Noontec V8NAS Media Player Customer Review
Review submitted by Richard Grainger, ClanCarnage
If you've had a browse through my previous reviews, you would notice that I've done a fair few media players, and this week I get to test out the brand new V8NAS from Noontec.
This is an evolution of their previous models, and is designed to sit next to your TV, letting you play downloaded media files from it's internal hard drive, USB drives, flash memory cards, or elsewhere on your network. You can also use it as a central file store for other PCs on your network to access.
Let’s have a quick look at the full list of features:
- Media player takes 3.5in SATA drives (up to 3Tb, not included), connects by USB or LAN
- Soft-touch power button and LCD display on front
- Supports Gigabit LAN and 802.11n Wi-Fi (optional WES-NWF Wifi Dongle required for Wifi connection)
- USB3.0 super-speed data interface to connect to your PC, includes USB 3.0 cable
- Can be used with USB 3.5in HDDs, and can understand capacity over 3TB
- Includes a flash memory card reader, and has two USB host ports to connect USB storage devices
- Drawer Style Hard disk installation makes it easy to install the hard drive (sold separately)
- VFD Display Panel, includes IR remote, 270x200x41mm in size
- Supports Blu-Ray On screen Display, bluray 1080P HD Decoding, Bluray BD-ISO Display and partial bluray navigation interface.
- 1080P decoding, DOLBY True HD, DTS HD, Coaxial/optical HDMI audio out, HDMI/CVBS/component video out
- Supports NAS storage, FTP, BT, SAMBA, and file server functionality
- Audio formats: MP3, WMA,WAV,OGG,AAC,KPCM,FLAC,AC3,CUE,APE
- video formats: H.264,MKV,WMV9,MPEG 1/2/4, HD XVID, FLV, RM/RMVB
- Video file types: MKV,TS,M2TS,MTS,TP,TRP,WMV,LFO,ISO,VOB,DAT,AVI,MPG,MP4,MOV,RM,RMVB,XCID,FLV
- Resolutions: HD Movie: as high as 1080p, Internet Movie RM/RMVB as high as 720P
What you get in the box:
- Noontec MovieHome V8NAS Media player
- IR remote control + 2 AAA batteries
- Short USB 3.0 A-B cable (not pictured above)
- 12V 2A 100-240v Universal power pack
- Screws (for securing harddrive in caddy), composite video/audio cable
- User manual and customer registration form for warranty with Noontec
Here's an unboxing video from Youtube:
Setup:
Unlike previous models, where you had to undo screws and take the bottom plate off the media player to install a HDD, Noontec have implemented a simple, relatively tool-less design in the V8NAS. You just need to push the front flap, which flips down to reveal a removeable hard drive caddy, then slide it out, secure either a 2.5" or 3.5" HDD to the caddy with the included screws, and push it back in, ensuring it goes in deep enough to make contact with the SATA power/data connectors.
Once the hard drive is installed, you need to connect it to your TV - as usual Noontec have both high definition and standard definition outputs on the rear of the player. A HDMI cable is not included in the box, but is bundled by AusPC below. There are also co-axial and optical audio outputs, for those who want to connect it to an audio receiver. The player will automatically detect the highest resolution, however you can customise the audio and video settings in the setup screen.
In case the name didn't give it away, the V8NAS has full network support. On the rear of the player you will find a Gigabit ethernet port which you can connect to your existing wired home network. If you aren't a fan of Ethernet cables, or want to have the player located in a room where you don't have access, you can use wireless N networking by purchasing the optional WES-NWF adapter. Both network options allow you to configure a static IP address on the media player, or simply allow it to inherit one via DHCP from your router.
Controlling the V8NAS is done via the included IR remote. This has had a bit of a makeover when you compare it to the previous units. The overall design and button layout is similar to earlier remotes, but they've given it a bit more "bling" by raising the up, down, left, right and OK center buttons and adding a metallic circle. Whilst this doesn't have any functionality, it does give the remote a fresh new look to match the player.
Design:
The previous models I have reviewed from Noontec have all had a complete glossy plastic coating surrounding the player. Whilst this is true for the V8NAS' sides, they have opted for a metal plate top, surrounded by a shiny metallic strip. This gives it a brand new look. On the top, we find the Noontec logo, some supported formats and a power button which has a nice blue LED to indicate the media player's current power state.
The front of the player has the hard drive drawer, and a display which shows you the current playback time for videos and music.
On the right side of the player there is a MS/SD/MMC flash memory card slot, perfect for browsing photos straight from your camera, and a USB host port which allows you to connect USB flash drives to copy content or play media directly from. On the left hand side, there is small vent to ensure there is some airflow getting to the internal components.
The rear of the player houses all of the audio/video outputs - Component Pr, PB, Y, audio L & R, CVBS (composite) video, coaxial/optical audio and HDMI out. We also find a Gigabit ethernet port, another USB host port, and the USB 3.0 device port that lets you connect the player to a PC as a slave device - this lets you copy a large amount of data directly to it with the highest transfer rate.
User Interface:
Noontec have redesigned the user interface for the V8NAS, so booting up the player gives you the option to browse through your music, movies, photos, launch nTV, launch the file manager and browse through the setup options. The first three are pretty self explanatory: nTV is a browser that allows you to view content on YouTube, a variety of news websites and stream live video broadcasts over the Internet. I go through it in a bit more detail in the video below:
Wrap up:
I've tested the V8NAS with a variety of different media types - conveniently it didn't require the hard drive I used, which had been in another Noontec player, to be formatted. All formats tested (.mkv, blu-ray iso, .avi, .mp3) played back flawlessly, whilst you may get the occasional 1-2 second delay when navigating through files and directories this is understandable, given the number of files it has to work with, and is far from a deal breaker. Noontec have done a great job at making the menu system even more intuitive than previous iterations and given it a brand new look which sits nicely on any entertainment unit.
The only con that I had for the previous model (V8S) was that it lacked a Gigabit Ethernet port - obviously that isn't the case with the V8NAS, and the new additions like 3TB hard drive support means that if you are after a shiny new media player that is jam packed full of features you can't go past the V8NAS.
You know you want one if you've read this far - here's the buy info:
See more specifications and buy the Noontec V8NAS without the HDD here
AusPCMarket has the V8NAS bundled with a hard drive and HDMI cable, where you will save over $30:
You can also add the wireless dongle to any of these bundlesOther media player reviews by Richard: AC Ryan HD2, Noontec A3, Noontec V7, Noontec V8S