Review: D-Link Medialounge DSM-520 media streaming device

D-Link’s previous media streaming devices have been less than inspiring. Various wireless stability problems made them more frustrating to use than anything else.

However, the new Medialounge DSM-520 is a far more steady effort, offering a range of connectivity for today's entertainment market.

You’ll find HDMI, scart, composite and S-video connections, along with USB for direct access from a portable media device or digital camera, and a network socket to hook up to a wired home network.

The Medialounge’s main function is to stream content wirelessly from a PC, so a wireless home network is recommended. A short setup routine configures the connection and, provided you have some basic experience in this area, there shouldn't be any problems getting it up and running.

Media Server software needs to be installed on the computer and its here that folders are chosen that share content with the MediaLounge, which is then accessible through the TV.
Photos and music streamed flawlessly on our 802.11g wifi connection and it’s now a lot easier to browse and control media remotely.

Video playback, the biggest weakness of the past Medialounge devices is far more stable, and almost all of the content we tested worked first time without too many problems. Although, we did notice the connection dropping a few times in the middle of playback which was rather frustrating.

There's support for the large majority of media formats, although connecting external media devices to the USB generated some issues with unsupported codecs; hopefully something that can be resolved in a future firmware update.

In addition, the DSM-520 can stream internet radio stations and, via the Totalvid.com service, a 30-day trial of which is provided.

Where previous products in the series were far too troublesome to garner a recommendation, we enjoyed using the DSM-520, and putting aside niggling glitches with the wireless connection it’s a genuinely useful addition to a modern day home cinema setup.

Vista compatible: Yes