TViX HD M-6500A PCBG Review
So we are back again with another unit review from Tvix, we found the previous Tvix HD M-5100 to be a sound solid and innovative design, awarding it with a gold award was easy, the full review can be read here, http://www.pcbuyersguide.co.za/showthread.php?t=8095.
The company behind the Tvix hardware did the right things in recent months, shifted their focus from media player only and included PVR’s in their range of products, this was a saving move (my personal view) as PVR’s are what people want today, it can do anything a media player can at almost the same price. However, many still require only the functionality of a good old media player who won’t record anything from another system.
One can argue that it is inexpensive to create a player equal to the Tvix player with a basic Linux pc running Mythbuntu, I asked myself the same question. There are various complications with this thought though, outputs (composite, s-video, high definition), large boxes or no remote control, this is a basic necessities. None of these are cheaply achieved on a self built pc running something like Mythbuntu.
So what would be ideal then? A very small PC (183 x 139 x 75 mm), with all the needed format support normal pc’s offers. Something independent of another pc in order to move or copy files around. It should also have basic support like networking, wifi, usb, remote, HD, composit, s-video etc. Is this asking too much?
This is exactly what Tvix managed to do with their media players. It is a great piece of solid hardware with everything you might expect from a media player.
Comparison
So now that we know how fancy this piece of hardware is in theory, how well does it compare with its older cousin the HD M-5100? We decided that we will also need to compare it against an inexpensive type, we chose the Mecer MediaMate media player, this is to see what you get for a few thousand bucks less.
On inspection we found that very little have changed from the the Tvix 5100 to the Tvix 6500, most notably;
Smaller things that changed;
- A Far nicer GUI was implemented.
- The units design stands square flat now, this is an improvement from the round tall unit.
Nothing else changed worth mentioning, this is in fact almost a clone of the previous unit with minor enhancements. If you already own a 5100, upgrading to the new model would be a waste of money.
- Slightly improved chipset to a Sigma Design SMP8635.
- Slightly lighter.
The Mecer MediaMate which sells for R 650.00 against the Tvix M-6500A at R 4500.00 was surprisingly good value for money compared. It plays almost anything, it has a very primitive remote, it even has a computer monitor port which the Tvix lacks. But the two cannot be compared, the Mecer just plays music, movies and photos through up to 720p HD definition video with the bare minimum and an ugly gui using a basic slim remote. But if you are on a tight budget, there is no reason why you can’t go cheaper. While it can playback almost anything the 5600 can, It does not support anything close hardware related to the “mini pc” Tvix. The MediaMate can be defined as a removable HDD with playback functionality. It is very well priced though and excellent value for money.
Features
Here is a nicely laid out feature list of the 6500;
http://www.tvix.co.kr/Eng/products/HDM6500A.aspx
As you can see, highlighting some of its features still makes this a damn nice thing to have, like its cousin it is loaded with;
- Sata I/II quick slide-in hdd drive bay (No HDD included).
- Full HD 1080p.
- Quality music file playback using the FLAC or Wavepack.
- Wifi ability, through USB wifi card (not included).
- Wired Networking.
- Optional HDTV tuner capabilities.
- Copy and move directly to external usb drives.
Setup
I love the fact that the unit is so small without the need for an external power supply, I just hate the external power supply that comes with mobile units like these. It has a build in fan to help reduce heat generated by the internal power supply and the hard drive. Just like its cousin, it is very easy to install the HDD, you open 4 screws and slip the HDD in with a plastic chrome bracket. Setup before switching on takes a mere few minutes.
The Test and Finding
On powering the unit you are greeted with a beautiful interface, the interface is a great leap forward, it looks new and expensive. The graphics designers behind this design did a great job.
Navigating through the menus is pleasant, the setup is easy to understand and gasp. In no time was I able to test the S-Video, Composite and HD port. They all worked charmingly, what I loved was the setting to have sound submitted through the HD port without the need for analog cables. It has a thorough setup throughout and it just works.
After a while we had slight problems having 2 cables connected to the LCD, the HD and Composite, the unit seemed to give weird garbage on the screen, as if it tried to use both ports, I think it is some kind of auto detection on selecting the correct output.
Switching to movies, music and pictures is very easy with the clearly marked shortcuts on the remote, one needs to create certain directories on the hard drive to make this work. It is easy and quick, you get the good feeling that you have a full media center at your disposal, the perfect party and theatre like device.
I do not know what the technical complications are by not including a normal monitor port, I suspect the chipset simply does not support it and an additional chip would be needed to apply this port, a pity though.
I plugged in a usb flashdisk and an external usb drive at the back to test copy, move and playback, it all worked as expected. Connected to a wired network is nice and fast, making it a part of your network is a must. The wireless part was tricky and rather slow as you would expect from a wireless connection. I would recommend a fixed wired connection, as wireless is painfully slow for copying movie files. It does have enough bandwidth to play movies directly over wireless, but copying is a no go.
Playing movies you can clearly see the brilliant graphics processing and conversion it does on media files. It looks really good on an LCD screen in HD. This is where it streaks past its cheaper competitor, the quality is simply amazing. The forward works better then the rewind, which can be technically understood, the rewind of media files feel clunky, but it works. Sound through the LG home theatre system just sounds great, this is where the Tvix really stands out, it delivers high definition quality.
Conclusion
Compared to the Tvix 5100 I would have expected more from the newer model, this is correctly mentioned as a replacement for the 5100 rather then an upgrade, the upgrades are bonuses though. If you are a big media fan and take your music and movies enthusiast, this is the unit you can get. If you are on a tight budget and just casual on watching movies, a cheaper media unit will do just fine.
Overall this is a great high quality product, I myself would rather save an extra few bucks for a PVR from Tvix. It is a fact that the Tvix range is meant for the upper class market, and with its quality it achieves it well.
Pros
Cons
- Excellent all-in-one media player.
- Quality feel to it.
- Vast array of supported media.
- Single power cord with no external power supply.
- Good remote control.
- Compact.
- LCD Display at front.
Score
- Nothing worth upgrading too.
- Expensive.
- No external pc monitor port.
- No HDD included.
- Limited usb network adapter support.
Final Score : Silver Award, 85%
We thank TViX for the product and giving us the opportunity to review it.
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Originally Posted by IonFlux
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