Linksys extends its media streaming range

Streaming HD video is sure to be one of the hot technologies of 2008 and Linksys is getting in early. Cue two new home media extenders designed to work with Windows XP and Vista Media Center software.

First announced in September last year, the DMA2100 is a fairly conventional Media Center Extender box, providing the ability to stream live TV, photos, video and audio from your Media Center PC to your TV. Unlike the only other Extender on the market, the Xbox 360, this box promises not to overlay whatever you watch with constant background fan noise.

Extending Media Center

The DMA2200 is a technical step up. It includes an integrated DVD player with a built-in upscaler, so you can ignore the HD format war altogether and res up your DVDs to near HD quality instead.

Both of the jet-black devices utilise dual-band wireless N for high-speed data transfer, taking advantage of the less-crowded 5GHz spectrum. This adds up to almost double the bandwidth of a standard 802.11n connection.

Both extenders will be able to access and display any plug-ins that are designed for Media Center PCs, such as weather alerts and home monitoring cameras. The devices will also take advantage of the extra storage provided by NAS devices, such as Linksys' NAS200.

The extenders will be available from 1 February, with the DMA2100 priced at £199.99 and the DMA2200 at £229.99. Although if you check out this Linksys partner site, you can preorder the Extenders now for £186 and £217 respectively.