Now that it's all set up, here are WiFi add-ons
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
ONE of the joys of having a wireless network is being able to add devices other than just computers. In theory, anything that supports a WiFi connection can join in and play.
In my previous three columns, I talked about designing a home network (www.chron.com/network1), setting it up (www.chron.com/network2) and troubleshooting (www.chron.com/network3). Now that everything's working as it should, it's time to have some fun.
The list of gadgets and add-ons that connect via WiFi is growing each month. There are wireless Web cameras, players for streaming digital media, WiFi stereo and video systems, PDAs and more.
And there are even cooler things around the bend. Kodak later this year will introduce a consumer digital camera with WiFi that lets you send photos directly to a hard drive on a computer network.
For my wireless network, I was most interested in streaming my digital music and photos from my PC to the living room stereo system. My TiVo Series 2 will do this, but not as well as I'd like. For example, you can't play music and surf your digital photo collection simultaneously.
A slew of wireless players can, however, so I gave D-Link's DSM-320 Wireless Media Player ($199) a spin. It's a second-generation model that supports faster 802.11g WiFi connections. While older models with slower 802.11b support could only play music and display still photos, these newer ones add video to the mix.
Wireless media players scour a computer network for digital media files, then let you play or watch them through standard home audio and video equipment. Because they're wireless, your TV and stereo don't need to be anywhere near the PC hosting the files.
D-Link's DSM-320 requires you to run software on at least one of the PCs on your network that acts as a server.
The PC, rather than the player, finds and indexes the files. This speeds up the discovery process, but it also means the software must be running on your PC whenever you want to use the player.
If you have Windows XP, you can also use an optional program from Microsoft (available from the Windows Update feature) called Windows Media Connect. This lets you play media files protected with Digital Rights Management, or DRM.
Setup is easy
Setting up the DSM-320 is relatively simple. Install the PC software and have it index your media files. Choose your video (S-video, composite or component) and audio (analog or optical) and connect the appropriate cables. Turn everything on, configure it to talk to your wireless network and you're ready to play.
My first few minutes with the device were frustrating. The DSM-320 was slow to scroll through lists of songs and photos, and balky when switching menus. I discovered a menu item that lets you quickly upgrade the device's firmware — built-in software that controls how the media player works — and once I did that, I saw a dramatic improvement.
(This experience is not uncommon with many wireless products, which are often rushed to market with buggy drivers and firmware. A good practice is to immediately check for software upgrades after installing any wireless device.
The DSM-320 will let you play songs individually or grouped by playlists and in folders. You can set it to shuffle at random through your collection as well.
The same is true with still images, which can be played in a slide show. And you can have a music playlist going at the same time as a slide show.
The menus are simple and easy to navigate using D-Link's supplied remote, although there's a slight learning curve. I had to dive deep into the settings, for example, to discover that you can make photo lists display with thumbnail images.
Get organized
If you have a lot of media files that are poorly organized, you'll have a tough time scrolling through long lists of images, songs and videos to find what you want to play. Spend time first sorting your media into folders on your hard drive and updating the info tags in your MP3 files.
The DSM-320 is one of the first wireless media players to work with copy-protected songs purchased from download music services, most notably Napster and MusicMatch, although to do so you'll need to use Window Media Connect instead of
D-Link's own software.
Unfortunately, it won't work with Apple's iTunes. However, I burn my iTunes purchases to CD, then rip them to non-protected MP3 files, which I can then play anywhere I like.
Windows Media Connect has some severe limitations, though. If you have your media stored on a mapped network drive, you'll have to install the program directly on the machine. D-Link, though, will let you index music found on a mapped drive.
The DSM-320 also will access streaming music services, such as those offered by Napster and America Online, if you have accounts with them. If you don't, the latest firmware upgrade enabled use of Live365, a free service that provides access to dozens of free Internet radio broadcasts. Unfortunately, these stations are sorted in any kind of order — you just have to surf through until you find one you like, then set it as a preset.
Audio is not bad, but don't expect CD-quality. While it's a couple of notches above FM radio, true audiophiles will be disappointed.
New blog
Check out my new technology Web log at www.chron.com/techblog. Once you're there, drop me a note with suggestions, comments or tech news tips.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Now that it's all set up, here are WiFi add-ons
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
ONE of the joys of having a wireless network is being able to add devices other than just computers. In theory, anything that supports a WiFi connection can join in and play.
In my previous three columns, I talked about designing a home network (www.chron.com/network1), setting it up (www.chron.com/network2) and troubleshooting (www.chron.com/network3). Now that everything's working as it should, it's time to have some fun.
The list of gadgets and add-ons that connect via WiFi is growing each month. There are wireless Web cameras, players for streaming digital media, WiFi stereo and video systems, PDAs and more.
And there are even cooler things around the bend. Kodak later this year will introduce a consumer digital camera with WiFi that lets you send photos directly to a hard drive on a computer network.
For my wireless network, I was most interested in streaming my digital music and photos from my PC to the living room stereo system. My TiVo Series 2 will do this, but not as well as I'd like. For example, you can't play music and surf your digital photo collection simultaneously.
A slew of wireless players can, however, so I gave D-Link's DSM-320 Wireless Media Player ($199) a spin. It's a second-generation model that supports faster 802.11g WiFi connections. While older models with slower 802.11b support could only play music and display still photos, these newer ones add video to the mix.
Wireless media players scour a computer network for digital media files, then let you play or watch them through standard home audio and video equipment. Because they're wireless, your TV and stereo don't need to be anywhere near the PC hosting the files.
D-Link's DSM-320 requires you to run software on at least one of the PCs on your network that acts as a server.
The PC, rather than the player, finds and indexes the files. This speeds up the discovery process, but it also means the software must be running on your PC whenever you want to use the player.
If you have Windows XP, you can also use an optional program from Microsoft (available from the Windows Update feature) called Windows Media Connect. This lets you play media files protected with Digital Rights Management, or DRM.
Setup is easy
Setting up the DSM-320 is relatively simple. Install the PC software and have it index your media files. Choose your video (S-video, composite or component) and audio (analog or optical) and connect the appropriate cables. Turn everything on, configure it to talk to your wireless network and you're ready to play.
My first few minutes with the device were frustrating. The DSM-320 was slow to scroll through lists of songs and photos, and balky when switching menus. I discovered a menu item that lets you quickly upgrade the device's firmware — built-in software that controls how the media player works — and once I did that, I saw a dramatic improvement.
(This experience is not uncommon with many wireless products, which are often rushed to market with buggy drivers and firmware. A good practice is to immediately check for software upgrades after installing any wireless device.
The DSM-320 will let you play songs individually or grouped by playlists and in folders. You can set it to shuffle at random through your collection as well.
The same is true with still images, which can be played in a slide show. And you can have a music playlist going at the same time as a slide show.
The menus are simple and easy to navigate using D-Link's supplied remote, although there's a slight learning curve. I had to dive deep into the settings, for example, to discover that you can make photo lists display with thumbnail images.
Get organized
If you have a lot of media files that are poorly organized, you'll have a tough time scrolling through long lists of images, songs and videos to find what you want to play. Spend time first sorting your media into folders on your hard drive and updating the info tags in your MP3 files.
The DSM-320 is one of the first wireless media players to work with copy-protected songs purchased from download music services, most notably Napster and MusicMatch, although to do so you'll need to use Window Media Connect instead of
D-Link's own software.
Unfortunately, it won't work with Apple's iTunes. However, I burn my iTunes purchases to CD, then rip them to non-protected MP3 files, which I can then play anywhere I like.
Windows Media Connect has some severe limitations, though. If you have your media stored on a mapped network drive, you'll have to install the program directly on the machine. D-Link, though, will let you index music found on a mapped drive.
The DSM-320 also will access streaming music services, such as those offered by Napster and America Online, if you have accounts with them. If you don't, the latest firmware upgrade enabled use of Live365, a free service that provides access to dozens of free Internet radio broadcasts. Unfortunately, these stations are sorted in any kind of order — you just have to surf through until you find one you like, then set it as a preset.
Audio is not bad, but don't expect CD-quality. While it's a couple of notches above FM radio, true audiophiles will be disappointed.
New blog
Check out my new technology Web log at www.chron.com/techblog. Once you're there, drop me a note with suggestions, comments or tech news tips.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Now that it's all set up, here are WiFi add-ons
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