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Cheap and (Mostly) Easy

Setting up a digital media receiver is a cinch. Each unit comes with PC-based server software that indexes your media files and then streams them on demand to the device itself; the receiver hooks up to your audio system and/or to a television through common connectors. Digital media receivers feature analog A/V connections (RCA audio, composite video, and/or S-Video) and, in many cases, component video and digital audio (coaxial, S/PDIF, or optical) hookups. Make sure that the device you purchase includes all of the outputs you need; some models, for example, provide only one set of RCA audio outputs.

Each product gives you a setup screen on your TV to step you through finding the network connection and server. If you have to enter IP addresses or an encryption key, be sure to write everything down in advance. And don't forget: Your PC must be running to stream content. If it decides to take a nap while you're jamming to Led Zeppelin in your living room, you will have to interrupt your air guitar solo to wake it up.

I started out testing D-Link's MediaLounge DSM-320, connecting it to my stereo system with the included RCA cables and then plugging it into my TV set with a composite video cable (the DSM-320 provides digital-audio and component-video outputs, too, but my equipment lacks them). When I turned on the receiver, the quick-start wizard found my wireless network and located the D-Link media server software that I had already configured on my PC. Later, I installed the server software on a second computer and was able to use the television setup menu to switch between the two servers.

Setting up the DSM-320 was easy, but getting it running wasn't. Some of my multimedia folders contain hundreds of files, and the unit was often painfully slow to list their contents on screen. The remote control was a bit sluggish, too: Even at close range and having inserted fresh batteries, I sometimes had to press buttons several times before the system responded. After that, however, the D-Link unit performed well, streaming the Vincent Price movie The Abominable Doctor Phibes without pausing or stuttering at any time over my high-speed wireless connection. The device works with Napster, Radio@AOL, and Rhapsody, allowing subscribers to play streaming music and videos directly from the Internet.

The DSM-320 can also support Windows Media Connect software. None of these devices play protected Windows Media files, however, which is an obstacle if you like to download music from Web sites such as Napster and Musicmatch On Demand. Installing Windows Media Connect fixes that problem. If you spent your last paycheck on Napster downloads, this could be a major selling point.

Philips's Streamium SL300i works much like the DSM-320. Right off the bat, though, I ran into a problem with this product--the Streamium couldn't locate my network, even after I entered the needed information manually. I was able to resolve the difficulty using an age-old troubleshooting technique: I went into the kitchen, made a grilled-cheese sandwich, ate it, and then returned and tried again, this time successfully.

From there, the Streamium performed beautifully, giving me the opportunity to digest my meal to the mellifluous sounds of Black Sabbath. (Perhaps the Streamium knew what was coming.) I did discover one quirk, though: You have no way to page through long file lists.

Streamium works with a number of Internet services, including Live 365, Musicmatch, IFilm (previews and short movies), Launch (music videos), and Yahoo Movies (trailers only). If you're as hooked on any of these online services as I am on Rhapsody (which it doesn't yet support), you'll like this device. On the downside, the Streamium lacks the component-video and digital-audio outputs that the D-Link provides.

By the time I got to our third digital media receiver, Pinnacle's ShowCenter, I was ready for another sandwich. With this unit, however, I didn't have problems--all the receiver needed from me was my wireless network's SSID (service set identifier, or the network's name), and it did the rest. ShowCenter also did a good job finding and playing content.

ShowCenter's PC-based server software delivers more than its competitors, allowing you to do things such as burn CDs or DVDs and export Winamp-compatible playlists. The software can also copy and convert incompatible media formats--most notably Windows Media video files--into one of four ShowCenter-compatible video formats. Like the D-Link, ShowCenter supports analog and digital audio output, as well as composite and component video.

ShowCenter does have an Achilles' heel: It provides no support for Internet-based streaming-media services. However, at press time Pinnacle said that it was planning to release an upgrade to make the device support both Rhapsody and Shoutcast-based Internet radio sites.

Not everyone is interested in streaming video and pictures to TV, of course. If you are merely concerned with playing your Bob Seger digital music collection and dancing around your house in your skivvies à la Risky Business, choose an audio-only receiver such as the $200 Roku SoundBridge M500 or the $500 Sonos ZonePlayer ZP100.

And if you're troubled by the growing collection of boxes you're amassing in your living room, you might be interested in a DVD player or other component that has built-in wireless support. One option is Buffalo Technologies' $349 LinkTheater Wireless Network Media Player, which combines a progressive-scan DVD player with the ability to stream high-definition content to your HDTV. In addition, D-Link offers a version of the DSM-320 containing a DVD player for $269. Other manufacturers, including KISS Technology, GoVideo, and Lite-On, sell similar combination devices.

D-Link MediaLounge DSM-320

Photograph: Marc Simon

Price when reviewed: $189
Current prices (if available)
Bottom Line: The price is right, setup is a snap, and access to Napster and Rhapsody is a plus. The brain-dead remote control and sluggish response are not.

Philips Streamium SL300i

Photograph: Marc Simon

Price when reviewed: $300
Current prices (if available).
Bottom Line: Plan to party like it's 1989, because you won't encounter any digital hookups on this model. However, the unit does work with a nice selection of Internet content partners.

Pinnacle ShowCenter

Photograph: Marc Simon

Price when reviewed: $300
Current prices (if available).
Bottom Line: The unit's PC server software is a cut above the competition's. Once Pinnacle adds access to Internet music services, it'll be that much better.