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Part of Philips' Streamium range, the SL400i is designed to wirelessly stream pictures, audio and video from your computer to your TV and hi-fi. It can also stream content directly from the internet, such as radio and movie clips, without needing to attach to a PC. But don't expect too much from online movies since, at present, this consists of movie trailers, interviews and short films from the likes of Yahoo and Ifilm.
Setting up the SL400i was extremely easy. Using an ad hoc 802.11g wireless network connection, we had it working in 10 minutes. If you don't have wireless connectivity on your PC, a USB wireless adapter is included. This makes the SL400i a good all-in-one package, but it drives up the price for those who already have a wireless network.
Philips has created an attractive, simple interface for the SL400i. Audio playback and image viewing went well, while video playback was perfect using the wired Ethernet connection. Streaming video without wires resulted in jerky playback at first, but things sorted themselves out. You can't wirelessly stream bandwidth-hungry mpeg2 movies without converting them first to a format such as DivX.
The SL400i has a lot going for it and, as more online video content becomes available, we see its appeal increasing. At £299 it's expensive, especially with similar products such as Pinnacle Showcenter £100 cheaper. But it's worth bearing in mind that the Showcenter is only 802.11b, and doesn't come with any wireless adapters. More importantly, it isn't nearly as easy to set up or operate as the SL400i.
Contact: Philips 0870 900 9070
www.streamium.co.uk
Specifications:
- 802.11g
- UpnP
- RCA/Coax digital audio out
- 2 Scart sockets (1 EU AV/1x YUV component interlace/progressive)
- Ethernet
- PC wireless adapter
- Remote control
See also:
Get access to your entire digital audio collection from the sofa 04 Feb 2005
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