Verbatim Mediastation Pro

If you’re in the market for a digital media streamer that can store content locally, then Verbatim’s Mediastation Pro may be ideal. It comes with a 500GB hard drive pre-installed, supports a range of formats, including AVI, MP4, MPG and WMV, though the H.264 codec is not supported. There is also an HDMI connection for hooking it up to HD-ready TV.

Using this you’ll be able to stream and view video up to 1080p resolution and, if you don’t want to lug the thing to another room every time you want to copy files across, you can connect external USB storage directly to one of the ports on the back.

Setting it up and viewing content that’s stored locally is as simple as connecting an AV cable and firing it up. You’ll then be able to select the internal drive and filter by audio/video/photos, or view the whole lot at once. We can’t imagine why anyone would choose the former, as this feature is a simple file-type filter that removes unnecessary formats. So, provided you keep things organised into folders, it isn’t really necessary.

If you want to browse and play back files across a network, you’ll need to search and connect using the tools in the setup menu to allow access. To view folders on your PC, you simply share them using Windows’ default tools, which, while basic, is quite an effective approach, since it allows you to retain the folder structure to keep things organised.

We were impressed with the performance of the Mediastation, both in terms of how quickly it can browse and access files, and in the video quality on an HDTV. We tested some high-definition content over the wireless connection and only noticed it starting to struggle when entering 1080p territory.

And though files can sometimes take a little while to load, it’s a pretty effective way to handle the latest formats. There’s also a decent amount of control here, including subtitle customisation and support, aspect ratio adjustment and search and browse features. Unfortunately, this doesn’t follow through to music and photo playback, which offer very little beyond simple browsing and a range of repeat functions.

In addition to media playback, you’ll also find access to a limited range of internet radio stations, the ability to copy files from FTP servers, password protection and a skinnable interface.

Despite these advantages, Mediastation Pro is a little uninspiring since the interface itself is basic. Most of the time you’re simply shown a list view through which to choose content to play back, and though there are some basic playlist features that allow you to combine videos, photos and music, it doesn’t feel as though you have decent control over your media.

The supplied remote control can be rather awkward to use since it packs in far too many context-sensitive controls, many of which you’ll never use, and it’s almost impossible to work out what you’re doing without squinting down at it to find the right button. The Mediastation can also be a little unstable - it crashed more than once during testing, resulting in having to pull the plug and restart to regain control.

While Verbatim’s effort performs quite well, it does come across as rather basic and doesn’t offer anything that’s likely to redefine the market. If you’re looking for a straightforward solution and can cope with occasionally awkward controls, then it should suit, but unless you make good use of the internal storage there are better options available elsewhere.

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!