Thus, the DMA2100 will playback video encoded in MPEG 1, MPEG 2, WMV9, VC-1 in any container supported natively by Windows, along with audio encoded in PCM, MP3, WMA, WMA-Pro, Dolby Digital AC3, MPEG Audio and AAC-LC. It also adds support for the Xvid codec, while also expanding codec support to many commonly used standard definition and high definition codecs. With a theoretical throughput of 300Mbps this makes wireless streaming of HD content a reality, something that couldn’t be said of 802.11a, b, or g. So, what about features? Well, as reported back in November, high on the feature list is integrated Dual-Band Wirless-N. This, however, is the only difference between the two, with both offering otherwise identical features and performance. It’s worth noting, too, that the DMA 2100 isn’t the only offering available, since there’s also the DMA 2200 that adds an upscaling DVD player to the basic spec and is consequently larger. Past MCEs were large beasts but the DMA 2100 is suitably small and compact and though the black casing is hardly an inspired piece of design and won’t sit so comfortably with smarter looking consumer electronics products, it at least fades into the background. It aims to correct many of the problems encountered in past dedicated MCEs, while also being the first designed specifically with the much improved Vista Media Center in mind.įrom the outset the form factor is a definite improvement. Never one to give up easily, though, Microsoft has once again partnered with Linksys to produce what Microsoft considers the third generation of MCEs, the Xbox 360 being the second, and Linksys’ second effort in this arena. PCs are generally considered too noisy for multimedia situations, as is the wind tunnel that is the Xbox 360, while previous Media Center Extenders (MCEs) were crippled by poor format support and sluggish performance. Unfortunately, its whole strategy has been a pretty mixed affair. Indeed, much of Microsoft’s strategy in recent years seems to have been focussed on getting the PC into the Living Room, be it through a Home Theatre PC (HTPC), Xbox 360 or a dedicated Media Center Extender. The Living Room – it’s the holy grail of computing.
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