REVIEW - D-Link MediaLounge media extender DSM-750

[wolfman]

REVIEW - D-Link MediaLounge media extender DSM-750

By wolfman, Flintstone

Wolfman:

In a word, this product is for niche marketing at best. The basic idea of the media extender is to allow you to play media files from your PC to TV. It allows an easy, wi-fi connection between the two.

Testing on a 47 inch plasma TV, we started with a regular cable connection. This worked ok. Then, hooked up the MediaLounge extender We had a little bit better picture on the media extender than straight wired HD connection, this was about the only improvement.

The real weakness is Dlink went with Microsoft Media Center. As far as I'm concerned WMC is all style and very little substance. Many have found hangs, not found files, TV card to software issues and lots of other problems associated with Media Center over the years and, quite franky there are seperate apps the do the job of Media Center much better.

The MediaLounge is not a product that every user will be able to setup. It takes someone with a little knowledge set up, therefore the market is a little closed. Someone with an XBox,Xbox 360 or AppleTV can accomplish the same goal AND, rent movies. It does does come with software to DL some movies from Vongo but the choice there is extremely limited.

Also, being Media Center based, the MediaLounge requires you to run Windows Vista. Vista is an operating system akin to Windows ME, highly flawed and very short sighted, no matter how pretty it can be if you run a PC capable of using all the features. Many other complaints can be heard, but not here.

The device itself works fine for what it does. DLink is always a company that we're proud to buy from in many of areas. Would I buy this product? No.

Not much more need be said. If Microsoft wants to work it's way into the living room, they need to rethink their plan. MS always just seems to think the market is going to follow suit, instead of trying to meet market needs. they try to drive the market, they need to rethink that philosophy as well.

As for DLink's device, it's well designed, it does, with a little bit of coaxing, set up relatively easily. Design is good, plenty of ports, it's the size of a DVD player, there is some improvement in picture, over running the latest and greatest video card straight to the monitor/TV but that could just be our opinion.

Let's put it this way, it's a good honest attempt that will be appreciated by a niche market. One last thought: Why not cut out one whole leg of the deal? All it would take is a portable media server that carries all your media, runs embedded Media Center if you want; just plug in and go!!!

Dlink is well known and has alot of great products, visit DLink . Till next time!

Wolfman.

Flintstone:

First and foremost let me say that D-link's DSM-750 with Medialounge media extender is a great product both conceptually and in execution. I spent some time with it recently connected to my 47” LCD Hi-Def TV connected via HDMI cable. The translation from PC (in this case laptop) to television was quite good and the controls seemed rather intuitive to use and it was enjoyable to toy with.

Unfortunately the unit is based on Windows Media Player; which was really the only problems I had with the unit. Using 2 different laptops, both with Windows Vista, I was able to play videos, watch broadcast television (via separate TV card attached to the PC), and watch IP TV (Beta) without problem (not counting the problems I had with Vista networking recognizing my network drives).

The videos played (both hi-def and lesser quality videos) all looked great. As compared to a dedicated home entertainment PC the video quality was generally as good if not better in all instances. The interface and set up was easy and quite slick. Provided instructions were easy to follow. Make no mistake, although I found the unit itself easy to set up it's not for the novice PC user. You should have a good working knowledge of your network as well as familiarity with Windows (especially if you're sharing files).

I really liked the unit but for this price range I would expect to see stand alone capability. An ability to connect to any network drive or device without the need to have a supporting PC would make this an excellent buy; but it other products available that offer that capability and more I wouldn't be in a hurry to go grab one today.

D-link makes great products and I've always had good experiences with ones that I've owned. If you're in the market for a media extender to use with your television, already own a capable PC, and have a good command of your network then this would be a reasonable product for you... otherwise you may wish to look at another one. Check it out for yourself at Dlink.

Flintstone

Standards •TCP/IP•USB 2.0•UPnP AV 1.0•802.11n (Draft 2.0) / 802.11g
User Modes •Extender for Windows® Media Center•D-Link® MediaLounge™
Media Streaming Protocol•HTTP•RSTP
Network •Wireless: 802.11n (Draft 2.0) / 802.11g•Wired: 10/100Mbps Ethernet•DHCP or Static IP Address
Wireless Security •WPA™ and WPA2™
Antenna •Impedance: 50 Ohms•Gain: 2 dBi Supported•Type: Three 2.4GHz to 5GHz Swivel-Type•Frequency: 2.4GHz or 5GHz
Outputs •HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)•Component Video•S-Video•Composite Audio/Video•Optical Digital Audio•Coax Digital Audio
Supported Media Formats •Audio Formats•MP3 (Up to 320Kbps)•WAV & AIFF (PCM Only)•WMA•Ogg Vorbis•Photo Formats•JPEG 2000•PNG•TIFF (RGB Only)•GIF•BMP (Non-compressed)•JPEG (Grayscale, RGB, YCbCy Only)•Movies/Videos•WMV9•MPEG-1•MPEG-2•MPEG-4**•XVID with MP3 or PCM•H.264•DVR-MS•DVR-MS HD•AVI (MPEG-4 layer only)•VC-1 (Up to Advanced Profile-Level 2)
Audio Playlist Formats •M3U•PLS•WPL
Supported Subtitle Format •SRT
Digital Rights Management Support •Windows Media® Player 11***•Windows Media Digital Rights Management (WMDRM-10)***
Power •Power Source: 110-120V, 0.5A•Power Consumption: 10W
Humidity •10% to 95% (Non-Condensing)
Temperature •Operating: 32°F to 113°F (0ºC to 45ºC)•Storage: -13°F to 131°F (-25ºC to 55ºC)
Certifications •FCC•CSA•CE•Wi-Fi®
Dimensions •Item (WxDxH) 11.25” x 16.75” x 1.5” (286mm x 426mm x 38mm)•Packaging (WxDxH): 16.14” x 19.68” x 3.74” (410mm x 500mm x 95mm)
Weight •Item: 5.5 lbs•Packaging: 7.5 lbs
Warranty •1 Year Limited****
System Requirements •PC with:•Standard or HD Television with HDMI, Composite Video, S Video, or Component Video Input•TV, Stereo, or A/V Receiver with Composite Audio, Optical Digital, or Coaxial Digital Input•Wired or Wireless Network (100Mbps Ethernet or Wireless Draft 802.11n Network is Recommended for Optimal Video Streaming)•For Media Center Extender Mode
PC with:•1GHz Processor•512MB RAM•200MB Hard Drive Space•DVD ROM Drive•Windows Vista® Home Premium or Ultimate•For D Link MediaLounge Mode
PC with:•500MHz Processor•128MB Memory•100MB Hard Drive Space•CD ROM Drive•Windows Vista, Windows® XP, or Windows 2000•For Internet Access:•Cable or DSL Modem•Router•Subscription with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Package Contents •DSM 750 Wireless HD Media Center Extender•Remote Control (2 AA Batteries Included)•3 Detachable Antennas•CAT5 Ethernet Cable•A/V Composite Cable•Quick Installation Guide•CD-ROM***** with:•Software•Product Documentation