REVIEWS / HD MEDIA PLAYERS / IOMEGA CORPORATION

Iomega ScreenPlay HD Media Player

10 Aug, 2011, 10:18 am IST | by Karan Shah | HD Media Players HD Media Players

Iomega's controller-style remote

Iomega's controller-style remote
Cover
The top view
Front Panel
Back Panel
USB Wi-Fi drive could have been integrated into the unit

PRICE IN INDIA

8,999

TECH2 RATING

7.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

How we test

CONTACT

Iomega Corporation

 indiasales@iomega.com

 1800 180 2237

 http://go.iomega.com/en/?partner=4750

HD Media Players are now more or less known as single-function-devices with the continuous rise of gaming consoles and 3D Blu-Ray Media Players, which offer much more in terms of features and functionality. Iomega recently launched the Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link DX HD Media Player for video playback, browsing and streaming, but can it hold its own in this plethora of multi functional media players and devices? Read on to find out.The top view

The top view

 

 

Design and Build Quality

The Iomega ScreenPlay Media Player has a pretty attractive jet-black design and seems to have no drawbacks whatsoever, as far as the build of the main unit is concerned. The player has a glossy finish that might tend to draw a few fingerprints here and there, but it’s definitely not something to complain about. It consists of two USB slots and a power indication LED on its front panel. The back panel consists of a DC 12V adaptor input, composite RGB cable slots, an HDMI slot, an optical out, an Ethernet port and the third USB slot.  The unit comes bundled with a remote, a Wi-Fi USB drive, an adaptor and a CD user manual.

The front panel

The front panel

 

 

While we have no qualms about the build of the player, the same cannot be said for the remote control. It has an extremely innovative design that looks like a wireless controller for a console, but with the whole QWERTY keyboard packed in, the usage gets a little complicated.

 

Features

The design was impressive, but the features weren't really among the best, out there. No support for 3D, limited compatibility for 1080p videos (the M2TS format didn’t work for one of our samples) and no Flash support for the Internet browser might just break the deal for some. Besides those drawbacks, this tiny piece of hardware performs pretty well with the features it has. First up, DLNA access – which means users having DLNA-enabled devices can wirelessly stream content on to their TVs. Another important feature is media sharing with devices that are in the same workgroup. The Media Player also has a few in-built apps for streaming videos via the Internet. 

 

The User Interface

The User Interface

 

 

User Interface

The Iomega uses its simplicity as its USP. The whole UI is extremely simple, but simple does not mean plain and boring. It was easy to use without any complications, whatsoever. Five separate tabs with drop down menus and simple colour schemes are definitely better than a mix-mash of settings and options on the home screen. The user Interface was impressive and is an integral part of the whole classy look the Iomega Media Player provides. 

Iomega's controller-style remote

Iomega's controller-style remote

 

 

Performance

The two most important features – DLNA and media sharing were the first to go through our testing. Guess what? The Media Player passed with flying colours. We tried pairing a Samsung Galaxy S and the connection and playback via DLNA was seamless. The device performed the media sharing feature impressively, too. We could easily access all hard disks connected to the player wirelessly over a network. Also, using the player to wirelessly browse content on other devices over the same network worked perfectly as well. However, there is no option to view documents, pdfs or text files. We couldn’t manage to upgrade the player’s firmware over our network for some odd reason. The integrated apps are fast, quick and allow easy streaming of videos over the Internet. Besides the remote being a problem during Internet browsing, the performance of the Media Player was excellent.

Unit with the Wi-Fi USB Drive plugged in

Unit with the Wi-Fi USB Drive plugged in

 

 

Verdict

The Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link DX HD Media Player retails for Rs. 8,999. It might not be on the cheaper side, but with the looks, quality and features, this just might be the budget media player you're looking for to complement your TV. 

Tags: HD Media Players , Iomega Corporation , Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link DX HD Media Player , Iomega , Iomega Player , DLNA

Would you buy it?




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How We Test

The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

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