Home Broadcast Studio: Multimedia Network Players

Philips Streamium

Originally Philips had planned to launch its wireless "home receiver" back in summer after a round of delays. But after the manufacturer suddenly decided to go with an 802.11b and 802.11g WLAN solution instead of the initially planned, pure 802.11b solution (11 Mbit/s), the launch of the Streamium Multimedia Links SL300i and SL400i and the Streamium MX6000i entertainment system was postponed until February 2004. All three receivers play and display files formatted in MP3, MP3pro, Real Audio, PCM/WAV, MPEG1, 2 and 4, DivX 4 and 5.03, JPEG, BMP and GIF from any PC connected to a network. Beyond that, all Streamium devices can also stream music and videos from the internet and can use multimedia online services like internet radio. The SL400i includes a USB wireless dongle and so is aimed at newbies with no W-LAN infrastructure, while the cheaper SL300i is aimed at buyers who already have a wireless or cabled network.

It also features an upgrade function via internet. Prices: SL300i: around $280 (€350), SL400i around $400 (€500). The price for the MX6000i system had not yet been fixed by our copy deadline. Conclusion: It's meant to be compact, elegant, innovative and ready for the future - provided the actual products stand up. The price is a bit steep at this stage, however.

Philips gives you all the options: from a simple media adapter like the SL300i for existing network infrastructure...

...to the SL400i with corresponding PC USB-W-LAN adapter in the package...

...all the way up to the compact MX6000i system complete with integrated network receiver featuring W-LAN, 5x DVD changer, AV amplifier and 6x 75 watt speakers, there's something for everyone.