One Hard Drive To Go, Please

"I have been hunting around for a small Form Factor Multi Media solution so I could store my media (DVDs, DivX, MP3s etc.) to play quickly and easily from a hard drive at home and especially in the truck. Now, I know I have found just exactly what I needed, in the form of the "TViX Multi Media Player".

Basically, the multi-media player is a USB 2 hard drive enclosure that takes a standard 3.5 inch hard drive disc, with a media player built in. TViX is offered in various configurations, with drives already installed, and formatted so this is truly a "plug and play" device. Or, if you prefer, you can buy an empty enclosure and simply install your own hard drive up to 400gb. The TViX will read a drive formatted with either NTFS or Fat 32. It takes less than a few minutes to install your own hard drive and even less time to connect it to your home television or mobile video monitor!

The particular unit I decided to test drive was the C-3000U, Car/Home unit which coems with a car kit which has - Car Power cord, Extra smaller Remote Control which can stay in the Car (Nice Touch) an Audio Cable and a IR Extender Unit, allowing TIVX Main unit to live, under the seat, glovebox, etc. It also has the external home power supply brick, a remote control, all the audio/video leads, user manual, and a nice carry bag, for carrying the unit on trips.

Once the TViX power and A/V Connections were made (Connections on the back are fairly comprehensive; most things are there, even an optical audio out), I hit the power button, waited for a few seconds and then the user interface popped straight up. I had loaded the TViX with various media while I had it connected it to the PC, so once connected to the TV all I had to do was scroll down the folders, I made (Movies, Music, Photos etc.) and click OK, then pick the Movie/Song or photo I wanted to see and presto... it appears on the TV Screen!

After playing with the TViX for a few hours, it can only be described as a joy to use. It does exactly what it says on the Tin. Yes, there are things that could, and may well, be changed in the user interface by firmware updates, slight little annoyances, but overall, it is a damn good multi-medi server!

So far I have played nearly all the forms of Media, I have, mp3 to AVI, and the little unit seems to have coped with anything I've thrown at it. The system Plays Fine including all the menus, extras, and scene selection! So, what is the downside in all of this you ask? Well, the unit is going to cost a few bills. I paid aroun $400 for the unit (with 300gb hard drive), but considering the alternatives, XBOX Chipped and a Power Inverter or a proper Car Based PC Unit, its really not all that bad.

Conclusion: The TViX box does for movies what the I-Pod did for music and for what I wanted, movies on long trips in the truck, .mp3 collection on tap at home or away, it's superb. Plus the added ability to act as a data store, you can easily transport your personal data around with you to share or work in another location. So, if you need a multi-media server solution for your house, car, boat, etc., I recommend TViX... oh yeah and be sure to tell 'em ESM sent ya!