Conclusion:

With the features added to the FreeAgent Theater+, Seagate is much closer to the device I was hoping to see when they first announced the launch of the FreeAgent Theater earlier this year. Taking a look back at the conclusion for the review of the original FreeAgent Theater, we see that three, or maybe four, of the five "Cons" I listed have been addressed. File format support has been increased, which is the potential fourth con eliminated, leaving a trivial grumbling about cabling left. While the FreeAgent Theater+ does include a handful of cables, it lacks perhaps the most important one... an HDMI cable.



My primary concern was with video playback, and the Theater+ delivered. High definition is supported thanks to a variety of file formats, and with 1080p output via HDMI, there shouldn't be anything it can't handle. It was able to play all but one file I queued up, and whether my media was local or streaming from my network, it generally looked and sounded just fine.

My main complaints with the device are all related to areas outside of movie playback, so for the most part they don't bother me too much. The main thing is that the user interface is a bit crude, and seems like a step backwards when compared to the original FreeAgent Theater. The music player and photo viewer are functional, but not all that enjoyable, and the file browser setup leaves a bit to be desired.

One area where I was hoping to find some exciting new features was with its Internet capabilities. While there are a few applications installed that make use of the Internet, nothing really grabbed my attention. Hopefully we'll soon see support for online multimedia applications like Netflix, at which point my excitement for the device might grow tremendously.

Searching the Internet finds the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ for just under $140 (US) at places like Amazon.com and Buy.com. This is roughly $40 more than either the original Theater or Western Digital's WD TV currently sell for. While you are getting much more than the original Theater offers, which could make this seem like a reasonable deal, the WD TV offers many of the same features as the Theater+ for the price of the original Theater. We'll be taking a look at the WD TV soon, and we'll be able to provide a better analysis on value at that time.

Considering the features and functionality of the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+, it earns the Bigbruin.com "Recommended" award.



Pros:

» Supports a large number of file formats, including plenty for high definition content
» DVD folder and DVD ISO playback worked very well
» HDMI output
» Networkable (wired connection built in, pending support for USB wireless adapters)
» Easily discovered and accessed networked computers and NAS devices
» Sleek, minimalistic aesthetics
» User interface is very easy to navigate

Cons:

» Internet applications aren't overly exciting (for now, hopefully choices will improve)
» User interface actually seems like a step backwards from original FreeAgent Theater
   » Overall appearance is bland
   » File browsing, photo viewer, and music player are somewhat crude
» Device can be slow to respond to remote control commands
» Didn't play every file that seemed to be supported
» No HDMI cable included

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