On December 14, 2007, Netgear released a "major" firmware update for the EVA8000 on their update servers. As of this writing, the North American version is available on the servers; the other regions are to be posted in the near future. Most EVA8000 units shipped with firmware version 1.2.20, which, for some users, had instability issues when playing certain files and formats. I was experiencing those issues myself.

With the release of firmware version 2.0.150, Netgear has made significant improvements to the EVA 8000. First, they have addressed and fixed many bugs. Second, Netgear has added updated codecs from Sigma, this maker of the chip in the EVA 8000. Finally, they have added many new features; some of these have come directly from customer requests via their beta testing program. This beta program has been very active, and they have listened to customer suggestions and gathered great amounts of feedback from it.

Partial List of Upgrades / Additions in the EVA 8000 2.0.150 Firmware Release

• Subtitle Support (Supports SMI, SRT, SUB file formats. Just place the file in the same directory as the Movie and ensure the directory has the same name. To activate, press “Menu” while the movie is playing and select “Subtitles: On”)
• HDMI Auto-Detect
• Scrolling text for long selections
• Added support for new file formats and corrected issues with formats already supported (M4V, DVR-MS, TS, MKV, FLV)
• Video RSS podcast support (M4V, MP4, WMV, AVI, FLV)
• Audio RSS podcast support (WMA, MP3)
• Support for ripped DVD content (IFO file structure and ISO files)
• Improved folder browsing feature
• Brand new User Interface
• Custom User Skins
• Fade in/out bitmaps on menus
• Contrast/Hue/Brightness controls
• Fixed Volume setting
• Individual passthrough support for AC3, AAC, DTS, WMA
• New Sigma video codecs
• New pop-up keyboard
• YouTube UI and navigation enhancements (still in progress)

The update can be obtained directly through the EVA8000's user interface by using the "Update from Internet" selection in the More / Supervisor / Update menu section.

My Experience with the EVA 8000 Firmware Updates and Beta Program

I was somewhat unhappy after setting up my EVA 8000 originally, as it didn't support all of the formats I needed. I then went in search of solutions to my issues. I found the Netgear support forums, and being fairly technical myself (I have IT / Networking and Audio / Video background experience), I decided to become a beta tester. That enabled me to use the latest beta software available at that time.

After upgrading to the latest beta, I found that a lot of my issues went away - but others were created. I have been running each beta as they have been released since September 2007, and I am very impressed with the progression of each release.

Note: you should understand that using beta firmware may affect the software and data in your Digital Entertainer, and that you may need to use a recovery tool to get back up and running if something goes wrong. Otherwise, you may want to consider running only "official" firmware releases.

After upgrading to the latest beta release, I was having some issues playing HD material - specifically, the videos from the WMV Showcase on Microsoft's site, and also some HD material from NASA. I determined (by accident) that re-flashing to the latest official release (2.0.150) from a previous beta release seemed to clear up those issues. I can now play the HD material reliably.

I am still in the process of testing the new official firmware, but from my first impression, it's definitely a "must have" update. It has been playing almost everything I have thrown at it - and that includes the material it used to "choke" on with the orginal firmware and some of the earlier betas. I can now play DVD rips with "full menu" support - and my favorite - RSS video feeds.

There are still a few things that need to be addressed:

• Improved TV Tuner support
• DTS Pass-through issues

These are all on Netgear's "to-do" list, and should be addressed in future releases of the firmware. In fact, they have already released another beta version for testing. I also hope that Netgear puts all regions on their update server soon, so everyone can experience the EVA8000 as it should be.

Netgear has also updated its Digital Entertainer for Windows (DEW) software. The update can be retrieved directly through DEW itself. Start DEW and double click on the DEW icon in the system tray (or right click on it) and choose "Open". Select "Check for Update" at the bottom of the menu to retrieve the update.

I look forward to Netgear releasing new versions in the future that continue to fix issues and add more features. If they keep going down this path, they will have one of the better network streaming devices on the market today.