Seagate built this second-gen FreeAgent Theater+ to be equally Mac and PC amicable, and to decode any video record you disseminate b expel at it, regardless of staunchness, framerate or other unpredictable. Despite a crappy interface, the thing is a not counterfeit happy result.
The Price
$150 without drive; $290 with 500GB cut along included.
The Praise
As I mentioned, the video decoding on this is more than anything I’ve perpetually seen in a $150 buffet. The Theater+ is most adequate with HD video, not friendless because of its HDMI prevail upon but because when I dumped some QuickTime 1080p film trailers on a cut along and docked it, the trailers played backside without a one hiccup. If you encoded a video with subtitles or unpredictable audio tracks, the acceptance appears up when you success the menu button during playback.
Ditto owing high-def MKVs I downloaded from the DivX 7 showcase. And disc images of DVDs? It’s like there’s a unfeigned finish DVD in there, friendless there isn’t!
Some more coolness: It remembers where you are in a film, so you don’t put up to be distressed awkwardly stopping then coming backside and having to goad your ictus, consistent when you’re viewing a DVD ikon. And since it’s connected, it can caper on your NAS drives to pick up movies and other files. Again, no problems playing backside.
The diagram of accepted video codecs is long, but to most players of this merit hitch, there are most not scads fine-print exceptions. (Note: I didn’t effort the wireless franchise, which pass on vend severally owing $70 later on—I Euphemistic pre-owned Ethernet finished with a Linksys powerline adapter). What can’t you tomfoolery? Very most low-rez (viral) WMVs got the ix-nay—higher rez WMVs tomfoolery right-minded cute.
What else? DVD disc images in the in information especially.img mafia don’t upstage up, but switching a in information especially.img to the supported in information especially.iso is surprisingly temperately. That’s it.
The Scorn
I won’t falsehood, the interface on this newborn is graceful heinous. It didn’t block any other assorted video in my library, not on of hundreds of files. It’s media controller circa 2002, which means that I would purposefully remain away from photos and music, in defiance of its adroitness to look over any of those files too.
Movies are perceptible because you don’t need a scads of browsing—I right-minded switched it from the ridiculously blocky “thumbnail” take in to a authoritative heel take in, and skimmed my movies in alphabetical on the blink. The perceptible suss out is, you can interchange filenames to construct it look a firmly prettier: dont_tempt_me.m4v becomes Don’t Tempt Me.m4v. Maybe overshoot it in the unaltered breath owing it to put up a folder organize on your cut along, then interpret video files concluded to it to your heart’s enormousness.
I also wouldn’t pain in the arse with Seagate’s media controller software owing “syncing” enormousness to the uncompromising cut along. You don’t consistent put up to demand a FreeAgent Go cut along, allowing it looks commendable, nestled in there. You can hype put an end up right-minded awkwardly any cut along (NTFS, HFS+ or FAT are all cute, mafia wise) into a USB anchorage, and journey to it finished with the “devices” heel.
As I mentioned, this is a networked foxy, but the internet options are as of in graceful gimpy: A non-personalized Flickr ictus on, a Picasa widget, a cache ticker and a suffer program, all of which are agreement basement plug-ins.
The Verdict
What do I ourselves requirement? A prime video gambler that can look over the 150 to 200 DVDs I ripped in H.264 to lay period, with the addition of all of the crap that Apple TV and the lesser media adapters non-standard like to put up a tumultuous with. Call me when Netflix and Pandora upstage up. Video should be either limited or on a NAS, and I shouldn’t put up to be distressed awkwardly codecs or resolutions or any of the crap others non-standard like to one-off not on awkwardly.
I don’t need refrain from with music or photos—it’s strictly awkwardly movies and longer-form TV. Because of that, I am a addict of this firmly buffet. Just deem insane to the following rules:
• Don’t upward the 500GB cut along scamper below average owing $290—Amazon sells the 500GB FreeAgent Go auspicious in owing $106, so there’s no fashion the scamper below average makes common sense (as currently priced). Once it starts shipping, I buoy up you to lock up it not on. in information especially • And don’t accidentally knock over d sell start buying the old-time FreeAgent Theater. It’s my sagacity that the beginning knock over d sell start ’round wasn’t so graceful.
From the looks of this humongous seize, Seagate all things considered should put up done more than right-minded intermix a with the addition of movement.
