MacLife UK – August 2019

Image rights from left: Apple, Electronic Team, Netgear.

There are vast amounts of audio and video content available

on the internet, but the macOS is quite fussy when it comes

to playing Ľle formats that come from non-Apple devices

such as WMV and AVI video Ľles from Windows PCs. And

iTunes just ignores albums in the popular FLAC format.

There are other media players, such as the free VLC, that

can play many of these Ľles. However, VLC can be a bit

intimidating for people who aren’t already familiar with all

these diļerent Ľle formats. One alternative that doesn’t

cost too much is MustPlay. The app plays just about every Ľle

format you’re likely to need, including FLACs, AVI, and

other Windows video formats. It’s easy to use, with a simple

interface that is very similar to Apple’s QuickTime Player,

but also includes more advanced features, such as an

equalizer for audio playback and color adjustment for video.

It’s by no means the only media-player app available for

Macs, but MustPlay does what it says — it just plays all your

media Ľles quickly and easily, with no need for any

technical know-how.

THE BOTTOM LINE. A simple, aļordable app for a wide

range of non–Apple Ľle formats. CLIFF JOSEPH

Netgear’s Orbi mesh Wi–Fi system is one of the

best for creating big, fast wireless networks. Its

new version adds an Alexa speaker onto the mesh

node, which works with the main router to create

one big network free of black spots.

Netgear’s Orbi app for Android and iOS is easy

to use to configure your Orbi setup, as well as to

add Alexa to the mix. And performance is superb:

very fast, extremely reliable, and we’ve had almost

no pain with it at all. It’s a top Wi–Fi setup.

As a smart speaker, it’s solid. The time taken to

respond to the initial “Alexa” command and the

thinking time the Orbi Voice needs seems to be

just a fraction longer than it is with a regular Echo,

but it’s not a problem. The full range of Alexa

powers are here, so it’s very capable.

There’s no Bluetooth here, so you’ll have to

either play something through Alexa or Spotify

Connect — that’s a bit limiting for the price.

THE BOTTOM LINE. An excellent, if pricey,

home upgrade — but you might have some of what

it does covered already. DAVID NIELD

JustPlay 1.0

Play non–Apple media files on your Mac

$4.99 From Electronic Team, electronic.us

Needs macOS 10.11 or later

Netgear Orbi Voice

Turn your router into

a smart speaker

$429.99 From netgear.com

Features Harman Kardon audio, Amazon Alexa

JUSTPLAY 1.0

Plays most audio and video files

Easy to use

Useful audio and video controls

Not free

GOOD

NETGEAR ORBI VOICE

Solid Wi–Fi performance

Good Alexa integration

Fast, easy setup

No Bluetooth/AirPlay

GREAT

Tough testing, trusted ratings

maclife.comAUG 2019 47