Linksys Media Center Extender

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.linksys.com/extend/extender.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.linksys.com/extend/extender.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A Windows Media Center PC transforms movies, music, pictures and videos into a home entertainment experience. The Linksys Dual-Band Wireless A/G Media Center Extender extends this experience to every TV and stereo system in your home. It delivers the content, services and user interface of your Media Center PC using the same wireless network you use to share a broadband connection. Each member of your family can watch or listen to the digital content of choice on any TV equipped with a Media Center Extender. You can even chat with your friends on Microsoft Windows Messenger while watching TV and movies on the same screen."</i><br /><br />Media Center Extenders allow you to access all the content on your Media Center PC on the TV set that it's connected to. I personally think this is the more logical approach to getting media on your TV rather than connecting a computer directly to it.

[Neil Enns]

This is pretty nifty, but just so I understand... I have to drop $299 on one of these in addition to paying a chunk of change to get a media center PC. And then pay the cable or satellite guy to run a hookup to my office upstairs? Eeesh!

Neil

[rlobrecht]

I definitely think that this is the way to get media actually on to your tv. One thing that I haven't seen on any of the reviews is whether you can tell your Media Center PC to record shows from this interface. Anybody know?

[Jason Dunn]

I definitely think that this is the way to get media actually on to your tv. One thing that I haven't seen on any of the reviews is whether you can tell your Media Center PC to record shows from this interface. Anybody know?

I think that's possible, but I'm not sure...I don't have one yet. :lol:

[rlobrecht]

How long until you rememdy that yet? :D

[Jason Dunn]

How long until you rememdy that yet? :D

It will be a bit - I have a lot of other stuff to review at the moment, including one of these:

http://www.adstech.com/products/MXL-581/intro/MXL-581_intro.asp?pid=MXL-581

It's ugly as hell, but works very well.

[Felix Torres]

I definitely think that this is the way to get media actually on to your tv. One thing that I haven't seen on any of the reviews is whether you can tell your Media Center PC to record shows from this interface. Anybody know?

Yes.
You can also watch live TV with full Media Center features (pause, rewind, etc).

Media Center Extenders are two-way terminals; XP MCE supports up to five such remote sessions, plus the "console" session.
The proper way to think of XP MCE, when used in this configuration, is as a home media *server*.

For example, instead of having multiple PVRs scattered around the house, you could have all your video recording done on the MCE box and then access it from multiple extenders across the home network, whether wired or wireless.

For now, there are two kinds of extenders; the dedicated Hardware set-top boxes, like the Linksys, and the XBOX.
Sometime in the next year, a software-only implementation that'll run on PCs and laptops will be made available.

Cheap, this stuff ain't, but the capabilities it offers are unmatched by any wannabe platform out there. All that remains to be seen is how much of the market has a use for it.

I'm thinking the XBOX implementation, if it truly offers everything the dedicated hardware extenders do (we'll know in mid-november) should be the sweet-spot since it'll offer the extender terminal, premium game-play *and* dvd playback, all out of one box, for $80, if you already have the XBOX.

[rlobrecht]

Felix,
Thanks for your reply. That sounds perfect. Now all I need to do is convince the missus that we need a Media Center PC and a couple of extenders.

[mcsouth]

:( ...it's only money... :(

Too much wonderful technology, too little money......ironically, I don't watch very much TV, and yet I have this burning urge to set up a media server PC in my household, along with extenders of some sort, so that I can stream my content to any TV in the house whenever I want. W? BIC!

[[email protected]]

I'd like to be able to use the extender with a regular PC, for streaming music and movies, and viewing pictures. Nevermind recording and stuff. Does anyone know if this is possible. I think it would be good for business, for Microsoft, to get the user hooked on the UI and the 10' experience.

[Felix Torres]

I'd like to be able to use the extender with a regular PC, for streaming music and movies, and viewing pictures. Nevermind recording and stuff. Does anyone know if this is possible. I think it would be good for business, for Microsoft, to get the user hooked on the UI and the 10' experience.

What you want is a Digital Media Receiver.
Most come with propietary server software but some use an open standard called UPnP/AV to communicate between the server and the receiver.
For those, MS provides a free server app that installs as an XP service so it runs in the background automatically and gracefully.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices/wmconnect/default.aspx

The cheapest receiver I know of is the HP EN-5000, which can be had as low as $50, on occasion. It does not seem to support UPnP/AV but it works well enough, despite the occasional glitch.
(I have one.)

http://g04.com/html/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=82

There are plenty of others sold as networked MP3 players, media receivers, and what-not.
I remember seeing the Gateway connected DVD player for around $80 a couple weeks ago although its no longer on their site. (ebay-time, I guess...)
Hope you find something that works for you.