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Rick K.

Rick K.

Joined on 12/14/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
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Most Critical Review

This ain't worth my time

D-Link DSM-510 High-Definition Media Player
D-Link DSM-510 High-Definition Media Player

Pros: Does an excellent job of playing music and pictures off my PC. I could also attach an external USB storage device and it automatically detected it. I could then play stuff off this storage via the menu selection. Has some pretty good positives in comparison to my TiVo HD. It has jacks for HDMI and Digitial Audio. As regards video, it did manage to play my home videos. Pretty easy to setup . The menus are much more slick than the old 320 model. Very compact box.

Cons: It totally craps out while playing most videos. It does not play the VOB files that I grabbed from some of my DVDs (I had the D-Link device on the high speed cable mode - as against wireless). I had a much better experience with the D-Link 320 product, so I am going back to it (the 320 plays just about anything you can come up with). AND>>>>>To install the D-Link supplied Nero software, it made me uninstall every other Nero App I had on my PC (now after returning this product back to the store I will need to re-install the old apps again, what a pain!). I decided to not use the NERO HOME MEDIA ESSENTIAL (desktop s/w) as it took ages to scroll through selection on my TV via the D-Link remote. I tried out TWONKY MEDIA and it was such a life saver. The videos still crash...but it had about 370 internet radio channels! The user interface is much faster too with Twonky Media. D-Link Tech support was totally clueless - with the same run-of-the-mill recommendations, and didn't help a bit.

Overall Review: D-Link is on the right track, but this product would be consumer ready by next year hopefully. TiVo HD is still the king, not many bugs, and plays my videos, audio and pics. The only problem I have with TiVo is does not support plugging in a USB hard drive (which the Dlink does) but only a eSATA hard drive (which I don't have) and does not play videos from my hard drive, but has to transfer it before it plays it. Thus, I cannot have too much content stored on my TiVo but have to constantly delete and make room for more. That is why this DLINK solution makes a lot of sense i.e play off my PCs hard drives. I wonder how the D-Link 520 is, but it is much more expensive. At $99 the D-Link 510 seemed like a great buy - but as it can't play my VOBs, I have no choice but to take it back to the store.

12/14/2007