Looking around my living room and office, I’m stuck between technologies: I’ve got lots of movies and music on my computer, but far more on various CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and the occasional cassette tape. I’ve got a different gadget for playing each thing, and no easy way to consolidate everything. The smartest solution to this problem is to digitize everything, but the easiest solution is to buy the Samsung Optical Smart Hub (SE-208BW).

In addition to being an external optical drive for computers without one (a number that’s growing rapidly), it sounds like a one-stop media streaming shop, especially for anyone else in the same boat: it can wirelessly stream your DVDs and CDs to your smartphone or Samsung TV, and can also stream files from a hard drive. It works the other way, too, backing up files from your phone or tablet to a hard drive, or burning them automatically to a disc. It even works as a Wi-Fi router or repeater. At $129, though, it’s expensive, and doesn’t offer any content other than what you already own. Is this the Swiss Army Knife of streamers, or a solution without a problem? Read on to find out.