxee Box
For those who want one device to play not
only their own files but also the best of the web, nothing beats the Boxee. The
way it sniffs out your own networked media and turns all of those messy files
into a glorious, fully-art worked music and video library is the stuff of
dreams, and the addition of on-demand content means you’ll never run out of
things to watch and listen to. There’s a brilliant smartphone app and the
remote is genius, too - its QWERTY keyboard is small but easy to use and it
doesn’t need line of sight to work. A lack of some popular streaming services
is the only black mark,
Killer feature
Massive format support, including MKVs, Blu-ray
ISOs - even 3D
Verdict
Want to mix your own files with the very
best of the web? Then this is the streamer for you
2. Microsoft Xbox 360
Price: from $300
Ratings: 5/5
Microsoft
Xbox 360
Like Sony, Microsoft has repositioned its
console as an all-in-one entertainment device. To that end it’s now got
reasonable file streaming and a handful of neat online services as well.
3. Sony PlayStation 3
Price: from $310
Ratings: 5/5
Sony
PlayStation 3
As well as being a superb games machine and
very respectable Blu-ray player, the PS3 is also a great streamer. It doesn’t
support every format but it’s not far off and it’s got abundant on-demand
services.
4. Amkette EVO TV
Price: $185
Ratings: 5/5
Amkette
EVO TV
Craving smart TV kicks from your standard
telly? Then the Android-powered EvoTV is the ticket. It comes bundled with a
Wii-like point-and-click remote making for one of the most convenient
controllers around. This is one potent little performer.
5. Western Digital WD TV Live
Price: $145
Ratings: 5/5
Western
Digital WD TV Live
Already superb value at the official price
of $145, the WD TV Live can be had for a steal if you shop around. It lacks the
HDD of the Live Hub at No.8, but it has awesome format support for your own
files and now boasts of a bunch of video streaming services.
6. Onkyo TX-NR609
Price: $1,010
Ratings: 5/5
Onkyo
TX-NR609
Although primarily a (very good) home
cinema AV amp, the NR609 is loaded with enough media streaming skills for it to
handle all your entertainment needs. It’ll serve up internet radio plus music
files via DLNA, and it’ll do it all beautifully.
7. QNAP TS-219P+
Price: from $560
Ratings: 5/5
QNAP
TS-219P+
We’ll have a full test of all the latest
NAS hardware soon, but until then this is our pick for serious streaming. Fill this
two-bay design with hard drives of your choice and it’ll serve hi-def video and
music to pretty much any networked gadget.
8. Western Digital WD TV Live Hub
Price: $220
Ratings: 4/5
Western
Digital WD TV Live Hub
Maximizing a video streamer usually involves
partnering it with NAS, but thanks to a built-in 1TB drive, the WD TV Live Hub
is both. It’s compact and quiet, and at under $275 a bargain, especially as it
now has on-demand video streaming services.
9. Cisco Linksys E4200
Price: $165
Ratings: 4/5
Cisco
Linksys E4200
Standing out in the world of routers is
tricky, yet the Linksys E4200 achieves just that thanks to awesome, next-gen
looks and a 3x3 antenna design that can achieve speeds of up to 450mbps over
Wi-Fi. You can even add a USB drive for NAS functionality.
10. Slingbox Pro-HD
Price: $275
Ratings: 4/5
Slingbox
Pro-HD
The Slingbox Pro HD is one of the
easier-to-use media extenders available, letting you take your media wherever
you go. It’s easy to hook up, easy to use and works exactly as it claims to
work. The world is smaller than it’s ever been before.
Instant expert
Vanilla ISO
If you don’t want your telly looking like a
cable tentacled octopus (and honestly, who does?) then the ZyXEL WHD6215
AeroBeam wireless HDMI streamer is just the ticket for your wiring woes. A
transmitter with support for up to four HDMI inputs can beam full HD 3D content
across cavernous living rooms for clutter-free movie and gaming sessions, and
its 60GHz frequency should also avoid airwave battles with 2.4GHz microwaves
and routers, resulting in a more stable streaming experience, and as for fancy
configuration and settings? Forget it. As long as you’re capable of plugging in
a few cables (and can decide what you want to watch/play), you’re golden.
Television octopuses (octopi?) are stuff of the past.
The AeroBeam Wi-Fi streamer is the ticket
for your wiring woes
What to look for
1. Format mad
Fancy converting all of your tunes and
movies? Us neither. So make sure the streamer you buy can play the formats
you’ve got — whether AVI, MKV or more exotic fare.
2. Web content
From Spotify to Lovefilm to Sony
Entertainment Network, there are loads of services for streaming media from the
net. Do your research, decide which you want, and buy a streamer that will
bring them to you.
3. Serving
Home streaming relies on having a server,
normally a PC. If you want an always-on system, network-attached storage (NAS)
drives make more serving sense, as they consume little power and can be
configured to auto-backup all of your digital goodies.
4. Wired or wireless?
Wires are a pain, but Wi-Fi isn’t always up
to the demands of streaming. Ethernet-over-mains products such as Devolo’s dLAN
make for a good alternative.
