Digital Media Receivers
Rip, mix, transmit. Why add more cables to the tangle behind your hi-fi? Compact and simple to install, these wireless receivers get music files - MP3s as well as WMAs - from your PC to your entertainment center. Until Wi-Fi chips are built into stereos, these go-betweens will do just fine.
SPLURGE
HP ew5000
As soon as you plug in this Wi-Fi receiver, it detects your network and scans for music stored on any connected computer. More set-top box than stereo component, the device uses your TV to display your music files, and it lets you stage digital slide shows of your pictures. The straightforward remote control makes orchestrating multimedia extravaganzas a snap.
$299, www.hpshopping.com
BEST BUY (SHOWN)
cd3o c300 Network MP3 Player
This ultracompact Wi-Fi DJ blends in nicely with both monster hi-fi stacks and unobtrusive bookshelf systems. With an optical digital output and extended-range antenna, the c300 is the simplest way to get pure digital audio from your PC to your stereo, sans wires. Plus, the smart speech interface shouts out track listings, so you don't have to squint at a screen.
$249, ww.cd3o.com
OVERRATED
Motorola simplefi
The simplefi is wireless, but it's not Wi-Fi compatible. An included RF adapter plugs into your PC's USB port and communicates at 2.4 GHz directly with the receiver, a sleek black-and-silver box with built-in headphone jack. It supports Internet radio, but the attractive palm-sized remote trades function for form, and it's pretty much impossible to find songs when the screen is way the hell across the room.
$379, www.motorola.com/simplefi
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