Trekstor MovieStation Maxi t.u (88570) 1TB Multi-Media SATA Hard Drive Review

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(More customer reviews)**EDITOR'S NOTE: 6 months into use, and the drive went senile. It failed to stay mounted long enough to consistently transfer files, had difficult turning on/off, likewise could not sync up with a superior media player in the Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN. Trekstor's Customer Service remained consistently absence and/or abhorrent despite several pleas to salvage this device's functionality. I recently abandoned its use in favor of the WD + External Drive alternative.**
Akin to the quest for the Holy Grail, I've spent months researching an ideal media player solution capable of transitioning over 100+ DVD movies to a more accessible and space efficient home.
Simply put, I grew tired of staring at rows of DVD movie boxes likely never to be re-opened, likewise the clutter they took up in the process. These problems were further exacerbated by being a Mac household; nothing out there media player-wise seemed willing to play nice with our two Macbooks and Mac network. (A shame, since the WD and iomega products appeared feasible at first glance.)
Thus, the semi-obvious solution appeared to be a PC desktop solely dedicated to the above purpose. Pricing out this system (1TB storage, appropriate hardware + video/audio outs) ended up near the $700 mark. Far too expensive plus not what I wanted (hardware-wise) in my living room.
While seemingly devoid of any product review and/or MAC compatibility, the unknown Trekstor MovieStation Maxi t.u fit the bill on all accounts. Robust storage eliminated the need for an additional piggyback drive. Being UNIX- based meant a clean file exchange from MAC OS 10.5. The cable system was both simple and fit my non-HDMI needs (for standard DVD's) nicely. Last, it was affordable enough to give it a whirl sans guilt.
Unfortunately, however, the MovieStation Maxi t.u proved itself a bit troublesome in actual execution. Playback software is VERY finicky in what it will allow - and successfully handle - format wise. For Mac users wanting to save hours of frustration, 1) Burn DVD's via MactheRipper (a robust, free software package with a semi-steep learning curve) in 'Main Feature Only' mode, followed by and 2) Via Handbrake (another free piece of software waiting to confuse the heck out of you), convert said DVD to -- THIS IS IMPORTANT! -- an .AVI file with an XVID/DivX (if you want fast forward) codec, 2-pass conversion. (Average final file size is ~1.6-1.7GB.) Any other format will - based on trial and error - simply not work. Ditto other conversion programs limited to specific codec and/or output formats.
TECH NOTE: .AVI files CANNOT be segmented into chapters. While you can manually fast forward within a DivX file, that's about it. A burn in Handbrake, followed by ffmpegx conversion to DivX totals about 1.5 hours per movie.
Similar challenges belie configuring the MovieStation Maxi t.u with an HD TV. Trial and error will yield appropriate settings, with the most notable confound in disparate settings for TV/OUT and file playback format. IMPORTANT: Saving settings requires reloading the settings function. (It took me a dozen attempts to realize this.)
Finally, a recent Mac system software update greatly inhibits the functionality of USB 2.0 devices, forcing them to unmount after short, timed intervals. This annoying snafu required an additional step of moving files to a firewire drive...then slowly and gradually (in increments) to the USB one.
All is not doom and gloom. For instance, I dig the no-frills interface (updating firmware is a breeze, ditto navigating its Hard Disk contents) supported by intelligent recognition of input shifts between TV and computer. Meaning, the Trekstor MovieStation Maxi t.u will power off visual outputs when connected to a computer, automatically restore them once the device is appropriately removed from this same device. Also - and while a tad blurry even on correct settings - the main menu is clean and makes sense. Last - and most important - the thing DOES work once you've conquered its moronic restrictions and frustrating quirks.
In sum, I would recommend the Trekstor MovieStation Maxi t.u - albeit with reservations - to Mac users looking for a cheap way of playing movies (and/or photos) on a TV. Still, keep in mind output is not in HD, and play close attention to ports (component or standard video for visuals; optical or analog for audio) to avoid purchase mistake. PC users might be better served by more popular alternatives (ie the WD mentioned above + a 1TB external drive).

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TrekStor MovieStation maxi t.u 1TB is an external 3.5” SATA Hard Drive that can connect directly to a TV or Stereo system to play stored movies, music, and photos without use of a computer. The MovieStation works with Windows, Mac & Linux and uses a High-Speed USB 2.0 connection. It can be used to play HDTV and multi-channel Audio as well as content from movie and music download services. In addition, MovieStation will play files created with digital cameras and camcorders. When connected to a TV, MovieStation offers an onscreen menu for playing all content located on the drive. MovieStation's built-in Zoom function allows users to eliminate black bars that appear above and below on some movies. The MovieStation plays HD(720p/1080i) Formatted videos to be watched on a suitable TV. Stored music can be replayed from playlists. Housed in a stylish, black anodized aluminum case, the MovieStation’s design allows for optimum cooling, without the need for a fan and offers whisper quiet operation. The MovieStation supports MPEG-1 (VCD), MPEG-2 (SVCD, KVCD, DVD), IFO, VOB, DivX3, DivX5, XviD) video formats. Music and audio books in MP3, WMA, WAV and OGG format and images in JPEG format are also supported. Data and multimedia content can be transmitted to the device via a High Speed USB 2.0 Interface from any popular computer operating system. Video pass through is accomplished via high-quality Component video connection (YUV/Y/Pb/Pr), or using the composite video connection. Audio signals make their way to the TV set or home stereo system via an Optical digital (Toslink) or Analog stereo (cinch) connector. The MovieStation incorporates the Nero BackItUp 2 Software for simple, and hassle free backup. Included: Infrared Remote-Control, Power Supply, AV & YUV Adapter Cables, USB 2.0 Cable, 2 Foot Stands, (2) AAA Batteries, Nero BackItUp 2 Essentials, Software/Driver CD. For customer support please call 1888-8-TrekStor or TrekStor@datastation.us

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Xtreamer WiFi Adapter Dongle USB Wireless N Antenna Review

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(More customer reviews)The product is good (better than the wdtv live that I previously owned) but some of my files (usually 1080p) are played with some kind of lag (a greenish color appear on the screen).
Other than that, I am happy with the purchase.

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Designed to work specifically with the Xtreamer Media Player & Streamer, this adapter also works with many other media players including the Popcorn Hour C200 and A200. It provides excellent wireless connectivity, allowing you to receive movies, music and pictures wirelessly via your wireless network.Utilizing the latest WiFi "11N" technology the antenna will provide fast, secure and reliable connections that are 175% stronger than other wireless solutions available in the market.This all-in-one device simply plugs into the USB port of your media player and you immediately have a wireless capable Media Player; making it easy to stream movies, music or photos from your computer across your home Wi-Fi network.If you don't have a 802.11n router, don't worry. Get two antennas, place one at your PC and the other connected to your media player and create a dedicated wireless network to ensure smooth un-interrupted streams of content. This adapter supports both Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc modes. Chipset o Ralink RT3070 Single ChipStandards o IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0), IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b, Cisco CCX support, CSMA/CA with ACKFrequency Range o 2.4-2.4835GHzWireless Transmit Power o 20dBm(MAX)Modulation Type o OFDM/CCK/16-QAM/64-QAMReceiver sensitivity o 270M: -68dBm@10% PER o 130M: -68dBm@10% PER o 108M: -68dBm@10% PER o 54M: -68dBm@10% PER o 11M: -85dBm@8% PER o 6M: -88dBm@10% PER o 1M: -90dBm@8% PERSecurity o 64/128 bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK (TKIP/AES)Interface o USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, USB 1.1Antenna Type o Internal Omni-directional AntennasCertifications o CE, FCCNOTE: Xtreamer Media Player & Streamer Sold Seperately (Amazon ASIN#: B002OH382O)

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NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Live (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Traditionally known for their routers and network devices, Netgear offically entered the growing home media player market this September with the Digital Entertainer Live. After owning the superb but ethernet-less Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player, I was looking for a device that could play all the 720p/1080i/p MKV videos directly off my D-Link DNS-323 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure - NAS server and D-Link DNS-321. I didn't want to have to copy files off the network onto USB hard drives then walk them over to my media player just to play them on my TV. After testing this device for several hours, I am disappointed and can say that the EVA2000 is definitely not ready for prime time.
First is the question of what resolution this device actually supports. It is not listed here on Amazon, in Netgear's press release, or on the product specifications page, and no mention is made on the box except the phrase "HD TV media player". Netgear is perhaps deliberately vague on this point. If by "HD", they mean being able to connect to an HDTV, then that is true. If they mean "HD" as in 720p/1080p, then it is not true.
Despite having HDMI out, this device does not output at 1080p at all. It also doesn't play 720p files as far as I can tell. Every one of the hi-res MKV's I tested off my external hard drive failed (18 random movie files @720p and 1080i, H.264 encodes), producing an "unable to display video of this resolution" error. Similarly, the AVI's and WMV's at 720p that I tested also failed. As far as I am able to determine, it can play only up to 480p. I tried a 720x400 .MKV that did play, so Matroska support is working, but I was unable to fast-forward or rewind the file. Other low resolution .AVI files, .MP4's played without an issue.
The device did not recognize any MKV's off my NAS through UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). MKV files on my other server, running Twonky (DLNA software) did show up, however, they could not play since they were 720p.
Next is the lack of subtitle support, or non-Western character sets. The supported system languages are German, English, and French. No Unicode support means filenames and folders will be illegible, showing up as empty squares instead (see picture in gallery).
For internet TV, this product works as described. YouTube and other streaming videos work flawlessly. You can watch videos from all over the world. There are literally hundreds of free internet channels listed, divided by world region. I tested a few CCTV channels (China), Aljezeera English, an Indian channel, Odoroku.tv (Japan), C-SPAN, some Spanish channels, as well as some random others. Almost all of them worked without a hitch, after a brief period of buffering (length depends on network conditions). A few sites couldn't be reached, or failed to buffer and kicked me back to the channels menu. Again, because these are free sites streamed from the web, picture quality is very low, though watchable and a nice option for those who don't want to watch them on their computers. You can bookmark them for fast retrieval. I found the variety of sites listed here to be a pleasant surprise. They represent a wide range of interests and are from all over the world. (These are all free sites you can access from your computer also.)
The picture quality is usually terrible, however, since most internet videos are low-res videos (320x240) that are heavily compressed. When blown up 5x or more to fullscreen on your HDTV, the compression artifacts will be much more apparent and you'll see a lot of macroblocking and pixelation. On a smaller, non-LCD TV, this might be acceptable.
Because you'll be spending a lot of time pushing buttons to navigate around, due to no keyboard or mouse, I've included a series of screenshots to give you a better idea of how the interface works. Remote control response time can be sluggish, so you'll be seeing the revolving dial a lot. Worse is that you can't hit "Back" on the remote to cancel a read command. You have to wait until it finishes trying to read the file or network. During web streamed videos, I couldn't fast-forward. Searching for videos was easy through the onscreen keyboard, but overall I found the interface clunky and not all that attractive, made worse by that spinning dial that popped up with almost every command I pushed.
Lastly, is the lack of an optical output. For wireless, you will need to buy the dedicated Netgear wireless kit. A third party USB wireless dongle (AirLink 101 AWLL6070 150Mbps 802.11n Wireless LAN USB 2.0 Adapter) I tried did not work.
To sum up, this product fails to meet expectations and went back to Amazon Returns after 2 days. It is NOT capable of hi-def playback. It only plays back standard def video. If you enjoy watching blocky internet streams on your TV and don't care about hi-def, then maybe this device would be of value. There is no way to select stream quality from the sites that offer HD streams.
At $150, with no gigabit Ethernet, no optical out, and no hi-def, this product does not compete favorably against other devices already on the market or soon to be released, like the WD TV Live ($120), which adds network support to the already solid and popular WDTV; or the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+HD ($135) and ASUS O!Play - TV HD Media Player ($99), which, like the WDTV Live, is networked and plays 1080p.

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Play your movies, music and photo collections stored on USB storage devices and computers right on your TV. Enjoy YouTube and other Internet video LIVE.n vao voas the loghsl geo Loreum ebspom thleo lakdyog alkdoeon vao voas the loghsl geo Play movies, video, music and photos stored on USB drives, computers or NAS Enjoy YouTube on your TV, without a computer Watch pay-per-view new release movies on-demand without a subscription Watch Live Internet TV from around the world via VuNow (1-year service included) Browse and play popular movies and shows from Hulu, Netflix, Amazon VOD, CBS, CNN, and ESPN and more using PlayOn on your PC. (free trial in box) Search for Internet video using key words Works with older TVs and new HDTVs Easy to use remote control Wirelessly connect to the Internet by using the Digital Entertainer Live Wireless USB Adapter

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ACX DMX-Solo Music Server, 1-Channel Internet Streaming Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a DMX Solo, I found them when I googled for a music server to run for my Super Bowl party. I knew people would want music before the game while munching and no one can ever decide on a movie. So when everyone got here Sunday, they all just started picking their favorite music and adding it to this playlist on the server, there was never a hick up, and it ran flawlessly. The thing I loved so much was that anyone on the internet could add to it, so it didn't interrupt when my "not so brilliant" friend kicked my computer and stepped on my power strip and powered down my imac. The server was in the living room and kept going, which is something I wasn't used to with my old Sonos system. Thanks Team ACX, I appreciate it.

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The DMX-Solo is Team ACX's 3rd Generation Single Channel, Digital Streaming Server that Runs Silently on Minimal Power all while Providing the Ability to Listen to and Control Your Entire Digital Library or One of Over 25,000 SHOUTcast Internet Radio Streams Across Your Local Area Network or the Web from the Convenience of Your Favorite Browser, on any Operating System. With Automatic Configuration, Universal Synchronization and Unrivaled Convenience it is the Most Powerful Digital Audio Component You will Ever Own. Featuring a Linux Operating System - Impervious to Virus or Trojan Horse Attacks. Samba Server for Automatic NetBIOS Integration and Drag & Drop folders. On BoardTCP/IP Control Server API for integration with 3rd Party Control Platforms. UPnP for Effortless Network Integration. Analog and Digital COAX Audio Outputs. AFC© - Automatic Digital Music Cataloging. Integrated Browser Interface, for Stand Alone Control. Real Time Digital Controls - go to any Song Time Position. A Completely Silent "Always Ready" Fan less Cooling System. All Formats Supported my MSFT Media Player Winmp & iTunes. SHOUTcast Internet Radio - Never a Fee, 100% Free! Real Time Digital Time Controls With 1 Tera Byte FDB WD SATA Hard Drive - Nearly 250.000 Title Capacity. Intel Atom - x86 1.6CPU and 1G DDR 533 M System Memory.ACX Spyder - Automatic Connectivity with Alexis Servers. TCP/IP XML API for Integration with 3rd party Control Platforms. CPU Voltage Monitoring / CPU - HDD Temperature Guard - System Power Management, AC Power Failure Recovery. Accessories Included are 1qty External in-line AC Adapter - Input : 120-240V AC/ Output : 12V DC 5Amp. 1qty RCA Audio Cable - 6Ft and 1qty Cat-5e Ethernet Cable - 6ft. 10/100/1000-T Ethernet Connection. 1U Rack Mountable. No programming - Ready to Use Immediately. Made in the USA and Comes With a 3 Year Parts & Labor Warranty. Check out the ACX Web site for further details, www.TeamACX.com ACX, Anything else is just a Toy...

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Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player and FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST905004CEA1E1-RK Review

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(More customer reviews)I don't want to repeat too much what others have already listed. The unit works great for playing your home videos you converted to DVDs just like you're using a DVD player and you don't need to convert any files(provided they are in the standard DVD format ifo, VOB etc) them just copy them off your DVD and you can have access to all your memories. I click on the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and it plays just like I had the DVD in menus and all.
Now for the problem. The unit does not recognize the FreeAgent Go drives. Dock the drive to it and it does not know a drive is there. I purchased both the unit and a FreeAgent Go drive in the last 2 months. The drive arrived yesterday. I had been using a flashdrive up until now using the USB port. Now I wish I did not buy this unit. Unfortunately, the only place people were talking about this issue was on Seagate's website in the forum section. If you can't dock your external hard drive to it, it's not of much use. Perhaps earlier models worked but in this economy many firms went cheap and perhaps Seagate has done this too. It was just too good to be true and I have relied on Seagate for storage for years, and now they have let me down.
***Update, Seagate initiated contact with me and appears may be taking care of the issue. I will update. So far their customer service has been very proactive and they initiated contact with me based on my discussion about it and how many firms do that!**** Seagate did replace the drive based on comments I wrote in a forum. I also purchased another unit for $29 (no drive included) on sale Jan 2010. Both units working well but you may need to use a USB cable to use a larger Go Drive.

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The easiest way to move your photos, movies and music from your PC to your TV. Share and enjoy your memories in a comfortable, social environment such as your living room. The Seagate FreeAgent Theater media player solution consists of three components: a media player dock, a PC dock and a FreeAgent Go portable hard drive. With two easy steps, you will be viewing and sharing your favorite photos, movies and music in no time! With its unique dual-docking system, setup the device once and never hassle with cables again. Simply place the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive into the PC docking station and it automatically copies your photos, movies and music from the PC to the drive. Then docking the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive into the FreeAgent Theater media player, connected to the TV, puts your entire media library at your fingertips with 1080i High-Definition playback and crystal clear Dolby Digital 5.1 audio surround sound support. With the front-mounted USB port, you can also plug your digital camera, USB flash drive or external USB hard drive directly into the FreeAgent Theater and enjoy the same high-quality viewing experience. Navigating through your media library is intuitive with the FreeAgent Theater¿s user interface and compact remote control. Share your memories like a pro with easy to customize slideshows, transitions, background music and zoom feature for both pictures and movies. Share and experience your memories in comfort with FreeAgent Theater.

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Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Home 2 TB STAM2000100 Review

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(More customer reviews)I give this item a 3.5 stars. It looses some stars because it really is not "simple set up" as it states. It takes some time to get it up and your files to back up the first initial time. I was extremely excited to try this product with my home network since we have two Windows PCs (1 XP & 1 Windows 7), and one Mac computer.For each desktop computer, I have installed wired external backup drives. The idea of having ONE back up drive to backup all my files, photos and iTunes music seemed to be like a dream come true. Features a 1TB storage, which is equivalent to 1000GB.
Lets start with the installation. I am using the Windows 7 PC for initial setup. First and most important, you need a Home Network, a wireless router and of course an internet connection. Enclosed in the box is a very basic "Quick Start" guide, I recommend going to the manufacturer's website and downloading the 82 page manual which gives more information. I plugged in power and Ethernet cable to my wireless router. I powered up the drive and inserted the installation CD. I named and registered my drive and added additional user accounts , one for each computer. After that was complete I had to install the software on my other Windows PC and Mac. After I installed the CD on the other PCs, a screen pops up asking to insert the username and password. It's that simple. On my Mac the installation was a little different, but I was able to easily follow the instructions and get it connected using Time Machine with no hassles. One bit of advice for Mac users, if you plan on using Time Machine to back up your files instead of using the optional Memeo Instant Backup, you need to go to Seagate Share Preferences before installing the program on the Mac. Once you are in the preferences page, enable ComputersBackup. Create a password, this password will be used to configure the program when it is installed on your Mac. This information can only be found in the downloaded Users Manual online. Luckily I read the entire manual before attempting to install the Seagate GoFlex. It did take a long, long time to backup all files and folders from all three computers, but I had no bugs or issues. Depending on how many files and folders you are having backed up, it may take all day and night. The program will just run in the background and you do not have to do anything.
The drive will automatically created three folders for each PC account, a public, personal and backup folders. The Seagate Dashboard is the centralized location for all the computer files. This only works with Windows, this is the reason I used my Windows 7 PC as the main system. On the Mac it is Seagate Share and you must use the internet to access the files. You do have the option to use the internet storage base for Windows as well if you like.
There are a few options on how you want to backup your files, I went with the automatic backup. I clicked on instant backups on my menu and the computer shows you the amount of storage that will be included in the backup. If you only what to choose certain files, you can use the advanced settings and drag which files to backup. After clicking "Start Backup", my files started backing up. Whenever I add a new file to the folder or make and changes, the Seagate GoFlex will automatically back up the new file.
Every computer in my home already has a wireless printer, so I really have no use to for the share printer option. But if you do want to use a printer wireless throughout your home network, you must attach the printer via the printer's USB cable to the Seagate GoFlex Drive.
There are many other features and options that can be used, but my primary reason for using this device is to backup the iTunes and photo files on all the computers. When you have thousands of songs and spent several hundreds of dollars on iTunes purchases for every iTunes account on each system, you want to make sure you can access your file in case something terrible happens like the internal hard drive dies. Trust me, I have had this happen to me. I always burn my photos to a CD for added protection, but this way we can share our photos from any computer.
Overall, once you get the unit installed and your files and folders backed up it is extremely easy to use. I guess time will tell if the unit is reliable for retrieving backup files if your system crashes or dies. Hopefully I will not have to find that out! :-)
UPDATE: Sometimes I am not able to gain access to my account online. This is because I use Firefox with a 64-bit operating system and currently "Flash" is not not supported for this OS. I keep getting the "Flash Crash Error Report". However, I can sign in with no troubles using Internet Explorer. So if you have troubles signing into the account online, try a different browser.
If you notice that the drives are not showing under devices in your computer, best thing to do is to unplug it for 15 seconds and then plug it back in to reboot.

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The GoFlex Home network storage system connects to your WiFi router, allowing you to wirelessly store and access files and back up multiple computers in the home. The GoFlex Home network storage system includes software to automatically and continuously back up all the files and folders on up to 3 PC and Mac computers in the home. By storing files in a central location on your network, you can use one drive for all your storage and backup needs. When connected to your home WiFi router, the GoFlex Home network storage system enables you to wirelessly store and access files from any PC or Mac computer in the home. The GoFlex Home network storage system also allows you to stream media to game consoles and the GoFlex TV HD media player. Store all your photos, movies and music on the GoFlex Home network storage system and enjoy your media and favorite memories from any room in the house. Additionally, you can share a USB printer with every computer in the home by simply connecting to the USB port on the GoFlex Home network storage system or you can plug in a USB drive to the port to increase storage capacity. The built-in drive can also be upgraded by simply removing the drive from the base and replacing with a higher capacity GoFlex Desk drive. With a simple guided setup process and just two cable connections, the GoFlex Home network storage system installs in just minutes, allowing you to quickly begin protecting your files, enjoying your media and accessing your content wherever you are. Additional licenses available for purchase

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Viewsonic NexTV VMP71 Full HD 1080p Network Media Player with Internal HDD-Ready Bay Support Review

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(More customer reviews)First off let me start by saying the VMP71 DOES play MKV files. Based off my own personal experience it plays them very well to. It also DOES Blu-ray ISO and so many more. The one thing I need to mention that I found to be very convenient was that ability to install your own 3.5" SATA HDD. Not only are they cheaper in terms of $$, but they usually last longer then external hard drives. As for the actual media player I did have a problem getting my computer to recognize it to upload videos, music, pictures, etc onto the internal hard drive. Viewsonic did solve the issue on how to fix it and after I was enjoying the hell out of it. The VMP71 is new so it does have its somewhat issues but with future firmwares (And there will be some because this item just released in August) I have no doubt that this media player will only get better. Amazon listed the item for $83.99 which is a steal. So if your planning on picking one up I highly recommend it. I also purchased a 1TB 3.5" SATA HDD for $60, and they already include the HDMI cable so you don't really need to worry about that. Overall you will be saving more money and I researched on media players for months; literally, and I have to say this does what most media players do if not more. Yes it doesn't have WiFi or YouTube, but it does have weather and Flickr. It also doesn't have the torrent download application like the others but isn't that what your computers for? I purchased an HD media player for the sole purpose of playing media files. And for that it doesn't disappoint what so ever. Viewsonics finally getting it right, and I know it's only going to get better from here.

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Enjoy video, music and photo media content with a full range support of audio & video formats including RM/RMVB, surround sound systems for DTS and Dolby, plus internet content from Flickr & Picasa. VMP71 supports a 3.5" SATA HDD in addition to external USB storage devices. Easy network set up is available thru Ethernet port or 802.11g/n with optional wireless adapter. File sharing can’t be easier with the support of UPnP. With full connectivity of HDMI, 2xUSB, S/PDIF, VMP71 is an ideal gateway to bring you digital media entertainment from PC to your living room TV.

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Champtek USB Internet Music/ TV Receiver (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)I gave these to 3 of my family members for Christmas. I wanted to get a unique gift, one that I knew they would not have,but would also enjoy, without burning a hole in my wallet. These fit the bill and were a huge hit on Christmas morning.
What is great about it is that it truly works with all the latest operating systems,is truly plug and play, and works as advertised!
I got one for my brother, my father, and my nephew, and all have enjoyed them. And, you can't escape the cool gadget factor! It is really neat to be able to listen to music and watch TV from all over the world. It's an all around great gift, for a great price, for all ages! It is easy to use and enjoy right outta the box.
It is especially great as a going-away gift for someone because they can stay connected by being able to listen to their hometown station for example.
All in all extremely satisfied with the purchase! Thanks, Amazon for offering a great item at a great price.

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Plug - Click - Enjoy.Listen worldwide music over 20000 internet radio stations.Watch 5000 internet TV stations.Categorized by Genre / Type / Region / Language.Personalized setting to default your favorites.

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Grace Digital Wireless Hi-fi Internet Radio Tuner featuring Pandora and NPR (GDI-IRDT200) Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow! What a sweet device this is for the even the not so techo-inclined. Installation was a breeze as there were only 2 cables to hook-up: power, and RCA jacks. I piped it into my receiver and hit the power button and bingo! it found my network over it's installed handy dandy wireless network adapter (G). It prompted me for my password, which I entered (by turning the knob, which was kind of a pain) and it connected no problem. You can also wire your connection through the network cable slot in the back, however, no network cable was included.
After that, I chose internet radio and I had choices galore. The real beauty of this device is how you can personalize it. Got a Pandora account? Pipe it through this baby with ease. How about Live365? You can do that too. Want to search the internet radio via genre? No sweat. Absolutely amazing I tell you.
I created my Grace account, added stations online and podcasts and after unplugging the device and plugging back in (yah, they tell you to do that so it updates the streams), my customization was found on the device and away I went.
Here is the absolute frosting on the cake...I'm now streaming all of my music from my laptop and external hard drive to this device! Sort by genre, album, album artist, create a queue, you name it, this thing can do it. This kills the Windows Media Center that never worked right with my 360.
Who knew you could have so much fun with a radio??

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The Grace Digital Tuner (GDI-IRDT200) is a combination Internet radio and audio media streaming device that brings all the audio content of the Internet from your broadband connection directly to your home Stereo. With it users can listen to 16,000+ radio stations from NPR on-demand, FOX news, CNN, BBC, CBS to KROQ, over 35,000 podcast, 20,000+ On-Demand subscription streams or your personal Pandora radio stations - Free. The Tuner provides not only standard RCA connections to your home stereo but also two digital out connections for the highest audio quality experience as well as both Wi-Fi and an Ethernet connection to your home broadband router. In addition to the ability to play all the Free music in the world, music files from your PC or Mac, a SD or USB drive the Grace Tuner can also access Sirius Premium Internet radio services with a subscription directly from Sirius. The Tuner comes with a full featured remote control and is compatible with the free Grace remote control App for iPhone/iTouch. Connect all your digital music to your home stereo, with Grace.

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New Arrival brite-View "CinemaTube Mini (BV-5005HD Mini CT)" 3-in-1 1080p Full HD Networking Multimedia Player/Streamer/Torrent Downloader, Black (HDMI cable INCLUDED) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have previously tried WD TV (1st generation) and CinemaTube and compared them since these were the media players having similar features at similar prices. Despite WD TV was the most popular media player, I had shown that CinemaTube was the winner.
Read my review for CinemaTube here:
http://www.amazon.com/Brite-View-BV-5005HD-CinemaTube-Multimedia-Downloader/dp/B002CNOYRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1280036605&sr=8-1
Now that both WD TV Live Plus and CinemaGo are out to fight, I can see CinemaGo is still going to be the winner for similar reasons. Although this time I did not try WD TV Live Plus (I didn't feel to), but after comparing their available features, from my previous experience with WD TV and CinemaTube and current experience with CinemaGo, I must say it will be hard to get a better product in the market at this price point.
Don't care about wireless? Save money then! You can get CinemaTube Mini now for less, which is nothing but CinemaGo sans wireless. You can still buy a wireless USB adapter in future to make it wireless (Brite-View recommended adapter desirable).
Read my review for CinemaGo here:
http://www.amazon.com/brite-View-BV-5005HD-Mini-Networking-Multimedia/product-reviews/B003TUB2VE/ref=cm_cr_pr_recent?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
CinemaTube Mini can do "everything" that CinemaGo can do!!!
NOTE: Muzee now offers some TV channels for free! I liked some of the channels and added to my favorites. Quality is standard internet quality. Parenteral control can be done by using a password.
Some bugs need to be fixed through firmware updates:
As someone else also reported,
# ISO's DVD menu is still kinda buggy. For example, the movement of the DVD menu's pointer doesn't match the graphic sometimes.
# IDX+SUB subtitle doesn't work sometimes. As soon as a video is loaded with IDX+SUB subtitle, the screen turns black, and the device restarts automatically.
# If you come across a radio/TV station where you cannot get a signal (nothing plays), the whole player freezes up. You cannot power it off via the remote; you have to yank out the power cable. I came across several of these stations that froze my player among the handful that I tried out. For now, best option is to add the working channels to favorites. That works perfectly for me.
# Sometimes even after I power off the unit (red light), sometimes it comes back on even though I wasn't doing anything.
# Some folks reported slow torrent download. I don't see that much problem. Remember, speed of download depends on the number of seeds/peers at a particular time and their upload speeds. Nevertheless, torrent may be slow because of BitTorrent client Brite-View is using. The advantage is CinemaTube Mini can be left on overnight to finish downloading as this device uses very low power.
And guess what? You will see ALL folders, even system/hidden ones!!! It doesn't affect your unit, but you may not want someone see these folders.
Built quality could be better, but that might make the product price higher.
Bottomline: If you are looking for a compact computer-free media file playback, torrent download and streaming, you are going to fall in love with this inexpensive but powerful gadget. For your peace of mind, frequent firmware update and excellent customer service from Brite-View are also right there. For the price, I could not find anything better.

Click Here to see more reviews about: New Arrival brite-View "CinemaTube Mini (BV-5005HD Mini CT)" 3-in-1 1080p Full HD Networking Multimedia Player/Streamer/Torrent Downloader, Black (HDMI cable INCLUDED)


OVERVIEW

brite-View CinemaTube Mini is a compact (dimensions : 4 X 1.4 X 5.5 inches) full 1080p HD networking media player/streamer features HD playback from removable USB/eSATA HDD, streaming contents from remote computers.

Full 1080P HD

It supports 1080p video formats in VCD 1.0/2.0,SVCD,MPEG1(DAT/MPG/MPEG),MPEG2(MPG/MPEG/VOB/ISO/IFO/TS/TP)/M2TS,MPEG4(MP4/AVI/MOV),DivX 3/4/5/6(AVI/MKV),Xvid (AVI/MKV),H.264/AVC(TS/AVI/MKV/MOV)/M2TS,VC-1(TS/AVI/MKV/WMV)/M2TS,WMV9(WMV),Real Video 8/9/10 (RM/RMVB,to 720p) and FLV. Note:Media files protected by DRM are not supported.

DVD Menu

It supports ISO files, so you can navigate the DVD menu and watch your video as if there was a regular DVD.

Playback Features

You can play media files directly from removable USB/eSATA storage devices (HDD,Digital Camera,HD Digital Camcorder,FLIP Video) with zooming. A preview function with video playback, panoramic photo slideshow with background music and editable playlist to play preferred files continuously!

Streamer

Built-in wired connection with an Ethernet cable included (Or an optional dedicated USB WiFi adapter which is sold separately for easy wireless connection), it can stream contents stored in shared computers (with or without password-protected), or stream online contents like YouTube and Hulu etc from UPnP devices (*3rd parties apps like PlayOn installed in computer*). Due to the "best effort" nature of networking, the streaming playback quality might not be in HD .

BONUS FEATURES
Built-in torrent downloader, you can download torrents without turn PC on.Built-in MUZEE Internet Radio can live broadcasting tens of thousands of sports, music, news or talk show channels from 210 countries.
What's in the Box
BV-5005HD Mini HD Media Player, Ethernet Cable, RCU, HDMI and RCA cables, Power Adapter, Quick User Guide.

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ASUS OPlay Air - Wireless N TV HD Media Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Only a few short months after the debut of the ASUS O!Play HDP-R1, Asus gives us the O!Play Air (HDP-R3). It adds wireless connectivity and a media card reader to an already solid media player. For users in search of a versatile wireless media device, this is a serious candidate for your entertainment dollar.
Physically, the Air is identical to its predecessor. It's the same boxy plain-Jane black housing except with a new LED indicator (for Wi-Fi) on the front and 3 media reader slots on the left side (CompactFlash, SD, Memory Stick). Inside, it is the same Realtek chipset and software, therefore, it inherits all the strengths of the R1 as well as all its flaws. For more details on the usability issues, please read my review on the O!Play R1 page.
Instead, I'll focus mostly on the wireless playback capability of the Air, since it is marketed principally as a wireless media player. If you don't need wireless, by all means, save yourself some $ and go with the R1. But if like me, your router and storage devices are too far from your media player/TV and you don't want to be running wires all over the house, then the Air is for you. An alternative is to use powerline ethernet technology, which sends network traffic through your home electrical wiring, but such adapters like the ZyXEL PLA401 200 Mbps Powerline HomePlug AV Wall-plug Adapter (Starter Kit--2 units) are an extra $80-150 to start (and you need at least 2).
Like the R1, set up was a breeze. Do you have to supply your own HDMI cable though (only a composite is included). The AC adapter is very smartly designed and is a regular 2-prong plug like a laptop adapter, not an awkward wall-wart that blocks other sockets. A side benefit of this design is that it affords you about 12 feet of extra cordage to position the Air at a convenient spot on your desk or entertainment rack. Upon plugging it in, it goes to the configuration screen where you enter the video and network settings. It took several tries to find my SSID and connect to my network initially, but once configured, it works without a hitch and connects instantly upon powering up. It's now happily streaming hi-def content off my media servers in the basement (a DNS-321 and DNS-323 NAS (network attached storage)). The interface is still ugly, spartan, and a bit obtrusive (it'll do a needless connection speed test for EVERY file before you can play it), but now I have all the power and flexibility of the R1 without being tethered to a router.
As reported by the unwanted speed test, I get anywhere from 11-17 Mb/s on average from my D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router running in mixed mode (g/b/n). Sometimes it's higher, but it's adequate for all my content which are mostly 720p MKV files ranging from 4GB to 11GB. It is able to see my Mac on the network and connect to it, but it couldn't see any files. Comparison to WD TV Live:
-------------------------
I'm pleased with the ASUS O!Play line so far, and there's definitely a lot of room for improvement, but you are probably wondering how it stacks up against the Western Digital WD TV Live, its main rival. First, the Air gives you wireless connectivity straight out of the box. With the Live, you need to purchase a separate compatible N dongle (about $30), giving the Air an edge on price. With RMVB playback, a media reader, and an e-SATA port, the Air is a better value pound for pound, but it is twice the size of the Live and not much to look at.
The Live has the edge on overall polish, design, and user-friendliness. The interface is beautiful and very intuitive. I don't have to drill down several layers through redundant network folders just to get to the videos directory. On the O!Play, I have to jump through a series of hoops. From the main menu I have to select: Movies -> Folder -> Network -> Workgroup -> DNS-321 (my NAS) -> [login popup dialog] -> then finally the drive volumes -> file listings. If you tell the player to save it as a shortcut, it's still a series of hoops: Movies -> Folder -> Network -> DNS-321:/ -> drive volumes -> files. The first 3 menu layers are totally unnecessary and this is a major impedance to usability, particularly if you are trying to explain this to less tech savvy users, like my dad.
Note: It is important to use the Network browser menu option, not UPnP, which is spotty on all devices I've tested. UPnP just doesn't work at all for me. Only a handful of files show up on the list. With Network, all the files are there.
The Air's remote is big, but a bit oddly arranged. The remote on the Live is small, making it easier to lose, and skipping ahead is quite awkward. With the Air, you can set it to skip at a fixed interval (1/5/10/15/30 mins) and just push on the remote. On neither device, however, can you go to a specific time code.
The Air lets you change the encoding of external subtitle files on the fly, sparing you the hassle of re-saving files as UTF-8 that you'd have to do on the Live. If you're dealing with non-Western characters, this is important. Subtitles are easier to read on the Live, however, because it puts an outline around text. On the O!Play, I found myself having to change the colors repeatedly when I was watching one movie because it kept blending into the scenes.
Lastly, the Live has YouTube and Pandora streaming, giving you access to web content. It can also check for update itself and install them. The Air has no access to the outside world.
Overall, I like this player a lot. The ASUS has proven itself to be a versatile and capable media player in my home, despite all its warts and rough edges. The Live and the O!Plays are the only two serious contenders in the home media player market, in my opinion, and you can't go wrong choosing either one of them.
UPDATE: 2/15/2010 - Wow! ASUS just released a firmware update today (1.09) greatly expanding the capabilities of this player! (A corresponding update with the same features was also released for the HDP-R1). It adds internet radio, Picassa, Flickr, weather, and internet TV (but no YouTube)! I watched some educational programming from NHK about Japanese candymaking. The video is blurry, like most internet video, but this is a very exciting addition to the device! There are 100 channels on the list, from all over the world. The top ones on the list are from Asia, and further down, I saw sites from Egypt and other parts of the world. This won't replace cable by a long shot because of the low video quality, but it's a nice add-on for those who enjoy international programming and don't want to pay high cable fees for additional channels. (For me to add Japanese TV, it's an extra $25/month! That's for ONE channel.) I am upgrading my rating to an enthusiastic 5 because of this new functionality. The interface still needs a lot of polish, but the features definitely make the ASUS R1 and R3 an excellent value for your money.

Click Here to see more reviews about: ASUS OPlay Air - Wireless N TV HD Media Player

ASUS O!Play Air - now with integrated wireless N and a built-in card reader, it is the most convenient way access your media files to your TV/monitor.Stream your media content wirelessly or through the LAN.Also equipped with a eSATA, USB, card reader for a variety of storage support.This device is easy to use and highly compatible with many video and audio formats. Experience full HD 1080p playback through the HDMI port.

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Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player and FreeAgent Go 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST902503CEA1E1-RK Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I don't want to repeat too much what others have already listed. The unit works great for playing your home videos you converted to DVDs just like you're using a DVD player and you don't need to convert any files(provided they are in the standard DVD format ifo, VOB etc) them just copy them off your DVD and you can have access to all your memories. I click on the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and it plays just like I had the DVD in menus and all.
Now for the problem. The unit does not recognize the FreeAgent Go drives. Dock the drive to it and it does not know a drive is there. I purchased both the unit and a FreeAgent Go drive in the last 2 months. The drive arrived yesterday. I had been using a flashdrive up until now using the USB port. Now I wish I did not buy this unit. Unfortunately, the only place people were talking about this issue was on Seagate's website in the forum section. If you can't dock your external hard drive to it, it's not of much use. Perhaps earlier models worked but in this economy many firms went cheap and perhaps Seagate has done this too. It was just too good to be true and I have relied on Seagate for storage for years, and now they have let me down.
***Update, Seagate initiated contact with me and appears may be taking care of the issue. I will update. So far their customer service has been very proactive and they initiated contact with me based on my discussion about it and how many firms do that!**** Seagate did replace the drive based on comments I wrote in a forum. I also purchased another unit for $29 (no drive included) on sale Jan 2010. Both units working well but you may need to use a USB cable to use a larger Go Drive.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player and FreeAgent Go 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST902503CEA1E1-RK

The easiest way to move your photos, movies and music from your PC to your TV. Share and enjoy your memories in a comfortable, social environment such as your living room. The Seagate FreeAgent Theater media player solution consists of three components: a media player dock, a PC dock and a FreeAgent Go portable hard drive. With two easy steps, you will be viewing and sharing your favorite photos, movies and music in no time! With its unique dual-docking system, setup the device once and never hassle with cables again. Simply place the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive into the PC docking station and it automatically copies your photos, movies and music from the PC to the drive. Then docking the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive into the FreeAgent Theater media player, connected to the TV, puts your entire media library at your fingertips with 1080i High-Definition playback and crystal clear Dolby Digital 5.1 audio surround sound support. With the front-mounted USB port, you can also plug your digital camera, USB flash drive or external USB hard drive directly into the FreeAgent Theater and enjoy the same high-quality viewing experience. Navigating through your media library is intuitive with the FreeAgent Theater¿s user interface and compact remote control. Share your memories like a pro with easy to customize slideshows, transitions, background music and zoom feature for both pictures and movies. Share and experience your memories in comfort with FreeAgent Theater.

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ASUS OPlay - TV HD Media Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's not much to look at coming out of the box, but boy, does the O!Play pack a wallop! It's an outstanding first effort from Taiwan-based Asus, a company known more for Eee Netbook and notebook computers than home entertainment devices. With Asus being a newcomer to the media player field and my having tested so many bad players, I was a bit hesitant to order the O!Play, but now I'm a believer. With its exhaustive list of supported video codecs and network connectivity, it is nearly the perfect player, capable of playing everything from VCD to DVD to Blu-ray/HD DVD rips. Most notably, it supports RMVB, an important feature to fans of Asian shows and one that most of the major-brand players lack, including the otherwise superb WD TV HD Media Player and WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player. ASUS seems to be very actively developing firmwares and I'm impressed by their diligence.
SETUP:
Setup is easy and literally takes 30 seconds. On the side is 1 USB port and 1 eSATA port to connect local hard drives should you need them. HDMI and optical cable (S/PDIF) are not included, so you'll need your own. I really appreciate Asus using a 2-prong power cord instead of a wall-wart that blocks neighboring outlets. True to Asus's PC pedigree, the AC adapter looks like a PC laptop's AC adapter. It's very small (about the size of a Hostess Twinkie) and has a pleasant (and VERY BRIGHT) blue LED. Upon boot-up, the device asks you to configure it with TV settings, network settings, time and date, etc. After plugging in the LAN cable, it found my NAS units (D-Link DNS321 Gigabit Network Storage Enclosure and D-Link DNS323) right away. The O!Play did have a problem interpreting non-Roman characters on my NAS, so folder names and files got garbled. Some files did not show up on the O!Play until I removed the offending non-Western characters (Chinese and Japanese).
With the new firmware, UPnP has been added, along with some slightly improved icons. With UPnP, the O!Play sees Chinese and Japanese filenames properly, but none of my MKV's showed up, a problem I had on all networked players I've tested. Only a fraction of my total library was listed. If you want to see your entire list, don't use UPnP.
INTERFACE AND USABILITY:
From a total off and unplugged state, the O!Play takes 10 seconds to boot to the home screen, compared to as many as 40 seconds for the Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Multimedia Player 1 TB. The home screen is bright and attractive, but the folder navigation scheme leaves a bit to be desired. It's spartan, white text on black, and not nearly as attractive as the WDTV or WDTV Live, but it gets the job done. The remote control is big and solid, though the buttons seem to be bizarrely grouped and scattered about, forcing me to look down each time to make sure I'm pushing the right button. The bottom group of buttons is arranged in a circle around the music button for example, mixing different functionality into one area: volume controls (+/-) with subtitle (Aa), audio track (head icon), repeat mode (circular arrows), picture zoom (magnifying glass), file display mode (Mode), and device setup options (Setup). "Mode" is a file listing filter, toggling between Movies, Music, and Pictures. With it, you never need to go back to the home screen. Unfortunately, there's no "Show All" mode which lists every file together at the same time. To PageUp or PageDown long directories, use the |< and >| buttons.During video or image playback, the picture can be zoomed up to 8x. During video playback, the fast-forward/rewind can go up to 32x. The inclusion of volume control buttons is very thoughtful and useful. You can turn video preview on or off. Pausing over a file for a second will play it in a smaller window on the right (with audio). There is a slight delay of a second or two when reading the file's metadata off a drive or the network, during which time you can't push the play button. This can be a potential problem for people and gets annoying. For music, pausing over the file displays the ID3 info (song name, artist, album name, year, etc).
One cool feature is the ability to adjust the device options while playing back a movie. The menu overlays on top of the movie and you can adjust your settings (Brightness, Contrast, Aspect Ratio, etc) and resume. There's also a Noise Reduction option, but I suggest turning this OFF. It caused strange and distracting frame shimmering in some movies. Lastly, O!Play also remembers where you left off on each movie and can resume the next time you play the file.FORMAT SUPPORT:
This is where the O!Play really shines. It played all of the 100+ random files I threw at it, except for a few stray (and poor quality) .WMV files I got from the internet. MKV, AVI, MPG, DIVX, RM, TS all played flawlessly, both standard def and hi-def 720p/1080i/p content. It even plays Flash Video (FLV), a feature rarely encountered. DTS and Dolby multi-channel audio is downsampled to stereo, so there's no need for an audio receiver if you just want to output through the TV for convenience.
The Asus also plays .IFO/VOB files with DVD chapters, menus, and all disc features as if it were the original DVD. That's great news for users looking to make a centralized DVD collection on a server or a big hard drive. The only problem is there doesn't seem to be a button to get back to the menu. You have to stop the movie and start it again.
For photos, the ASUS has a problem displaying progressive JPEGs. Images will fit to screen and can zoom up to 8x, but there's no 1x view to see it at the original size.
EXTERNAL SUBTITLES:
I tested external .SRTs and internally embedded subtitles in .MKV's in a number of languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Russian, English, French, and others. All worked when saved as UTF-8. For multilingual families and fans of foreign film, this is great news. You can also set the interface to one of 10 major world languages. Subtitle files can be downloaded from sites like DivxStation.
With firmware 1.11, external and internal subs are both recognized if both types co-exist for a movie. Previously, only embedded subs were seen when a movie had both types. Now, pushing the subtitle button pops up a submenu where you can select the subtitle, change its encoding, font size, position, color, and importantly, syncing (many downloaded subtitles are off by a few seconds). This is very useful! No more re-saving. Just cycle through the available encodings or adjust the timing until the sub looks right (but you should still re-save to avoid doing this every time). Where multiple external subs existed, the O!Play did not recognize their names, showing only a number (like "Subtitle: 2 (SRT)", even when named according to the movie's filename (e.g. "Batman.mkv" -> "Batman - English.srt"). Pushing the info button a second time shows extended info like codec, resolution, and bitrate. It is better to mux the subtitle into the file using something like mkvmerge GUI and metatag the language name onto it. Subtitle line-spacing is a bit of an issue (too much). You can change the font size and color, but not the gap. Lastly, I wish for a thick black outline around the text like the WDTV Live. Sometimes the subtitle blends into the movie, no matter what color you set it to.
10/100 NETWORK INTERFACE:
This is a weak point for the device. With no gigabit Ethernet, it is less future-proof against monster 8GB+ .MKV files and other bandwidth intensive HD content. Also lack of wireless connectivity means I do not have freedom to locate this device wherever I want.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The O!Play is truly a multimedia beast. It plays nearly everything under the sun and as a WDTV and WDTV live owner, I can safely say that Western Digital has some serious competition here. At $99, it is a very capable device at a fantastic value, and its homely interface is forgivable. It is, however, rather boxy and brick-like, taking up as much space as a 3.5" external hard drive or an average Bible. It's 2x the size of the WDTV. Lastly, WDTV Live has Flickr, YouTube, and Pandora streaming. O!Play has no internet playback capabilities as of the current firmware release, though that can quickly change. ASUS has already added substantial improvements like the subtitle fixes and UPnP.
If wireless connectivity could be added with a firmware update, then this player will be all things to all people. (WDTV Live supports third party WiFi dongles). This is THE player to get if you want MKV, RMVB, and DVD .IFO support and don't care about wireless. Great value coupled with a great firmware support attitude makes this a highly recommended buy, and I hope ASUS surprises us with more software features down the road.UPDATE #1: Dec 10/09: Firmware 1.17 is now available, which adds BD .iso support and lets you jump forward by 5/10/15/30 mins.
UPDATE #2: Feb 15/10: Firmware 1.21 has just been released. It adds MAJOR internet content connectivity as well as the option to wirelessly connect your R1! This is something users have been clamoring for since this product's release and a giant leap forward. With a compatible USB dongle, this thing does everything the Air does, except the media...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: ASUS OPlay - TV HD Media Player (Black)

ASUS O!Play is the most convenient way access your media files on your TV. This device is easy to use and highly compatible with many video and audio formats. Equipped with an eSATA, USB, and LAN port, you can access your files from an external hard drive, PC, or NAS. The O!Play even supports HDMI so you can display your content in 1080p.

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Sony SMP-N100 Network Media Player with Wi-Fi Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)i bought this to replace my asus o!play and wdtv 1st gen. i am very happy with it so far. the picture and audio output is fantastic so far. it plays all my mkv, h264 720p, 1080p, dts, and ac3 beautifully.
i don't like the subtitle output. they're FUGLY pixelated fonts. sony needs to release a new firmware for properly rendered subtitles. i also don't like that it doesn't output 1080p/24 mode. it only outputs in 1080p/60. hopefully new firmware will add this feature.
netflix in hd is awesome, hulu plus is coming real soon, and there's amazon VOD. there's lots of other video podcasts too. sucks that youtube isn't in 720p or 1080p. i believe this is youtube prohibiting hd resolution on set top boxes. everyone go complain to youtube about this!
the build quality of the unit and remote is much better than wdtv and asus o!play. the fit and finish is on par with sony blu-ray player. i am very pleased.
this is the best media streamer thus far. don't buy the wdtv live plus, get this instead! maybe boxee box might be better but it isn't released yet and cost $200.

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Enjoy a variety of entertainment with the Sony SMP-N100 Network Media Player. Wirelessly stream movies, TV episodes, videos, and music from Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and more. Easily access your music, videos and photos in up to Full HD 1080p when you connect a USB drive or wirelessly stream them over home network using your PC. You can even download the free "BD remote" app to turn your iPhone, iPod touch, or compatible Android phone into a versatile remote.

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Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player STCEA101-RK Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Seagate FreeAgent Theater is now cheap because it is old technology and it shows. It is not a bad player for old-school video formats, but the picture is composite like an early years DVD Player, not HD. The firmware is slow, ugly, and buggy. The newer Theater+ model has HDMI, networking, and HD picture, but it is not worth the much higher $ investment (currently over $200 with hard drive and dock). The new firmware is still a D+ at best. I recommend using a netbook with an HDMI port as a media server instead. A netbook will work flawlessly as a media server and you will enjoy all the other PC fuctions it can do for you.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player STCEA101-RK

The easiest way to move your photos, movies and music from your PC to your TV. Share and enjoy your memories in a comfortable, social environment such as your living room. With two easy steps, you will be viewing and sharing your favorite photos, movies and music in no time! With its unique dual-docking system, setup the device once and never hassle with cables again. Simply place the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive (sold seperately) into the PC docking station and it automatically copies your photos, movies and music from the PC to the drive. Then docking the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive into the FreeAgent Theater media player, connected to the TV, puts your entire media library at your fingertips with 1080i High-Definition playback and crystal clear Dolby Digital 5.1 audio surround sound support. With the front-mounted USB port, you can also plug your digital camera, USB flash drive or external USB hard drive directly into the FreeAgent Theater and enjoy the same high-quality viewing experience. Navigating through your media library is intuitive with the FreeAgent Theater¿s user interface and compact remote control. Share your memories like a pro with easy to customize slideshows, transitions, background music and zoom feature for both pictures and movies. Share and experience your memories in comfort with FreeAgent Theater.

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Zinwell ZIN-5005HD "ZinTV" 3-in-1 Networking-Ready 1080p Full HD Multimedia Player/Streamer/Torrent Downloader, Free Internet TV/Radio, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have the Zinwell and a pair of Western Digital TV Live so I'll compare and contrast.
Setup is super easy with both. Connect to your TV or receiver via HDMI cable, attach an external hard drive (not included) and go into the menus to configure your audio and video option. You can also connect these to a wired network and Western Digial has certified a number of USB wireless adapters that require a bit more knowledge to setup. The documentation from both companies could be a lot better so I'll call this one a tie.
The WDTV Live is a bit slower to start up but directory changes are much-much faster than the Zinwell. I suspect because the WD indexes and caches directories of any external drives while the Zinwell has to reread it each time. The difference in speed is absolutely huge. Basically performance wise the Zinwell feels really-really doggy to me. Advantage WDTV Live.
The WD has a much cleaner and better looking interface compared to the Zinwell's ugly menus over a /Linux/like/file/system/. I can live with ugly as long as it works but in 2011 I shouldn't have to. Advantage WDTV Live.
The WDTV Live outputs 5.1 audio in DTS format over HDMI, toslink or coax; the Zinwell outputs raw bits or stereo over HDMI. If your Receiver supports DTS then advantage WDTV.
The Zinwell's remote is a tad better but much larger. Both media players work seamlessly with Harmony remotes. Advantage Zinwell.
Both play nearly every popular audio and video format either from your own external hard drive or across a wired network. However both struggle trying to play hi-def video across a network connection. I find that hi-def vidio from an external hard drive works pretty well with the WDTV Live but never could get the Zinwell to output anything but stereo without the sound breaking up. Advantage WDTV Live.
The Zinwell promises access to the full DVD/BD menus but I never could get menus to work and found the separate audio selection button to be stubborn. With the Western Digital you do have to get used to using the "options" button to access audio and subtitle choices but they work. Slight advantage WDTV Live.
Bottom line the network media player market is still immature with many newer products coming down the pike but for now I consider the Zinwell a no-go for my needs.

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ZinTV (ZIN-5005HD) is an advanced "Networking" multimedia player that brings full high-definition movies with fidelity audio to 1080p Full HD display. It can play media files stored on any USB storage devices (NTFS/FAT-16/32/EXT-3/HFS+ format) and can enjoy Free & best Internet TV/Radio stations from 210 countries

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Viewsonic NexTV VMP75 1080p Network Media Player - Stream Netflix, Internet radios/videos & access to Twitter, Facebook w/free HDMI cable Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got this primarily for Netflix. The first unit I received had a bad HDMI port on it. I had to turn it upside down and wiggle the cable in order for any picture to show on my TV. I held it down in this position to see how it worked. Everything looked OK except the Netflix had no sound. Well this unit went back the next day.
The second unit came and the HDMI port was OK on this one. I tried Netflix and NO SOUND AGAIN!!! This time I reported the issue to Viewsonic and got a response back quickly. Naturally they wanted me to validate I knew how to hook it up. I responded that the sound was fine with playing network files and was fine on YouTube...just Neflix. The response was a thank you and they said a possible fix is in the works.
Well...yesterday (Sept 7th) I checked for firmware updated and there was one!!! I downloaded and installed and now Netflix works. I like this box now.
Reminder to all...download the latest firmware before trying anything. They are adding fixes all the time now that people are reporting problems.
***Edit Nov 25****
There is another new firmware update. It fixed my HDMI sync issues, allows zip codes for location, seems to work better with network shares, seems twice as fast responding to commands, and loads during power up faster. It is getting there..just wish all this was done before they launched. Right now I am glad I bought this.

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Streaming internet content is easy with the ViewSonic® NexTV® VMP75 Full HD 1080p network media player. Enjoy movies, videos, music and photos from your storage devices or accesscontent from YouTube, Live365, ShoutCast internet radio, Flickr and more. Now you can access the Netflix streaming platform with your Netflix subscription to access thousands of movies and TV shows instantly. The NexTV VMP75 supports a full range of the most popular video, audio and image formats and can be connected to your home entertainment system. With its web browsing capability (not available for rich Flash content) and custom RSS feeds, your connected TV experience is greatly expanded.
A full range of format support With the support of the most popular video, audio and image formats, the NexTV VMP75 offers an unrivaled and ultimate entertainment viewing experience. Additionally, with the support of DTS and Dolby, you can enjoy digital media in full surround sound with your home A/V system.

Formats supported include:

Video: MPEG1 (AVI/MKV/TS/DAT/MPG/MPEG/VOB), MPEG2 (MKV/DAT/MPG/MPEG/VOB/ISO/IFO/TS/TP)/M2TS, MPEG4 (AVI/MP4/MKV/MOV/WMV/ASF), DivX 3/4/5/6 Xvid (AVI/MKV/MP4/MOV), H.264/AVC (TS/AVI/MP4/MKV/MOV/FLV)/M2TS, VC-1 (TS/AVI/ASF/WMV)/M2TS, WMV9 (ASF/WMV)

Audio: MP3, MPEG Audio, Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA, WMA Pro, PCM, LPCM,FLAC, WAV, AAC, HE-AAC,OGG, MKA,VORBIS

Photo: JPEG,GIF, PNG, BMP,TIFF

Subtitles: SRT, SMI, SUB, SSA,IDX+SUB, IDX, AAS, TXT

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