Linksys Media Center Extender Accessories
 HDMI Cable 2M (6 Feet)
Linksys Media Center Extender with DVD
Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
Cables To Go - 40315 - 2M (6.5ft) Velocity HDMI Digital Video Cable (Blue)
HP EX470 MediaSmart Home Server (AMD Live, Windows Home Server, 500 GB Hard Drive)
SiliconDust HDHR-US HDHomeRun Networked Digital TV Tuner (White)
Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote
Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
Linksys WRT160N Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router
Linksys Media Center Extender Reviews
1. If you are considering a purchase of this extender, I would recommend the following:. You should probably have a linksys wireless router; linksys products do work with other routers, but I've experienced more problems when using two different brands. Let's be clear about a couple of things: first, you need to have at least a little knowledge to use this product - while it has an easy setup program like most Linksys products, a bit of knowledge about how networking works is important. Make sure that your media server runs windows vista and is dedicated to only running, storing or recording media - unless you have plenty of processor speed and extra ram, running media off the hard drive uses a lot of the computers resources. If you are unsure about what the any of the above means, save yourself the trouble and have your cable or satellite provider install another outlet. 2.
The box will also work with the MCE add-ons that you can download off of the web, like MCE Weather and an ebay plug in etc. Be advised, just because it will play on the media center on the PC, does NOT mean that it will work on the extender. It will give you an error that says it is an unrecognized file type if you try to play something like a Divx video.
The only work around for this is to use a video converter to convert your videos into a recognized format. That's not a huge deal to me, but its not a problem I had encountered before. Last con is the remote, it works fine, but it feels cheap, some of the buttons require direct pressure to register and the numbering on them, seems to already be coming off a couple of buttons after a month.
Now, instead of being a slave to my computer for my music and videos, I can use my entertainment center in the living room, and it sounds so much better. This product has changed how we watch our media in our home. The menus are easy to navigate, just like on my media center PC and the picture and sound quality are better than I had expected.
Cons: Will only play video files in Xvid (avi) format. Pros: Easy set up, the wireless connected right away after entering my WPA key and I've had no issues with connections or speed (I only have a wireless G router).
I bought a basic D-Link wireless N router (DIR615) and paired it with the media extender. I had looked at purchasing a media extender when the prices were >$300 and decided to wait. I use it much like a DVR.
It works well. The PC is in an adjacent room about 20ft away with a couple of walls and a cabinent between them. Glad I waited for the prices to drop.
In several weeks of use the connection to the computer only burped once. I am thinking of buying a second media extender to work with a lynksys wireless g but I am concerned about the speed of the wireless connection. I don't have a high def source so I cannot comment on its performance on other than recorded TV thru Microsoft's Windows Media Center.
At it's current sale price, its a great fit to my home theater. For quite a while, I've been looking to find a better way to play my DVD isos on my TV without burning copies. The HDMI upsized quality of my 480p DVDs is excellent - much better than my Panasonic upsizing DVD player. The device itself was easy to set set up, and admirably connects with enough speed to stream video. The DMA 2100 does the job, but not without some trickery to fool Media Center into seeing my movie library. I should note it also survived a 6-foot drop without any problem except a chipped cover.
I connected it to the TV and my cat5 network, turned it on, and my Vista media center started talking to it as soon as I entered the extender serial number. That is significantly less than competitors. Installation was a breeze. I only use it to watch programs that were recorded on a Vista media center Viewing recorded TV on the extender is just as clear as on my primary media center TV; it does take maybe a second longer for the extender to react to commands, because it is passing those commands across my network, but I am very pleased with the product and its performance. I bought the extender when Linksys was offering a rebate; paid $94.
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