GoVideo D2740 Network DVD Player
Cutting Edge... Forget Microsoft Media!
First and foremost, this is a good sturdy player with a solid chassis; so it's by no means cheap like many other players out there.    2. The network and software was a piece of cake to setup and start using. Although there are no updates at the time of this writing, I like the idea the software and firmware can be updated if it needs to be.  3. I'm using a Linksys Wireless-G setup so I have yet to experience any lag or network slow-downs, even while using my full bandwidth on my computer and watching a file over the network simultaneously. There really isn't any waiting for communication sync either while browsing files.  4. The DVD player is awesome and really does read both DVD+R and DVD-R discs. I had previously purchased a Sony which said it did do just that, but didn't when I took it home and tried to use it.  5. The server software runs great on my Windows 2003 server installation (I use the server for my intranet including web development and now file serving).  6. The photo gallery and playing audio playlists worked flawlessly.    About Video Formats  - DivX plays but looks awful (audio came through fine)  - SVCD plays well, but will get choppy on fast motion scenes (I think its the stream having a hard time keeping up... the file is crystal clear on my PC and scenes with little motion).  - VCD plays the best (no choppiness), but is a little grainy... only because of the format    Now for the negative stuff which isn't really negative... just informative:  - The software does take an abnormal amount of time to launch on the intital boot.  However, if you have a dedicated server/computer for this program, you shouldn't be rebooting all too often anyhow.  Both when idle and being used, the software itself consistantly used about 5000k of memory (about the same as windows explorer).  - If you have lots of media, you'll spend a lot of time fixing your ID3 tags and creating playlists to make your overall experience better.  - On that note, ID3 tags are limited to title, album, artist and genre for audio files (you can only edit the title on video files which is frustrating, but wouldn't show up on the tv screen anyhow so I guess it doesn't matter).  I highly recommend having a seperate ID3 tag editor onhand such as \\"tag & rename\\" just to make life simpler.  - You can't \\"lock out\\" playlists (ie - I don't exactly want my 5-year-old watching my \\"Sex and the City\\" playlist.  - It'd be nice if I could custom skin or style the network interface. It's not that it's bad, I just like to do that sort of thing.  - Only uses WEP security... would be nice if it used WPA as well.  The GoVideo FAQs clearly state that the D2740 won't be supporting WPA.  - I've found that the player doesn't like to switch between the DVD player and the network.  I often find myself powering off the machine after a DVD before switching to the network.  - The remote control isn't as sensitive as I'd like it to be.  It needs to be pointed directly at the machine.  - The tray isn't as sensitive as I'd like it either.  It doesn't instantly pop out when you push the button like other players.  The tray does instantly come open when using the remote though.  - Similar to the D2730, getting the S-Video working is weird (its not auto-sensing like most DVD players; its manual), but it's clear how to do it in the instructions.    The main advantage to this player is that you get everything for your home media network in one package that isn't gonna break the bank. The Microsoft setup cost me for a dedicated computer, a custom OS and then $250 a pop for each set-top box and you can't really customize as much as you'd like to (in my experience anyway). This particular setup will only set you back about $200.00 and you don't need anything else other then an already existing wired or wireless network. I had mine setup and operable in only about ten minutes.    Despite its few minor flaws, I love this product! I suspect some firmware and software upgrades will resolve most of these very minor issues.  I'll definitely be buying another one for my other television.