Hauppauge MediaMVP

[jdobbs]

I got one of these units just to play with a couple of days ago, so I thought I'd mention it. It's a small (about the size of a cable router) set top multimedia player that can connect to an Ethernet (or Fast Ethernet) network. It cost me $99 at Circuit City and I got $40 in rebates coming back (end price = $59)

You can store MPEG-1, MPEG-2, pictures (jpg, gif, bmp), and MP3 audio files on another computer on your network (with a big drive) and this unit will act as a playback device that is controlled through it's own remote control. It connects to your TV and/or audio amplifier.

I'm pretty impressed with the ease of use and the quality. Playback is flawless. I've started encoding movies from DVD to hard drive (using CCE) so I can access them from this device like an online library. I'd already converted all my CDs to MP3 last year, so my entire library of music is also available. Cool.

Good things about it:

- Seems to play any resolution I've tried so far. (D1, Half D1, SVCD)
- It plays 23.976 video without having to apply pulldown
- Very good response on my 100Mbs network.
- Setup worked the first time with no tinkering
- Easy to use interface

Needed improvements:
- Won't play AC3 (needs MPEG Layer 1 or 2 audio)
- No component out. Video is S-Video or Composite with stereo audio

[SeeMoreDigital]

Sounds interesting!

Can it cope with Mpeg4 (DivX, XviD etc) encodes!


Also, I think it's great that you guys have a rebate system. How does it work?

[jdobbs]

Also, I think it's great that you guys have a rebate system. How does it work?
Hey...:sly: I'm not associated with this company in any way. I got my rebate by mailing them in like everybody else...

Nope, it won't support MPEG-4 as of now -- I doubt that it will any time in the near future since the MPEG decoder is hardware, but I've heard rumours that other CODECs may be coming... The manual says it is Linux based -- must be in flash -- I don't really know. It does get an IP from DHCP, and the menus appear to be HTML on the serving computer.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by jdobbs
Hey...:sly: I'm not associated with this company in any way. I got my rebate by mailing them in like everybody else... Sorry. I guess I should have been clearer.

The word 'rebate' has cropped up quite a few times in some 'state side' posts. I just wondered how the system worked!

I'm also wondering why we in the UK (and Europe) don't have it!

Cheers

[jdobbs]

Sorry for being so defensive. There are some lamers out there who try to use this site as a sales page for their products -- which ticks me off. I just wanted to make it clear I wasn't one of them.

As for rebates, they sell the product to you at normal price -- and give you one or more "rebate receipts" you mail that in with the UPC off the box (or a copy if more than one) and in a few weeks you get a check for the amount promised. In this instance I got $20 from Hauppauge and $20 from Circuit City.

I works out great if you don't mind letting them have your money for a few weeks. Most of the time the price makes it worth it. Same concept is applied to a lot of major electronics resellers(Circuit City, Best Buy, etc.)

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by jdobbs
... and give you one or more "rebate receipts" you mail that in with the UPC off the box (or a copy if more than one) and in a few weeks you get a check for the amount promised. What's a UPC?

Cheers

[jdobbs]

Universal Product Code -- the barcode printed on the box.