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.
I’m excited to watch the GODFATHER TRILOGY on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
The best gangsta movie on a gangsta media player, what more could you ask for!
http://twitter.com/#!/jamesdco/status/12336038180*****44
https://plus.google.com/u/0/112782638778599150209/posts
My all time favorite movie/s are the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Savvy?! Haaar!
http://twitter.com/#!/howsmydaytoday/status/1233516096264*****
All time favorite movie? Final Destination! I love the feeling of awesomeness and thrill while watching it!
my all time favorite movie is the fast and the furious. why? hindi nakakasawa!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1375573951
I’m excited to watch the Kung Pao on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player.
I just want to see how good Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player is in handling both age-old and CGI scenes. We oh we oh we oh we!
I’m excited to watch the Fifth Element on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
I would definitely want to watch TRON LEGACY , because this was the most awaited movie back then,and the effects and 3D characters in this movie was superb!, I want to experience the FULL HD and the Crisp of the quality that this thing can deliver.
http://twitter.com/#!/ezbermas/status/12334046807*****33
https://twitter.com/#!/
My all-time favorite movie is The Cars because I like cars
https://twitter.com/#!/IamMitee/status/123334723798958081
what’s you all-time favorite movie and why?
My favorite movie would be Click because Adam Sandler just rules and it’s kinda cool having a remote control for everything :)
I’m excited to watch the Harry Potter movies on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player.
… I don’t think that needs any explanation as to why I’m excited to watch HP movies!
https://plus.google.com/1065381*****091392965/posts/6bHscw73gNT?hl=en
I love this year’s released movie Super 8 by J.J. Abrams. The young cast are all outstanding, ably supported by the adults in the background, and the nostalgia of the piece is genuinely intoxicating.
favorite movie is transformer. because it has a nice special effect on while transforming the robot specially Bumble bee and Optimus prime and has a great story line.
https://twitter.com/#!/ferdzco/status/123317445736935424
My Entry: https://plus.google.com/1074557*****689870218/posts/UAM28Bx176u
Q: what’s your all-time favorite movie and why?
A: It has a brilliant story, it kept me guessing and kept me at the edge of my seat. It is mind numbing! and I would love to see it on High Definition!
http://twitter.com/#!/wentot/status/123317157022015489
I want to see Sherlock Holmes again in preparation for the sequel.
I’m excited to watch “No Way Out” on the Noontec MovieHome V8 Media Player. Want one? Grab one free from YugaTech — http://yugatech.ph/pKdxNy
My all time favorite movie is “Harlem Nights” by Eddie Murphy. What a piece of crap this film was.
I’ll neve win this prize, so what the heck.
Did you know you can rent a SIM for your iPhone in japan for only 50 peso per day? You can make no calls nor write any SMS’s. You can get a data plan for 750 peso per day. WOW! What a deal!!
http://www.facebook.com/alfranz.gallegos/posts/276139885739409
My all-time favorite movie that stands is Fast Five. I love the FF series and Fast Five got my adrenaline pumped to watch it on this media player.
My all time favorite movie is Pearl Harbor, I love world war 2 movies plus the love story on the side.
http://twitter.com/#!/jANcHXjOBjCB
Q: what’s you all-time favorite movie and why?
A: my all-time favorite movie is TRANSFORMERS because I am a HUGE fan of the animated series and the first movie is just perfect – so much better than the succeeding two! The movie has lol comedy, a bit of drama, suspense and lots and lots of action. The original even has funnymen Bernie Mac(+) and Anthony Anderson, Jon Voight and the ultra sexy Megan Fox. seeing for the 1st time the new Optimus and Bumble Bee almost made me cry of elation. great great movie and I can’t wait to see it using Noontec Media Player MovieHome V8 :D
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/6700653/Transformers_Trilogy_720p_BRRip_%5BRelease-Lounge_H264%5D
https://twitter.com/#!/adrieljohannes/status/123297570704465920
My all time fave is Toy Story 3 because I’ve waited 11 years for it, and it did not disappoint.
The Bourne trilogy is my all-time favorite movie simply because of its adrenaline pumping action scenes from start to finish.
https://plus.google.com/11434079205*****47269/posts/XRz1JEUwZPV