By now, you've probably read the reviews here and elsewhere on both models of NETGEAR's Digital Entertainer line of products. Once you've decided which model is best suited to your entertainment needs, the EVA700 or the HD EVA8000, the next step is finding the best deal for your money.

Most of you will probably want to pick up your EVA at a local electronics store near you. Unfortunately, I've found that there aren't many brick and mortar stores that carry both models. Because of this, most of what you're going to find will be online. There are dozens of merchants on the internet that offer both EVA boxes, so I've narrowed it down to a few of the more popular, and highly rated, online stores.

Where to Buy The EVA700

Best Buy is one of the first places many people look when they're hunting for new electronics equipment. They don't carry the EVA8000 in my local brick and mortar (yours may have it, so I suggest you call them). Best Buy does offer the EVA700 in its stores. You can also order it online through BestBuy.com but you have to pay for shipping. For a non-HD unit this seems somewhat pricey to me, so I'd suggest calling around to some of your local electronics stores before taking the leap to purchase your unit from Best Buy.

If you don't mind purchasing online, PC Nation also has the EVA700. Theirs isn't the cheapest out there either, but they do have a five-star store rating and customer service is pretty good. They also offer free shipping, which is always nice.

The best deal online for the EVA700 (as of this writing) is over at Amazon.com. Now usually Amazon has pretty good deals. But sometimes they really outdo themselves! You'll have to pay for shipping (about $20 or so for ground shipping), but that probably won't matter to you because the EVA700's tiny pricetag is a no-brainer for anyone looking to save a few bucks.

There were quite a few other storefronts offering the EVA700, but the prices are pretty much in line with the three I've mentioned above. Many retailers are offering free shipping as well. You can get some pretty good deals out there if you look hard enough. Ebay is also an option, but because of the difficulty returning items, and recent problems with so many of the electronics sellers on the site, I would be hesitant to purchase anything like this from Ebay.

Where to Buy The EVA8000

This is one unit I have yet to see in any brick and mortar stores near me. That's a real bummer, too, because this thing's really slick!

As I said earlier, Best Buy doesn't offer this model in the stores, and in fact, their regular site didn't seem to have it either. But oddly enough, Best Buy's business products site did have the EVA8000. Again, the price for the EVA is higher than any of the other retailers around, but you do have the advantage of being able to return it, or have it serviced, at your local store if you have problems with it.

New Egg, a rather popular and highly rated online retailer, offers the EVA8000 for nearly $100 less than Best Buy. With the free shipping, it's not a bad deal. Keep in mind that the EVA8000 is a HD unit, and you get quite a few innovative features with it. New Egg's been around a while, and I've never had any issues with ordering from them, so I think they're a pretty good option. If you're not in a huge hurry, keep an eye out for specials.

Next on my list of places to purchase your new EVA8000 is Amazon.com. I was slightly disappointed that Amazon wasn't the cheapest out there, especially after seeing how great a deal they have on the EVA700. But their pricing on the EVA800 is still very competitive. And they'll ship it to you for free. Considering what you get, the price isn't too bad. It's also close to bottom of the price range on the internet for this particular model.

The best deal out there right now for the EVA8000 is over at The Nerds. Having never purchased anything from them (and frankly, I've never even heard of them), I was surprised to see such a rock-bottom price tag on this unit. With the shipping costs, it ends up being a wash against Amazon's offering. But they do have a five-star rating and good customer feedback, so even if you're as unfamiliar with them as I am, it's worth trying them out.

A Final Word

No matter where you choose to buy your new NETGEAR Digital Entertainer, make sure that you read the feedback and customer reviews. There are a lot of shady places out there, and if you need to return your EVA for any reason, it can be a nightmare. While I'm a fan of small businesses, when it comes to forking out hundreds of dollars on any item, you should never compromise good customer service just because you'll save a few dollars.

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Still not sure which EVA is best for you? Here are a few, quick links to help you out:

• Review of the NETGEAR EVA8000 HD Digital Entertainer
• Review of the NETGEAR EVA700 Digital Entertainer
• Product Specs for the EVA8000
• Product Specs for the EVA700