detail information

So, how do we go about deciding what features we need? The first step is to decide what type of video files you wish to play. Do you want native HD (High Definition like .h264, .mkv) files to be supported or only require SD resolution playback (Standard resolution like DivX, Xvid, VOB). If you require a media player only for playing back your DVD backups, there‟s no need to look at the most expensive and most advanced players…

Based on the outcome, if HD playback is a requisite we can already rule out a range of players based on the older chips. Imagine we choose to have HD support to playback m2ts and MKV files (H.264), we can rule out all players based on Sigma EM8620/21/22 series chips as these are not capable at all of supporting this format. However the Sigma EM8623 is capable of H.264, but is reasonably less powerful and advanced as the SMP8634/35 chips used in most HD capable players today. Since the price is about the same, it‟s an easy decision to make. Notice on how the chip specification already offers a first level of filtering on players to choose from based on whether you want H.264 support or not.

Now let‟s talk about budget. Do you want to spend less or more than €250? This is a catchy one as most players using the SMP8634 or SMP8635 chip can do the same things, they just do it differently and not necessarily is the case that the more expensive ones do more or achieve better results. The added expense usually depicts a better quality and they charge up to €200 extra for the better aesthetic look while doing less than the cheaper looking alternative is all too often the case. So decide… the budget consideration round has nothing to do with having lesser features but has everything to do with style and quality, with few differences in the user experience.

Now let‟s create some filters and apply our findings to the current list of players. Red entries did not make our selection for H.264 capable media players. Orange means they can play HD content but do not use the latest and greatest chip so are less powerful and finally all in Green have made the selection.

With or without H.264 support:

Now let's apply the budget on top of our first selection below €250

Based on our budget filter, we are left with six players below €250 and seven when budget is not an issue. The Markus 800 is an exception which should possibly be excluded for using the EM8623 chip. So let‟s continue with players under €250 as we don‟t want to spend too much of our hard earned cash, knowing technology changes rapidly and we‟d be spending money again next year.

Four out of the five remaining players that made our selection so far are NMT‟s. NMT stands for Network media Tank and is a product from Syabas who develop middleware (the firmware loaded on these players) for OEM vendors. All NMT‟s are OEM devices, where brands purchase of the shelf hardware in most cases, fit in a main board (OEM or designed themselves) and then use the software from Syabas as a driver for their player. Exception to this rule is the Popcorn Hour A-100 which is a DBA of Syabas. DBA is “doing business as”, so Popcorn Hour products are Syabas‟s own products.

NMT products line up.

Different hardware, same internal firmware for all players!

Let‟s examine the facts; all these players use the same firmware, which means they also all have the same tricks up their sleeves or under their lids in this case. No differences apply in functionality so deciding which NMT player to purchase is based on hardware differences and aesthetics. Which do you like best? What functions does one player have hardware wise, that the other one does not have which is important to you?
Let’s line up the differences briefly…

• Popcorn Hour A-100 is the cheapest and first NMT ever released. 
• iSTAR is small and uses external eSATA connection for the hard drive using a special external enclosure and has a power button which the PopCorn Hour A-100 does not have. 
• HDX-900 is built from better materials (aluminium) and has a power button too but lacks any SD outputs, so HD only. 
• eGreat is the first NMT that has a USB slave for easy connection to PC (where iStar external disk can also be attached to PC but comes delivered without power supply as the case draws power from the player‟s main board)

For information on the internal HDD on the NMT players, their formats and abilities, do read the extra information provided before making “wrong assumptions” about the benefits of a USB slave on the eGreat for example. ï�Š Perfect examples of how players are actually the same except for hardware. More differences can apply at a later stage as some players use HDMI 1.3 which later can support HD audio Pass-Through but not yield any benefits related to the HDMI 1.3 today. Unless one brand decides to pay the licensing cost for HD Audio options while another one does not, all firmware updates for one player will be the same for the other as well.

Hell...., let‟s now add the Conceptronic device into the picture which not only looks good but is also appealing in its simplicity. No it is not as advanced as the NMT players which have a lot of online features, custom add-ons and so on, but it can be more attractive for consumers that do not need online content or more advanced configuration options. So the next step is to decide if we want simplicity over configurable options where especially some of the NMT apps are valuable, keeping in mind that “simplicity” often means limitations one way or the other.

The NMT apps can be installed on the drive connected to the NMT players and contain several powerful features such as FTP for transferring files, Torrent Downloads, web server and more. The Conceptronic without a hard drive integrated caters for streaming mainly or playback from USB attached storage. It is a product in the range of Conceptronics “Grab „n‟ Go” collection, which I don‟t fully understand. Grab and go where? It can‟t play anything as a standalone when going anywhere (portable) without at least another hard drive or NAS, USB stick or PC to get the content from.

If you do need a player for travelling, NMT‟s and TVIX are easier as they are actually portable hard drives in theory (if they have a HDD installed) with an internal hard drive holding the content so no need to drag along an external HDD and its accompanying power supply (except for iSTAR). There are many little considerations to keep in mind which make your decision harder. So initially decide if you‟d want more versatility and configurable options to tweak players to your custom situation and needs.

If you decide for simplicity and aesthetics then the Conceptronic player will be the better choice but it comes with its limitations and fewer feature set but is still priced the same as the NMT players. As for the NMT players however they offer a bit more advanced configuration but not to the excess that you lose track of what you are doing. Although you do get all the added features ultimately it is down to the user how much or little they take advantage of. Just in case you want them later, they are always available while for other “more easy” (read: less advanced) players, you are at the mercy of these features being added afterwards…

And last but not least let‟s now add the TViX to the mix. Considered to be “the best” and “most versatile” players often and although once true, TViX has lost some stature lately and still does not offer any form of online content. The network interface is only used for streaming from your local network, that‟s it unless you start using workarounds but we won‟t keep those in mind. The benefit of a TVIX vs. NMT and Conceptronics is the display for instance which allows playing music without the use of a TV to navigate. Music support is slightly better here but still limited, so should we include it as a “major” benefit? Don‟t think so. Truth be told however, build quality, proper USB Host and Slave operation, overall design are several reasons why the TViX is scoring so well but is it worth the extra €150 to €200 you pay in the end having less or no online content nor extra features at all like the NMT‟s and Conceptronic? You decide as tastes vary and so do needs. The TViX is the most convenient player for sure, not the most versatile anymore.

About the other players excluded in our filters from above, the Markus 800 (which is an OEM device made by Novatron called IAMM NTD 38HD) is special because of its use of a two inch colour LCD display but the product itself is of a lower quality and based on a light chip that cannot deliver the performance of the newer chipsets. It has limited ability to improve concerning the LCD as it is “static” and cannot be updated according to my information. The difference between SEM8623 and SMP8634/35 used in the new generations is the fact the latter ones use a full Linux kernel instead of a stripped uClinux and makes use of hardware Memory Management Unit (MMU) which is more stable. Again given the same price range, it makes sense to go for the newest and more powerful/stable players.

And finally, the MViX MX-780 and the iTAB 36HD are not what they should be. MViX is special because of the use of NDAS which is an easy method of connecting the player to a PC similar to NAS, but faster (www.ximeta.com for more info), but equally lacks extra features as online content and H.264 support which is coming up fast, rather hard to do without these days. The iTAB 36HD is a player that truly is appealing and offers a DVD slot-in drive from which you can backup DVD‟s / Music CD‟s directly onto the internal drive but the process is three times as slow compared to doing the same on a PC. It lacks HD capabilities (beyond up-scaling only) and is quite expensive for such an outdated player (processor wise). So the price is mainly for the “risky” and “possible illegal” copy functions included.

The Conceptronics CFULLHDMA and the iTAB 36HD are still under review by me so if interested, I‟ll write up a conclusion about these players when we are done for CDFreaks. That way, I can finally use those words one famous governor used to say so many times… “I’ll be back”…

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