If you haven't been following
this phenomenon in geek culture, you've truly been doing yourself a grave disservice. Not quite an
Obama-level disservice, but we digress. Just a few months after refreshing its SATA HDD dock to bring along
multicard support, the outfit has done the multimedia crowd one better by offering up an HDMI-equipped version. As expected, the device supports 2.5- and 3.5-inch SATA hard drives and can connect to one's PC via USB 2.0; from there, just hook up your component jacks or HDMI cable and enjoy crystal clear playback of whatever content you've got slammed in there. Too bad all this fun will set you back $79, but we suppose it's still a wee bit cheaper than an unadulterated media streamer.
posted Jun 12th 2009 9:31PM
So it plays it without a computer?
That's cool I guess, but I have a vastly superior TV
Call me when your "vastly superior" Apple TV can play 1080p mkv files.
How do I contact you then.
I'm sure it's only a matter of time.
Yes, it's only a matter of time before you'll have to buy a new device. Apple TV's processor does not have the horsepower required to handle 1080p video.
I'm sure Apple will fix it somehow.
Note to all who've replied to this comment: Miles is a known Apple fanboy. Click his name and read his other comments and you'll see. He's not allowed in grocery stores anymore due to getting a hard-on when he walks too close to the produce aisle.
As for a completely on-topic comment: This is a very sexy beast, even for Brando. Add Wi-Fi streaming and You-Tube playback and I'm sold. Too bad there aren't any pictures of it's GUI. The hardware has some nice features, but it's crap if it doesn't make a pretty picture.
No Miles, no they won't. Unless by "fix it somehow" you mean they come out with a new product for you to buy.
Does this dock support 1080p mkv files (didn't see anything referencing that specifically on the site.
He's not actually an Apple fanboy, he's one of those trolls that pretends to be an Apple fanboy to piss people off and make Mac users look bad. iEye anyone?
@DWells55
Sorry but I'm not troll.
But I guess everyone thinks that I am.
Whatever, all I know is I still PREFER the TV over this.
That's MY OPINION.
I thought haters were bad in 2007.
@miles
I'd prefer getting punched in the face to getting kicked in the sack, but I'm not gonna pay for either.
Miles, if you truly aren't a troll, please refrain from speaking or typing in the future. Levelheaded Mac users like myself don't need your kind making us look bad.
1080p mkv device ftw - someone please make one!
and this is rather strange, but I think my computer is display what should be and apple sign as an FU in a box. gave me quite a laugh.
Ooh... only support FAT 16 (does anyone still use this???) or 32. That couldnt even hold most of 720p divx files - those are mostly 4.5-6 gigs.
@Matthew C
I suspect it's a conspiracy. NOBODY uses FAT16/32 anymore for user files. Nobody.
It's NTFS, Ext3, Ext4, etc.
The fact that I don't see .mkv support and the drives are limited with such file systems makes me believe that these manufacturers have been threatened.
What else could explain the fact that every standalone media player out there is seemingly crippled like this? Are they really that stupid? Or is the threat of a lawsuit from the copyright cosa nostra stopping them?
I suspect the worst, since it is readily apparent once you survey what kind of people's files are on their systems you seeee... yep .mkv files and 4+ gig file sizes.
@DWells55 wow... yes.. tell him how he should behave because he owns a mac...
When did mac users start telling other mac users how to behave?
Hey guys! This mac user over here isn't following the guidelines! He is all making us look bad :(
ANNNNNNNNNY ways.. back to my point. This product looks like turd.
@Ed
you know i was thinking the same thing, lacie just released some similar BS with shitty codec support, something's going on here.
@Ed It's easily explained by the fact that FAT32 is the only file system supported out-of-the-box by Windows, Mac, and Linux. And even if all they cared about was Windows, NTFS is patent-encumbered.
MS actually released a new version of FAT called exFAT that supports large files, and that standard has been chosen as the one for the next gen superbig/fast SD cards.
They also have a free update for XP to add support.
Info:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa914353.aspx
Windows XP xFAT support update:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1cbe3906-ddd1-4ca2-b727-c2dff5e30f61&displaylang=en
I don't think there's a vista/7 update but perhaps that supports this stuff already?
---
All that doesn't help if this thing only supports old FAT of course, that's just idiotic and needs fixing.
what does the user interface look like? for 20 bucks more you get a solid unit in the WDTV.
The WDTV also gives you MKV and h.264 support, among other things.
I've noticed it also tends to go on sale pretty often. I think i saw it for 80 or so a couple weeks ago. The WD team also seems to be invested in the community and are constantly working on updates, and there is also custom firmware that I have yet to try.
So what would I be looking at on my tv? how do i control what is being pulled off the drive?
Excellent question, and also you wonder what format are actually supported, because if it's true it only supports the FAT filesystem that means the maker was too cheap to buy NTFS support and/or pay some coders to support some other filesystems, meaning that their video codec support might also be awful and only support indio encoded avi, or mpeg1.
never mind, I clicked the link (doh) and found what it supports, and it's plenty.
Also it shows a remote, so you obviously get a nice filemenu and can select with the remote I would guess.
OMG that is like sooo ugly.
it definitely would be an eyesore on a home theater unit. Even Lacie makes a nice unit.
That's the back you asswipes, this is the front.
http://usb.brando.com.hk/zoom.php?prod=SATA+HDD+Multimedia+Dock+II+(HDMI)&pic=UCABL009800_04_L.jpg
It's not that bad.
Ewww. I liked the look of the back better.
That's what she said.
pretty nice that it includes an sd reader for people who want to check out the pics from their cameras on their tv
IR receiver is separate - so you can hide it in a cabinet or something and only the little receiver shows
Front is way worse. Looks like a VHS tape re-winder from 1992.
When will someone release a NAS with a built-in bittorent client, software/media player that handles MKV, the ability to stream Netflix, and HDMI out?
It's called a computer.
HTPC
The Popcorn Hour does all that and more my friend! Well, no Netflix... but everything else and more, my friend!
Yeah - you could probably build an HTPC that could do that for under $500.
And BTW, 2 uses of My friend in a row? are you guys really that close?
I don't want to build my own computer, what I want is something simple that has everything in my previous post. It doesn't seems like too much to ask to me.
At least this company is being innovative and proactive. The AppleTV sucks big time and I know because I have one.
Don't let those blu-ray fetishists near that analog hole!
I wont even begin to go in to how RIDICULOUS this device is. Save your money people. Buy a WDTV (only if you are scared of networking, im always shocked by how many people cant figure out how to get a network connection into their living room, or complain about 'wires'), Asus O!Play, Popcorn hour, or 1-Up your peers, and build yourself an XBMC machine with enough horsepower to handle any video format out there.
Once more. SAVE YOUR MONEY. This product cannot live up to your expectations, and if it does............
XBMC doesn't support VC-1 WMV's with sound. You can see just not hear anything, which is great if you don't have speakers, are deaf or just want to appreciate each frame as a piece of artwork.
So it wont play to your TV unless you use a USB stick or an SD card only?
"A powerful tool for data transfer, backup and cloning. It functions as a Media Player as well. You can play your media files via SD card or external USB storage "on TV" without using a computer."
I believe the idea is to connect it to your computer over USB 2.0 and stream through it if you don't want to use the SD or a SATA HDD.
duhhhhh just buy ANOTHER usb dock and hook it up to this one! looool.
also.. geeeeeeeee thanks brando for the free composite cables. it would have been nice of you to throw in a $2 HDMI cable, but hey its 'only' $79 right?
one more shoutout, directly to the guys behind the scenes. seriously. whoever wrote this, re-read your article and forgive your readers for the visible stains on your nose. is this an advertisement? enjoy crystal clear playback? is that a quote, or gross speculation? has anyone in your offices actually even USED one of these before?
No H.264 support? Fail.
IMO the WDTV is a better solution, or whatever you can put XBMC on.
如何才能改换我的头像
If $79 is too much for you, you can try this model for $69:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/01/brandos-latest-hdd-dock-adds-hdmi-into-the-mix/
"enjoy crystal clear playback of whatever content you've got slammed in there." By that you mean mkv files? Let me know when Webster changes the definition of any.
They said "whatever" not "any"... just saying =).
NEVER buy any HDD dock unless you enjoy your HDD extra crispy. I've used 7 different manufactures including Brando and every one has fried at least one drive. one of the biggest problems is since there's nothing to cool the drive, it'll just overheat and destroy the drive, so a desk fan for the dock is a must. Any one of these "toaster" style drives is horrible. Don't bother
I have heard people say that before. How hot do you think it gets inside a computer case or fanless external enclosure? There is no reason why this would cause your drive to fail any faster than any other means of using a drive. Constantly plugging and unplugging might have something to do with it but not heat.
Laptops generally don't have fans OR vents around the hd's and they don't magically overheat and die.
Its really weird it doesnt have an esata port.
So one still have to copy medias into that dock? Wouldn't it be great if it's equipped with WiFi and can directly pull medias online?
Why is this any better (or more revolutionary) than this...http://www.tvix.co.kr/eng/products/HDM7000A.aspx
Apart from the price difference?
Because its much much much cheaper.
I own WDTV and they are unreliable and a bad design in my opinion, they have no buttons on the actual unit which forces you to only use the cheap basic remote control. Great idea but they just haven't nailed it, I'm really hoping for a reliable product. I wonder if this could be it?
HDMI nice
Ok, my wife got me one of these for father's day. 1TB drive with about 150 movies plus a bunch of TV shows. Drive is less than 1/3 full. On screen menu is basic but pleasing to the eye. File menu is the easiest to use and find the movies. Remote control works well and playback has been flawless so far.
It is a very easy set up using the hdmi cable. I'm very pleased with the unit. I especially like the idea of not having to burn DVD's anymore!