i just picked mine from Frys this morning and will be setting it up tonight.  I imagine most questions will be geared towards physical DVD since the 2200 is supposedly identical to the 2100 except for DVD playback. 

I will be connecting it in my bedroom to a 27" SDTV via s-video and using wired ethernet, so I will be happy to answer any questions regarding that configuration.

to answer surges's question from the "Where to find a DMA 2200?" thread

surge:

It looks like you're at work so you may not be able to tell, but is the green light the power indicator for the system or just the DVD portion?

looks like the LED is green for everything, and really surprised there is a VFD because i dont remember seeing it in the manual



i dont have a HDMI->DVI adapter/cable to see the display, but when i dropped in a DVD movie it began to play after a few seconds without having to hit anything on the remote (haven't even opened it yet).

Good to see these out after only a 2+ month delay. . . I'd be interested to know what file formats can be played from the dvd drive.  Can you test some DivX/Xvid/WMV files burned to dvd?  Or does the drive only support playback of vob files?

masteroffm:

i dont have a HDMI->DVI adapter/cable to see the display, but when i dropped in a DVD movie it began to play after a few seconds without having to hit anything on the remote (haven't even opened it yet).

I'll be interested to hear about your experiences using the HDMI>DVI cable --- I had issues using one with the 2100.

unfortunately the only thing with DVI in my house is a 2407WFP, if I can rustle up a convertor I can let you know what I find out.
-
also the mfg date on mine is printed as "012008" which means "Jan 2008" or mine is from 2 days in the future.

so i have started playing with my DMA2200 and so far things look good. 

- from standby to media center is about 15 seconds
- one nice thing is that when you drop a DVD into it, it will automatically start to play the disc.
- transition time between the MCE UI and the DVD is under 10 seconds
- i havent even bothered with the included remote and have been using an RC6 mce remote.  it can navigate through any and all menus.  to get to DVD playback you just need to close media center (in a similar fashion as you would on a computer) and it dumps you back to the main system menu for the extender.
- of course using the mce RC6 remote the mute button doesnt do anything.  not such a big deal, you either pause what you are watching or simply turn down the volume.

Can't wait for these things to hit Europe. Is the VFD useful in extender mode or does it only work when playing a DVD?

Could you take a picture top-down with a DVD case on top it to give a sense of size?  I've seen some shots of the 2100 like this and am wondering how much bigger it looks with the addition of the DVD drive.  Thanks.

Oh, and is it still missing the 4th zoom option like the 2100?

1st - thanks for sharing your experience with this elusive device !
Guess I'm echoing the same questions as regards DVD usability + formats.
And the function of the external dot-matrix - besides displaying the blindingly obvious by pointing out that you've just pressed the play button, does it do anything useful (clock?) or will I need to get the masking tape out ?  Can't remember seeing this on the DMA2100.  Most 'modern' equipment uses OSD ...

Cheers !

amolenk:

Can't wait for these things to hit Europe. Is the VFD useful in extender mode or does it only work when playing a DVD?

only useful for DVD playback, but it does matching text during the initial setup of the extender.

   

Very helpful, thanks masteroffm.  I pretty sure I'll end up getting a 2200 when they are available in the UK.  I wonder if the 4th zoom option is decided by the Vista box or the Extender....hmmm....

m1ke:

1st - thanks for sharing your experience with this elusive device !
Guess I'm echoing the same questions as regards DVD usability + formats.
And the function of the external dot-matrix - besides displaying the blindingly obvious by pointing out that you've just pressed the play button, does it do anything useful (clock?) or will I need to get the masking tape out ?  Can't remember seeing this on the DMA2100.  Most 'modern' equipment uses OSD ...

Cheers !

the VFD is pretty dim even in a dark room, but i do plan to put tape over the power LED as it stays on all of the time.

the DVD player portion of the device works very well, which makes sense.  the 2200 is based off what was originally a networked dvd player that had support for divx/xvid.  trying to play encoded movies from a dvd is something i will try later today.

m1ke:

And the function of the external dot-matrix - besides displaying the blindingly obvious by pointing out that you've just pressed the play button, does it do anything useful (clock?)

while not useful in anyway, but when the extender goes into standy by it show this little animation on the VFD

I decided to copy masteroffm.  So I went out Fry's [Plano, TX] yesterday and grabbed a 2200.  They had at least 40-50 of them on a palette.

Overall it meets the expectations I had for the device.  It is silent - unlike my Boeing-360. The menu navigation is okay with transitions turned off. Device control is good when used with my H880 [don't even try to use the provided remote - it feels/looks cheap and must be pointed directly at the extender for it to work].

I hope LinkSys adds features such as VOB playback and other enhancements as time goes on to make it an even better device.