Uebo introduces versatile M200 media streamer, we go hands-on
By Sean Hollister 
posted July 20th 2010 10:00AM
posted July 20th 2010 10:00AM
Sadly, in practice the above functionality isn't as streamlined as it sounds -- as is usually the case with these devices image quality can suffer slightly, and Uebo's GUI has a face only a mother could love. While the device admirably played the vast majority of one editor's anime music video collection (though it stumbled over XviD and Sorenson Video 3), sorting through nested menus to get to our content was a hell of a chore. PlayOn and Bittorrent seemed to work, though their roundabout implementation left much to be desired, with the former only accessible through a deep dive of the UPnP menu, and the latter requiring torrent trackers to be uploaded from a separate PC using a web client. We had a couple of crashes when testing the device, too, including a Bittorrent-related one where the Uebo completely stopped responding to input, but the majority of the time we enjoyed HD and SD content on the fairly capable little TV server. All in all, it's not the most polished product and shouldn't distract you from popcorn-eating elephants in the room, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative it's hard to argue with Uebo. Take a brief tour with our gallery below, or hit up the more coverage link for a full datasheet.
OMG!!! Uebo, pronounced in spanish, sounds like "egg".... :-O
*rolls eyes at another media streamer*
@johnvillar Add that to WebOS. I don't know what's going on with companies wanting their products to sounds like Eggs
@Fox Con Lol... yep... maybe that's applied phallic theory.... WebOS was supposedly targeted to the ladies, maybe this one here is too... Roflol
Man that thing is ugly. Welcome to the 90's
@mobilehavoc
I actually kind of like it...
It's another generic Realtek 1073 player it even uses the same case as the Mede8er one of the more well known units in Europe/Africa.
http://www.iboum.com/pr/mede8er.php
Pch A110 looks better than that thing, words that I never thought would leave my mouth.
Why are there no decent DVR offerings on the market? I am still using my gazzillion year old replay PC.
Someone should make a decent DVR that can do all this media streaming, it's be like printing money :)
Ill wait for the Boxee to come to market...til then ...ill keep using my PS3 and PS3mediaserver for all my video and music goodies
Mac Mini + Flex = My HTPC.
Plex. :)
@Indefinite Implosion
A shootout comparison would be good. This reviewer acts as if the marketplace is saturated, but there actually is a lot of differentiation in this category.
Many streamers do not support connected storage. These devices do not function as a bittorrent client, either.
Many set top boxes that support connected storage and play local and networked video files do not support HULU or Netflix. The rare devices is the type reviewed above that does bittorrent, connected storage, NAS, and also streams video from HULU and Netflix.
The reviewer incorrectly complains that a second computer is used to upload torrent files to this device. Remote administration via web-based interface is a VERY nice feature. I don't want to have to be at home in front of my tv hunting torrents. I like to connect to the remote admin interface from work or anywhere else to have my set top box get to work downloading a torrent so it will be completed by the time I get home.
mrtexasfreedom
Why are these things being called "media streamers" instead of media stream players or media stream decoders? Are these really capable of streaming media, or are they merely for decoding/playing media streams?
Every time I see an article with "media streamer" in the title I begin to read with excitement hoping to find information on a device that will stream my video collection to my remote devices or to my laptop through the internet or something . . . .
Nice looking box, clean design. Time to replace my tired Wii for video playback. PlayOn is a nice addition, for $39.99 a year, I can kiss my DirecTV goodbye. Nice job integrating PlayOn into the player. Heck, just Hulu alone is worth the trouble..
What's wrong with having to upload the torrent from web browser? I don't get it, being able to connect to the hard drive directly is a very nice feature. Can I make it into a home storage server with all my media files as well?
Where can I get one of this player?
Cool. This device packs a lot of functionality into one package. This thing seems to do a whole lot more than your average media streamer, especially with the storage capabilities. And I agree with the reviewer, you can't beat that price - why pay more for something that has half the capabilities?
The design is nice - simple, yet elegant... no idea why some posters are complaining...
@InspectorGadgetLover I agree I'm liking the overall look and simplicity of the design.
This has the same ugly interface as the Patriot Box Office "media streamer". Ugly interface, but it does play every file I throw at it. I wonder if the firmware is the same?
My gf wants a media streamer in the living room, we have the O!Play in our room eh...it's OK, but I like the idea of downloading torrents with this box has anyone picked one up yet?
The device looks like the old HD DVD XA1 player. It's disappointing that the UI is pretty bad. That doesn't look easy to navigate and the crashes of the system of itself aren't good.
This model is exactly the rebrand of Techgear in Asia
http://www.techgearworld.com/html/movieBox.html
This seems to be identical to their model MB861 using RTD1073. They also have a newer model MB901/902 using RTD1283 to include video capture capabilities turning it into a PVR with MB902 to include the option of installing a HD TV Tuner to allow HDTV PVR functionality so something to look forward to
Whenever I read the specifications for a media streamer like this one, I am always disappointed to find the supported video codecs do not include DV. Meanwhile, I often encounter forum topics, where someone has captured their Digital8 or miniDV tapes, and are struggling with how to compress the captured video without degrading the quality too much, in order to play it on a media streamer like this one. I know, DV is about 13 GB per hour. But with TB drives, it's time.