In the world of digital media players, we have the well known brands available in the market such as Western Digital, ASUS, Iomega, Popcorn Hour. Then there are also the less marketed brands which we only hear from word of mouth and in tech forums. Brands like Xtreamer, Brite-view, AC Ryan and this one we came across recently called the Mede8er (read it as mediator).
Mede8er is a relatively unknown brand to me. It is developed by Sanji Electronics who makes digital media players based on the Realtek chip which is also being used by the other less-known brands. It is a South African outfit which has been in the industry for 2 years with a strong band of loyal followers that makes a good support group. And I just learned that there’s already a local distributor here if you’re interested in what they have to offer.
The Mede8er MED500X2 is their latest digital media player box that can house a 3.5″ internal hard drive (up to 3TB). It’s not really a portable player like the Xtreamer SideWinder but it has a carrying bag included should you wish to bring it with you.
Like the AC Ryan PlayOn!HD we previously talked about, the MED500X2 is a media player that you can connect to your network via LAN cable or an optional wireless adapter which is something I would definitely want on my media player. Imagine using it as a NAS, a file/media server where every PC connected to your network can access to store files or read music or video from it. You can also use it as a torrent downloader or YouTube player when connected to your network so you don’t have to turn on your PC.
For faster file transfer, better connect it directly to your PC and take advantage of the USB 3.0 (USB 3.0 cable included) support if your machine has it. It also has an SD card slot for quick viewing of photos or home videos taken with your camera.
It has a wide range of audio/video connection available to you. Composite for old TVs, component for non HD TVs, and HDMI 1.3 as mwell as stereo RCA audio or SPDIF Optical. It can play most if not all videos you have in your library including RM, FLVs up to 1080p, DAT and ISO files, just about anything and if it won’t, the support team will include it in the next firmware update.
Anyway, we have one unit here to try out so expect a review soon but it looks promising. Better than my old AC Ryan PlayOn!HD at least which has an older and slower Realtek chip.
Mede8er MED500X2 Specs: |
---|
Realtek RTD1185- 256MB SPI Flash – 256MB DDR2 SDRAM |
3.5″ SATA Internal Hard Drive Bay up to 3TB compatible SATA2 |
Built in 40mm cooling fan – TPE mounts for low noise |
Network – Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps |
Video Formats Supported: AVI / BDMV Light / BDISO Light / MKV / TS / TP / TRP / M2TS / MPG / MP4 / MOV / M4V / VOB / ISO / IFO / DAT / WMV / ASF / RM / RMVB / FLV resolution up to 720p / 1080i / 1080p |
Video Codecs Supported: MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 SP /ASP /AVC (H.264) / XviD / DivX / WMV9 (VC-1) / RealVideo 8/9/10 (up to 720P) |
Audio Codec Supported: Mp3 / Mp2 / OGG Vorbis / APE – APE Cue /PCM / LPCM / AAC / RA / Dolby True HD – DTS MA Passthrough on HDMI Dolby AC3 Downmix & Passthrough / DTS Downmix & Passthrough / FLAC up to 24bit 192Khz (HDMI & Co-Ax Digital only) Flac Cue / WAV, WMA Standard (DRM, & Advanced Profile not supported) |
File System Supported: FAT32 (up to 2TB), NTFS (up to 3TB), MAC HFS+ (USB Drives only) |
Video output resolution: NTSC, PAL, 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 1080p. 24hz |
Input / Output
|
The Mede8er MED500X2 is already available with a price ranging from Php8,500 to Php10,000 depending on the location. Cheapest would be in the Greenhills area. The price is just right, actually it’s better priced than the PlayOn! HD (Php8,300) since this one already has a better chip inside.
If you’re interested, here are the stores that carry the Mede8er MED500X2:
- A3 Ace Business – Shoppesville, Greenhills
- ABM – Vmall, Greenhills
- Acenet Unlimited – Vmall, Greenhills
- Acenet SM North
- Asia Business Computer – Vmall, Greenhills
- Cardinal Audio – Vmall, Greenhills
- ARX Computer System – Robinson’s Galleria
- Audio World Technology
- AVX – Harrison Plaza
- Gadgets in Style
- Spectra – Park Square
- Electronics Boutique
- Alto Audio Designs – Iloilo
- Sound N Images – Cebu City
- In Tune
- Watts Hi-Fi – Makati Cinema Square
- Earl Toy World – Cash & Carry
- Audible Illusions Enterprise
- Audio Amplified
- TriSearch Trading
- PC Klinik
- PC Supplies – SM North EDSA
- Audio Visual Driver International – Shangri-La Plaza Mall
- Think PC