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.
Joining!
Here’s my entry: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=158562677571998&id=1000005*****035
“My all time favorite movie was APOCALYPTO (directed by Mel Gibson).There is no boring part,full of adrenaline pumpin’ scenes!It;s the story of a tribal man that was abducted by the rival tribe.Basta,ang ganda talaga!My eyes was glued to the TV from the beginning to end.”
Thank You!
My favorite movie of all time is The Godfather because it depicts power and strong family ties. Lastly, it’s a guy thing! https://twitter.com/#!/mbpablo/status/123294634289008640
My all-time favorite movie is Scent of A Woman because of “Whoo-ah!”.
https://www.facebook.com/tags.dbugs/posts/298354026857855
My all time favorite movie is King Kong I found it wholly enjoyable.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is my ultimate movie because it scares the hell out of me.
https://twitter.com/#!/Supladito/status/12329046648*****12
My all-time favorite movie is Iron Man 1 & 2
https://twitter.com/#!/iamjimutan/status/123288956681981952
https://www.facebook.com/docharry/posts/277587415595386
I love The Matrix (1st movie) because you can watch it as shallowly (cool effects!) or as deeply (“There is no spoon.”) as you want! Great story, amazing effects which are now almost standard in sci-fi/action fare.
https://plus.google.com/1112017752*****235909/posts/JKzCYMGFwBh
I’m excited to watch the Kingdom of Heaven on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
https://twitter.com/#!/lyrrad_zason/status/123281510332764160
what’s you all-time favorite movie and why?
my all time favorite is The LOTR Trilogy, it is so far the best trilogy ever made in the history of film, perfect plot from a very popular book, great cast and acting, and the directing is superb. It is a standard that is yet to be beaten, and the last film was back in 2003! its already 2011!
My Entry: http://tinyurl.com/mediaplayerentry
What’s your all-time favorite movie and why?
My all-time favorite movie is the series The Mentalist because it is uniquely fun with a twist.
https://plus.google.com/1064245*****344600494/posts/fEwtsSRqN2Y
My all time favorite movie is Con Air because of 3 reasons: 1. Actions 2. Nicholas Cage/John Malkovich combination 3. The song “How do I Live”.
I’m excited to watch the Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
I forgot to include the website link:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8050203#editor/target=post;postID=3541261858390775205
I forgot to include the website link:
http://rapaeng.blogspot.com/2011/10/sa-ngalan-ng-freebies.html
http://www.facebook.com/joaltonnarca/posts/294154963928665
What’s your all-time favorite movie and why?
My favorite all-time movie is Up. I like the plot of the story and it touched my heart the first time I watched in 3D.
https://twitter.com/#!/wendelltan/status/123269293851951104
My all time favorite movie is Forest Gump because it shows that all problems are just challenges.
The Godfather Trilogy hands down! That’s my all-time favorite movie(s).
https://twitter.com/#!/PotSantos/status/123269622060417024
https://plus.google.com/11735093990*****66428/posts/6PedW3wTbiH
My favorite movie is City Of Angels starring Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage because it shows the amazing things we can do for the search of true love (yeah, cheezy… i know.. hehe)
It must be exciting to watch the Bourne trilogy on this Noontec MovieHome v8 Media Player, and see all the action in all of its HD glory! :D
https://twitter.com/#!/deuts/status/123268469499240448
I’m excited to watch the Space Battleship Yamato on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player.
here’s the link.. :D http://twitter.com/#!/blakkopi/status/123268096470*****0
Cheers!
I’m excited to watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
My all-time favorite movie is Good Will Hunting. Excellent feel-good movie to watch on a rainy day while lounging on your couch with a Noontec MovieHome V8 connected to your LCD TV!
My all-time favorite movie would have to be Spirited Away because of the wonderful story that can be enjoyed both by kids and adults.
https://twitter.com/#!/tangkoloy/status/123265977558380546