NEW Reviews Beta Feedback

Netgear Entertainer HD EVA8000

82

Very Good

Avg User Rating
1 User Review | add yours »

Pros
Supports both Apple and Windows Media DRM
Can work as a DVR
Cons
Setup menu is hard to get to
Occasional stutter on 1080p high-def content

$304.32 - $439.35
From 24 Merchants

PC World Editor's Review

by Lincoln Spector

The pricey EVA8000 offers versatile features and DRM support that you won't find anywhere else.

Netgear's Digital Entertainer is a feature-packed product, but setting it up entails visiting too many menus. Fortunately, the menu screens are eye-pleasing and easy to read. Also, the remote feels right in the hand, and it has large, well-placed buttons. The EVA8000 scans your PC or PCs and organizes your media, making the video or song that you seek easier to find, even if you don't use the supplied server software.

Got a Hot Tip?

Seen news about this product? Send us a link.

The device played almost every file I threw at it: DivX, Xvid, and .mp4 (MPEG-4 video with .aac audio). It was one of only three players that could play protected .wma files, and it and the Apple TV were the only two units that could play copy-protected iTunes Music Store files.

The Digital Entertainer has impressive Internet streaming capabilities. It supports the free Shoutcast Internet radio service, and you can add your own .mp3 and .wma audio streams. Besides permitting you to view photos stored on your computer, the device lets you browse photos at Flickr. You can also get news (from RSS feeds) and weather from the Internet. The EVA8000 also streams videos directly from YouTube (your PC must be on, and Netgear's software must be installed).

Not surprisingly, YouTube videos look like bad surrealism on a 50-inch HDTV. Netgear's tendency to stretch 4:3 standard-aspect images to 16:9 wide-screen dimensions exacerbates the problem. If you set your TV to display a 4:3 frame, pillarboxed with black or gray bars on the sides, YouTube videos at least become watchable.

On the flip side, the Digital Entertainer handles video shot at a good resolution quite well. I spotted a very slight visual stutter at the beginning of one 1080p trailer, but otherwise the image quality reminded me of why I purchased a 1080p HDTV in the first place. Sound was excellent: Pink Floyd had depth and great tone. I could even hear fine details (such as a very slight analog tape hiss) beneath an Itzhak Perlman performance.

The EVA8000 has some unique extras, too. You can use it to check your e-mail or to browse the Web; and with a TV-tuner-equipped PC and the Electronic Programming Guide option ($5 to activate), it can act as a DVR, letting you schedule, watch, and time-shift TV show recordings.

Unlike any other player, Netgear's high-definition Digital Entertainer transforms your TV into an extension of your home network, and of the Internet.

Lincoln Spector

User Reviews for Netgear Entertainer HD EVA8000

Reviewed by:

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Looks only.

Weaknesses: The software, the way it displays on the tv as though you are actually watching the video on a camcorder, most codecs don't work, Indian tech support is incompetant, non read-only HD's get attacked.

Overall Evaluation: Maybe in year you can buy this when it actually might have been ready to go to market. Unbelievable piece of junk. It takes over your network, computer (why?) and your data files. The wireless didn't work 2 ft away from the brand new gigabit Netgear router (piece of junk also). The sc101 turbo network server also purchased in order to minimize workload on the desktop reaks havoc on the network by communicating also. Unless you are a total masochist - Do not ever buy any Netgear product. Sorry PCUniverse - It wasn't your fault, in fact you have the quickest delivery I have ever seen. Unfortunately a delay may have been welcome to postpost the complete misery of dealing with 4 of the worst computer product I have ever dealt with. I am even including the early Dells by comparison

See all user reviews

Audio/Video Playing in PCW Video

Robot Uses Living Room's Remote Controls Toshiba's ApriPoco robot can use voice commands to control your living room's remote controls.
E-mail Pics to Your Photo Frame Vodafone has introduced a photo frame with a cellular modem that can receive e-mailed images.
Sharp Launches Super-Slim TVs Coming in March to Japan, these sets are substantially thinner than current models.

Latest Audio/Video News, Reviews, How-To's

First Look: iRiver Spinn Multimedia Player Though pricey and sometimes confusing to navigate, the Spinn has a gorgeous design and provides excellent playback quality.
Slacker G2 Portable Radio Its design may not be for everyone, but the Slacker G2 is great for people who love boatloads of free music.
Slingbox Pro-HD: Access HD Content From Anywhere What it is, and why it's so cool.
Drop That DVD-Copying Software Now! Don't expect to be making legal copies of your DVDs any time soon. A judge has extended the order banning sales of the RealDVD copying software. Hollywood is happy, but are consumers getting a raw deal?
Sonos Zone Player 120 If you already have a multiroom digital music-streaming system, you don't have to replace it, but the Zone Player 120 is a nice choice for new buyers.