Top deals on CNET here
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 129 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Audio works well; video compatability not so great"
Pros: Plays protected WMA files, good GUI
Cons: Video compatability bad, especially with wireless
Summary: I read dozens of reviews before purchasing this player so I expected a few gliches and realized that the player wouldn't support some of my files. As a bit of a tech nerd, I thought I could work around many of these issues; and I could. Here are some problems that I (and others) have come across and how I addressed them: First, the player does not support divx and WMV. This is extremely annoying, but I found two sollutions to play divx files. If the file is small, you can convert it to a mpg at about 2x using the free TMPG video encoder. I have a lot of half-hour length TV shows encoded in Divx and was able to convert them in approximately 8 - 10 minutes each. The second option is to use Nero's Media Home server which encodes files on the fly as you play them over your Dlink. This is great for larger files or if you don't want to take the time to re-encode a large library of files. The only downside with this is that it takes considerable CPU resources so if you don't have a ton of memory and want to use your computer at the same time you could be frustrated. Neither of the afore-mentioned fixes will work with WMV files. Dlink will likely resolve this with a future firmware release, but if download video files from places like MLB.tv you'll still have to hook your computer up to your TV to view them. The ability to stream baseball games to my TV without using a computer was one of the main reasons I got the player so I am especially frustrated with this non-feature. The second issue I have come across is the hit and miss playing of some supported movie files (AVI and MPG). I frequently get the "File not supported" error even while the video still plays in the background. I haven't been able to work around this yet, but know it has nothing to do with the files themselves as I am often able to play files seamlessly one day and the next I get the error every five minutes. It is probably that this has something to do with the wireless network. Currently my Dlink is the only device on my network and the wireless router is only 8 feet away streaming at 54 mbps. I refuse to even try to connect it wirelessly as I see this as defeatist. The whole idea with a device like this is that you want to play files on your computer which is likely in your office or den on your home entertainment center in your living room. Devices like this should be used wirelessly. My only problem with audio is that the device doesn't play my lossless WMA files. This wasn't a big deal for me since less than 10% of my files are encoded at this extremely high bitrate and I was able to easilly re-encode them at a still high, but playable rate.
- 1 reply to this review
-
All you need to do is rename your .divx files to .avi and they will play flawlessly. I've done this to a 100+ DIVX files. Once you rename the files the DSM thinks ther are virgin AVI.
As for your comment it doesn't play some AVI files. I haven't seen this at all. It plays all of mine. However note you must convert them to AVI simple profile. I bet this is where you failed.
Where to buy
DSM-320 2.4 GHz Wireless Media Player:
$299.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amazon.com Marketplace
|
$299.99 | See Site |
|
