| Great variety of formats, ample inputs, 1080p, and easy set up will cause you to overlook the awful operating system of this sub $100 glitchy media player. It will play ripped DVDs and Blu Ray files and will... |
I saw media boxes out there that streamed Netflix (Roku) and boxes
out there that could play my HD media files and ripped DVD files
(popcorn hour) but I was looking for a media box that could do both.
I saw a couple variations from Western Digital etc but decided on the
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+.
Whats in The Box:
The unboxing was unspectacular and I found myself asking "Is that it?"
Its basically a very slimline plastic box about an inch or two high and
roughly as big around as fat DVD package. It came with the following:
• a feather light (not always a good thing) remote control
• a composite cable (yellow, red, white old-school garbage)
• a component cable (red green blue - for up to 1080i play)
• an ethernet cable. (for streaming Netflix, Youtube, Mediafly, etc)
• a 1 year warranty.
Strangely, a big selling point of this box is the fact that it can play
1080p which is HUGE. However, Seagate went cheapie cheap and did
not include an HDMI cable. I guess when they considered all that
expensive plastic they poured into the box and remote, we had
already received enough value for our $99.
Hardware:
OK, so I've harped on the somewhat "flimsy"-feeling construction,
but lets look at what we can plug into the Seagate Theater+.
• Connection of this box is very simple and very straightforward and
requires very little technical expertise. However, operation of the
remote, as you will soon see, requires the patience of a thousand monks.
• No physical buttons on this thing save a small deeply recessed reset
button on the back panel. Get familiar with this button you will need
it. No buttons means TOTAL reliance on the remote. DON'T LOSE
THAT REMOTE. Just a subtle warning.
• This compact media box has a removable plastic cover on the front
right panel. When removed it reveals a niche with a dock that
fits/connects a USB Seagate FreeAgent drive "almost" nicely. I say
"almost" because the drive extends beyond the front of the player and
the removable plastic cover does not fit back over the niche with an
attached hard drive so you're left with a media player that constantly
looks like its in the middle of giving birth to an overpriced mini hard
drive at all times.
I don't know what Executive at Seagate signed off on this glorious
design but really, 2 more inches of plastic and it all looks wonderful.
Seagate wanted an almost invisible media player, so in a brilliant
effort to preserve aesthetics, some designer decided to sacrifice...
well...aesthetics. Weird, really weird.
• On the backside of this unit there are a number of ports to
accommodate a variety of audio and video input.
Going left to right:
- a 1/4" mini "AV" input which is compatible with the standard
definition composite to mini cable included in the box. This also
acts as an audio input to compliment the component input.
- Red, Green, Blue component input for those who still have only
1080i capable TVs and/or devices. These inputs are picture only
so if you are finnicky like me, and require audio with your video
you will need to utilize the composite to mini cable and just plug
in the red and white (audio) cables to your TV or device. This is a
clunky weird set up for this box I know. Seagate could have just
added an additional 2 RCA audio inputs and Bob would be our
uncle, but they went ultra cheap on this media player to compete
with Roku and get one up on Popcorn Hour,
so this is what we get.
- Optical Audio Input - this is pretty cool, if you have a TV or
device that has an Optical Audio output. If you do, by all means,
utilize this input for your component audio, its far better and
clearer kluging RCA composite cables with Radio Shack
extenders to get the AV cable working.
- HDMI Input - For those of us who decided to party like its 2007.
Basically all HDTVs now come with multiple HDMI outputs that
enable you to view 1080p HD. This is an added feature to the
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ and the picture quality is not bad
in my opinion. In fact, very good considering the sub $100 price.
- LAN or "Ethernet" input - Run this to your broadband router or
home network and you are well on your way to enjoying Netflix,
Youtube, Mediafly, vtuner, picasa, Flickr, AND access to any
movies you've made available on your home network.
- USB port - You can load your movies, music, pics on an external
USB2 hard drive, run a USB cable discreetly to this USB 2.0 port
on the back of the box and you've just expanded instant access
to your media library. You can also connect digital cameras,
camcorders, or flash drives to access movies, music, & pictures.
- 12v DC power input - not sexy - just does what it does.
- RESET button - DEFINITELY not sexy - wished it weren't necessary
• And now, we address another "con" of the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+:
The Remote.
Actually, I'm not really even sure if its the remote or the infared
receiver on the box, but nearly every command to this player from
the compulsory remote, requires 2 or 3 presses of the same button to
get the box to respond.
Sometimes, its just horrible lag and then suddenly it catches up and
bombards the interface with multiple "left" or "enter" or "back"
commands and you find yourself at the root folder of the player and
far far away from that glorious Meatballs III movie you had intended
to watch 5 minutes ago.
This remote, I believe, is responsible for more hair and eyes being
pulled out of humans than all mass murderers in history COMBINED.
Very frustrating interaction between the remote and the box.
Software Interface (OS):
Some of the problems I've listed above are actually not problems with
the remote but rather are issues with the OS of the media player.
The Interface is very basic and really feels like a 3rd rate Chinese rip
off of Popcorn Hour or Roku, which, I believe, are both 3rd rate
Chinese rip offs of something else.
• "Movies" opens up an archaic "DOS-like" screen which lists all movie
files you have on any connected hard drive.
• "Pictures" opens up a thumbnail list of available pics found on a
connected hard drive.
• "Music" same as pics and movies
• "Internet" connects you to Netflix, Youtube, Mediafly, some VIDEO
RSS feeds and hundreds (if not thousands) of internet radio stations
through vTuner. You can also access Picasa and Flickr photo sites.
Sadly, no Hulu connection here yet, a DEFINITE disadvantage over
other competitive media boxes for sure.
• "Devices" gives you access to media on whatever hard drive, or 3rd
party devices you have connected.
Software: Media Formats
This is definitely a strong point for the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+
Media Player, and definitely the reason for my decision to buy:
Video: MPEG–1, MPEG–2 (VOB/ISO) this was important for me
because I wanted to rip my collection of DVDs and make them
available on my home network for instant viewing (in my home only
of course, only legal usage) When you use the VOB/ISO file format, it
will play with menus like you have a DVD running.
More Video: MPEG–4 (Xvid), DivX Plus™ HD, Xvid HD, AVI,
MOV, MOV is a format that I've noticed gives the FreeAgent Theater+
some problems for some reason. The Mpeg1,2, and 4 formats work
fine but the larger .MOV files are not readily recognized when the
Theater+ scans my drive for movie files.
MKV - This is HUGE I tell you, HUGE! If you own Blu Ray and have
figured out how to legally rip your blu rays to MKVs for personal
in-home "backup" or some other legal reason, then you will delight in
the fact that the Seagate box plays those blu ray files. yahoo.
Even MORE Video: RMVB Real Media, AVC HD, H.264, WMV9, VC–1,
M2TS, TS/TP/M2T
Video Resolutions: NTSC 480i/480p, PAL 576i/576p, 720p, 1080i,
1080p
Subtitles: SAMI (smi), SRT, SUB
Audio: AAC - it is important to note here that this box will definitely
play Apple's AAC format, but will not play the "protected/locked" AAC
files you've purchased from iTunes. That isn't really a knock on the
Theater+ though, even most APPLE devices won't play the locked
AACs unless you authorize them with big brother.
More Audio: MP3, Dolby® Digital, DTS, ASF, FLAC, WMA, LPCM,
ADPCM, WAV, OGG Playlist: M3U, PLS
Photo: JPEG files (up to 20 megapixels), BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF
I have had a couple firmware upgrades which have made some of the
above file formats play a bit more smoothly but there are still a few
kinks to work out with this media player. I paid about $85 for my box
and then about $150 for a 1TB FreeAgent "Go" drive and overall I'm
not really disappointed, but not overly overjoyed with this media
player.
It has been a workhorse in my home and my 5 year old quickly
figured out how operate it, AND, dare I say, trouble shoot it when it
freezes up: that's right, he clicks the recessed "reset" button on the
back which starts the box all over, or he just unplugs the DC cable
and fires it back up.
I would recommend this box to a friend or family member at the
current price point of about $50-$75. Its definitely worth that much.
Versatility of file format playback
Versatility of inputs
Price
Picture
CONS: Navigation interface and software is circa 1994
Remote Control operation is horrendous
Plastic Construction
The Bottom Line: Great variety of formats, ample inputs, 1080p, and easy set up will
cause you to overlook the awful operating system of this sub $100
glitchy media player.
| PROS: |
Recommended:
Yes
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