Tom's Hardware > All Reviews > Special > Miscellaneous > Why Didn't Somebody Tell Me That I Needed a Mediagate MG-350HD?

Conclusion

01:31 - Thursday 28 September 2006 by Michael Baggaley

I have to admit that, in theory, the Mediagate MG-350HD is a neat little device. It's compact, multifunctional, and it can play file formats on your television that would otherwise require an expensive HTPC setup. Someone looking to play a few family videos on the big screen periodically might find the MG-350HD useful. On the other hand, anybody looking to use this device as a day-to-day media player will most likely be disappointed in it. The wait times alone would frustrate even the most patient of people.

Setting the MG-350HD up was not difficult enough to require a degree in "geek", but it was definitely beyond the skill level of a novice user. The manual will not help the novice much either. Its instructions assume that the user has a basic knowledge regarding networking, computers and electronics. People who are intimidated by programming their VCR will likely be completely baffled by the setup instructions.

If you're interested in the MG-350HD because you're not quite ready to jump into a home theatre PC, I'd hesitate to recommend it to you. Even if you're looking primarily for a single HDD NAS with wireless functionality, the cost of the MG-350HD should be considered. Considering that a quick Google search brought up a Dlink multiple drive NAS with 802.11g and Gigabit for less, the MG-350HD comes up short of a bargain.

Personally, I would not consider purchasing the MG-350HD, nor would I recommend it to others. There are just too many flaws to overcome before you can really sit back and enjoy the video playback functions. The cost is a little high for my taste as well. After all, I could be almost halfway to a functional HTPC with that money.

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