Comments on: Review: Netgear Digital Entertainer EVA700 http://www.gizmosforgeeks.com/2007/09/03/review-netgear-digital-entertainer-eva700/2522 Whoever Has The Most Toys Wins! Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:34:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Netgear EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live – MultiMedia Streaming Box [Gizmos for Geeks] http://www.gizmosforgeeks.com/2007/09/03/review-netgear-digital-entertainer-eva700/2522/comment-page-1#comment-3179 Netgear EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live – MultiMedia Streaming Box [Gizmos for Geeks] Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:45:34 +0000 http://www.gizmosforgeeks.com/2007/09/03/review-netgear-digital-entertainer-eva700/#comment-3179 [...] reviewed one of their earlier products (the EVA700) and found a box with lots of potential, although it fell short at the time. The EVA2000 builds on [...] [...] reviewed one of their earlier products (the EVA700) and found a box with lots of potential, although it fell short at the time. The EVA2000 builds on [...]

]]> By: Warren Slater http://www.gizmosforgeeks.com/2007/09/03/review-netgear-digital-entertainer-eva700/2522/comment-page-1#comment-378 Warren Slater Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:15:39 +0000 http://www.gizmosforgeeks.com/2007/09/03/review-netgear-digital-entertainer-eva700/#comment-378 In the conclusion you suggest spending a little more on the EVA8000 instead of getting the EVA700...don't. The Netgear Eva8000 is a great product on paper and if you enjoy lock ups, freezes, reboots and frequently crawling around unplugging and replugging in your eqiupment when it locks up. The picture quality however is fantastic I bought 2 Eva8000's for separate rooms. They’re both pathetic. I have had the previous model (EVA700) for about 6 months. This has a completely different (more basic) interface and, unlike the EVA8000, is an absolute pleasure to use. It seems that Netgear are not content with only releasing crap hardware (EVA8000), installing Netgear’s Digital Entertainer software causes certain files to bomb out when played in windows. This leads to Media Centre (both XP & Vista versions) to completely crash (regardless of which other codecs are installed - I tried numerous combinations and versions including just the latest divx & xvid official codecs). Removing the Netgear software makes Media Centre work again every time. The best thing one can say about the Netgear software is “it uninstalls well”. If my Eva8000 were to catch fire it would improve my life as I would stop the futile exercise of trying to get it to work without locking up or rebooting (and yes I do have the latest firmware). Rebooting takes about 2 minutes and then one has to rescan the media library which takes about 15 minutes for 3000 files. The cheaper Eva700 is practically instant on and adding media doesn't require a rescan. Why didn’t they just keep the Eva700’s operation, “Windows Media Connect” software and add hi-def capabilities? This would have made the Eva8000 an unbeatable product. Although I am a fan of Netgear products the EVA8000 is a piece of crap. I cannot believe anyone would actually sell something so buggy. I'd rather have smallpox than another EVA8000. If you can find one...get the EVA700. It isn't high-def, but it works flawlessly. In the conclusion you suggest spending a little more on the EVA8000 instead of getting the EVA700…don’t. The Netgear Eva8000 is a great product on paper and if you enjoy lock ups, freezes, reboots and frequently crawling around unplugging and replugging in your eqiupment when it locks up. The picture quality however is fantastic

I bought 2 Eva8000’s for separate rooms. They’re both pathetic. I have had the previous model (EVA700) for about 6 months. This has a completely different (more basic) interface and, unlike the EVA8000, is an absolute pleasure to use. It seems that Netgear are not content with only releasing crap hardware (EVA8000), installing Netgear’s Digital Entertainer software causes certain files to bomb out when played in windows. This leads to Media Centre (both XP & Vista versions) to completely crash (regardless of which other codecs are installed – I tried numerous combinations and versions including just the latest divx & xvid official codecs).
Removing the Netgear software makes Media Centre work again every time. The best thing one can say about the Netgear software is “it uninstalls well”. If my Eva8000 were to catch fire it would improve my life as I would stop the futile exercise of trying to get it to work without locking up or rebooting (and yes I do have the latest firmware).

Rebooting takes about 2 minutes and then one has to rescan the media library which takes about 15 minutes for 3000 files. The cheaper Eva700 is practically instant on and adding media doesn’t require a rescan. Why didn’t they just keep the Eva700’s operation, “Windows Media Connect” software and add hi-def capabilities? This would have made the Eva8000 an unbeatable product.

Although I am a fan of Netgear products the EVA8000 is a piece of crap. I cannot believe anyone would actually sell something so buggy. I’d rather have smallpox than another EVA8000. If you can find one…get the EVA700. It isn’t high-def, but it works flawlessly.

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