Japanese giant Sony has also discovered wireless LAN for home networking and offers the RoomLink Network Media Receiver, a nifty compact solution for playing PC content on your TV and stereo via a network.

The basic device is the VAIO RoomLink Network Media Receiver PCNA-MR10 for $199. For $650, the PCNA-MR10KIT1 650 features a special bundle made up of the RoomLink Media Receiver PCNA-MR10, the 5 GHz Ethernet Converter PCWA-DE50 ($199) and the 5 GHz Wireless LAN access point PCWA-A500 ($349).

The Media Receiver from Sony, on the other hand, only has a (Fast) Ethernet interface to which a W-LAN-G adapter (not included) can be connected for wireless PC hook-up, which also requires a corresponding adapter. The Media Receiver cannot, however, freely access released audio and video content stored on a PC. Such files must first be input into a database using Sony's own software tools. Only then can they be played back on the television / stereo via the network. The receiver supports BMP, TIF, GIF, JPEG, PMG, ATRAC-3(+), Wave, MP3 and MPEG-1 and -2 file formats. Conclusion: Anyone planning to buy a new VAIO computer for the holidays anyway should certainly take a look at these two offers. But without Divx and Xvid, another network player makes more sense and is a lot cheaper.

Sony's RoomLink Network Media Receiver is only available in a package with one of two Sony Vaio desktop PCs - without a WLAN adapter. Both receiver and PC adapters must be purchased separately.