Media streamers are slowly edging their way into the ‘must-have' category for the modern home, with new releases sporting more features, better interfaces and solid performance. Sometimes you can't beat the basic approach though, which is one of the main reasons we were so fond of Freecom's Network Mediaplayer.

This is now set to be superseded by the new MediaPlayer 450 (the old one was the 350), which offers some welcome upgrades. At first glance there wouldn't appear to be much of a difference, and in truth there aren't a lot of additions to its admittedly basic feature set.

The most important is the presence of an HDMI output, which will allow you to send surround-sound audio and high definition video - up to 1080p no less - directly to your HD TV through one handy cable. The only other addition of note is the ability to stream Internet radio, which, while not ground-breaking, is a handy little extra.

We admired the solid performance, straightforward file-sharing and ability to fit your own 3.5-inch hard drive (or buy it with one installed, now up to 1TB capacity) with the old streamer and nothing's been lost here. The improved connectivity gives it an added bonus, making it likely that Freecom's streamer will remain our overall fave for its no-nonsense approach.

Prices will range from £149 for the ‘drive-in' kit, which is devoid of a hard drive, to around £375 if you want the maximum size pre-installed. Expect to make noticeable savings on these sticker prices shortly after release though; which is expected to be sometime in April.