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From PC to Rec Room

We try out the first units in a new class of devices that wed your entertainment system and PC. But the union isn't always idyllic.

Anush Yegyazarian

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Sony's RoomLink streams video, music, and photos to your den.

Your CD collection, photographs, and home videos are all neatly digitized and organized--on your hard drive. But what if you'd like to look at pictures or listen to music in a cozier setting?

An increasing number of PC and consumer electronics vendors are betting that you'll spring for a new category of products designed to move your music and memories from your computer to your existing TV and stereo gear over a wired--or wireless--network. Judging from what we've seen so far, however, these first-generation devices may not be tempting enough. They're too expensive, and too limited in what they can do.

We looked at four pioneering products--the CD3O C300 Extended-Range Wireless Network MP3 Player with Digital Output, the HP Digital Media Receiver EW5000, the Prismiq MediaPlayer, and the Sony RoomLink--that move digital media from your PC to your home entertainment center, wherever it may be.

All support ethernet connections for wired networks (which generally provide the best performance); all but the Sony also support 802.11b Wi-Fi (though Sony promises to offer an 802.11a adapter soon) for wireless communications with your computer. Except for the Prismiq, these were preproduction units.

The products attach to TVs and stereos via standard A/V cables and ports (see First Digital Living Room Devices: How They Stack Up); prices for the devices ranged from $199 to $299. To find out how these units performed in real-world settings, we took them home and tried them out in our own living rooms.

Installing these systems is supposed to be no harder (and in many cases far easier) than setting up a network. All use software to set up a computer as your primary media server and search your hard drive for supported file types (in some cases you designate the directories to be searched). You can then create either special folders or playlists to organize your files for playback. Navigation then shifts from the computer to the living room, using a supplied remote control, your TV, or both. All four of the devices support music files; all but CD3O's C300 also support still images, video, or both. The Prismiq MediaPlayer adds Internet features as well.

The menus of these products are fairly straightforward. Where applicable, you choose a media category (pictures, music, or video), select content from the available folders or individual files, then sit back and enjoy the show. At least, that's the theory.

In practice, however, setting up and using these devices isn't always simple, and each one has limitations.

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