Do you stream? Have you discovered the pleasures of being able to access all the media on your network directly on your television?
NETGEAR's been bringing this technology into homes for years now with the original Digital Entertainer (EVA 700) and Digital Entertainer HD (EVA 8000.) Personally, I've grown quite attached to the Digital Entertainer HD, as I can watch any television shows I've recorded as well as listen to my music collection right in my main setup.
You can only imagine, then, how esctatic I was to get my grabby geeky mitts on the new flagship product in NETGEAR's entertainment line - the aptly named Digital Entertainer Elite, also known as the EVA 9150.
Unboxing the Digital Entertainer Elite
The Digital Entertainer Elite comes attractively packaged, and anyone who is familiar with NETGEAR will recognize the box layout immediately.
The unit is very nicely secured with foam and protective wrap, and is packaged with a remote control, cables, instruction sheet, and software installation disk.
Continue forward to see my first impressions of the Elite...
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First Impressions of the Digital Entertainer Elite
It's immediately apparent that this is a beautifully revamped device, and the first change you'll notice is the nifty hard drive bay in the front of the unit. The sleek black finish promises to more seamlessly integrate itself into your home theater setup as well.
If you're anything like me at all, you won't be able to resist flipping down the front panel to examine the hard drive enclosure. ReadyNAS owners will be very familiar with this design.
It's simple (and kind of fun) to pop out the hard drive, and prompts thoughts of how easy it will be to stuff media on multiple hard drives and "swap" them out in the EVA. Just push the button on the left side and the caddy will release, allowing you to slide it out.
The back panel of the Digital Entertainer Elite doesn't offer anything you didn't expect. A SCART connector, digital audio output, S-Video, composite, component, HDMI, and Ethernet connections are all present.
So, now that we've gotten to get a look at this beauty, why not get it set up?
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Connecting the Digital Entertainer Elite
Hooking up the EVA 9150 is really quite simple - first, connect the audio output of your choice to your television or receiver. If you want AC3 (Dolby Digital) or DTS passthrough, make sure to use a digital output, connecting it to the proper location on your audio receiver. Next, you'll need to connect your video. I would highly recommend using an HDMI cable, but component video will work as well. If you use any other format, you will not be able to see the Elite transmit in HD.
Finally, you'll need to connect your Ethernet network cable, if you have access to one where you have installed the Elite. Otherwise, the Elite does support wireless connections. A word of warning - if you plan on streaming anything but very basic media (such as MP3 files) I would recommend that you have a Wireless-N router - especially if you plan on streaming HD files or DVD backups wirelessly. The Digital Entertainer Elite, handily, has a Wireless-N adapter built in. (If you've set up a wireless router in your home, you can connect your Elite - the procedure is simple.)
OK! Now that you've finished the basics, let's get everything set up and configured.
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Setting Up The Digital Entertainer Elite
At first glance, the Digital Entertainer Elite looks very similar in operation to the Digital Entertainer HD, with the exception of possessing a new skin. This is a great thing for former EVA owners, as they'll be able to jump right in with using the device.
The remote should look pretty familiar as well, as it's fairly similar to the old remote. However, it's more substantial and weighty, and I believe it's of a higher quality than the previous iteration.
Here are the very first things you'll want to do with your Digital Entertainer Elite, details of which can be found in the user's manual:
- Set up your wireless network connection (if applicable)
- Perform a firmware update
- Tell the EVA which network drives to scan for media
- Complete a full media scan
- Adjust any other custom settings you wish
- Install the DEW (Digital Entertainer for Windows) software on a network connected PC
Assuming that you've completed these basic tasks, we can move on to the improved features of the Digital Entertainer Elite - the whole reason you're here!
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Videos On The Digital Entertainer Elite
I'm sure you've noticed a difference in the Elite already, even though you haven't played any videos or media yet. Isn't the interface a lot faster? The vastly improved processor in the Elite helps you navigate through the menus much more quickly, something impatient folks like myself are sure to appreciate.
Try navigating to the Videos section and play the first video that comes to mind from your collection. Notice the progress bar at the bottom? It looks the same as the one in the EVA 8000, with one notable difference... the Elite buffers the video using it's built in hard drive. This is a HUGELY important feature, as it enhances your ability to watch movies free of lock-ups and jitters. Remember also that you can copy videos directly to the hard drive (either while it's in the unit or outside of the unit) enabling you to watch videos without streaming from the network at all!
You should also take notice at the smoothness of the video compared to the EVA 8000. It's simply head and shoulders above the previous streamer, especially for high-bandwidth media files such as DVD images or HD videos.
In addition, the EVA 9150 supports video codecs and formats not previously supported by the EVA 8000. MKV with Dolby Digital, here we come!
- Video codecs: MPEG 1/2/4 SD; MPEG-2 HD HP@HL to 40 Mbps; MPEG-4 Part 2 HP@HL to 10 Mbps (Xvid); H.264 HP@HL 4.1, VC1/WMV9HD to 1080p 40 Mbps
- Video file formats: AVI, DivX, Xvid, WMV9, MOV, M4V, VOB, MPG, MP1, MP2, MP4, ISO, IFO, MKV (with AC3 only), TS, M2TS, PS
Photos on the Digital Entertainer Elite
The Photo browsing system in the Elite is very similar to the system in the EVA 8000, with the exception that the speed at which you can navigate through photos in your network library has been greatly improved.
However, a new feature in the Elite is the addition of Flickr support. You can either browse throught the virtually endless library online, or view the photos linked in your own Flickr account.
Here, I'm searching the list of tags available, and upon clicking one, you can randomly browse through the wonderful libraries on Flickr.
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Podcasts on the Digital Entertainer Elite
Another feature of the Digital Entertainer Elite that isn't new, but vastly improved, is the ability to read through RSS and video podcasts.
The RSS interface is basic but functional - great for quickly catching up on your most important feeds, but probably not robust enough for RSS fanatics or power users. The video podcasts are where the Elite really shines.
As you can see, there's a number of podcasts already set up on the Elite, but you can add your favorites and customize them any way you like.
Video podcasts, both HD and non-HD, stream quickly and beautifully, as well as buffering quickly on my network connection. I show the video in a window here; you can browse other episodes while you watch, but can easily transfer to full screen mode by pressing the "menu" button on the remote.
YouTube On The Digital Entertainer Elite
Are you sitting down? YouTube works on the Digital Entertainer Elite... and it works extremely well at that. This is the ultimate integration of couch potato / Internet geekery - chilling out watching YouTube on your TV. Let's see how it works, shall we?
First, you must have the Digital Entertainer for Windows software installed on a PC on your network, or the YouTube function will not work. Go ahead and navigate to the "YouTube Videos" section under the "Internet Media" function, and you'll see the Elite's YouTube interface. You can easily browse through and play videos the same way you do on YouTube, either by category, whether it's featured, most viewed videos, etc.
You can also search for videos, which works beautifully and quickly.
In the photo above, you can see the search results that I was presented with. Pretty snazzy, eh? You can also view YouTube HD videos as well as view any video full screen.
Now that you've seen some of the major upgrades included in the Elite, let's move on to some of the other new features, and an overview of what makes the Elite a vast improvement over it's predecessor.
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Other New Features
One of the new additions in the Elite is the weather application. Rather than having to schedule around the morning or evening news, you can get a weather update right from the source, anytime you like.
You can view a predictive forcast...
...or, if it suits your fancy, you can view a variety of weather maps instead.
The Digital Entertainer Elite also includes a "PC Access" feature, with which you can access PC's that have the DEW software installed on them and are present on your network right on your TV screen. You can zoom in and out, and operate the "mouse" pointer with your EVA's remote. It's a bit slow, but reliable, and I was able to navigate through some menus without too many problems. I wouldn't recommend it for any intensive computing (as using the remote would be a bit cumbersome for this) but it's a neat way to check on a PC that may be located far away from your EVA 9150.
Click on the next page to get an overview of the hot new features in the Elite.
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Conclusions
Overall, I am very impressed with the new Digital Entertainer. It does everything that it should do, adding many new features, and doing it well. It shrugs off bulky DVD backups, fastforwarding and playing through them without so much as a hiccup or lockup. I haven't had to reboot it once through weeks of use... that's a much better track record than any Mac, PC, or cellphone I have in the house!
There's an impressive list of features that the Elite offers over its predecessor:
- 802.11n support with three internal dual-band antennas
- Flickr account integration
- Well-functioning YouTube application
- Significantly faster processor for speedy menus, smooth streaming, lockup-free rewind/fast forwarding, and more
- Vastly enhanced video codec and format support, including the much-desired MKV (with AC3 audio) as well as DivX, Xvid, WMV9, TS, M2TS, and PS
- Vastly enhanced audio file format support, adding WMA-Pro, M4A, M4P, AC3, DTS passthrough, PCM, LPCM, and AIFF
- Upconversion to HD through the HDMI output
- Built-in hard drive can store media and buffer over the network for smooth, jitter-free playback
- Addition of new and useful weather and PC access features
- Saves power throughswitching between active/passive modes
There's no better time to upgrade to the Digital Entertainer Elite. Don't forget that your new streamer will live happily in the home with your esixting EVA 8000 if you aready own one - in fact - you can use the "Follow me" feature to stream the same thing when you switch rooms (i.e., from the living room to the game room) and you can easily install both models on the same network. Happy streaming, and make sure to post any questions you have about the Digital Entertainer Elite on the forums!
Quick Links
Learn More about the EVA9150 at MyDigitalEntertainer.com
Purchase the 9150 At The MyDigitalEntertainer Community Store
