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Hard Disk Drive Video Players Hit The Mainstream
By ,
1. Introduction

External storage with DivX, XVid and DVD output

DVD players can be found in almost every living room today, having long ago replaced VHS VCRs. Many of these players can even play back files encoded in DivX and MP3. But there's a big catch to using these formats, too: you have to squeeze the files onto a blank DVD so that you can stick them in the standalone player. And that in turn means that you have to have your own DVD burner and lots of blank DVDs.

One new alternative is the use of hard disk drive (HDD) players that are based on a 2.5" or 3.5" IDE (ATA) hard drive. These video players dispense completely with optical media; the files are transferred via USB 2.0 to the installed hard drive and played from it directly. The copy process takes about a minute per gigabyte; the files are then played back directly from the disk of the HDD player with the same ease as using DVD players, and of course, with the convenience of a remote control.

HDD players support a wide range of video and audio compression methods. Among the best-known are DivX, xVid and MP3. Unlike MPEG-2 (DVD), DivX-coded files are considerably smaller and thus take up less room. Thanks to constantly improving video code compression algorithms, DivX and the others are more than a match for their DVD counterparts. The latest functions of the DivX codec now even support menus and chapter selection, similar to what we're used to with DVDs. Unfortunately these menus are (still) not supported by the players. Thus, if you want to continue to use this convenience, you will have to switch to the DVD structure. The video_TS directory familiar to us from the DVD medium is accepted by HDD players. All functions such as chapters, subtitles, alternative languages or camera angles can be used just as with a standalone DVD player. It is only a matter of time until the boxes support these DivX codex functions, probably via a firmware update.

Players will refuse to play protected MP3 files downloaded from the Internet, such as I-Tunes files. The same goes for video download portals that offer DVD or AVI files. Files protected with digital rights management (DRM) always need online access, which HDD players don't have. Only after you get a release code can the DRM file be played back, for example on Microsoft Media Player. This received code, however, only applies to that one computer and cannot be transferred to the HDD player or any other computer.

Our three test candidates have gigantic amounts of storage. With a 500 GB hard drive, you could store roughly 10,000 minutes of video in MPEG-2. With DivX-compressed video files, that would in theory mean 60,000 minutes or almost 1,000 hours of video! Sounds great, doesn't it? And you don't have to cut any corners on quality. In the case of MP3 music files, that storage would amount to a guaranteed 3 months of uninterrupted playback!

2. The Test Candidates In Detail

THEbox HP-25OTG: Portable Hard Drive With A/V Support

This silver aluminum box is extremely compact, and not only acts as a digital storage device for video and audio files, but is also the ideal playback companion for when you're on the go. While the remote control unit is fiddly-looking, it has a nice feel in your hand. To keep it tiny, the HP-25OTG has no display of its own and no control knobs save for an "on the go" (OTG) button, one press of which copies data from an external USB device to the built-in hard drive. This is a neat function if you want to quickly save some photos from your digital camera but don't have a laptop handy. The HP-25OTG's hard drive thus serves as an image tank of sorts. Using the included RCA A/V cable, you can play back multimedia content stored on the device directly on any normal television set. Unfortunately, there is no delete function, meaning you can only get rid of your stored files in conjunction with a PC.

The specs as listed on the package
3. Contents

The hard drive player uses an internal 2.5" notebook hard drive

The unit that houses the hard drive comes in a small cardboard box containing all the important accessories. The only thing missing in the standard set is a SCART adapter, which you need, however, for most TV sets you use one without a cinch input. If you opted to buy the HP-25OTG version without hard drive, you'll have to open up the unit initially to install one; the tools for doing so are included.

Compact and convenient

Where are all the buttons, you ask? There aren't any more!

The ports are located on the rear.
4. Here's How The Multimedia Player Looks Inside

The actual hardware is mounted inside the unit with four tiny screws. A small board is visible containing the 2.5" hard drive; all other components, including the decoder chip and flash memory, are located next to the drive. The back of the board is nearly devoid of components, as the player doesn't need much hardware for its decoding work.

Compact board with pre-mounted 2.5" drive

The back of the player board
5. Spartan User Menu

The main menu is frugal and dispenses with all manner of frills

The player can be unpacked and hooked up in a jiffy. Besides plugging in the small power supply, all you have to do is connect the box to a TV. The unit only functions without the PSU when it's plugged into a USB port on a computer, where it functions just as an external file storage device. The HP-25OTG likewise requires an electrical socket somewhere within a cable's reach of the power supply to work on the road.

A piece of protective plastic inside the remote prevents the battery from running down before purchase, and is easy to remove. Once you've done so, the remote control is good to go. The LED starts blinking when you turn the power switch on; the unit boots within seconds, and then a very lean main menu appears on the screen. Its four buttons take you to the respective submenus. Note that with this player, "File" describes a kind of directory structure in which you can navigate to directly select the individual files you want.


Nine images are viewable in the preview

Long names are a good thing for MP3 files


The sound equalizer during MP3 playback

Located video files are played back in a preview window under the file menu


Minimalist display for video and audio files
6. Not Many Setting Options Either

The main menu on the setup page

To get to the setup menu you have to push a button on the remote control. You'll search in vain for many menu options to configure, though. The menus are superfluously large, making it seem as if you have a lot of options to set, but you really don't.

Setup Menus: Photo Settings

Slideshow setting options
7. Setup Menu: Audio And Video

Not needed, since the remote has buttons that do the same things
Setup Menu: Slideshow

Image display settings
8. Player Setup: Not Much Of Use Here

Lots of setup options? Don't be fooled by its looks.

While the player's preference list contains all the absolutely critical functions, it dispenses completely with any instructions or explanations. Users are left scratching their heads over mysterious acronyms and jargon in both English and Chinese. The manual also lacks clear answers regarding what kinds of effects a modification might produce.

Selecting the TV standard

Two language versions are available

The on-screen text can be deactivated

Resetting the screen

File sorting

(De-)activating the screensaver
9. Codec Compatibility
Test format / Codec THEbox
AC-3 yes
3ivx D4 no
Canopus Soft DVSD no
DAT CD-Video yes
DivX 3.11 yes
DivX 3.20 yes
DivX 4.1 yes
DivX 5.03 yes
DivX 5.2 yes
DivX 6 (.divx) yes
DivX 6 (.avi) yes
DivX 6 with menus yes **
DivX 2-PASS yes
DVD Video (.vob) yes
DVD with menus no
Leadtools 1.0 no
Matroska no
Morgan M-JPEG 3.0 no
Motion JPEG yes
MP3 Fraunhofer yes
MP3 Lame yes
MP3 VBR yes
MP3 CBR yes
MPEG-1 yes
MPEG-2 yes
MS Media Player 9 no
MS MPEG4 V1 no
MS MPEG4 V2 yes
MS MPEG4 V3 yes
On2 VP3 V3.2 no
OGG no
PCM Audio yes
Sigma Realmagic yes
SVCD (MPEG-2) yes
VOB (MPEG-2) yes
VCD (MPEG-1) yes
WMA yes
XviD MPEG3 V2.1 yes
XviD + AC3 yes
* video hangs, ** no DivX menu
Summary And Evaluation
THEbox HP-25OTG
Weighting Factor Score
20% Features 80%
40% Ergonomics 65%
5% Price 85%
10% Design 95%
25% Service 50%
  Overall score 68%

Thanks to its versatility, the HP-25OTG is an ideal travel companion that can play back virtually any audio and video format. The tiny unit only reaches its limits when it comes to playing back DVD directories.

10. Modix HD3510: Fully Adequate DVD Player Replacement

At first glance, the white box of the Modix player looks like a normal external hard drive case. On the front is a large display and lots of function buttons, while the A/V and USB ports can be found on the back, where you can also attach an external power supply. Once you turn on the device, a menu structure will appear on the hard-to-read display. You can navigate either with the remote control or using the many buttons on the front.

Package information
Package Contents

The player can be controlled without a remote control, using the buttons

The remote control is pleasant to hold

Some buttons on the remote control have no functions
11. Front And Back

The ports are on the back

The buttons light up in different colors
Multifunction Display

The display of the Modix box has several functions at once. The player can be operated without an output device such as a television set, and the function button on the front gives you full control over the HD3510, even without the remote control; this is especially helpful if you want to use the box only as an MP3 server. The display is all you need to select all menus and files, but reading it is difficult because it is not backlit.

Hard-to-read display

This would be better! (Unfortunately, it's only a montage)

Live display within the main menu
Function indicator in display
12. Directory Structure
  • Directory icons
  • Parent directory (..)
  • File names (max. 18 characters)
  • No umlauts
  • Upper/lowercase
MP3/audio File Display Functions
  • File names and directory
  • Duration
  • Volume
  • Audio specifications
  • Sound analyzer
Video/DVD File Display Functions
  • File names and directory
  • Duration
  • Volume
  • Video codec
  • Audio specifications
Display Functions In Setup
  • Advanced settings
  • A/V settings
  • Init menu
Interior Views

Opening the box reveals the player's innards. The decoder board is equipped with a wide variety of modules on both sides; the 3.5" hard drive can be easily installed in the device.

The HD3510 works with any IDE disk up to 2000 GB

The decoder chip is passively cooled
13. Playful Main Menu

The icons say a lot

The HD3510 player is nice and colorful with lots of icons. If we didn't know any better, it would look as though they hid a novel PC operating system; the only thing lacking is a mouse. However, once you get to the submenus, that's it for the icons; you'll have to be satisfied with a list display.

List display of video files

DVD video directory as on the original media

List display of MP3 files


Display indicator (lit up) when playing back MP3 files

Problem with umlauts

List display of photo files
14. Well-organized Setup Menu

Lots of submenus allow for customized submenus. What's more, a comprehensive, clearly explained setup procedure makes the player even more tempting. The manual that comes with the HD3510 also offers help. The most important function, playing DVDs, is buried in the initial setting. If the right switch is set there, the first .IFO file triggers all DVD functions in the VIDEO_TS directory; after that, the HDD box is no different from a standalone DVD player.

Video files can be played in sequence

Settings for DVD operation

Forwarding with AVI files

Interval for slide show

Various font colors can be selected for easier reading

Button function of the remote control

This setting only improves the legibility of the display to a limited degree
15. Settings For Audio And Video Functions

Activating HDTV support

Selecting NTSC or PAL

Settings for brightness, contrast and color saturation

Setting audio output
16. Initial Setting

"On" means DVD directories are treated as such

This is where parental controls can be set

A wide range of screen sizes is supported

Unfortunately, only two languages are available

Reversing all settings
17. Firmware Update For Better Video Support

Before updating firmware

Not only has the codec support improved since the first test of the Modix player, but the HD3510 got a new user interface as well. Running the new firmware for the first time is easy; to do this, the firmware file must first be unpacked and copied to a directory on the hard drive. The file can only be detected by the player once audio playback is selected. The next steps are reminiscent of the flash process of a mainboard BIOS - selecting a file triggers a warning message, and pushing the play button starts the programming sequence. After rebooting, the Modix player logs on with the operating system.

Before updating the firmware

After updating: New user interface with better codec support
18. Codec Compatibility
Test format / Codec Modix
AC-3 yes
3ivx D4 no
Canopus Soft DVSD no
DAT CD-Video yes
DivX 3.11 yes
DivX 3.20 yes
DivX 4.1 yes
DivX 5.03 yes
DivX 5.2 yes
DivX 6 (.divx) yes
DivX 6 (.avi) yes
DivX 6 with menus yes **
DivX 2-PASS yes
DVD Video (.vob) yes
DVD with menu yes
Leadtools 1.0 no
Matroska no
Morgan M-JPEG 3.0 no
Motion JPEG yes
MP3 Fraunhofer yes
MP3 Lame yes
MP3 VBR yes
MP3 CBR yes
MPEG-1 yes
MPEG-2 yes
MS Media Player 9 no
MS MPEG4 V1 no
MS MPEG4 V2 no
MS MPEG4 V3 yes
On2 VP3 V3.2 no
OGG yes
PCM Audio yes
Sigma Realmagic yes
SVCD (MPEG-2) yes
VOB (MPEG-2) yes
VCD (MPEG-1) yes
WMA yes
XviD MPEG3 V2.1 yes
XviD + AC3 yes
* video hangs, ** no DivX menu
Conclusion And Rating
Modix HD3510
Weighting Features Score
20% Equipment 90%
40% Ergonomics 90%
5% Pricing 75%
10% Design 75%
25% Service 90%
  Overall Score 88%

Modix' multimedia player is the ultimate successor to the DVD player. DVD directories are manipulated and played just like any standalone DVD player, and all functions of a DVD movie can be used without restriction. In the case of DivX coded movies, sometimes movies seem to wobble. However, these files can be converted with Modix' DivX Manager, software that also helps in the case of unsupported video formats. The Web support is as exemplary, as is the incorporation of new DivX codecs. The 6x version was available immediately as a new download; only the new menu and chapter functions of the DivX codec have not been implemented.

The DivX Manager from Modix allows all third-party formats to be converted for the HD3510
19. Summary

The remote controls of the two HDD players

A DVD player works well as a standalone component, but HDD players with hard drive and DivX/DVD functions provide not only the same operating convenience but more versatility and flexibility. That means no more burning onto blank DVDs; simply copy your own movies or MP3 files to the hard drive via USB, start the player, and enjoy the multimedia file on your television using the remote control. All three test candidates hold up well when compared to a DVD player.

In terms of playback functions, the HDD boxes are just like any commercially available DivX/DVD player. However, purchasing any of the three involves more of an investment. At up to $200, you'll have to dig a little deeper into your pocket than with an off-the-shelf DVD player. However, you will save more on total costs considering that you save on a DVD burner and media.

The operation and settings options of the test champion, the Modix HD3510, are better than those of the TheBOX HP250TG HDD player, which won points for its design, its handiness and the OTG function. It only lost points on its DVD directory display, putting it in second place.

The Modix offers HD cinch component outputs with a maximum resolution of 1080i. However, an HD capable playback device (flat-screen or projector) is needed.

Neither of these products is widely available in the USA. The THEBox player can be found at Mobilegear.us . The Modix player is available at Cooldrives.com .

20. Comparative Table Of Codec Compatibility
Test format / Codec Modix THEbox
AC-3 yes yes
3ivx D4 no no
Canopus Soft DVSD no no
DAT CD-Video yes yes
DivX 3.11 yes yes
DivX 3.20 yes yes
DivX 4.1 yes yes
DivX 5.03 yes yes
DivX 5.2 yes yes
DivX 6 (.divx) yes yes
DivX 6 (.avi) yes yes
DivX 6 with menus yes ** yes **
DivX 2-PASS yes yes
DVD Video (.vob) yes yes
DVD with menu yes no
Leadtools 1.0 no no
Matroska no no
Morgan M-JPEG 3.0 no no
Motion JPEG yes yes
MP3 Fraunhofer yes yes
MP3 Lame yes yes
MP3 VBR yes yes
MP3 CBR yes yes
MPEG-1 yes yes
MPEG-2 yes yes
MS WMV 9 no no
MS MPEG4 V1 no no
MS MPEG4 V2 no yes
MS MPEG4 V3 yes yes
On2 VP3 V3.2 no no
OGG yes no
PCM Audio yes yes
Sigma Realmagic yes yes
SVCD (MPEG-2) yes yes
VOB (MPEG-2) yes yes
VCD (MPEG-1) yes yes
WMA yes yes
XviD MPEG3 V2.1 yes yes
XviD + AC3 yes yes
* video hands, ** no DivX menu

Table Of Features

Manufacturer/Model THEbox HP-25OTG Modix HD-3510
Internet Website databridge.com modix.co.kr
Price $215 $200
Casing
Material aluminum/plastic plastic
Weight 2 lbs (1000g) 0.7 lbs (350 g)
Dimensions 6.3 x 4.3 x 0.7 inch
160 x 110 x 17 mm
5.0 x 8.1 x 1.8 inch
129 x 205 x 45 mm
Hard drive
Interface P-ATA P-ATA
Form factor 2.5" 3.5"
Capacity 40 GB (up to 100 optional) up to 2000 GB
File system FAT32 FAT32 / NTFS
Display
Resolution no 168 x 168 Pixel
Diagonal no 1"
Functions
Buttons OTG only 13 operating controls
On the Go feature (OTG) yes no
Connectors
S-Video no yes
Composite cinch combo A/V cable combo A/V cable
High Definition Video no combo cable
Audio 2 canal down-mix combo A/V cable 2x Cinch
Digital optical DTS / AC3 no optical cable
USB 1x USB 2.0 Mini 1x USB 2.0 Mini
Other connectors no external IR connector
Other Power supply Power supply
Video-out
Video standards NTSC / PAL NTSC / PAL
HD components no 480p, 720p, 1080i
Accessories included
  Player, user manual, driver CD, power supply unit, remote control Player, user manual, driver CD, power supply unit, remote control, device stand, carrying bag