Price: $210.5
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-artworked music and video library is the stuff of dreams, and
the addition of on-demand content from the likes of BBC iPlayer and Spotify
means you’ll never run our 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
Netflix or Lovefilm is the only black mark.
D-Link
Boxee Box
Killer feature: Massive format support, including MKVs, Bly-ray IOSs – even 3D
Stuff says 5/5 stars
Want to mix your own files with the very
best of the web? Then this is the streamer for you
Sony SMP-N200
Price: $121.5
Value: 5/5
This very affordable Sony unit concentrates
on getting you the best of the web, iPlayer, Netflix, Lovefilm and Sony’s own
excellent Video Unlimited service are all on board, but it could be surpassed
by Sony’s own Google TV box, which we’re reviewing imminently.
Sony
SMP-N200
Microsoft Xbox 360
Price: $226.9
Value: 5/5
Like Sony, Microsoft has repositioned its
console as an all-in-one entertainment device. To that end it’s now got
reasonable file streaming, Sky (live and Anytime), Lovefilm (now in HD),
Netflix, iPlayer, and 1080p on-demand movies from Zune
Sony Play Station 3
Price: $291.9
Valu: 5/5
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. This 320GB red model will set you back $388.9
Apple TV
Price: $129.5
Value: 5/5
The new Apple TV may not have made as many
headlines as the new iPad, but with 1080p streaming and iCloud skills now on
board, it’s exciting enough to warrant mention. Combine it with an iOS device
and it’s a neat, dual-screen games machine
Western Digital WD TV Live
Price: $121.5
Value: 5/5
Already superb value at the official price
$178, 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 Acetrax alongside Netflix, iPlayer and Spotify
Western
Digital WD TV Live
Popcorn Hour A-300
Price: $291.9
Value: 4/5
Yes, we know it’s got all of the aesthetic
appeal of a particularly dull brick, but the Popcorn Hour A-300 is something of
a cult favorite in streaming circles, thanks to its unrivalled format support,
mass of connections and hard drive bay
Western Digital WD TV Live Hub
Price: $251
Value: 4/5
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 $324 a bargain,
especially as it now has on-demand video from iPlayer and Acetrax
Iomega TV with Boxee + Network Storage
Price: $243
Value: 4/5
A unit that combines Boxee’s brilliant
features and interface with an HDD for local storage sounds like something of a
streaming Holy Grail, but with a weaker remote and its lack of apps, it’s not
quite there – at least not yet. But a hefty price cut helps
Roku 2 NX
Price: $162
Value: 3/5
It doesn’t have built-in DLNA, but Roku’s
dinky box of tricks does give you access to the likes of Netflix and iPlayer
through a neat interface. Its motion-sensing remote means you can play
Wii-style games on your TV, and it can also play some files via USB
Instant expert
Tom Parsons Vanilla ISO
If you don’t want your telly looking like
cable-tentacled octopus (and honestly, who does?) then the ZyXEL WHD6215
AeroBeam wireless HDMI streamer ($283.5, broadbandbuyer.co.uk) 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 steaming 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 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 go whether AVI, MKV or more exotic fare
2. Web content
From Spotify to Lovefilm to Sony of
services for steaming 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
