| ASUS O!Play LIVE HD Media Player |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Notebook | Compact PC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Olin Coles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 04 July 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ASUS O!Play LIVE HD Media Player Review
Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by ASUS. If you're like me, over the years you've collected a huge digital library full of music, pictures, and movies onto your computer. Occasionally, I might watch a video from off my laptop or listen to a song while working at the desktop, but high-definition movies and music are really best enjoyed on a home theater system with larger screen and powerful speakers. The ASUS O!Play LIVE HD Media Player makes this transition easy, accepting every modern media format over local storage and network connections. Watching broadcast television and DVD/BD movies have been replaced with streaming Internet content and downloaded multimedia files, especially for college aged viewers who own a smartphone or tablet device. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the ASUS O!Play LIVE HD Media Player, and we evaluate how well it performs our tasks. The ASUS O!Play LIVE media player is designed to deliver large-scale entertainment in a small package, and indeed it does. Perfect for the college dorm or start-up entertainment center, expect O!Play LIVE to play back practically every modern digital media file format without frame loss or stutter. If you're not big on downloading files for playback, ASUS O!Play LIVE can also receive streaming Internet TV shows directly from several sources. Join me as I test the ASUS O!Play LIVE using several high bit-rate video files and streaming multimedia content. Stores have stocked the ASUS O!Play LIVE HD Media Player for one year already, but the ASUS O!Play series has been around for over three years. O!Play LIVE replaces the O!Play AIR HDP-R3 media player, and adds improved multimedia compatibility with more streaming media/content distribution features.
O!Play LIVE Features
Source: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. O!Play LIVE brings new HD experience to viewers in the living room, free from format compatibility worries. It supports Blu-ray Disc ISO, MKV, RMVB, H.264, Dolby Digital, DTS Digital Surround, OGG, FLAC and many others. O!Play LIVE takes full advantage of Blu-ray sound quality with 7.1 Channel audio output. With both high-quality of audio and video support, it is time to enjoy a true HD multimedia experience for music, photos and movies. O!Play LIVE works with Picasa and Flickr right on your TV, so what used to be tiny frames on the PC are now properly huge mementos to treasure and adore. Enjoy thousands of online video and music streams:
Closer Look: ASUS O!Play LIVEThe ASUS O!Play LIVE is a $109.99 (Newegg or Amazon) compact media player designed to play high-definition video at up to 1080p (1920x1080) resolution, as well as Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound audio. ASUS includes the following items inside the O!PLAY LIVE kit: O!Play LIVE HD Media Player, ASUS OPLAY021 IR remote, 1.5m/60" HDMI cable, 110/220V AC adapter fitted with interchangeable North America socket attachment, and a DVD-ROM containing user manual and bundled O!Direct media streaming software. On the front of the unit is a dark translucent plastic shield, with low-output LED lights that shine red (power attached: turned off) or blue (power on) to indicate power state, as well as Wi-Fi and Storage indicators. The infrared remote sensor is also positioned nearby, so ensure that the device has direct line of sight for best performance. ASUS O!Play LIVE does not come with any integrated control buttons, such as you might find on DVD/BD players, and all functions of the device are controlled by the remote. Because O!Play LIVE features a built-in 802.11 b/g/n wireless adapter that utilizes internal antennas, keeping the device out in the open serves to improve Wi-Fi reception as well as remote functionality.
ASUS O!Play LIVE measures only 4.7"L x 7.1"W x 1.8"H, and weighs 16 oz. The included infrared (IR) remote requires direct line of sight with O!Play LIVE, which can be tricky if you or the device is positioned at an angle, but still offers plenty of range. O!Play LIVE's remote fits comfortably into the hand, and measures 5.1"L x 2.00"W x 0.9"H. The ASUS OPLAY021 IR remote requires two AAA batteries (included), and features all of the basic buttons needed to control media playback or menu navigation, plus the rarely included volume control feature. Soft rubber buttons are colored black with white label, but do not offer glow or backlighting.
O!Play LIVE is one of the very few digital media players that offers an eSATA (3.0 Gbps) port for high-speed external devices, located at the left side of the device and doubles as a High-Speed USB 2.0 port. Nearby is a recessed Reset button, which will clear all user preferences and restore settings to the factory firmware default values. O!Play LIVE includes a second High-Speed USB 2.0 port on the same side, which supports storage devices and USB port replicators but are not optimized for keyboard compatibility. Above these ports is a ventilation opening to help circulate cool air around internal components.
At the other side of the device, ASUS O!Play LIVE features a multi-format media card reader (SD/MS/xD/MMC). The 4-in-1 card reader will be useful for those wanting to play content back directly from their camera or video recorder. Below the card reader is O!Play LIVE's cool-air vent, which should be given some clearance to avoid overheating the unit. O!Play LIVE features active cooling, but the internal cooling fan is very small (and quiet) yet still emits warm exhaust.
At the back of the ASUS O!Play LIVE HD Media Player, you'll find an optical SPDIF digital audio port (TosLink cable required) that supports high-definition 7.1 surround sound output. Nearby is a HDMI 1.3 digital A/V output, RJ-45 10/100 Ethernet port, and the AC power adapter input. Missing are obsolete component video outputs seen on previous iterations of the ASUS O!Play series.
The ASUS O!Play LIVE is the company's latest media player, featuring connections compatible with modern entertainment hardware. O!Play LIVE's two High-Speed USB 2.0 ports should offer enough flexibility for most system configurations, but the eSATA port is a nice perk that's ideal for high-speed external storage devices. SPDIF digital audio output is something home theater buffs will appreciate, while the 10/100 Ethernet offer more bandwidth than the device could realistically utilize. In the next section, we put the ASUS O!Play LIVE to the test... ASUS O!Play LIVE Test ResultsLike most discerning home theater enthusiasts, I'm critical of digital media player devices. Benchmark Reviews has tested several products designed for the Home Theater segment, from fancy HTPC enclosures to efficient compact computer systems. But of them all, very few have ever offered the level of multimedia performance found on desktop computer systems. My criteria for the "perfect" digital media player has never been terribly strict, but a man's home theater is a trophy onto itself. The ideal system needs to offer wireless Internet access, comfortable web browsing, fast file transfers, and display multimedia content over HDMI without frame loss or stutter. This section discusses how well the ASUS O!Play LIVE performs, and the various features it offers. ASUS O!Play LIVE uses a firmware designed in-house, with familiar features seen in other O!Play models. For O!Play LIVE there's a shared blue theme on each menu that occasionally displays a celestial background, however most times the menu system appears fairly unpolished for a series that's been on the market for over three years. Most features on the O!Play menu share a similar hue that lack contrast, or contrasting color, that leave much to be desired from the firmware's appearance. Despite the dull looks, all basic functions are easily discovered from the ergonomic outlay of choices.
ASUS O!Play LIVE will actively search and index media files as new storage devices are attached to the system, which populates the library lists inside Movies, Pictures, and Music directories. Beware that by attaching a large-capacity storage device filled with many files (such as an external hard drive) could cause long delays in indexing. Items are represented as thumbnails icons, with the complete file name (with file extension) displayed below as scrolling text. Unfortunately, O!Play LIVE does not offer any preview functions for highlighted files. Other convenient features for the ASUS O!Play file structure is the ability to have each directory folder represented by an image icon. For example, if you've got a movies, pictures, or music directory full of items about airplanes, simply add a representative image file (in JPEG/BMP/PNG/GIF/TIFF format) into the directory and the folder will be transformed into an icon of that picture. If there are multiple image files in the directory, O!Play LIVE will build the folder icon using only the first image listed.
As expected, the ASUS O!Play LIVE media player proved worthy of accomplishing its primary tasks by delivering lossless video playback from digital sources encoded with all modern CODECs. I've converted many Blu-ray and DVD movies into MP4 and MKV file formats, in addition to an older library of MPG, AVI, and WMV movies joined by hundreds of FLAC, WAV, and MP3 music. Everything played flawlessly, and I didn't come across a single unsupported audio or video file type (although *.xvid file extensions must be renamed for the file system to discover and play them). The current firmware offers basic multimedia playback that works, but lacks progress/timeline functionality. While watching content, the media player only offers the ability stop playback and resume from that point at a later time. Playback can be forwarded at up to 32x speed, but there were some files that when fast-forwarding for 15 seconds or more would inadvertently skip playback to the next multimedia file. ASUS O!Play LIVE offers the ability to update firmware over the Internet, but all attempts are met with an error that eludes to an unfinished service. With one year on the retail market (as of July 2012), there's been plenty of time for ASUS to release updated firmware that improves O!Play's features and functionality. Previous O!Play products appear to have had better-looking menus with more robust firmware, so it's hard to understand what's happened with O!Play LIVE. Sadly, it appears as though firmware development for the O!Play LIVE platform is not a priority at ASUS.
The ASUS O!Play LIVE automatically recognizes flash memory devices formatted with FAT or NTFS file systems (exFAT drive partitions were not detected), which are automatically indexed and added to the correct media folder. External storage devices such as a hard disk enclosure or compatible SmartPhone device could also be connected to O!Play through the media player's USB interface, which mounts any available partitions. Network storage devices and multimedia servers can be mapped and configured as storage sources as wel, and the ASUS O!Direct media streaming software makes sharing files with O!Play LIVE easy while helping users avoid complicated security configurations. O!Play LIVE restricts Internet access to firmware components, so web browsing is not possible. This reduces streaming multimedia functionality, as there are only a few applications available by default. The most popular are: Pandora, Netflix, and YouTube-XL, but others such as Internet Radio and Internet TV offer public-access options. Image-centric applications such as Picasa and Flickr are available, but niche items like Weather, Stock, PodCast, and RSS News will have fewer fans. Overall, I'm disappointed a flash-supported web browser wasn't developed so users could visit their favorite websites or view free streaming content. YouTube is undoubtedly the big name here, but home-brew videos aren't quite as entertaining as production shows or movies. Netflix requires a paid subscription for access, so only currently enrolled customers can make use of this feature. Hulu and Blockbuster are absent from O!Play LIVE, likely because of licensing agreements. Still, features like Internet TV and Radio are interesting enough to explore. ASUS' product page and marketing material promote O!Play LIVE to features "thousands of Internet TV/Radio channels", but in reality there are more like a couple hundred for each globally. As of July 2012 there were approximately 70 English-based Internet TV channels listed, most of which were public access and local government broadcast... although several classic cartoon channels played Betty Boop, Popeye, and Bugs Bunny episodes.
Overall, ASUS O!Play LIVE is a media player designed for users who already own their multimedia content. Video playback with ASUS O!Play LIVE was absolutely solid, and many times the device would play a file that was given the wrong file extension or was poorly encoded. In this regard, the ASUS O!Play LIVE stands out and excels. Internet TV and YouTube were secondary features, both of which worked nicely despite their limited capacity. Internet Radio and Pandora were also useful, but the remote control offers limited text support making searching a chore. Other features were less impressive, and were punctuated by dull firmware with no sign of updates. ASUS O!Play LIVE ConclusionIMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. As a media player, performance on the ASUS O!Play LIVE is its greatest strength. Our testing proved how versatile O!Play LIVE with mis-coded files that would crash other players. File type support is strong, and file extensions could be played back from all popular formats listed below. Steaming multimedia across the network from another system was relatively simple, especially computers with ASUS O!Direct software installed. Web-based multimedia was a different story, as the only options available are YouTube, Netflix (requires premium subscription), and approximately 70 English-based public access Internet TV channels.
Video : MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMV9, RM, RMVB, VC-1, H.264
ASUS O!Play LIVE measures 4.7"L x 7.1"W x 1.8"H, and weighs 16 oz. The durable plastic shell is made to withstand most abuse, but the translucent window that spans across the middle of this device is prone to fingerprints and easy scratching. Subdued power, network, and storage LEDs shine dim enough to be unobtrusive. Designed with a subtle yet modern appearance, O!Play LIVE looks more like a consumer electronics appliance and less like an electronics device. A built-in wireless network adapter really helps extend the reach of this media player, as well as adding a level of convenience other players lack. One key feature I particularly like was the combo eSATA/USB port, which appears to be an industry first for these devices. You wouldn't know it by looking at the pixilated menu and limited options, but ASUS O!Play-series devices have been around for over three years. Unfortunately the firmware development for O!Play LIVE appears to have ended the day this product was released, as no updates have been published in the year since it landed on retail shelves. In terms of functionality, O! it Plays, but there's very little "LIVE" to credit this version of the media player with. Digital file playback is solid, but going beyond this is asking for a lot from the limited functionality ASUS O!Play LIVE offers. As of as of July 2012 the ASUS O!Play LIVE HD Media Player sells online for $109.99 (Newegg or Amazon), which appears to be the average price point for digital multimedia players. Integrated Wi-Fi-N support, optical SPDIF digital audio output, and eSATA compatibility are all features that help the ASUS O!Play LIVE deliver value, but the lack of firmware development and application support tends to detract from the extra hardware features. In summary, I'm satisfied with ASUS O!Play LIVE but certainly not impressed by it. Sure, this device plays high-definition digital media content as well (or better) than most others in the market segment and it could be possible that this is all some users will need from it. But aside from accomplishing this basic primary function, O!Play LIVE's features begin to fade. The firmware is crudely basic and lacks an aesthetically pleasing finish, leaving behind a dull menu interface with limited application options. ASUS makes a good-looking UEFI for its motherboard products, so it's a bit disappointing they couldn't achieve a similar level of appearance on the menu interface for a device designed to show off high-definition 1080p content. With so many competing products in the media player market, ASUS O!Play LIVE needs more polish to get my recommendation. Pros:
+ Includes ASUS O!Direct for streaming from PC Cons:
- Unattractive user interface Ratings:
Final Score: 8.5 out of 10.Would the ASUS O!Play LIVE fit your media player needs? Leave your comment or feedback below.
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Comments
But seriously, how can you give 9.25 on appearance? also, 8.5 in performance is saying alot. This unit sucks at that. i would give this unit a 5.0 just for trying.
If I rated anything above 7.5, I'd reckon it'd be worth my recommendation for it's target audience.
Technically, the O!Play live plays nice crisp video. The playback result is every bit as good as the WD Live. If the O!Play live would sort file listings in ascending (or even descending) order (Like other O!Play units do), I'd be happy to overlook the clunky menus. The color scheme doesn't bother me. I'm here because like Olin said, there is no firmware update on the ASUS site, and I really wish it would sort file listings so I wouldn't see my network collection displayed in Random order. "Random Order" makes it hard to find a movie or show when there are 200+ titles listed randomly, and you know which you want to view (like Avatar in 1080p), but have too read every one of the 200+ titles in random order to find it.
Router was less than 10 feet away and all network traffic was suppressed and it still couldn't stream a video from my PC.
Only thing it did well was stream radio.
Garbage - do not buy
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