Freecom Mediaplayer-3

The Freecom Mediaplayer-3 is a small portable device that lets you watch video and view images on a television, as well as listen to music through a hi-fi.

Unlike standard external hard disks, the Mediaplayer-3 decodes multimedia files internally and features a variety of output ports. The unit can be hooked up to your video and hi-fi through a variety of outputs, including S-video and digital S/PDIF audio.

We tested it using multimedia files created with a variety of codecs at different sample rates, and were impressed with its playback abilities. DivX and Xvid are among the wide range of formats supported.

Physically, the Mediaplayer-3 is an attractive device. Not much bigger than a standard external hard drive, it features a front-facing control panel along with a remote. The main control menus are shown on your external display or television, but it also has an integrated LCD screen which is useful for browsing audio while the device is connected to a hi-fi.

The Mediaplayer-3 has its drawbacks, though. The internal cooling fan can get a little noisy and is annoying if you're browsing photos.

The device is also somewhat expensive. The 250GB version costs £279, far more than a standard external hard disk of the same capacity.

Prices start at £209 for the 80GB version, but expect to pay £379 for the larger 400GB model. Wireless streaming media players are cheaper, but they can also be harder to set up and are far less reliable.

If you want the flexibility of being able to share your entire multimedia collection on any display or stereo in the world with the minimum of fuss, the Mediaplayer-3 gets the job done.