• Affordable price (S$179 on 5 Jan 04)
  

• Easy installation & Configuration
  

• Upgradable software to enhance features and performance
  

• User-friendly menu
  

• Do not require much memory or CPU resource
  

• Support up to 8 languages menu
  

• Able to playback popular media standard (mp3, mpeg-1, mpeg-2, jpg, gif)
  

• High quality audio and video output

• Support for new media standards such as WMV and DIVX
  

• Wireless connection
  

• 5.1 sound with DTS & Dolby Digital decoding
  

• RF remote control so that no line of sight required
  

• Generation of picture thumbnails can be slow sometimes

By orion,
From Hardwarezoom.com
Jan 4, 2004

For this review, we easily set up the network using a direct cable connection from PC to MediaMVP to TV. The device may also connect to the PC (server) via a hub, router or switch, which allows more MediaMVPs to be added for more client TVs.

Both PC and TV can be used to find and save media directories to the TV menu. The PC has the Search for Media application, and the MediaMVP/TV remote control lets the user navigate the PC drives on the TV.

Available media consists of MP3 music, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 videos, and JPEG, BMP and GIF pictures. Playlists are available, too. Haupaugge has provided online updates to strengthen the device’s MPEG compatibility, but a couple more supported formats wouldn’t go astray.

TV menu operation is as simple as selecting the desired media type to show a list of available folders/files. The menu’s presentation can be customised by editing the HTML pages on the PC.

Files can then be sorted to play in order of name or date, or randomly. Users can also play slideshows and music simultaneously.

Best suited to those with a bank of multimedia (heavy downloaders), the MediaMVP might require additional cable expense to link a PC and TV over some distance. However, more-expensive wireless offerings might not provide the same data transfer speeds."

By Steven Deare, PC WORLD
24/11/2003 07:34:40
Price: $299
Australian distributor: New Magic Australia
URL: www.newmagic.com.au

Hauppauge Digital, a maker of digital video, TV and data broadcast receiver products for computers, this month plans to ship a network media decoder that lets users play PC multimedia files on their televisions and home stereo systems.

Called MediaMVP, the compact set-top device connects via Ethernet to a home LAN to locate digital photo, video and music files on a PC, decode them and then play or display them on a TV set. The Linux-based product, which includes a remote control, works with PCs and notebooks running Windows and only requires users to install software.

Priced at $99.99, MediaMVP is designed to provide an inexpensive, easy way to play computer-stored multimedia content on home entertainment systems, including home theaters and plasma displays, said Ken Plotkin, CEO of Hauppauge Digital, Hauppauge, N.Y. The device's near- plug-and-play capability and low cost differentiates it from other PC-to-TV products, which are more difficult to install and can run hundreds of dollars, he said.

"What this does is take media stored on your PC's hard disk--whether it be TV shows recorded with one of our WinTV-PVR cards, MP3 music files or pictures from a digital camera--and then sends it over a home network and displays it on a TV screen. It was really designed not to do a lot, just to do what it does very simply," Plotkin said. "A lot of the people that we've spoken to are interested primarily in just music and pictures. And they say that for $99, the MediaMVP is perfect. They don't want to spend $250 just to play music in a different room."

The MediaMVP supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 videos, JPEG and GIF images, and MP3 audio files. The product's connection options currently include 10/100 Ethernet, composite video, S-Video and left/right RCA audio and RGB. But Plotkin said a "Pro" model with a brushed aluminum case and S/PDIF digital audio output is due out in November, and a Wireless-G model supporting 802.11b/g networking is slated for release in January.

"We're seeing a lot of interest in the MediaMVP from people who install home theater systems and home networks. It's a great way of distributing digital music, video and pictures to different rooms," Plotkin said. "For example, if you have all of your music sitting on your computer but want to listen to it in the den or the bedroom, all you have to do is hook up the MediaMVP to a home network, connect a set of a speakers and now you have some music. One of the [installer] companies is actually buying the MediaMVP without the plastic case and embedding it in a panel that goes into the wall."

The MediaMVP will be available to resellers through Ingram Micro, and it will begin appearing in OfficeMax, Circuit City and Fry's Electronics retail stores by end of September, Plotkin said.

"We're getting installers calling us and saying, 'How do I buy the MediaMVP? This is something I've been looking for for years,' " he said. "The MediaMVP has a price of $99, and these guys are looking at products from companies like Crestron and AMX that can cost $600 or $800. So this is going to allow them to customize a relatively inexpensive system where you can distribute music, pictures and video around a home."

Using MediaMVP, homeowners could play a video stored on a PC in the basement on their bedroom TV, he said. They also could view JPEG photos--individually or in a slide show--on a big-screen TV in their family room and have the images accompanied by MP3 music played through their living room stereo.

Although the wireless MediaMVP isn't available yet, users can add Wi-Fi capability to the current product by connecting wireless game-adapter devices from vendors such as Linksys and D-Link, Plotkin said. The devices would be connected to the MediaMVP, which then would receive multimedia files transmitted from a wireless router linked to a PC. However, Plotkin said today's primary wireless standard, 802.11b, isn't fast enough for playing high-quality video. "In general, you'd want to have the PC wired directly to the router, because the performance is going to be better," he said.

MediaMVP searches the LAN-connected computer for any hard drives, including external drives, and then finds multimedia files that it can decode. "It works with any drive that's accessible from the PC. You can have up to 12 MediaMVPs in a home, but only one PC or server," Plotkin said. Multiple users also can play a file at the same time because MediaMVP is read-only, he added.

Users press a button on the MediaMVP's remote control to display a simple on-screen menu, which has buttons for videos, pictures, music and settings. They choose video, photo and music files by navigating through submenus. Music titles can be accessed individually for random or organized playback, and songs can also be grouped into playlists. MediaMVP can play M3U, B4S, PLS and ASX playlists from Music Match, Windows Media Player and Winamp. Pictures are displayed as thumbnails, and users click on the remote control's "Play" or "OK" buttons to display a specific photo on the TV screen. Videos are played in the same way, with stop, pause and fast forward/reverse buttons available on the remote control.

"Right now, MediaMVP can't play a DVD from a DVD player over a network. The reason is that it's not legal," Plotkin said. "DVD movies are encrypted, and when you put it out over a network, they get decrypted. That would be a violation of the MPAA rules. So we can't support that." DVD movies or videos, though, can be stored on a PC, he said. "What you can do is take a DVD movie, record it to your computer's hard drive and then play it back over the network. That's legal, because it's like taking a DVD movie and making a recording for yourself. So what you'd actually be sending out over the network is a digitized form of the movie in an analog format, which is fine. It's one of those quirky rules."

The MediaMVP also can form a home TV and digital media distribution system when paired with a Hauppauge WinTV personal video recording card installed on a PC. TV shows, sporting events, movies and other content can be recorded on a hard drive via the WinTV card and then played at the user's leisure through the MediaMVP.

Future options planned for the MediaMVP include smart-card security access, On TV instant messaging and Internet games. Plotkin said Hauppauge also is looking to add an Internet radio button to the on-screen menu, as well as an electronic programming guide for scheduling TV show recordings. "

By Russell Redman, CRN
New York
11:06 AM EST Mon., Sept. 22, 2003

PC Plus
Issue 204 (July 2003)
9/10

"As your PC, television and VCR technologies continue to converge, it wont be long before you'll be recording programmes using a Media Center PC under your TV. But if you can't wait for Microsoft to get its act togerther, Hauppauge's latest TV tuner card, the WinTV PVR-350, is available for purchase right now. Open the box and you'll find a fair selection of goodies. You get a video output cable set (with S-Video composite and audio connectors), enabling you to watch PC recorded programmes on your regular TV. There's a well designed and comfortable remote control. And as the PVR-350 also includes a digital FM receiver, Hauppauge have thrown in a flexable FM antenna, too"

ZDnet (Media MVP)
25th November 2003

"If you like the idea of digital media, but don't like the idea of having a PCin your living room, Hauppauge's MediaMVP should prove interesting. It's one of the new breed of media receiver devices that are jus appearing on the market. However, unlike the many products based on wireless networking, the wired MediaMVP can show full -motion video at broadcast quality. The MediaMVP is a Linux -based appliance that connects to a wired Ethernet network and your TV.

The hardware couldn't be simpler, comprising just the network and TV connections, an external power supply and the infrared remote control. It needs a host PC to store the digital media files.

supports up to 12 units per host PC.

The MediaMVP can show video files in MPEG 1 or 2 format, play audio files in MP3 format and display still images in JPEG, BMP or GIF format.This isn't a huge range, but it avoids issues with proprietary formats such as Windows Media, or bandwidth -hungry ones such as AVI. It's also sufficient to play recordings from digital broadcast media such as Freeview or DAB radio, making the MediaMVP a useful addition to a PC-based digital video recorder (DVR) system"

PC Retail (MediaMVP)
December 2003

"The MediaMVP is another pioneer in the new genre of devices designed to transport from home computer and into the lounge. The MedaiMVP connects to the television and amplifier and has a network connection to the home computer. The object of these devices is to navigate the media collection on the television with aid of a remote control"

The Celebrity Cafe (WinTV PVR USB 2.0)
Febuary 2004

Who needs Tivo when you can by WinTV and get it for free? Okay, here’s the deal. We received the PVR-2 from WinTV, which advertises to plug in and allow you to watch television on your computer.

The first thing you do is set it up. We got the USB version that was as simple as plugging in the cable TV cord. Then we installed the software and then plugged in the USB cord. That was it. Within about five minutes it was up and running.

Is that the end of the story? Nay, simply the beginning. First of all, the quality is better than it is on a regular TV. Your computer monitor can display things at a quality much higher than your television can, so basically, it’s a high definition television. Okay, is that it? Of course not. It has full features, and lets you do things like watch television while working… I’m sorry, I forgot what I was saying because I was just distracted while writing this story. The Simpsons was on the top right corner of my screen.

Oh yeah, what else does it do? Well, the most amazing feature is its ability to record. Forget the VCR; you can now record right to your computer and burn a VCD or just watch it via your computer. You can also choose to record it at the highest quality to put it on a DVD or keep a lower quality to save disc space.

The scheduler runs in the background, and if you leave your computer on, it will record, start, and stop when the program starts and ends. You then take the data right off your computer and you can put it right on a CD.

Overall, the device has changed my life. I mean, I’ve set the scheduler to record my favorite programs over the next few weeks and now have made up my own set of VCD for the West Wing. It’s easily able to plug in and out. Of everything that I’ve tested, it's the easiest and quickest to use.

T3 (MediaMVP)
March 2004

"The MediaMVP is probably the cheapest network streamer on the market at he moment. It can play MPEG movies and digital pictures as well as playing MP3 files. The server software for the host PC can also stream content up to 12 different MVP's, so you could get lots of them to create a very cheap multi-room audio server system"