D-Link DSM-750 Review

One of the biggest features that Windows Media Center has going for it is its extender model. Once you have a Windows Media Center PC setup you can use other hardware devices, extenders, to connect to other televisions within your home and get basically the same user experience on your TV as you do on your PC. One such extender is the DSM-750 by D-Link.

The DSM-750 is packed with features. The biggest one being that it includes Draft N wireless built in. If you’ve ever tried streaming high definition video over a Wireless G network then you’ll understand why upgrading to the speeds of an N network are so important. If you don’t have a Wireless N router you can use Wireless G on the device also. Of course you don’t have to use it wirelessly; it does have a built-in 10/100Mbps Ethernet port. It also offers a plethora of output options that will allow you to connect to any television you have in your house. It offers the one cable simplicity of an HDMI port, but also has component, S-Video, and composite for video output. For audio you can also use coax or optical for digital audio, and composite audio. The device also has other built-in software called Media Lounge, but none of that is integrated into the Media Center experience, so I spent very little with that.

Setup of the DSM-750 as a Media Center Extender is simple. In fact, if you’ve ever setup an XBOX 360 as an extender the process is exactly the same. The only difference would be if you are using wireless then you’ll need to setup your network connection prior to entering the Media Center setup. Once inside the MC setup it will present you with an eight digit key that will need to be input on the PC when the extender is detected. The total setup time, including setting up my secured wireless connection was less than 10 minutes. The process is also easy enough that anyone who can use a computer and Media Center Extender could do this. You don’t need to be a computer programmer to figure it out.

Once its setup you are presented with the same user interface for Media Center that you have on the computer itself. You can watch live and recorded television, in standard or high definition. You can also listen to your entire music library, view your photos, and watch all of the videos you have on your computer. Of course the DSM-750 doesn’t support every video and audio codec under the sun, but it does support more formats than the XBOX 360. In Windows Vista Media Center you can watch divx/xvid videos on this extender, something the XBOX wasn’t able to do until Windows 7.

The DSM-750 also surpasses the XBOX 360 as a Media Center Extender in two other key areas. This extender looks like all of the other equipment in your entertainment center. It’s small, thin, and the same width as most standard A/V devices. It could be confused for a DVD player if it actually had a DVD drive, and didn’t have the three antennas on the back. The other major advantage is that it’s completely silent. Anyone using an XBOX 360 knows how much of a benefit this is in the living room environment.

There are some negative aspects to the DSM-750 though. The user interface does not run as smoothly as it does on the Media Center PC. It’s not even as smooth as the XBOX. You will notice a little bit of choppiness and delay when navigating the menus. It also doesn’t have the beautiful animated transitions of the PC or XBOX.  None of this matters once you’re watching television of course, but it does detract a little from the otherwise gorgeous visual experience offered by Windows Media Center. The other major disadvantage of this device is the price. It currently retails on D-Link’s website for $289.99. Even on Amazon the price isn’t much better at $271. When you can get an XBOX 360 for $199 it might be hard to justify the additional $90 for this device.

So the biggest question left to answer is whether or not I would recommend this device, and like so many other questions the answer is: it depends. The D-Link DSM-750 biggest features are important. Having Wireless N, multiple output options, and increased video codec support in a silent box that looks like it belongs with the rest of your A/V equipment are significant reasons to choose this device. If however you are looking for the absolute best looking and performing, user experience, and for less money, then you’re better off sticking with the XBOX 360.

Now that Linksys and HP have pulled out of the Windows Media Center Extender market this is your only option other than the XBOX 360. In the end you will have to weigh the positives and negatives of both devices to choose which one works best for you.