TVIX HD M-6500A Media Player

It’s pretty neat to have an all in one jukebox that plays all our media files, which of course will have to be HD. I have one such product for review, by an Asian brand called TVIX. These guys are specialists in Media players and personal video recorders, and currently in our possession is the M-6500A Media player, or something we can commonly refer to as an HD jukebox.

Design and Features
This model is from the lower end of their series, thus design wise we have a no frills, basic approach, dark gray rectangular chassis that sits nicely on its flat base. The front panel comprises of a vacuum fluorescent display, bearing blue font that is quite clear and readable. This screen is on the left, while the right half is occupied by a circular pattern of buttons, which look quite interesting. When on, the rims on these buttons glow with a bluish white hue that adds to the style. The TVIX logo is imprinted firmly on the top panel.

The back panel has the connections which include 2 USB slots, an HDMI 1.3 out, 2 digital audio outs (optical and co axial), an Ethernet port and last but not least component video and S-video outs. Higher end models which also act as TV recorders will have a DTV tuner port (cable TV in). That feature is optional in this model. The provision is also given on the back panel.

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So what does this device actually do? To put it simply it plays many different kinds of files directly off a hard disk, and you can connect it to an HDTV/sound system to have fun. The product is available with a Hard Disk included, which basically connects via SATA (only). You can of course connect any other SATA drive to it, and also connect external devices via USB. By connecting it to a network via the Ethernet slot, it is possible to access files on LAN drives. The file systems can be either NTFS or FAT32. The unit supports DHCP, thus connecting to an established network is easy.

This device reads almost all the popular files of video, audio and photos. The complete list of codecs and file types are on the specs pic but I’ll do a quick run through. For video we have HD matroska files, direct DVD backups in the form of .vob files, Blu-ray disc files in the form of .m2ts, .asf, .mp4, .wmv and .ISO files to name a few of the special ones. For audio it can play .flac, .ape and also .ogg files besides MP3s and Wavs. It has up scaling capabilities, which allows us to view video upto 1080p.

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Performance
A product like this performs two main functions: one of a storage device and the other of a player. First things first, the device has a booting time, which lasts for about 30 secs, which is not exactly swift, though handleable. It actually searches and scans for what input is connected, which I’m told will be bypassed by the latest firmware to be released, thus reducing booting time.

The on screen menu and navigation of this jukebox is very simple and is illustrated quite well. The look and feel of large colorful icons is always nice. There are 3 main sections for audio, video and photos besides an icon for setup. In the setup section, I set the output to 1080p, to see what upscaling this unit could do. The unit comes preloaded with few HD movies, songs, etc., plus there is a USB ‘B’ slot to connect to your PC, so adding media was simple as ever. I was hooked up to a 52-inch Philips LCD and started off with Miles Davis’ Relaxin’ album in Flac.

Navigation is very easy, and the responsiveness of the unit to the remote is also commendable. No real complaints about the menu hierarchy, plus in the movie folders you can connect to the net and download cover art and movie info from sites, which makes it interesting. Blu-ray stuff in the form of .ts files play flawlessly, with very vivid images and smooth enough framerate. The player performs just like any good quality hardware DVD or Blu ray player, plus there is the added advantage of the killer looking menus.

Conclusion
The TVIX HD M-6500A costs 27,000 bucks, and this is without a hard disk. That’s the bad news, as i couldn’t find a flaw till now. If you already have a disk brimming with movies/songs then you can use the unit straight of the box. It’s a great device, though a little pricey for some. Considering the features and vast format playability, it makes sense for media buffs and AV enthusiasts, or any one willing to spend to get a good quality multimedia player.