looking for recommendations on media hubs/receivers--consi..

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

Hey everyone.

I've been looking to buy a digital hub/receiver for awhile now. Mostly wishing for a long time,
as I remember back when prices were $1000+ for hubs that just did MP3 files. But with prices under
$200 for units that do video as well I think now is the time for me to buy.

Like the message title says I'm considering those three models. Some questions:

--can anyone verify that the SMC will only stream/play MPEG format video files? That's what the
PDF version of the manual says, but I'm hoping there's been a firmware update so it can play AVI's
and XVIDs. One of the main reason I'm buying something like this is so I'll no longer have to
transcode AVI/XVID/MPEG files into DVD VOB files; even with a pretty fast (2.4GHz P4) processor and
system it takes hours to convert large movie files. Then they have to be burned onto DVD. MP3s are
easier to deal with though.

--can anyone tell me if the RCA/MSN unit can play video files other than WMV files? Some info on
the box says it'll play anything Windows Media Player on a regular PC can play (which means it
should be able to play MPEG and AVI files), but some text on a brochure I got at Best Buy indicates
it's "Windows Media" compatible, not Player...which isn't as definitive. The BB clerk didn't know.

--can anyone with experience with any of these units let me know their performance streaming video
using the WIRED Ethernet port? Since my PC and home theater system are a fairly short distance apart
I think using wired Ethernet is the better, more reliable way to go. A lot of the reviews of all of
these units criticize them for their spotty wireless performance when dealing with high-data-rate
(sometimes even low-to-mid data rate) videos. I couldn't find many reviews at all with regard to
wired Ethernet performance.

--anyone have experience buying refurbed products from TigerDirect? They are selling refurbed SMC
units for $49.95, about $100 less than a new one. Lowest price I've found for an RCA/MSN unit is
$119.95, for the D-Link $148.95.

Thanks!