Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Review: Hauppauge MediaMVP
Iain Laskey looks at an intriguing device from Hauppauge
| Product | MediaMVP |
|---|---|
| Company | Hauppauge |
| Web | www.hauppauge.co.uk |
| Price | £79 |
| We like | Good picture and sound quality, easy to use |
| We don't like | Cheap looking |
| Rating | 9/10 |
| Requirements |
The MediaMVP from Hauppauge is an interesting example of a new trend in network devices. Using a customised version of Linux, it provides a quick, easy and convenient way to send sound and vision from a PC on your network to your TV and/or HiFi.
What's in the box
As well as the MediaMVP itself, you get the driver CD, a special SCART cable, a short LAN cable (almost certainly too short for most people), a very compact external PSU and a stand to hold the device vertically.
Installation
Setting up consists of first installing some server software on your PC. As well as handling the PC's end of things, the server software lets you select which directories and files are made available to the MediaMVP. The MediaMVP is then connected to the network via a standard RJ45 connector and to your TV via a single SCART socket at the back of the unit. The SCART has a couple of additional connectors hanging off it for right/left audio (female RCA) allowing you to also connect to your HiFi if desired. Once powered up the MediaMVP searches for the server PC and when found displays the initial menu on the TV.
The MediaMVP comes with a remote control to allow you to operate it from your armchair. The device has no cooling fans and so is ideal for the lounge where a noisy PC might be intrusive. Whilst being fairly compact, it isn't the most handsome beast and did look a bit cheap to us.
In use
Once up and running, things worked very smoothly. We tried a range of MP3 files at different bit rates and they all played perfectly. The audio quality was very good when played through our sound system. A weak area though are the sorting features. You cannot play tracks based on genre for instance. We next tried the JPG viewing functions. Our collection of JPGs were in a wide variety of sizes up to 3000x2000 and all were scaled to the TV's resolution with no problems. Indeed, the lack of flicker when the higher resolution ones were displayed was actually better than some of the cameras used to take the images could manage. Finally, we tried some MPEG1 and 2 files. The quality of playback here was truly impressive. The video quality was extremely good with no hint of jumps or artifacting. If your PC also includes a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) type card or you have some files ripped from DVDs, you'll be very happy with the results when played back through the MediaMVP.
We were less impressed by the limited range of playback options though. It would have been good to have seen at least DivX, WMV and Quicktime as supported formats. That said, Hauppauge do seem to be regularly improving the system. Just as we went to press we were advised that a DivX update was in test and should me made available as a free download on their web site. Any users or prospective buyers should visit the web site to check out the latest version as well as the extra extra tools that are available for the MediaMVP.
The navigation via the onscreen display is easy enough although sometimes the remote response time seemed a bit sluggish. The configuration options whilst not plentiful are wisely chosen with composite/s-video/RGB output, video format, flicker control and aspect ratio all being adjustable.
When viewing photos, you can choose either a random slideshow or to view yhem sorted by name or date. Navigation through the various images did seem a bit tortuous at times as it took a while to thumbnail the images but to be fair, some of ours were quite large.
The interface is a little utilitarian but a quick look around the web indicates it can be modified via skinning so expect some customised looks to appear very soon.
One thing that grates and Hauppauge are by no means the only guilty ones is the price difference between the US and UK. In the UK the MediaMVP costs £99. In the US it can be picked up for as little as $80 (£45) - quite a difference even allowing for sales taxes and other extras. We were also concerned by the limited support for different formats. However, what it does do, it does very well indeed and as noted, updates are available and continuing.
Update
Hauppauge have just released a major update for the Media MVP (July 222nd 2004). The new update which can be downloaded free from their web site adds support for DivX as well as a new application, Internet Radio. The latter allows you to listen to any of the hundreds if not thousands of music stations around the world. Not only this but the price has been reduced from £99 to £79 until the end of September PLUS you get a free DVD of Lord of the Rings 2. As such, we are increasing our rating to 9/10 as the addition of DivX plus the price change make the device far more desirable and versatile.
