We had a good two weeks with the Noontec Media Player MovieHome V8. It’s a totally new media player to me but having used and played with a lot of similar ones before, it was fairly easy to familiarize myself with the device. Check out our full review after the jump.
There are a number of models in the Noontec line-up and the MovieHome V8 NAS is the newest of the lot (launched back in June with a local distributor bringing the unit to the Philippines just this month).
The manufacturer (Noontec) is based in Shenzen, China and has been making a lot of media players for years including a recently launched Android Gingerbread-based Smart TV HD Player.
The player looks like a cross between one of those black and slim DVD players and the PS3 with its combination of glossy and sand-paper finish.
The Noontec V8 houses an internal storage using a 2.5″ or 3.5″ HDD with capacities of up to 3TB. You can transfer movies into the drive via a USB 3.0 cable or directly download files straight into the client. The drive bay can be easily opened from the front when you install a HDD (no need to unscrew any of the metal panels).
That somewhat justifies the larger than usual size of the player compared to the ones we used before.
You can also connect an external drive, NAS, or SD card on any of the ports built into the player. There’s a single HDMI port at the back to connect to your TV or, if you have an analog display, use the S-Video sockets.
The SD card reader is on the right side and can read media card with up to 8GB in capacity (not sure why it’s limited to that size but it could probably be fixed with a firmware update).
There’s a Gigabit LAN port as well to connect the player to the network although an optional WiFi dongle can be hooked to one of the USB 2.0 ports if you want wireless connection. The LED display up front also provides helpful info about the media you are currently playing.
The Noontec V8 reads just about any of the more common file for movies (including Bluray ISO), music and photos. And the HDD doesn’t need any special formatting as it supports FAT32 and NTFS.
Video decoding: MPEG 1/2/4, Xvid, H.264,VC-1, RM/RMVB
Video formats: AVI, MPG,TS/M2TS/TP/TRP, ISO, IFO, VOB, DAT, MP4, FLV, WMV, MKV, MOV, RM/RMVB
Audio formats: APE, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, OGG, FLAC, Dolby Digital, DTS Digital
Audio codec: MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, AAC, LPCM, FLAC, AC3
Photo file format: JPG, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, GIF
One issue I had was that the manual that came with it is all in Chinese. Luckily, you can download a copy of the English Manual from their website.
The UI is very simple and easy to understand and use. It’s fast and responsive even when the list of titles on the catalog is quite long. It’s a minor feature but I really liked the idea of having a background wallpaper that you can customize on the screen.
Setting up the device to the network was pretty easy and straightforward via the LAN port. I haven’t tried the WiFi since it will need the optional, dedicated dongle to go with it. The Gigabit connection (1,000Mbps) is a huge plus factor when you’re transferring large files across your network. If not, you can still use the USB 3.0 port for really fast file transfers.
The Noontec V8 also comes with a Bittorent client so you can download movies straight into the internal HDD. The interface of the client needs a little bit more work though — it’s not that user-friendly (I keep coming back to the Chinese manual). In any case, it does the work as expected and as long as it can download torrents on its own, that’s fine by me.
Movie playback is fast and smooth with support for full HD 1080p videos. No lags or noticeable choking of video streams. Video output is great and the player renders them without any degradation (tried it on a 42-inch LCD TV and worked flawlessly).
The LED display in the front does help in providing media information of the file I am playing (as well as the elapsed time).
The remote control looks good, has a solid build and easy to use and operate. I wish they added backlit keys so one can use them even in the dark.
The Noontec Media Player MovieHome V8 has a suggested retail price of Php7,799 but they’re offering it for Php6,999 as an introductory price (HDD sold separately).
Not a bad price for a pretty capable device — biggest advantage is the USB 3.0, Gigabit LAN and Bittorent client.
Don’t know which stores carry these players but you can email [email protected] for inquiries (will update once I get them).
Wait, there’s more!
I asked the local distributor if I can give away this review unit and they gladly agreed. Let’s make this very easy and simple, just the way we do giveaways around here.
All you need to do is this — complete this sentence:
I’m excited to watch the < name of movie > on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
Leave a comment below with a link to your entry and answer this question — what’s you all-time favorite movie and why?
Hit the comments with your answer. We’ll randomly pick a winner by October 24.
Follow us on Twitter, Google+ or add us up on Facebook for more updates and contests.
My favorite all-time movie series is the Harry Potter series, it really made me feel like a child and boost my imaginations a bit. :)
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=265334590177493&id=1000017*****746
I’m excited to watch the Star Wars on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
https://www.facebook.com/jomed.noble/posts/137753249659449
http://twitter.com/#!/odenzki/status/126833363230265344
i believe you do not have to ask why…it’s Star Wars!!!
My favorite all time movie is Transformers coz it’s one the most action packed sci-fi movies I’ve seen.
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=229878997072953&id=1000001*****220
My favorite all time movie is Transformers coz it’s one the most action packed sci-fi movies I’ve seen.
http://twitter.com/#!/GeffChang/status/1266457021965*****
The Godfather, because it’s one of the best mafia movies ever. I love the way Marlon Brando portrayed the role of Don Corleone.
My all-time favorite movies come from the Harry Potter series. Aside from being a fan of the books, the movies have great visual effects and, though slightly modified, a rich story line.
https://plus.google.com/1075457*****906454649/posts/XPMMJzHSVyV
http://twitter.com/#!/roniverse/status/126597483689287680
X-Men. It’s ingenious and interesting to watch!
My all-time favorite movie is AVATAR of James Cameron . The movie is impressive especially on the technical side/level. And in this movie, James Cameron showed that he is STILL THE BEST.
GOOGLE+ POST:
https://plus.google.com/11057376*****49776930/posts/CwFGW9SnT8d
TUMBLR POST:
http://allnpamvte.tumblr.com/post/11648528343/yugatech-contest
what’s you all-time favorite movie and why?
My favorite movie would be Art of the Devil. Its a horror movie from Thailand and it was really terrifying! Horror movies are better in their country.
https://twitter.com/#!/BRETinators/status/126589540105330688
What’s your all-time favorite movie and why?
Avatar. I really like the effects used in the movie specially when you have a HD copy of it. I’m pretty sure with this Noontec Mediaplayer my movie experience will be enhanced.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kianfaderon/posts/183642641716363
Link: https://www.facebook.com/rkmalbz/posts/188514031226956?notif_t=like
Q: what’s your all-time favorite movie and why?
A: Toy Story Trilogy. Because I love the animation, the story, and the idea that they are all toys, small and yet they can explore the world.
What’s your all-time favorite movie and why?
-The Dark Knight; because the storyline is uncomparable to any movie I have ever watched. Also, it would be great if I could watch it in Full HD 1080 together with our 5.1 surround sound system and flat screen TV. Can’t wait to see the clarity of every detail of the movie. Lastly, I know that it would not be difficult for me to watch The Dark Knight immediately because of its built torrent downloader and its USB 3.0 connection. I really want the Noontec Media Player MovieHome V8. It’s the only thing that’s missing for me… :)
TWEET: http://twitter.com/#!/marvinsalaveria/status/126473559638945793
Nothing beats Titanic. Everything is there, comedy, drama and action. Full pack in just one film.
I wanna see this in full-HD using my LG 42LD650.
I’m really excited to watch the movie Pearl Harbor and Titanic on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player.. YAhoo!!!
I’m really excited to watch the movie Pearl Harbor and Titanic on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player.. YAhoo!!1
http://www.facebook.com/albertdc/posts/165761640182159
My all-time favorite movie is Gladiator starring Russel Crow and Joaquin Phoenix because I like the story of Maximus and his struggle to reclaim his hero status against the usurper Commodus.
http://twitter.com/jesiramoun/status/126318119533809664
I love Piranha (2010)! It’s insane, hilarious and it gets my adrenaline pumping. Yes, I’m crazy.
http://www.facebook.com/mischa016/posts/298431243502316
My all-time favorite movie is Princess Mononoke( Hayao Miyazaki),because of wonderful story and creativity and I love to watch it again with Noontec Media Player MovieHome V8.
here is my entry:
https://plus.google.com/1096192*****433860200/posts/LMmhfmLqDLx
Iron Man and The Dark Knight are two of my favorite movies, and would love to watch them again and again the Noontec Media Player MovieHome V8.
hope I win this one. =)
My all time favorite movie is AVATAR released in 2009, too bad i didn’t watch the movie in big screen.. but still love it.. best movie ever..
my tweet…
https://twitter.com/#!/sherwoodhere/status/126276753898471424