Streaming multimedia content to your television

Ex: Kiss-technologie, or some low-end dvd player

• Small
• Cheap
• Easy to install
• If You have no computer in house (is it possible?), a good way to
  have your first contact with multimedia computer format.

• You MUST burn all content (divx, mp3 …) to a CDR/CDRW: slow and really a pain
• Codecs update are slow and/or depending on the company
• Impossible or difficult to add peripheral

Ex: Pinnacle Showcenter 1000g

• Small
• Easy to install
• Need a local network

• Impossible or difficult to add peripheral
• Codecs update are slow and/or depending on the company

Ex: a XBOX + modchips + XBMC

• Very good support of open source format: OGG, XVID, MP3 read here
• Open source
• Internal multi-purpose mass storage (8Gb to 300Gb)
• NO Digital Right Management (DRM)
• Support major network protocols (FTP, NFS,Samba) to access media stream

• not very easy to install, configure
• ** Network attached storage :Optionnal but recommended

Ex: The Dreambox DM7000 from Dream-Multimedia-Tv

• Very good support of open source format: OGG, XVID, MP3
• Open source: Linux
• Internal multi-purpose mass storage (8Gb to 300Gb)
• Add peripheral is easy
• Internall multi-purpose mass storage
• NO Digital Right Management (DRM)
• Support major network protocols (FTP, NFS,Samba) to access media stream
• It use cheap PC peripherical: CDRW, DVDRW, Harddisk

• not very easy to install, configure

Ex :M$ Media Center 2005, Frequently Asked Questions is here

• Add peripheral is easy
• Internal multi-purpose mass storage
• It is a customized windows XP behind,
• It is a regular PC, with cheap peripherical: CDRW, DVDRW, Harddisk
• Browser integrated

• Crippled with Digital Right Management (DRM)
• Expensive
• Limited support of open source format: OGG, XVID, MP3
• Access media stream only to others media center or aproved M$ site