[DEAD] Linksys MCE Extenders $100 off

[Binky]

**The promo codes have expired**

I saw this from a post over at the Green Button. If you use promo code "MSFTDEAL" at Amazon, you get $100 off the Linksys DMA 2100 or DMA2200.

I was holding out until the Dlink V2 extender came out, but this made me bite on the 2200.

 

[Binky]

Some links:

DMA2200 with DVD player $299 before discount, free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-...&qid=1205460352&sr=8-1

DMA2100 $249 before discount, free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-...&qid=1205460409&sr=1-1

 

[jalaram]

Are these compatible with Vista MCE?

 

[jalaram]

I'll actually read the following in the link:

The Linksys Media Center Extender and your Windows Vista Media Center PC give you a complete PVR solution--allowing you to watch, pause, rewind and record live TV (PC-embedded or optional TV tuner required). In addition to traditional TV, you also have access to a broad set of popular Internet video services that enable you to download the latest movie releases or stream the latest releases from Showtime, Fox Sports, Nickelodeon, and more.

 

[Karaktu]

Apparently, one $100 discount per Amazon account.

 

[Binky]

Yeah, at least one person on green button mentioned that too. Good enough, grab a Linksys for one room, then a D-link when they hit the market for the other room.

 

[mzkhadir]

the reviews say the product sucks

 

[Karaktu]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir
the reviews say the product sucks

That's because people don't know what they're buying. Media Center Extrenders are exactly that -- extenders for Windows Media Center. That's all they do.

And for those of us that want that, they're perfect (I can unload my $300 Xbox 360s now!).

 

[imported_OrSin]

Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway. The 360 upscales so much better, and I never get any jitters with it. Now i dont have the linksys, only the d link. But the d-link and sucks so bad. I good extender media box fir alot less is the Mediagate series. Not all of them are wireless, so if you need wireless make sure you get the right one. Also the mediagate stuff is not a MCE extender so it will work off any system as long as the folder is shared.

Just my option.

 

[jalaram]

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway. The 360 upscales so much better, and I never get any jitters with it. Now i dont have the linksys, only the d link. But the d-link and sucks so bad. I good extender media box fir alot less is the Mediagate series. Not all of them are wireless, so if you need wireless make sure you get the right one. Also the mediagate stuff is not a MCE extender so it will work off any system as long as the folder is shared.

Just my option.

While the MCE extenders don't get great reviews, you can't compare it to the mediagate type units. With an extender, you can tune to live TV or setup recordings on the MCE computer. For simple playback of network files, then I'll agree that it's better.

I'll still trying to raise funds for a SageTV extender/client combo. IMHO, the best of both worlds.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway.

Sure... right up until you want to play DivX or H.264 on it, anyways.

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway.

Sure... right up until you want to play DivX or H.264 on it, anyways.

Can you play those on an extender? I was always under an impression you couldn't.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway.

Sure... right up until you want to play DivX or H.264 on it, anyways.

Can you play those on an extender? I was always under an impression you couldn't.

You certainly can on the new v2 extenders from D-Link and Linksys.

 

[Binky]

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway.

True, partially. The Xbox 360 is MUCH louder, and it also has a tendancy to die. The extenders are smaller, quieter, more acceptable to the woman of the house, and they will probably live a longer life than an Xbox360. But, they are also reported to be a bit more sluggish in responsiveness compared to the Xbox360.

Having said that, can we not turn this into a review and critiique of the product? This is a hot deals forum. This is a pretty good deal if you wanted an extender. If you like the Xbox as an extender, great, find a hot deal on an Xbox360 and post it in these forums.

 

[Staples]

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway.

Sure... right up until you want to play DivX or H.264 on it, anyways.

Can you play those on an extender? I was always under an impression you couldn't.

You can not play DIVX or H264 on Media Center on the Xbox however,you can share the files with the Xbox with WMP11 and they will play just fine. I have used the Xbox as an extender for a year and well, they really are terrible compared to the TIVO I used to have. Rewinding and FF suck terrible on them, it crashes when it chokes on a video, it hardly supports any codecs and even the ones it does, sometimes it won't play the videos.

I have a HD tuner card for my PC and I stream it to my Xbox but for just watching videos, I just use WMP11 to share it with the Xbox and play them from the dashboard. It is so hard to believe just how bad the WMC extender software in the Xbox really is. This is software that Microsoft spent 100s of dollars on? It amazes me. Steaming video to the dashboard is not the greatest either but it works a lot better than streaming it to XME because 1) it supports a lot more codecs 2) bookmarks the god damn video if you press stop, 3) is stable and does not crash or have long pauses.

 

[Binky]

V2 extenders (i.e. for a Vista MCE machine) do support Divx, xvid, and H264. Obviously there are several versions of these codecs and YMMV.

 

[Karaktu]

The newest dash update (for the 360) from Microsoft supposedly allows streaming of DivX files.

Originally posted by: Staples

Originally posted by: cyberia

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sorry the 360 is better extenter in everyway.

Sure... right up until you want to play DivX or H.264 on it, anyways.

Can you play those on an extender? I was always under an impression you couldn't.

You can not play DIVX or H264 on Media Center on the Xbox however,you can share the files with the Xbox with WMP11 and they will play just fine. I have used the Xbox as an extender for a year and well, they really are terrible compared to the TIVO I used to have. Rewinding and FF suck terrible on them, it crashes when it chokes on a video, it hardly supports any codecs and even the ones it does, sometimes it won't play the videos.

I have a HD tuner card for my PC and I stream it to my Xbox but for just watching videos, I just use WMP11 to share it with the Xbox and play them from the dashboard. It is so hard to believe just how bad the WMC extender software in the Xbox really is. This is software that Microsoft spent 100s of dollars on? It amazes me. Steaming video to the dashboard is not the greatest either but it works a lot better than streaming it to XME because 1) it supports a lot more codecs 2) bookmarks the god damn video if you press stop, 3) is stable and does not crash or have long pauses.

 

[amheck]

Thanks for the info OP. Seems like a real nice deal. Been hearing about these and they seem to be perfect for getting TV into a room that has no wires.

Can anyone confirm, I can hook these to a PC, and then basically do anything I can in VMC on my main PC, just on the Linksys-connected TV?

 

[cyberia]

Originally posted by: amheck
Thanks for the info OP. Seems like a real nice deal. Been hearing about these and they seem to be perfect for getting TV into a room that has no wires.

Can anyone confirm, I can hook these to a PC, and then basically do anything I can in VMC on my main PC, just on the Linksys-connected TV?

That's my understanding too. I am hoping this is correct. I am also assuming that if my VMC can see media on a NAS, the extender will too.

I ended up getting the less expensive model (DMA2100) mainly because I have no need for the DVD drive and the $150 price point is much more appealing than the $200 one. But... Can anyone comment on the 2-antenna vs. 3-antenna wireless performance on these units?

Thanks.

 

[Penth]

Is this deal dead? I just tried for one and it says the coupon is not valid.

 

[Binky]

There's a whole forum on extenders over at The Green Button. Great MCE forum. Extenders can do most of what MCE can do with some exceptions. They are a very nice way to bring all of your MCE content to another room. Xbox360 is more powerful, larger, and more responsive, but louder and more likely to break. Either way, MCE itself is slightly limited, and the extenders are a bit more limited, but still a reasonably priced way to stread media content to another room. Wired network > wireless, so dont hate the extender due to wireless network limitations.

 

[amheck]

Originally posted by: Penth
Is this deal dead? I just tried for one and it says the coupon is not valid.

Bummer, I think so. I was trying to decide between the two models and was going to try to order today. Oh well.

 

[Staples]

Originally posted by: Karaktu
The newest dash update (for the 360) from Microsoft supposedly allows streaming of DivX files.

The actual Media Center application on the Xbox can not play them nor can it play h264. There is a section on the Xbox dashboard which will detect shared media from WMP11 and that video player will play DIVX and H264. This is what method I use most the time regardless of the codec it is in. MCE is buggy and I do not have to deal with them on the dashboard media player.

 

[imported_OrSin]

Originally posted by: Binky
There's a whole forum on extenders over at The Green Button. Great MCE forum. Extenders can do most of what MCE can do with some exceptions. They are a very nice way to bring all of your MCE content to another room. Xbox360 is more powerful, larger, and more responsive, but louder and more likely to break. Either way, MCE itself is slightly limited, and the extenders are a bit more limited, but still a reasonably priced way to stread media content to another room. Wired network > wireless, so dont hate the extender due to wireless network limitations.

You keep throwing out thier the more likely to break crap. The Xbox is not going to over heat ever from using it as MCE. I have the orginal 360, and never had a problem. Yes some did over heat, but that from the games never as an extender.

 

[byronm]

Unfortunately the extender is pretty rubbish - especially if you're used to the snappy feel of the xbox 360 (well, its snappy compared to these units). Yes, the v2's have built in support for divx h264 unlike the 360 but i use transcode 360 without any issues so its moot. There is a new release of media center being tested and i have high hopes MS won't continue to gimp the 360s functionality as a v2 player after the "intro market" of the linksys is done.