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I have had this unit for almost a year. RSS has not been very consistant, but I have not spent too much time trying to figure it out, as typing RSS links is tedious through the use of a remote control.It has a web interface you can access through your computer to avoid that, but I went for the EVA8000 to avoid use of a PC.Generally it works well, but has room for improvement. This has not happened often.
I like the EVA8000. Getting Sub titles to work with movies has not always worked. I had the older model EVA700 prior.
Some AVI files are not compatible, for instance from My Nikon d90 - they have to be converted to a compatible format. I use it hard wired to my ReadyNas Duo server through a switch.Music sounds great, and it can also stream FLAC files. Movies stream very well too, but some hi res HD files sometimes stall with a message saying the "network performance being insufficient - buffering".
I think that may be my fault.The HDMI conversion is by far one of its best features.Its slide show feature for pictures is sometimes a little slow if the files are big, which tends to be the case from newer digital cameras, otherwise works well. Alternatives were scarce at the time of purchase, but I still have not come across a better option.
with no (well, very minor cosmetic) problems.As other reviewers have mentioned, you need some level of technical expertise, though not a lot. As a long-time user of networked media devices (I have three AudioTrons), I was looking for something that would make my DVD collection as useful as my CD collection is. Mostly, it helps to be familiar with networking and file management. I also recently purchased a high-capacity RAID/NAS box (5.5TB usable), so had plenty of space in which to "back up" my DVD collection (at around 6GB per DVD on average).The EVA8000 was amazingly simple to get working, and although I was initially skeptical of how well it would play ripped DVD's, it does an outstanding job. Most of the technical issues mentioned by earlier reviewers have been resolved, and the EVA8000 will play DVD's with menus, etc. Once you get the EVA8000 set up, anyone can use it.For playing DVD/video, the EVA8000 is outstanding. I'll keep my AudioTrons for audio (CD), as the EVA8000 requires a display (TV) in order to select and play files, while the AudioTrons have front-panel display/controls.
I could go on for hours about the product. Now my challenge is to build a video server to store all of that multimedia I can now flawlessly deliver via my EVA8000 throughout my home.
I've been in the computer business (hardware and software)for over 38 years. YES, you may consider me over the hill, but if I am.
I've been fussing with MCE since 1.0 I've been playing with video long before that (early VCR, etc). This product is built well, performs as advertised and solves a basket of video related problems for me.
I'll take my EVA8000 with me. I now own two units and I have given an additional two units as gifts to my sons.
Did I mention my music collection. Try it - I believe you will LOVE it.
First off, I was able to play all my DVDs flawlessly over a 54mbps 802.11g Wireless connection, no wires, very clean. Here is the situation: I have more than 600 DVDs that I am in the process of ripping onto hard drives. DVD menus worked perfectly despite the disclaimer Netgear posts on their website about this; 150 DVDs strong now, no menu problems whatsoever.As an added bonus, I learned (about 20 DVDs into the ripping) that this gem will play ISO ripped DVDs as well with full DVD menu support. They are ripped in standard DVD format (VOB/IFO) full quality, no compression/encoding, just raw dvd files. I wanted full menu support from the DVDs; basically I wanted the simulation of sticking a DVD in the drive without having to actually do so.This product accomplished this 100% and then some. No more folders inside of folders, confusing directory trees, just hard drives full of beautiful ISO files YAY. This is also bursting with other features including local weather, YouTUBE connectivity, free internet radio, and TV Tuner support w/DVR capability (have not tried this out yet)For those who are interested in doing what I am; get DVDFab ([.].); Using DVDFab I always rip to ISOs now and have had ZERO problems with now pushing 200 DVDs playing perfectly in the EVA8000.
I am using it with two DNS-323s for 3TB of music, photos, and movies. When I purchased the EVA8000 a year ago, I was horrified at how many bugs there were in the software. I have a thousand CDs and 300 movies which can be access from any room in my place at my fingertips. But I have to give Netgear kudos for really supporting the device. I have grown to love it now. It's the heart of my AV system. My CD and DVD players are gathering dust now.
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