LaCinema? No Thanks.

LaCie has come out with a product much like the AppleTV, it even costs the same and sports a 500GB (up to 1TB) of space to store all those DVD you've ripped. Well, that's where the nice things end. This $250 unit just wont cut it in the bells and whistles department. There is no WiFi *(or even ethernet) updating so you must upload everything the first time through the USB if you plan on keeping this unit in one place. There is no HDMI and I don't understand why. There is optical audio and component, so it is possible to get a good picture (up to 1080i upscale) The unit's look or remote is nothing special, it's basically a black box with some non-essential lights. The remote is bulky as well. The interface is supposed to be 'easy to use' and 'streamlined' but it's quite ugly and sports the LaCie name twice on the home screen in the largest font.

If you are a movie person, and have a collection of DVD's ripped that your local FBI may want to look into, they you may have an interest in this product. One feature that is nice is there is no requirement to have the files in two places, like with AppleTV that syncs (copies) files from your main computer.