Linksys WMA11B Wireless-B Media Adapter: Wireless Media

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=jasondunn-20&path=tg/detail/-/B00009PUM0/qid%3D1059595474/sr%3D8-1' target='_blank'>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/r...595474/sr%3D8-1</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/B00009PUM0.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" />"The Linksys Wireless-B Media Adapter lets you bring the digital pictures and music stored on your computer to your Home Entertainment Center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the Media Adapter displays your digital photographs on the TV for the whole family to enjoy. And your digital music collection is finally freed from those little computer speakers and can play in full glory through your stereo system.<br /><br />The Wireless-B Media Adapter sits by your home stereo and television and connects to them using standard consumer electronics cables. Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking, or if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. Using the included remote control and the user-friendly menus on your TV, you can browse through the digital pictures on your computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail. You can view pictures one at a time, or watch an automatically created slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The Media Adapter supports five popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF and BMP. Use the remote control's Zoom button to get a close-up of the details in your pictures. You can also use the remote to browse your MP3 or WMA formatted music collection by title, artist, genre, folder, or playlist. Choose the music you want, and let the Wireless-B Media Adapter play it through your stereo system. You can even let music play in the background while you browse your pictures."<br /><br />This looks really cool! 8O I'm having a vision of it being hooked up to my entertainment area upstairs... [Affiliate]

[Fzara]

But is this really practical for $179.99? I can see something for $70-80, but $180!? This costs more than my 802.11g router!

This is definitely a good idea, but at that price, I don't know how practical it will be to many "middle-class" society members like me.

[donkthemagicllama]

why would you build something like this and not support mpeg/divx/wmv and the like? :?

[Perry Reed]

Nifty! Of course, my TiVo can do pretty much the same thing. :)

[Chairman Clench]

Anyone know of something like this that also supports .ogg files?

[sprawlgeek]

When I saw the name of the device, I immediately got all excited, thinking (wrongly) that it was a SD Card/Compact Flash wireless adapter....and thought WOW!!!!!

big disappointment!!!!

[rpommier]

Am I missing something here? What about video? Why waste the dollars on bringing such a limited solution to market?

I would like to see it behave as a TIVO. It's cheaper to burn the files to a CDRW. I couldn't imagine buying that for strictly music and static pictures.

Rod

[Thinkingman]

Price needs work. I guess it is a good idea to have it if you really have a lot of movies and the such on your pc or laptop. IF so, then by all means you are the market niche for this product. I am not as of yet. While I want to put movies on my laptop, I am spending to much time getting the darn thing fixed.

[phenderson]

for about $30-70 you can buy a DVD player that plays DVD+/- RW DVD's, and plays DiVX 5, and Mpeg, even obb and has PC Card slots to upgrade to wireless connectivity...
I would go for that before I went for this!!!!

[kagayaki1]

Am I missing something here? What about video? Why waste the dollars on bringing such a limited solution to market?


Because it's turn key. For the 75% of consumers out there who don't care to know how things work (which is the segment consumer companies really count on to make money), this represents a solution they hook up and then don't have to fiddle with at all. And even though they *could* incorporate every feature under the sun, that would increase testing costs, support costs, and leave them without a reason to sell you the next best model. :?

This is the same reason why we turn a key to start our car, instead of having to crank it every time before we go. People want to turn the key and drive, without having to worry about how it works. Ignorant, but true.

[kagayaki1]

for about $30-70 you can buy a DVD player that plays DVD+/- RW DVD's, and plays DiVX 5, and Mpeg, even obb and has PC Card slots to upgrade to wireless connectivity...
I would go for that before I went for this!!!!
$30? Prove it.

[kagayaki1]

Am I missing something here? What about video? Why waste the dollars on bringing such a limited solution to market?


Also, 802.11b doesn't stream video very well. They've having challenges compromising between a fundamental wireless problem. Most of the wireless equipment sold in the last couple years has been 802.11b. So, they can't just all of a sudden make it 802.11a (which would support video) and alienate the majority of wireless users who can't use it. That majority = money.

[fletch]

Also, 802.11b doesn't stream video very well. They've having challenges compromising between a fundamental wireless problem. Most of the wireless equipment sold in the last couple years has been 802.11b. So, they can't just all of a sudden make it 802.11a (which would support video) and alienate the majority of wireless users who can't use it. That majority = money.




Ive had no problems streaming video over 802.11b.

Infact ive been commercially developing streaming video applications over wireless for the last three years (on and off).

Perhaps you have not been buffering sufficiently??

[ShylocK]

smc's version is much better, 802.1g

will stream mpg, avi, wmv, as well as the usual jpg/mp3

price is 300-ish at futureshop, coming out in 2 weeks

worth looking at if u need this functionality.

forgive the lack of link, typing this on the can, via dell axim wirelessly. but u can find it at www.smc.com.

side note, as cool as this is, being able to read/write/surf wirelessly on da can, this on screen keyboard just cant compare to reading forums with my desktop...not to mention pie renders so slow!

[jlhorng]

for about $30-70 you can buy a DVD player that plays DVD+/- RW DVD's, and plays DiVX 5, and Mpeg, even obb and has PC Card slots to upgrade to wireless connectivity...
I would go for that before I went for this!!!!
$30? Prove it.

Yes, where can I find a $30 DVD player?

[konfoo]

Also, 802.11b doesn't stream video very well. They've having challenges compromising between a fundamental wireless problem. Most of the wireless equipment sold in the last couple years has been 802.11b. So, they can't just all of a sudden make it 802.11a (which would support video) and alienate the majority of wireless users who can't use it. That majority = money.

It streams video just fine. Just keep the video bitrate under 6Mbits.

[GoldKey]

for about $30-70 you can buy a DVD player that plays DVD+/- RW DVD's, and plays DiVX 5, and Mpeg, even obb and has PC Card slots to upgrade to wireless connectivity...
I would go for that before I went for this!!!!
$30? Prove it.

Heck $70 prove it. Heck just prove that such a product exists at any price.

[GoldKey]

Yes, where can I find a $30 DVD player?

This is the cheapest DVD player I have ever seen 39.99 after rebate. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007FSB9/qid=1059612631/br=1-1/ref=br_lf_etk_ce_av__1//103-3803700-4667051?v=glance&s=electronics&n=1036916)

[icatar]

Nifty! Of course, my TiVo can do pretty much the same thing. :)

Too bad the Tivo HMO option will not support WMA files. :(

[One-eYe]

To be honest, i have seen one and only one DVD player that will play the DiVX codec. The problem is, i can't remember who made it:( I do know it was rather cheap...under $200

[Dave Beauvais]

To be honest, i have seen one and only one DVD player that will play the DiVX codec. The problem is, i can't remember who made it:( I do know it was rather cheap...under $200
You may be referring to the Lite-On LVD-2001 (http://www.liteonit.com/liteweb/lvd_2001.htm), which can play DivX and XviD MPEG-4 formats in addition to DVD and other MPEG-2 formats. Two others that can play MPEG-4 are the Kiss Technology DP-450 and DP-500 (http://www.kiss-technology.com/index.asp?sprogvalg=1). At that page, click "Products" at the top.

--Dave

[sambeckett]

Nifty! Of course, my TiVo can do pretty much the same thing. :)

tivo cant do wma

[alandashby]

I have been looking for these devices for sometime there are several of them out there however, they all fall short of what everyone really wants. There is a DVD player that is made by Gateway one wireless 802.11b and on 10/100 but they don’t support Divx however in a CNet article that I read today they said that there was going to be an up date to the device so that it can play both Divx and the Mpeg2 that the Windows Media centers record into. However, as of now it will only do images and audio. There is also one from HP that will do both images and audio but does not have a DVD player. I sure wish that there was an option out but I am sure there will be soon. The people developing these types of devices need to find out what the users really want then something will come out that is at least close. By the way the Gateway wireless DVD is about 250, not even close to 30.

[The Half-Ling]

Looks like a Prototype PlayStation3 with WiFi...Thats a really good idea though...very nice I recently tried putting Europe Vacation Pictures on an Easy CD Creator 6 Disc and my DVD player was freaking out the the VCD...half the time it works and half the time it doesn't :S

You realize NetGear will come out with the same thing for 149.99 in a month right?

hehe the joys and pains of the wireless world,
Jake-

[kagayaki1]

To be honest, i have seen one and only one DVD player that will play the DiVX codec. The problem is, i can't remember who made it:( I do know it was rather cheap...under $200
You may be referring to the Lite-On LVD-2001 (http://www.liteonit.com/liteweb/lvd_2001.htm), which can play DivX and XviD MPEG-4 formats in addition to DVD and other MPEG-2 formats. Two others that can play MPEG-4 are the Kiss Technology DP-450 and DP-500 (http://www.kiss-technology.com/index.asp?sprogvalg=1). At that page, click "Products" at the top.

--Dave

I love my Lite-On player. I've had it for two weeks now and I have very few complaints. I especially like how it plays DivX 3.11, after the latest firmware is loaded.

[jrw1975]

Of course, you could always get an Xbox for next to nothing, mod it using the software mods that are being improved, and run XBox Media Player http://www.xboxmediaplayer.de ... AND it will play Halo!

[ux4484]

I'm thinking, why not just have this box grab your PC's video and stream it and the audio only? with this and a Logitech RF keyboard/mouse (or a IR keyboard for this device), you'd have a true wireless PC in your living room......no matter where you PC was in the house (well, within the 30ft maximum for the RF keyboard).
I already have my audio routed to my stereo and access it via a web page on my Axim, but video (or at least pictures would be great).

If you looking for a cheaper picture (only) display device (as some have indicated) take a look at Dazzle Universal (http://www.dazzle.com/products/tvps_univ.html) but for 99 bucks you might as well go for the Linksys device and get audio too.
I'm sure I saw a TV 6in1 reader for TV's for less elsewhere, but I can't find it just now.

[upplepop]

You may not have to worry if 802.11b can stream video because this device has an ethernet port as well. You would just have to keep this near your TV and router.

This device reminds me of the SliMp3 (http://www.slimdevices.com). An excellent little device to stream audio over a network (albeit a wired one)

[phenderson]

for about $30-70 you can buy a DVD player that plays DVD+/- RW DVD's, and plays DiVX 5, and Mpeg, even obb and has PC Card slots to upgrade to wireless connectivity...
I would go for that before I went for this!!!!

whoops that was a missquote... I meant

$130-170.00

Check it out!!! If you read through the posts you will see where they talk about another unit that uses wireless...

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=1094598

[GoldKey]

While they mention using the PCMCIA for wireless in the forum you reference, the manufacture only says it is for memory. Since it would take some work to build in the software to work on a network, I would think it would be mentioned by the manufacturer.