HD Digitech HDX 1000 media streamer

Considering the popularity of digital video, it’s surprising to see so few digital media streamers offering widespread support for both local and online content.

Versatility is key in this market and the HDX 1000 seems to address these issues and more. It comprises a wealth of inputs and outputs, including HDMI 1.3a and component, digital optical/coax for audio and a multi-format reader for memory cards.

It supports DivX, Xvid, H.264 codecs and MKV, WMV, MOV and VOB containers. Online support is also excellent with direct access to Youtube, Google Video, Metacafe, iPodcast, Radiobox, Flickr and more, along with a variety of news, weather, podcasts, internet radio and other resources.

We hooked up the HDX to a TV and a network. This is pretty easy to do, with network setup involving wiring the device directly (or via a powerline adapter) through the Ethernet port on the back. Sadly wireless access is not built in, but you can buy a USB adapter for this purpose (the TP-Link TL-WN821N, available for £18.34 from www.rlsupplies.co.uk).

Once the correct SSID and passcode are configured you can share media through Windows Media Player’s library and media-sharing functions, or standard Windows/CIFS shared folders. Relevant folders appear on the main menu along with an installed hard drive (if present) and connected USB storage for you to browse. The interface has categories for video, music, photos and a file browser in each case, and while it offers few customisation or viewing options, it is quite responsive.

While streaming performance is very good, we encountered a recurring pause of between two and 10 seconds when searching and resuming video playback. This is our only gripe though, as we were impressed by the quality of reproduction, even on a large 50in screen, and high-definition content performs acceptably up to 720p over wireless (though wired is necessary in some cases and for anything above this level).

Video control is very good, allowing you to zoom or adjust 4:3 content for widescreen format with subtitle support, audio control and direct search functions. While there are no controls on the box itself, all of this is well organised on the supplied remote, which is tidy and responsive.

Aside from video content you can also enjoy photos and music through the HDX, though it’s very basic compared to video. Photo viewing is the better of the two, with rotate, zoom and slideshow functions available, but music lovers looking to build playlists and browse and manage a large collection will be let down.

As mentioned, the HDX is also particularly adept at accessing online services such as Youtube. These are accessible through the Media Portal, which allows you to sort through the wealth of channels available by video, audio, photos and podcasts. Performance here is good and, while there is some inevitable buffering and pauses if you search back and forth while streaming, it’s one of the better attempts by such a device to date. The range of content available is very impressive and, while not all of it works all of the time, you could spend hours viewing clips, photos, listening to music and reading the latest news and reports on your TV.

The HDX 1000 is one of the more impressive media streamers/jukeboxes released to date. While much of the more advanced functionality isn’t exactly beginner-friendly, seasoned digital media fans will appreciate its versatility and performance.