The D-Link DSM-320 can stream a variety of content from your PC to your stereo and TV, including digital photos, digital music, and home movies (but not commercial, copy-protected DVD). You can also stream music from several Internet radio services to your stereo, although the options are currently limited to RadioAOL, Napster, Live365, and Rhapsody. D-Link plans to support other services in the future.

The unit is lightweight and slim, about the size of a typical DVD player, so it's easy to slip into an existing home entertainment center. Set-up is easy. Install the D-Link Media software on your PC, connect the DSM-320 to your home entertainment equipment, grab the remote, and follow the on-screen instructions. The unit offers most of the common connection options, including composite video (cable included), S-video (cable included), and component video, as well as composite audio (cable included) and optical and coaxial digital audio.

The DSM-320 supports 802.11g wireless, so the PC doesn't need to be physically located in the same room as the TV and stereo. The DSM-320 streams content directly from the computer to the end components, so other than the software, there's nothing to install, no cables to run from your PC or network, and nothing to copy from one location to another. If you don't have wireless on your home network, the package also includes a 10/100 Ethernet port. Complete, easy-to-follow instructions for setting up both options are included in the manual.

The DSM-320 supports a variety of music formats, including MP3, WMA, WAV, MPEG1, and MPEG2. Supported image file formats include BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, and PNG. Supported video file formats include AVI, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, and XVID.

One of the best things about the DSM-320 is that it does most of the work. It uses your PC as the source of content, but it doesn't use your PC to actually play the content. This means that, technically, two family members can use the same PC at the same time. One can listen to music via the DSM-320 while the other surfs the internet.

Pro: Easy to set up and use. Hardware requirements are surprisingly low-key.
Con: Does not support WMA Lossless or WMA Pro audio formats. Currently only supports a few Internet radio services.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

D-Link Systems, Inc.
17595 Mount Herrmann
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
800-326-1688
http://www.dlink.com

Warranty
1 year