Last Updated 17/Feb/2009
Review: Iomega ScreenPlay Pro HD 500GB Multimedia Drive
Don Bradbury looks at Iomega's latest device for playing multimedia files on your TV
| Product | ScreenPlay Pro HD 500GB Multimedia Drive review |
|---|---|
| Company | Iomega |
| Web | www.iomega-europe.com |
| Price | RRP £164.99 (or £209.99 for 1TB version) |
| We like | Simple setup; multiple connectivity options; extensive file format support |
| We don't like | Some possible format incompatibilities; TV menu navigation could be improved |
| Rating | 9/10 |
| Requirements | Windows XP and Vista |
There are several ways of playing multimedia files on a television set, but this Iomega device neatly combines most of them into a single package. It's a hard disk (500GB in our case, or 1TB) that adds to the rear of the casing all the different interface types commonly used to play appropriate files on a TV.
A protected menu system is incorporated, so some punters will find that there's no software installation actually required for what they intend to do. All they would need would be to copy their files from the PC to the drive via the USB port, plug the drive into a TV set, select the appropriate AV channel on the TV, and the ScreenPlay Pro menu that's presented would give them all the control they'd need by which to select and play (double-click) the required file, all via a neat little remote control that's included in the pack.
For those who want more control, or the additional applications of the disk, there are installation options that let you assemble Playlists, and also Discovery Tool. About these, more later.
Interfaces galore
The interfaces on the device include direct plug-in using composite cables, high definition video by streaming or cable, or you can play files directly off a USB memory stick by plugging it into a rear port, though there didn't appear to be a way of copying files directly to the hard drive from it, which is a bit of a shame.
Further, you can plug a digital video camcorder into the device and record your video directly to the ScreenPlay's drive if you don't need to tweak the footage first - perhaps for a preview. Finally, an Ethernet port is included, and that's for the purpose of letting you stream (or copy) files across your wired network.
All-in-all, the ScreenPlay Pro HD omits little by way of connectivity options, and most users will find operation of the device simple. It is, primarily, a disk drive, and the capacity of that can be used in any way you require, but it's primary aim is to facilitate the viewing of multimedia on the television set, as described.
The menu incorporates good viewing options, including setting the screen aspect ratio, and the range of multimedia formats is adequate considering that you can, if you have to, easily convert file formats using any number of free converters that are downloadable from the web, such as HandBrake to cite one example.
Software
For the more adventurous, full software installation is either automatic or customisable. There's an option to install EMC's Retrospect Express backup software, for example - about which we have made comments previously while reviewing Iomega drives.
The other options are to load Playlist Manager onto your PC, which lets you create playlists for the multimedia files on your system, or to load Discovery Tool, which automatically configures the drive before you use it via your network.
Supported formats are extensive, and include:
Audio: AAC, AIFF, MP3, OGG Vorbis, WAV, AC3 (Dolby Digital Encoding), DTS, M4A, PCM, WMA
Video: MPEG-1, MPEG-2 - AVI, VOB, MPEG-4 - AVI, DivX, 3.11, 4.x, 5.x, XviD, DivXHD, DVD
Photos: BMP, JPG/JPEG
Users should note that the device will not necessarily support every possible codec that may have been used to create the files. Some trial and error may be required to sort out what works best.
Controlling the Beast.
Front controls, as well as from the remote control itself, let you navigate folders and menus, rotate photos in either direction, fast rewind video playback, pause or stop it, or modify video output from a range that includes NTSC/PAL, 480p, 576p, 720p 50Hz, 720p 60Hz, right up to 1080i 50Hz or 1080i 60Hz HD.
The rear connection options feature the composite video output and input we mentioned, with RCA stereo audio output and input, and the USB 2.0 host port is useful for connecting a wifi adapter or other external device. There's also component video output, and the Ethernet port can of course be used for connecting to your network. The HDMI connector can be pressed into service using the provided cable, and there's a coaxial digital audio connector, as well as the power connector, all together with a security lock, in what amounts to a feature-packed rear panel to the ScreenPlay Pro.
Altogether it's a comprehensive array that will satisfy the demands of most multimedia fans, but there's more. You can connect the ScreenPlay Pro to a TV and your network at the same time. This allows you to either view media files directly from a network by streaming, or transfer files to and from the ScreenPlay while it's connected to the TV.
How about a Personal Video Recorder?
There are so many possible applications of a device like the ScreenPlay Pro HD that it's difficult to know when to stop describing them here. But if, for example, you can add a suitable TV tuner to your PC, you can set up the drive as a PVR. Using the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1400 ExpressCard, which we reviewed some months ago, we took video recordings to the ScreenPlay in MPEG-2 format that amounted to around 1.4GB per hour of recording.
That means the almost 500GB of available drive space in the ScreenPlay should be capable of giving you something of the order of 350 hours of recording. That facility alone might justify the cost of this Iomega device. You do need to interface with the TV tuner, though, and for this the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1400 came well equipped, with its composite flying leads ready to plug directly into the ScreenPlay.
Auto IP address.
The ScreenPlay Pro HD uses DHCP by default, and so it will be automatically assigned an IP address on the network. The device is WiFi-ready, as we said, and can connect to a wireless network using any supported WiFi adapter, though you'd have to provide that. You can connect the WiFi adapter to the USB port on the back of the drive. Those in doubt can refer to the Setup routine for information about configuring the ScreenPlay's network options.
You can also use the ScreenPlay's Discovery Utility to automatically map a drive letter to the device on a PC connected to the network, or you can manually map a drive letter. When you've done that, you can use any standard method your operating system provides to create folders on the drive and so on, then save or drag and drop your required files, just as you would to any other drive attached to your computer. So by using a network connection, you can transfer files to and from the ScreenPlay while it's connected to a TV, and you can also view files directly via your network.
We'd point out that, despite the extensive range of supported multimedia formats, you may have some converting to do, as we said before. Though there's plenty of native choice, potential users should note that the ScreenPlay Pro will not support every conceivable codec that may have been employed to create the files. It's an impressive array nevertheless.
The Iomega ScreenPlay Pro's TV menu display is quite well presented. Not quite as swish as a Windows menu perhaps, notably by way of the absence of a way of moving backwards in discrete steps, but the Home button on the remote serves reasonably well, never leaving you very far from where you intend to be.
In conclusion
Versatile could be the word to describe the Iomega ScreenPlay Pro HD. This is far more than just a big hard disk; the premium price would have to be looked at in terms of it buying you a lot of TV connectivity options. Not all of these you may need immediately, to be sure, but they're there for when you find you do need them. In this basic concept, the Iomega ScreenPlay Pro HD succeeds nicely.
