Brando HD Media Player Docking Station does multi-format 1080p

It seems that Brando can't go a month without bringing out yet another slightly-improved domicile for your orphaned SATA HDDs. Following in the footsteps of the very recent Multimedia Dock, the latest unit adds H.264 decoding to the already present DivX, Xvid and MPEG-4, while output graduates to full 1080p. Featuring HDMI and a plethora of supported media formats, the humble docking station has certainly grown up, but is it enough to compete with standalone media players? Input flexibility would suggest so -- the new device accepts 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives, alongside USB flash memory, SD, MMC, and MS cards -- but alas, Brando loses the plot at the final hurdle, asking for an astronomical $199. With prettier alternatives available at half the price, this is unlikely to sell like hotcakes, but Brando's breakneck refresh cycle give us the feeling it won't be long before we see that perfect do-it-all dock.

[Alex Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:08PM]

I love all these new "shove a bare hard drive into a slot" devices. It just reeks of geeky badassedness.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:13PM]

Also badass uglyness and form factor.

Shit this is gonna get rated down, huh? :(

[manifest3r Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:14PM]

now that you mention it...

[One Love Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:15PM]

Frist!

[Wolfticket Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:25PM]

Reeks of try-hard sudo-geekyness. Proper geeks have proper enclosures with heatsinks and such.
Frist indeed.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:49PM]

they also take in account the DANGER of ESD

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:49PM]

oh my god, no. if you want this sort of functionality, use hot swappable drives, not easily hittable naked hard drives. This is like BEGGING for someone to knock it over and have the drive head go through a platter.

[thefourthheat Posted Jul 27th 2009 10:00PM]

Why do you need to run stuff as a superuser to be a geek?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 11:16PM]

Buying a dock and a drive doesn't mean much, except that you have poor taste. Building your own dock from raw components, writing your own code for it, and placing it in a nicely crafted case; now that reeks of geekdom.

[kjb434 Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:14PM]

Is that a hard drive sticking up or are you just happy to see me?

[One Love Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:16PM]

the hard drive sticking up. :|

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:27PM]

Can't it be both?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:16PM]

I think somebody else wants mkv support >.>

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 5:58PM]

me!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 7:07PM]

Was not sure if you meant one way or the other, but it does support MKV
HD Media Player Docking Station allows you to play media files - H.264, RMVB MKV via internal HDD, USB storage device or SD(HC), MS Memory card on TV without using computer.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:22PM]

at first i read BRAWNDO and i was all like "It's got electrolytes"

Still waiting on my "BIG ASS FRIES!"

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 10:12AM]

I thought the exact same thing. Its what plants crave!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:23PM]

I don't know why companies continue to put these devices out without a network connection of some kind, especially at these prices, they are worthless without a network connection of some kind! Still can't beat what a popcorn hour has to offer and its been out for a long time now.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 5:08PM]

I was thinking the same thing, these devices need a network port, but I think the ideal behind this product is to pair it up with one of Brando's SATA Docks http://usb.brando.com.hk/connectland-sata-hdd-dock-with-one-touch-backup-usb-esata-_p00896c044d015.html
Then you have to use good old sneaky net.

[ViaTorci Posted Jul 27th 2009 7:05PM]

My thoughts exactly.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:32PM]

This is getting re-goddamn-diculous

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:48PM]

ESD!!! ESD!!!!!!!!!!

someone is going to be pissed when they fry there hard drive n' lose all that pr0n

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:51PM]

I bought a similar item from brando, but it's defected. I emailed them requesting an exchange, they never replied. I e-mailed again, and they didn't reply again. I'm done doing business with them, and I wouldn't recommend any of you doing so. It takes like 3 weeks for me to receive the stuff from... hong kong

[saintdavid Posted Jul 27th 2009 5:17PM]

please excuse my ignorance, but is there some sort of software interface built into the device to access the media files?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 5:28PM]

I was all in until I saw the price and lack of format support for some formats I use...

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 5:40PM]

Looks pretty snazzy, but not much that my current computer can't do already.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 6:06PM]

The problem with these things (just the basic concept of multiple connecting and disconnecting of HDDs in these 'docks') is that the regular SATA connector just simply isn't up to the job that the sellers are suggesting:

Among other sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sata

states (in the eSATA section):

"The external connector and cable have a design-life of over five thousand insertions and removals, while the internal connector is only specified to withstand fifty."

Just fifty. Personally that relaly dampens my enthusiasm for thes devices. It's a pity. A viable HDD-cartridge concept is something I'd really like someone to create.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 7:10PM]

Cheap work around, use SATA cable, and EXT HD case. Leave one end plug in to HD, and the other to plug/unplug as needed. If you are worried about the HD plug

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 8:48PM]

Nice idea, but then you still have the fact that it's the same weak quality of regular SATA connector in the dock itself, as on the drives themselves. Overall I'd want my 'detachable' products (HDDs and 'docks' both) to be able to manage far more than approximately 25 pairs of insertion/removal cycles before becoming unreliable.

[thefourthheat Posted Jul 27th 2009 10:06PM]

That's just the minimum to meet the SATA spec though so most drives are likely to work just fine past 50 removals if you're not yanking it like a lunatic. You can always buy a drive designed for hot swapping that obviously were made to much higher than the minimum SATA spec for plugging and unplugging.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 7:07PM]

SO much easier just to hook up my Inspiron 1525 to the TV with HDMI...

[jamesFF Posted Jul 27th 2009 8:50PM]

Would I need a Tivo subscription for this?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 9:16PM]

I don't see why the price seems high to everyone. I paid that for a second Xbox 360 just to play videos/music (and the option for an occasional game) and felt like a box like this would have been a better investment. I'd buy one of these if it had FLAC support. I guess i'm dumb, but why does everyone like MKV so much, what is the advantage of it? Chapter stops? I guess I need to read up on it more. Right now I use H.264 for the quality and space savings. Too bad it takes twice as long to encode. I miss being able to encode a whole movie in 15-20 minutes. Maybe I need to upgrade to an i7 processor. Right now with a Q6600 it takes me about 40 minutes to encode a 2 hour movie to H.264 with Handbrake.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 11:22PM]

On a related note... anyone know how to store your 3.5" external bare drives? I have a collection piling up and don't know how to safe guard them.

[simbr Posted Jul 28th 2009 10:25AM]

Believe it or not, they already thought of that
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/brandos-paper-storage-box-inconspicuously-hides-your-hdds/

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 11:36PM]

I know what the dock is but what is the component on (underneath the dock) the bottom of the picture? Anybody know specifics?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 12:45AM]

This type of design is so ugly... come on engineers!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 4:25PM]

Can this also play DVD- and BD-image files?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 3:48AM]

Why don't they just make a pop up Sata drive dock like the old pop up VCR's or Video Cassette Rewinder.