Miscelleneous by stefan @ 2011-12-05
Sitecom has recently launched an easy to use Media Player, code name MD272, which incorporates a 2TB HDD for storing our favorite TV shows, movies, music or photos. The product is shipped with a physical remote, but the player can be also controlled with our favorite tablet/phone via WiFi with the free downloadable remote app.
At first I would like to thank Sitecom for offering me a sample of their MD272 HDD TV Media Player 2TB for testing and reviewing.
“ Sitecom is one of the leading and fastest growing computer network brands for home and small business use. The Sitecom brand has a clear mission statement: “make it easy”. Sitecom makes it easy to set up a home network and to expand it, since it converts technical products into user-friendly solutions which can be used immediately without any problems.
Simplicity is what it is all about! The mission statement “make it easy” is put into practice throughout the organization and is expressed in both the solutions and the service which Sitecom offers. All of Sitecom's products, therefore, have a 10-year warranty. Making the latest technology simple, understandable and accessible is what Sitecom stands for and we make no concessions to that.”
The HDD TV Media Player 2TB allows you to play digital films, music and photos directly on your TV, ensuring optimal comfort and the highest possible High Definition quality (1080p). Easily play files stored on the built-in 2TB 3.5" hard disk or elsewhere in the network, on a notebook, desktop PC or Home Storage Centre (NAS) for example. The media player is DLNA certified, so it automatically establishes a connection to other UPnP A/V devices (Universal Plug and Play Audio and Video) in your network
This makes it simple to share and access digital files stored anywhere in the network. The TV Media Player supports the most popular types of media files, and thanks to the intuitive, easy-to-use menu you can easily select and play digital files stored in your network or on the integrated hard disk. The media player has one USB host port for transferring data from a computer to the internal hard disk and two USB ports that can be used for things like a USB wireless network adapter and a USB storage device
The following online applications are supported and can be viewed directly on your TV:
Google Picasa / Yahoo! Flickr: view your own photo albums or those of your family and friends
MediaFly: watch free internet videos
YouTube XL: watch your favourite YouTube videos
StockMarketWidget: keep on top of the latest financial market information
WeatherWidget: keep up to date on the local weather forecast
vTuner: listen to all your favourite internet radio stations through your stereo system via the media player
Includes HDMI cable, RCA cable and remote control.
Connections
2x USB 2.0 port
1x S/PDIF connection
1x Composite for video and stereo audio
1x Network connection
1x HDMI 1.3a connection
Image resolution
Normal (4:3)
Widescreen (16:9)
480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Audio
Up to 24 bits
MPEG
Dolby Digital
DTS 2.0 + Digital Out
Supported audio formats
MP3 (CBR, VBR 32~320kbps), MP2, WAV/PCM/LPCM, AAC (Mpeg 4), AC3 (Dolby), FLAC, WMA, WMA Pro, OGG
Supported video formats
Mpeg 1, Mpeg 2, Mpeg 4 (ASP), Mpeg 4 (AVC HD/H264), WMV9, VC-1, MKV, AVI (Mpeg 4/AVC), DivX, VOB/ISO/IFO, DVR-MS, ASF, MOV (Mpeg 4/H.264), DAT (VCD/SVCD), FLV
Supported picture formats
GIF, BMP, JPEG, TIF/TIFF, PNG
Automatic Firmware Update
The new TV Media Player from Sitecom holds the MD-272 code name and is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard box, with the product photo on the frontal side; here we also get to see some icons of the supported technologies, and that the device comes with a total of 10 years of warranty:
On one of the box sides, Sitecom lets us know of the free Media Remote App for mobile phones, which can be used instead of the included physical remote, by using Wireless:
The opposite side lets us know of the available connectivity options and supported video/audio formats:
Some extra specifications are included on the back, along with some photos which show us how to transfer media to the device:
Removing the top cardboard packaging reveals another black box, in which we will find the Media Player along with its bundle:
The product is carefully wrapped inside a protective bag, to avoid scratches during transport:
The rest of the accessories and documentation can be found inside a smaller black cardboard box:
Here are the contents of the box mentioned earlier:
-12V DC Adapter
-RCA Cable
-UTP Cable
-HDMI Cable
-CD with additional manuals and the Quick Installation Guide
-Batteries for the remote
The adapter is made by Asian Power Devices and it is rated on the output 12V, 2A:
The small remote allows us to access all the necessary functions of the media player and is intuitive, all buttons having a drawing or a small description under them:
On the back of the remote we can find the battery compartment:
By respecting the polarities, we can insert the batteries correctly:
As the previously reviewed Sitecom products, the Media Player also comes with an easy to understand manual with drawings:
Along with the CD which contains the manual in electronic format, we can also find a Product Catalog, a Declaration of Conformity and instructions on how to register online to benefit from the advertised 10 years of warranty:
The Media Player is initially covered in a transparent thin plastic film, which needs to be removed before the first use:
The body of the MD-272 is made partially from a shiny black plastic, which looks good but also collects fingerprints and dust:
On a closer look, we can find the IR sensor, the power button which lights up blue when the Media Player is turned on, the HDD LED (green color), and USB port and a PC_LINK USB port:
Multiple ports are to be found in the back of the device too:
From left to right, we can find the Power Port, an additional USB Port, the Ethernet Port, one Coaxial S/PDIF Port and a Digital Port:
Next, we can find the Composite and Component ports:
The enclosure of the MD-272 features active cooling, with the help of a fan which is surprisingly silent:
On the laterals, we can locate the intake air ventilation holes:
While looking on the bottom of the player, we can find a metallic plate, along with the 4 rubber feet:
The sticker here lets us know of the product model, hardware revision, serial number and LAN MAC:
By opening the top cover, we can discover the internal pre-installed HDD, with the SATA Data and Power cables:
The MD-272 comes with the Samsung EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB HDD:
The HDD is kept secure with a metallic frame underneath; its metallic frame is held onto the enclosure with two screws; by removing the HDD, we can reveal the PCB:
When powered up, the MD-272 will show first time the Home Menu, from where we can watch our videos,, listen to music, watch photos or access online services; from the same menu we can access the advanced configuration options, and we also have a “Device Remove” button which needs to be pressed when removing a connected USB device:
With the help of the Video menu, we can browse through the available Video content:
The content found here can be displayed in three different modes: thumbnails, list or preview:
Here is an example on how the menu does look with the “list” option activated:
In case we choose “preview”, on the right side of the listed video files we will also get a small preview window:
All videos can be started really easy by using the included remote:
Besides the volume level that we can set from our TV, the Media Player also gives us the possibility to adjust its own volume levels:
Another interesting feature is the possibility to zoom the video while it is playing, without any slowdowns:
Additional options can be accessed during the playback of a video file:
The subtitles that have been found for the current movie/clip are displayed on the screen, and along with it we can adjust the position of the subtitles, the font size, language, subtitle color or synchronizations:
During playback, we can also jump to another video sequence, by specifying the desired hour/minute:
By pressing the “Info” button on our remote, we can see some details regarding the video file:
The refresh rate and the resolution can be also set with a press of a button; the current setting will be shown in the top left corner of the screen:
Inside the Music menu, we can browse through the available content:
When we start the playback, on the left we will see the album art (if available), some information about the Album, Year and so on:
In a similar way, the photos are shown inside the respective menu:
Inside the Online menu, we can browse through some of the available services:
YoutubeXL lets us search for our favorite videos, display the most viewed/top rated clips or we can sign in with our account inside the interface:
Oh wait, I said “search” or “sign in”? Yeah, that is right, the MD-272 also comes with an onscreen keyboard that can be used with the remote:
Here is how the YoutubeXL screen does look during a video playback:
The Media Player also comes with vTuner Internet Radio, where we can search for our favorite station; the stations are also sorted inside the menu by location or genre:
Here is how the vTuner interface does look during playback of DefJay Germany Internet Radio:
Yahoo Weather is another pre-installed widget which allows us see the current weather in the area we choose, with additional details:
With the help of the interface we can also browse some important websites like ESPN, BBC, WeatherBug:
The websites will show in full screen and we will be able to navigate through the pages with the remote and enter up text with the onscreen keyboard:
Another service that we can use with the Sitecom Media Player is Flickr:
Yahoo Finance widget allows us to see current stock indexes:
Mediafly has its own interface, through which we can find the popular videos, audios or search for preferred channels:
The MD-272 also includes Picasa integration:
By clicking on the Setup menu, we can customize the System settings:
Inside the System menu, we can choose the interface language, text encoding, turn on/off DLNA DMR feature (which allows us to select media files from our DLNA server and playback them from there), change the device name, enable the screen saver, select the scan mode for available multimedia content, enable/disable resume play mode or format internal storage. From the same menu we can also reset the Media Player to the factory settings:
Inside the Audio menu, we can turn on Night Mode which limits the maximum volume output, specify the HDMI output type or SPDIF output:
The Video menu lets us choose the aspect ratio, resolution and refresh rate, adjust the video zoom in/out function or enable/disable digital noise reduction filter. In the same menu we can enable or disable the 1080P 24Hz function, if our display supports it:
Inside the Network menu, we can customize Wired LAN settings, we can set the MD-272 as a NAS so it can be accessed through the network or we can see some of the Network info. In the same menu we can access a MISC sub-menu, from where we can upgrade the current system firmware or view the installed version information:
The new Media Player 2TV MD-272 from Sitecom does its job very well and offers an intuitive user interface so even people with no technical background should manage using it; for this we also have the written manual with instructions and drawings which instructs us which are the necessary steps to get everything going.
Copying the multimedia content over the USB interface should not create any difficulties either because after the MD-272 is connected to our computer, it will show as an USB flash drive. Data can be also copied to the device while it is in NAS mode, but the transfer speed will be much lower.
The Sitecom Media Player is built around the Realtek 1185 and as the other products with this chipset, we are offered stutter free 1080P playback. Most video formats are supported like MKV, DivX, VOB/ISO/IFO, DVR-MS, MOV, DAT, MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4 and so on; a lot of audio formats are compatible with this media player like MP3, MP2, WAV/PCM/LPCM, AAC, AC3, FLAC, WMA, WMA Pro or OGG.
If the Media Player has Internet access, we can also browse some of the available services like YoutubeXL, Picasa, Flickr, MediaFly, vTuner or more.
The MD-272 has a fan preinstalled to keep the HDD inside cool; after some measurements with the sound meter 30 cm away from the device, the recorded value was 29.1 dBA, with an ambient of 28.1 dBA.
As improvements for the next firmware versions we could enumerate the ability to be able to change the default background image and/or to be able to make the Sitecom logo dissapear, the ability of uploading new interface skins made by Sitecom or the customers and a more advanced Audio player (having different visualization modes during audio playback shouldn't hurt either).
This product was not made to replace completely the functions of a HTPC, because with a computer we can also do office work, browse any website or chat on the messenger services, but it is perfect for people which want a product to work right out of the box, without the need to install any OS, drivers or special plugins to make videos to work. Also, this Media Player can sit next to an older HTPC which is unable to play 1080P without stuttering.
The MD-272 can be found at online stores for about 231 Euros, but if we already have a powerful NAS at our location, we can also look at the MD-273 model, which is available for about 119 Euros.
I would like to thank again to Sitecom for making this review possible!