Projectors Reviews, price and comparision

Review:

Last year we reviewed Seagate's FreeAgent Theater+ Media Player and generally liked what we saw, particularly the device's ability to play back most file formats. For 2010, Seagate has put out an updated version of that product that offers very similar features but has a more compact design and a built-in slot for the company's GoFlex external USB hard drives, which conveniently work with both Windows and Mac computers.

A USB media player allows you to view on your TV multimedia files that are stored on your computer, without much fuss. Of course, game consoles such as ... Expand full review

Last year we reviewed Seagate's FreeAgent Theater+ Media Player and generally liked what we saw, particularly the device's ability to play back most file formats. For 2010, Seagate has put out an updated version of that product that offers very similar features but has a more compact design and a built-in slot for the company's GoFlex external USB hard drives, which conveniently work with both Windows and Mac computers.

A USB media player allows you to view on your TV multimedia files that are stored on your computer, without much fuss. Of course, game consoles such as the PS3 and Xbox 360 offer similar functionality as part of their extensive repertoire (as do some Blu-ray players), but products like Seagate's FreeAgent GoFlex TV HD are targeting a more price-conscious consumer who doesn't want--or need--to deal with a full-fledged console.

Like the FreeAgent Theater+, this model offers a component video connection, HDMI with 1080p output (for easier hookup to an HDTV and higher maximum resolution), an Ethernet connection (for streaming digital media files over a network), and excellent file support (it reads a lot of files). Currently, this model comes in only a bare-bones "bring your own drive" version. The built-in slot will accommodate Seagate's standard GoFlex drives (320GB and 500GB), but models with capacities of 750GB and 1TB are physically larger, so you'll need to plug them (and non-Seagate drives) into the USB port.

Design and setup
Capacities aside, that integrated slot is actually one of the strong points of the Seagate media player, which now has a smaller footprint and isn't much bigger than a cable or DSL modem. The idea is that you connect your FreeAgent GoFlex drive to your computer, drag various image, music, and video files onto it, then slide it into the slot on the GoFlex TV HD, which remains connected to your TV (the drive does stick out a little from the front of the bay). Alternatively, Seagate includes some software that puts an easy-to-use interface on the transfer and file organization process that makes things easier for less tech-savvy folks.

As with all these types of USB media players, you can connect other storage devices, whether they be hard-drive-based or flash-memory-based (a thumbdrive) via a separate USB port (two USB ports are available--one on the back of the device and one on the side). In other words, virtually any USB storage will work, not just Seagate GoFlex drives, though you lose the ability to hide your drive if you don't go with the GoFlex brand (at 500GB and smaller, anyway). The FreeAgent GoFlex TV lets you connect your digital camera to that same USB port and view photos--and videos--straight off the camera. It's also worth noting that this model plays back video from Flip Video pocket camcorders.

Whatever content is on the attached USB drives or devices will show up in an onscreen menu system or graphical user interface that we found fairly easy to use, though it lacks the slick design we've come to expect from Apple or Microsoft media player devices. If there's a small knock against all these types of players, it's that it takes a little while for the unit to initially recognize and load all the media files. It's not a huge delay, but you're not looking at the same kind of zippiness you've probably come to expect from connecting a drive to your PC or laptop and having the files show up in a few seconds (so long as everything is connected via USB 2.0).

You have a couple of options for connecting the FreeAgent GoFlex TV to your TV. For the best quality--and to view HD-resolution video of 720p, 1080i, or 1080p--you need to go with component video (a breakout cable is included) or HDMI connection. If you've got an older, non-HD set, you can opt for a composite video connection (cable also included).

For digital audio, you'll want to stick with HDMI or use the optical digital output. Both let you run Dolby Digital surround sound (if it's available as part of your video file) from the black box to an AV receiver, home theater in a box, or TV. A small remote control is included that gives you DVD-like playback options for your videos with increments of 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x for forward/reverse and a slow-motion option.

Media playback and compatibility
Like the FreeAgent Theater HD+, this model supports playback of a wide variety of file formats. We loaded a variety of files--video, JPEG and PNG still images, and MP3 and WMA music--onto a 500GB FreeAgent GoFlex drive and a separate 8GB thumbdrive. The system had no problem identifying the files we had on both drives, and--except for one video file that had no sound--everything played back smoothly. That included at least four files that generally cause problems for most devices. Furthermore, video files in a variety of resolutions (including full 1080p) worked perfectly.

There's support for H.264 and AVC, which have become increasingly popular, as well as AAC audio, which is what you'll get from any iTunes purchase. (Note that current, DRM-free iTunes audio will play fine, but older, FairPlay-encoded iTunes files would first have to be upgraded to the newer, open format.) The previous model did a good job with images and the GoFlex TV also acquits itself well. It accesses even large files quickly and it has a nice selection of slideshow transitions (you can also play music in the background by putting MP3 files in the same folder as your slideshow images).

Supported file formats MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (VOB/ISO), MPEG-4 (DivX/Xvid), AVI, XVid HD, MOV, MKV, RMVB, AVC HD, H.264, WMV9, VC-1, M2TS, TS/TP/M2TNTSC 480i/480p, PAL 576i/576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080pJPEG (up to 20 megapixels), BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFFMP3, WMA, OGG, AC3 (Dolby Digital), AAC, ASF, FLAC, LPCM, ADPCM, WAV, as well as M3U and PLS (playlists)Hide Review Next page

Got something that's not listed here? Use a file converter (such as the freeware Format Factory) to adapt it to a FreeAgent-friendly version.

If you're dealing with a small TV, the picture looks pretty good whether you're connected via the standard composite (yellow) cable or component/HDMI, though component or HDMI will always look better. When you start to step up to bigger TVs and try to blow the picture up, you're limited by the quality of your file. The less compressedz high-resolution files will obviously look better.

Network and Internet features
Like the FreeAgent Theater+, this model has network connectivity for streaming from PCs or networked-attached storage drives on your home network. The only problem is that the default connection is wired; adding the USB 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter accessory will cost you an additional $50 or so.

In our tests, we used a pair of powerline-to-Ethernet networking adapters to stream music and video files. We were able to stream from Windows, Macs, and NAS drives; no special software needs to be installed, but you do need to have enough networking knowledge to know how to share folders. And as always, the bandwidth of your LAN will have an impact on whether you can stream higher-resolution HD files, particularly 1080p video.

When Seagate released the FreeAgent Theater+, it promised it would be adding more Web applications, and sure enough it has continued to add new apps, including Netflix streaming, to both the older model as well as this new GoFlex version. Though there's no Internet browser, when you select the Internet tab in the menu options, you see icons for a handful of Web applications: YouTube, vTuner (online radio), MediaFly (audio and video podcasts), Picasa, Weather, Finance, Flickr, and some text and video RSS feeds. They all worked fine, but we'd still like see Pandora on board.

One small issue: like its predecessor (and other media players of this ilk), you do have to point the small remote directly at the infrared (IR) port on the unit to get the unit to respond. In other words, it's not superstrong IR, and you have to pay attention to where you're pointing.

Conclusion
The FreeAgent GoFlex TV carries a list price of $129.99 but you can find it online for around $100. That's a good thing, because this type of media player is facing increased competition from networked Blu-ray players, most of which now offer built-in Netflix streaming and a variety of other Web apps along with DVD and Blu-ray playback. The LG BD550, for instance, can be had for as little as $140; models with built-in Wi-Fi tend to cost closer to $200.

When compared with competing products, the FreeAgent GoFlex TV looks to be neck and neck with the WD TV Live Plus. That similarly priced model also lacks Wi-Fi, but includes Pandora (in addition to the key Netflix, MediaFly, and Flickr streaming options found on the Seagate). However, the WD TV lacks the internal drive bay of the Seagate, making for the possibility of a more cluttered setup. Lagging behind is the Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link Director Edition, which lacks the all-important Netflix support.

Game consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PS3, with their built-in hard drives, are also able to read and play back a wide assortment of files via USB and network streaming. On top of that, both systems have additional features that this box is missing: the 360 offers DVD playback Netflix streaming, and online video rentals (plus, on the new model, built-in Wi-Fi), and the PS3 has video rentals, excellent slideshow functionality for images, a Web browser, Netflix streaming, a Blu-ray player, and built-in Wi-Fi. On the other hand, the PS3 currently doesn't play back those Flip Video pocket camcorder files that the GoFlex TV has no problem playing.

Like the FreeAgent Theater+, this model will never be able to measure up to minicomputers like the PS3, but at around $100, it has the appealing traits of being compact and reading the vast majority of AV file formats out there, including a few the PS3 doesn't read. Though it would be nice if Seagate found a way to integrate wireless connectivity--even if it meant adding an extra $20 to the price tag--the inclusion of Netflix and other online-streaming options make the FreeAgent GoFlex TV a compelling option for file hoarders who also want access to cloud-based media.

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