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Tuesday September 8, 2009
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 On Tuesday, Netgear launched the Digital Entertainer Live (or EVA2000), a small set-top box that connects an HDTV to a local USB or networked hard drive or to Web video services like YouTube or Hulu.
The EVA2000 went on sale today for $149.99, and a complementary USB wireless adapter (the EVAW111) is priced at $39.99. However, there are also some hidden fees you may need to be aware of.
The EVA2000 looks quite similar to the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player, which is priced slightly less, at $129.99. In fact, the two remote controls look nearly identical. (Disclosure: I purchased a WD TV box about six weeks ago.) Both boxes also use an HDMI cable to connect to an HDTV, although neither includes it. There's one key difference, however: the WD TV outputs up to 1080i video, while the EVA2000 supports up to 720p.
The Netgear box supports a nice array of video formats (WMV 7/8/9, VC1, VP6, -
H.263, H.264, MPEG 1/2/4) and file types, including AVI, DivX 4.x, DivX 5.x, Xvid, MOV, MP4, MPEG2-PS, MPEG2-TS,
DVD VOB, FLV, Matroska, and ASF.
The one drawback to the WD TV, obviously, is that it lacks any sort of network access, either to the home LAN or to the Internet at large. The EVA2000 rectifies both deficiencies. Since it lacks a true network browser, however, the EVA2000 requires some intermediary software to access popular Web video sites, and this is where the additional fees come in.
According to a Netgear spokeswoman, accessing a site like YouTube comes
free with the box. But to view content from Hulu, Netflix, ESPN.com,
and CBS, you'll need a subscription from PlayOn;
a free trial ships with the EVA2000. Users can buy a lifetime
subscription for $39.99. Again, though, there's a catch: the "lifetime
subscription" is good for each "major version" of the software; you may need
to buy a new license if a new version is released with new
functionality.
Users can also sign up to watch streaming live TV from overseas
channels using the VuNow platform from Verismo, although it wasn't
immediately clear how much a subscription will cost. If this capability
interests you, however, it might be worth checking out a Verismo's own VuNow
set-top box (the VN1000HD) available for $149.99 from Amazon.com and
other providers. In addition to a lifetime subscription, the VN1000HD also includes the USB Wi-Fi dongle free of charge.
EDIT 10:22 AM PDT: "VuNow has not officially set their pricing yet but I believe it will be in the
range of $24.99/yr," according to Phil Pyo, Netgear's director of product marketing for connected home
entertainment products, in a statement provided by a company spokeswoman. "They do not as this time charge their customers this as far
as I know but their service is free with Netgear for now and likely when they
have the ability to charge customers, they may decide to charge their customer
as well but they would be the ones to comment on that."
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September 8, 2009 2:08 PM
For some reason I have not been able to get a factual answer to this question. Can I get ESPN360 which is on my internet carrier and bookmarked on my PC. I want to watch it by internet on my TV. I have inquired at several websites but have not received any responses.
Thank you in advance if you can help me.
Regards,
Lowell McGill
October 30, 2009 2:04 AM
I have been using the NETGEAR EVA2000 for a few months now and it has performed well for me. It is small and compact so I am able to carry from room to room ( I use an old NETGEAR Router's 12 volt AC Adapter rated at 1.0 amp and a seperate HDMI cable in the bedroom)which has been a nice perc. The Wireless is an add on using a Netgear WiFi USB adapter and works very well. It also supports "N" so no streaming hiccups, works like it has ethernet cable. ( There are 2 USB ports so if you use WiFi you still can plugin a USB Flash Drive)One thing I noticed this article does not cover is that NETGEAR and PlayOn have arranged a 20% discount when you buy a EVA2000 and buy a PlayOn license. Also, you can play your own Media whether it be from your Windows MEDIA SERVER or from a USB Thumb Drive. The menus are fast and responsive and playing your own media works as well as any arrangement I have ever seen or use.
All in all, I would recommend the EVA2000 to friends or family. If you have any specific questions post in here and I will check back. Also you can get good info from the Netgear Digital Entertainer Forum. They are young forum but growing nicely from what I am seeing.