I received a Netgear EVA8000 from Amazon and have given it a major workover in the last week , using the latest firmware (1.20) and the all of the latest beta firmware files (now 1.66). In testing the EVA800 I used it with Windows XP and with Vista using both the supplied software and the latest beta software. The EVA8000 was used mainly with a wired ethernet connection to dismiss any issues with wireless throughput.
The unit was connected to a Pioneer HD-4340 Plasma at both 1080i and 720p using both HDMI and component - with no discernible differences using either input.
I must say that I had high hopes for this unit which offers many interesting functions and support for a number of different video and audio types.
Setup is easily accomplished and requires installation of the software on Windows during the setup process. Once the Windows setup concludes (including setting up folder sharing options) the unit searches for folders and completes the setup by registering the shared items. Right here is where the first issue is noticed - the EVA8000 does not offer folder browsing. (The latest firmware does address this in an introductory way - albeit with some issues). Any listing of files within their directory structures is lost and you have to browse endless lists - unless you tag each file with the included ap (this ap however is buggy and does not always work and has caused corruption issues). If like me you have say video files listed in folders according to genre / sub type / season etc. the fact that this is ignored is a real problem. Netgear is trying to have this as an option - but only time will tell if it works. As it is it's an unituitive and haphazard approach if you have a large number of files.
The majority of my video files are DIVX/XVID files encoded at various rates, a number of which are 720p files. I did not have a problem getting any file to play - including the HD files - HOWEVER - a serious problem occurs with every DIVX/XVID file I have tried. You might call it motion judder / stutter / dropped frames etc but there is a definite and continuous problem as the file plays happening every 5 secs or so, it is really quite annoying and appears worse during fast motion and at transition points. Nothing I have tried alleviates this problem and nothing changes with any firmware change. I should add that ALL of these files play perfectly on my Rapsody N35 unit.
It should be mentioned here that this problem has been noted a number of times on the Netgear EVA8000 beta forum, however the problem has never been acknowledged by the mods as an issue. On the contrary, POSTS ARE ROUTINELY DELETED BY THE MODS concerning this and other issues. This is extremely frustrating. I made a post politely asking for a response regarding this issue, asking was this an acknowledged issue, was a fix in the works, was it unfixable etc. - however my post never made it to the board. What the point of this is - I'm not sure, it restricts interaction and leaves you with the feeling that they neither want to acknowledge the issue or have a fix for it.
I tried other formats with mixed success. MKV files will not play, WMV files play well with no issues. MP4 was a mixed bag, some played, some didn't, one locked the unit up. IFO support has been added with beta firmware and works OK.
Fast forward is an issue if you choose any higher forward speed beyond 1X, the unit stops and buffers the file - resulting in a long wait for the file to play again and often in a crash back to the menu. Mods have promised a fix in the future - but none yet. Another issue is that the file sometimes looses sync after forwarding and pressing play. The sync problem seems to be a general issue as files over an hour generally loose sync as the file progresses to 70 mins>.
Youtube streaming is great - not a problem here - a good inclusion.
Streaming internet radio is also good, with no problems experienced.
As far as audio is concerned - it's really a mixed bag. The unit will play DRM files (sometimes) I streamed a number of songs with a Yahoo Music subscription, though for no reason it would not play some and then lock up. This may be a windows issue. When playing files ripped to the hard drive - I had problems playing WAV files. Again some would play, some would not - I could not find a reason why. Once a song refused to play, the unit would not play any subsequent songs and sometimes would lock up. MP3 files were more successful but errant behavior did occur - again for no discernible reason.
So, after many, many hours of testing, searching through the Netgear forums for solutions, trying various firmware files, I have to conclude that the unit promises much (I hoped it would become my main media streaming unit) but delivers poorly. Either the unit was delivered too early and will require many more months of development - or as others have commented - the unit just cannot do what it is advertised to do. Sadly it will be returned and I will look for another option.
Would I recommend someone to buy this unit - I think not - but it depends on your needs, it may work out fine for you, but when basic options do not work right and a fix is promised for some undisclosed point in the future, or support is missing altogether or the developer is uninterested, its hard to say "buy it". For me - it is all just too much work - the unit is definitely not ready for release. If you are happy to purchase it in the hope that the numerous issues are fixed in the future - then good luck - it's too much "pie in the sky" for me.
