| Page (1) of 1 - 06/02/08 |
 email article |
 print
page
|
|
Since its inception as a bit of a pirate codec, DivX has come along in leaps and bounds, and matured very nicely to the point it is now well respected. Indeed, DivX HD has garnered much praise as a vehicle for Internet-based video with much less overhead than its rivals.
With this in mind, the new DLink DSM 330 DivX Connected HD Media Player makes an interesting addition to a home theater setup; simply, if you have lots of DivX content on your hard drives, or access to DivX content via the Internet, this could be a very desirable piece of hardware to have, albeit pricey at US$300.
 |
| Rear of the DSM 330. Front of the unit, below. |
Only a tad larger than a wireless router/modem, the DSM 330 is connected to a PC via either wireless 802.11g, or cable. The unit is then connected via either HDMI, component or S-video to your TV or projector. To play back content via the TV, simply fire up the server software that comes with the DSM 330 and tune the TV to the box (I use a four way selector to switch between standard TV signals, a Playstation 3, Wii and the DivX Connected box).
On screen will appear a menu, controlled by (sigh) another remote for the collection, letting you switch between videos, music, photos, plug-ins (from http://labs.divx.com/connected/plugins) and services. Installed services include Funspot, a casual gaming service that mysteriously is also activated by the ?Stage6 button on the remote.
To play videos or music, or to look at photos, upon installation you have to connect folders in your network containing this content to the DSM 330 via the server software. For example, My Drive F; is an external drive of all DivX footage, Drive E: is my music drive and Drive G: contains photos.
The setup and operation of the DSM 330 is a no brainer, and if you have lots DiVx content, it could be a useful addition to your home theater setup. If not, and as any other form has to be transcoded before watching, other devices may be better value for the money.
Pros: Dead easy to setup. Excellent streaming of DivX clips
Cons: Price. US$300 is expensive. Will only play DivX, all others need transcoding.
David Hague comes from a photographic family with both his father and older brother having been professional photographers. David's experiences include writing and directing the suite of training videotapes for Microsoft for Office and Windows, training tapes for Filemaker Pro and Autocad Lite and numerous TV commercials, documentaries and corporate videos. He was for 3 years the Managing Editor of Australian Video Camera Publications and is now publishing and editing AusCam magazine and PC Update. He has a bent for fishing and motor sport and is an unashamed Aussie who makes a killer Home Brew. David lives in the south west of Western Australia among the dolphins and pelicans of Mandurah, 45 minutes south of the capital, Perth.
The Flip Slide pocket camcorder
