| Vantec AVOX Jukebox Multimedia Player
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Video:
I loaded several videos up in varying formats including two movies transferred using DVD Shrink. First thing I noticed was the quality of the video for DVD playback. Except for a couple of scenes where the compression was noticeable in places, the movies played and looked like the original. But this was from the DVD Shrink program, not the player. I was also pleased to see that it not only passed along DTS but also Dolby Digital. I suspect this was not listed due to licensing issues. The sound quality was pretty good, but not quite up to the realism and depth you get with a stand alone DVD player. I was also pleased to see the DVD menus functioned flawlessly.
Unfortunately I didn't have quite as much luck with the other movies loaded. The ones that actually played looked just as good as if they were running off the HTPC to the TV, but for some unknown reason some seemed to lock up and have a slight lip sync issue. When playing the movies back with a PC; WMP uses the same audio and video codec; the only indicated difference is the resolution. One was captured at 640x272, with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the other at 576x320 and 9:5. I don't understand why the latter would play but not the other; we did contact Vantec but did not receive a detailed response on this.
Another confusing issue comes when you try to play a video clip that is HD. While the box does not claim HD playback, it does claim HD output, and many may assume they are one and the same. In this case the chip used; Sigma Designs Realmagic EM8511, only allows you to up convert your standard definition video. The image below is a sample of what you might get when trying to play a High Definition file:
While playing back videos you have all the same controls we are used to, plus a time search that allows you to jump to any part of the movie you'd like (see image below). The only concern I had was the heat builds up after playing a movie for just 30 minutes. In this short time period the case temperatures were over 110F, the HDD was just over 100, but the video chip was nearly 140F! Overall the majority of the videos I had played just fine on the AVOX.
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