NETGEAR EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live Reviewed

Setup

There’s really not much involved to set up the EVA2000.  If you just follow the instructions on the quick start guid (Figure 3), you’ll be up and running in just a few minutes.  There is an installation CD, but you only need to use it if you want to install the PlayOn media server (more on that later). 

The Guide also includes instructions on how to share media using Windows Media Player 11.  However, if you have a new computer with Windows 7, those instructions will be of little value to you, as WMP 12 ships with Windows 7.  Windows 7 does, however, let you easily share content with the EVA2000.

Figure 3: The quick start guide is about all you need to set up the EVA2000.

After connecting the EVA2000 to your network and TV, a splash screen appears within a few seconds of applying power.  It took just slightly over a minute for the full boot sequence including acquiring an IP address from my network, connecting to the Internet, and running an Internet speed test.  For all of my tests, I connected the EVA2000 to an analog TV in my office, so I apologize in advance for the quality of  the TV screen shots.

Figure 4 shows the main menu after the EVA successfully connects to the Internet.

Figure 4: EVA2000 Main Menu

The curious can scroll down to the Settings menu and check out the various options there.  You can check your Internet connection speed, set an IP address manually, or run the network wizard which resets the network interface, reacquires an IP address and tests your Internet connection.  Figure 5 shows that I have a fairly good Internet connection.

Figure 5: Network Status and wizard