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iOmega ScreenPlay DX HD Media Player

Playing media files from USB drives and external hard drives is the last thing on its mind,but the ScreenPlay can run any file type that you can throw at it. From the exotic .mkv to the mundane .avi,this one has an answer for everything. But what the ScreenPlay really likes to do is play files over the air. It can,with the help of the 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter,connect to your home Wi-Fi network and play files stashed in your computer hard drive. In case you want to do it differently,you can just copy the file directly to the 1TB storage space of the device and play it from there.

The Wi-Fi connectivity also means ScreenPlay can go online — there is a gimmicky Qwerty keyboard to help you with the typing – and play videos from YouTube or other compatible sites. Or just lie back and browse the Net from the comfort of your sofa. ScreenPlay can also be configured to automatically download podcasts to the inbuilt hard drive.

The interface is easy to understand and the navigation fluid. However,if you have a large number of files saved,if could be a while before you get to the one you want to watch as there is no search function in the interface. As the device has three USB ports,it will show only the ones that have storage devices plugged into it. Plus music files are automatically sorted by artist,genre or album,while photos can be accessed by date. The settings on the device let you configure playback modes in great detail,like increasing or reducing the size of the subtitles or changing the scaling of the picture. The browser on the other hand has quick links to Pandora,YouTube and Flickr,though getting used to the keypad on the remote might take some time.Iomega’s ScreenPlay DX costs Rs Rs 12,999 for the 1TB model and Rs 14,999 for the 2TB model.

ONIDA NexS media player

Onida’s HD media box has one USP compared to the competition. This one can play 3D video,if you are able to find any content that fits the bill and if you have a 3D TV at home. This media player can also play almost all available file formats on to any LCD or LED screen,but with an emphasis on the latter. For this one does not come with the regular AV cable outputs needed to plug it to old television models and is strictly meant for the digital era.

Though there are optical and network interfaces available to ensure that you get the best image quality,the media player can’t play anything over the air as there is no Wi-Fi option – you can however go online if you get yourself a wireless network card and connect it to the unit. The interface is a bit complicated,when compared to the other HD players I have seen,but nothing you won’t be able to master within a couple of hours. The media player has no inbuilt storage,though it does allow you to copy stuff from one USB to another using the two ports on the unit. The remote is thankfully easy to use with separate buttons for subtitles and video selection.The ONIDA NexS media player is priced competitively at Rs 6,490.