Here's what I mean by tricky: A firmware upgrade, installation of an internal hard drive (annoyingly not included), calls to tech support, and several changes to my PC's security settings were needed before I was set up. But in the end, the product proved its worth. I enjoyed crisp HD content that I first loaded wirelessly to the unit's hard drive via my 802.11g Wi-Fi network.

Wireless streaming of video from a host computer was a different story: Sputtering was out of control. The wait time for transferring a full-lenght movie could be hours, too, but once movies were on the device's drive, they played perfectly. I had no problem streaming audio and photos. A nice Internet radio function that also requires hard drive installation provides access to Shout Cast and Ice Cast servers. A USB connection in back makes for easy plug-and-play of files on a flash drive.

For the patient, Wi-Fi-adept consumer, MediaGate has created an affordable, solid product.
Mediagate MG-350HD: $249.99