Netgear NTV200 : Over-the-Top Streaming for Non-Networked TVs
by Ganesh T S on December 22, 2011 10:50 PM EST- Posted in
- Media Streamer
- Home Theater
- NetGear
A summary of the characteristics of the various streaming services supported by the Netgear NTV200 is provided below.
| Streaming Services Compatibility Details | |
| Netgear NTV200 | |
| Firmware Version v1.01.10 | |
| Service | Notes |
| Netflix | No Support for 1080p or DD+ |
| Adaptive Streaming Implemented | |
| YouTube | Leanback Interface |
| Max. 720p Supported | |
| Miscellaneous Video Services | Amazon VoD, Hulu Plus Not Supported |
| VUDU HDX Supported with Seamless Adaptive Streaming | |
| Crackle Not Supported | |
| Miscellaneous Audio Services | Pandora Supported |
| Spotify Not Supported | |
| Web Browser | Not Supported |
| Miscellaneous Apps | Revision3, Flingo, Blip.tv, CrunchyRoll, Vimeo etc. [ Apps List Video ] |
| Developer Support for Custom Channels | Exists [ Developers can contact Netgear directly ] |
I have purposefully not talked too much in detail about the social apps (like Facebook and Twitter), games and news feeds. As Matthew Moscovciak at CNET points out, these apps just don't lend themselves to a big-screen experience.
In addition to these specifications, some consumers might also care about proper 24 fps support. Unfortunately, despite Netgear claiming the NTV200 as being 24 Hz capable, I found that the Netflix and Vudu 23.976 / 24 fps streams played back with a refresh rate of 60 Hz only.
One of the areas where the NTV200 excels is the power consumption profile. Even when streaming the maximum quality Vudu movies, the unit consumed only 5.1 W at the wall outlet.
An important aspect that we have not touched upon in the review is the Wi-Fi capability of the player. Despite all the recent OTT media streamers coming in with built-in Wi-Fi, our advice is always to have a wired connection. While Wi-Fi might work in specific situations (and considering the fact that the maximum bitrate video being streamed on the NTV200 is going to be in the whereabouts of 10 Mbps), there is always the inherent environmental conditions which prevent us from concentrating too much on this aspect of the media streamers.
In summary, the NTV200 is a mixed bag. The only redeeming features seem to be good CEC support, the excellent Vudu app coupled with a very low price point (I have seen the player on Amazon for as low as $50). Other aspects (including the UI and the Netflix / YouTube apps) have lots of scope for improvement. Would I recommend this for purchase? As a gift, this is definitely better than the lower end Roku 2 models (particularly when the Vudu apps are considered), provided it can be purchased between $50 and $70. For personal use, I suggest spending a little extra and getting a better featured and comparatively well supported unit in the WDTV Live Streaming Media Player.
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JoeMcJoe - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
That remote looks ok.I have the Boxee one, its terrible, worst remote ever.
The interface to the Boxee is pretty poor also, I have it because it plays MKVs and DVD ISOs great. I hope it plays Blue ray ISOs one day too.
I use a Qnap NAS.
The PS3 interface is great.
Matt355 - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
When I first got my Boxee box it needed to update its software, its Still not as polished as the Apple TV But its good. I like the remote because it makes using the web browser easier and mine has a dedicated Netflix button.damianrobertjones - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
Personally I have little faith in Neatgear at this point in timehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-Wireless-Gigabit-A...
I purchased said router only to find that it wouldn't retain an ip address for anything over 30 seconds. No review mentioned this which was odd so I now think twice before thinking about anything 'netgear'. Plus, obviously, the wireless dongles can be a bit pap at times
OzzieGT - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
One thing which is sorely lacking is how the box handles local streaming (file shares, DLNA, etc). This is a very important feature in a box like this for me.ganeshts - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
There is nothing around this unit's price point which has all these premium video features and also support for media over local networks. (Roku has some sort of Plex support, but it is really very spotty and there is no native codec support most of the time).As I said in the concluding remarks, go with the WDTV Live SMP which has better local media support and also has almost all the premium VoD services one would use..
Brovane - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
Why would NetGear launch this box and leave out Amazon Vod?Matt355 - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
I Know. it must be licensing or something because its not on Xbox, Playstation, or even Boxee. I mostly see it on Tivo.sulu1977 - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link
Where's the web surfing capability? If people can surf the web on a tiny cell-phone, wouldn't it be far more logical o be able to surf the web on a big TV?shorty lickens - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link
I just got my mom the Roku LT for Xmas. According to this article, the Netgear is slightly better for the same money.Oh well.
HiFreak1c - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link
Actually, Xbox360 can stream MKV w/ Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound through windows Media Centre. It just can't play DTS is all.Addon for WMC: http://www.mediabrowser.tv
Codec support: http://www.divx.com/en/software/divx-plus/codec-pa...
Codec support: http://http://ac3filter.net/
Mine works fine most of the time, apart from a few issues with it locking up and stuff. I'm going to replace it with a HTPC soon, but for the mean time it works fine as a poor mans alternative to a proper HTPC build.