Dune HD Smart Range

RichHenn

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Evening all,

I'm very interested in getting my hands on the Dune HD Smart D1 as a media player solution for the following key reasons..

  • Full Blu-ray ISO playback
  • Basic NAS functionality, including NTFS R & W capability

It looks like it'll do all the things I want, plus more. The problem is, when will we get the chance to buy them?

Does anyone have any info as to when the range will be on sale in the UK?

Many thanks,
Rich
 
Hey Rich,

I also like the look of these players.

I phoned Digital Era yesterday, and they where not sure of the exact release date, however thought it should be early December when they are available.
 
Thanks Glenn, that's excellent news. Hopefully it'll be available in time for Santa to make 25th December deliveries!

The package looks quite exciting - it looks as if it'll offer just about everything the Base 3.0 model offers and in some areas (i.e. NTFS write ability) it'll do more, but for a more affordable price.

Out of interest, does anyone have any experience of using similar models with an internal HDD as a basic NAS within the home environment?

Many thanks,
Rich
 
Excellent but that comment about other new models worries me greatly.

I mean, it's taken enough time and effort to establish that I want the Dune Smart. God knows what I'll do if new, equivalent products are released before I finally press 'Buy Now'!!
 
Out of interest, does anyone have any experience of using similar models with an internal HDD as a basic NAS within the home environment?
I don't as I have built my own NAS for media storage and don't even have an internal HDD in my Dune. The one big downside I see to using the Dune as a NAS is the 100mbps NIC - transfering large files across to it will be painfully slow, but it is plenty fast enough for streaming a full BD rip from my NAS.

Although not from a UK supplier, the Smart D1 can be bought from HD Land for €265 - they state this is a pre-order, but also say 'shipped within 10 days'.

Mark.
 
Also don't forget that there is a new chipset due early next year.

At present it is unclear what the cost will be to swap out the existing chips of the Smart to the new chips.
 
I find this confusing but maybe I'm naive. They release a new box which will be available in say, December, but they're upgrading the product in say Jan/Feb.....what sort of product release schedule is that? Doesn't make any sense to me....
 
To be fair the Smart units were originally meant to be released back in September, but like many items such as this got delayed. Also the Smart is available in some countries already.
With the above in mind - who knows when the new chipset models will actually arrive, Sigma Designs haven't even announced the new chips yet AFAIK. So it could be late spring or even summer before they do arrive (notice I haven't stated a year :devil: ).

Mark.
 
Thanks, that clarifies it. To be honest I own an old style Apple TV and was looking at changing and have gone from the Boxee to the Media8 to the Dune to the Popcorn A200 to the Netgear and back round again about 3 times, confusing myself to the degree that I don't know what to do.....probably would settle on the Popcorn with a 2gb drive but it seems very expensive for what it is to be honest at around £290.
 
Now all that's got me thinking again!

Big ask I know, but does anyone know where I can find a direct comparison between the Dune Smart range and the Popcorn Hour C-200? I know that the Popcorn Hour unit is more expensive, but this purchase is a biggish one and I don't want to get my backside bitten!!

Also, with regards to the NAS functionality, my need is for something fairly basic and temporary. In the long term, I'm looking to get a standalone NAS unit but until then, I'd be looking to put a small SATA drive into which ever media player I go for, and use that as a central point to store/access documents.

Thanks all for your input on the thread.
 
Now all that's got me thinking again!

Big ask I know, but does anyone know where I can find a direct comparison between the Dune Smart range and the Popcorn Hour C-200? I know that the Popcorn Hour unit is more expensive, but this purchase is a biggish one and I don't want to get my backside bitten!!

Also, with regards to the NAS functionality, my need is for something fairly basic and temporary. In the long term, I'm looking to get a standalone NAS unit but until then, I'd be looking to put a small SATA drive into which ever media player I go for, and use that as a central point to store/access documents.

Thanks all for your input on the thread.

I would be considering the Dune Base 3.0, before I would go for the Popcorn C-200.
 
I initially considered the Base 3.0 but I'm not sure if the promise of NTFS read and write ability was ever implemented.

Reading a little about the planned upgrade to the Sigma 8646, I think the Dune HD Smart D1 is what I'm after. I'm prepared to hang on a couple months in the hope that the unit gets a UK release with the upgraded chipset already fitted - reading between the lines, it may actually be released as the Dune HD Smart D2.
 
I initially considered the Base 3.0 but I'm not sure if the promise of NTFS read and write ability was ever implemented.
All current models of Dune media players now have full NTFS read/write support - this was added in the September firmware.

Mark.
 
Sorry to bring this one back up again, but it appears that I'm going to struggle to get a Dune Smart in the timescale I'd like.

So, my choices are now either the Base 3.0 or the Popcorn Hour C200. I know the Base 3.0 will do everything I want, but I'm not sure about the C200.

For instance, I can get the PopcornHour C200 for £200 if I buy from Amazon in the US (transportation isn't a problem thankfully for me). If I buy one from the US will it work over here OK - the Dune models seem to have a separate power adaptor but the Popcorn Hour C200 has a normal kettle lead attachment?

Also, does the C200 support both reading and writing to the internal HDD formatted as NAS?

Many thanks,
Rich
 
The Dune has an internal PSU - and IIRC so does the C-200. Therefore I think you would need to replace the PSU unless it is possible to switch it to work on 240v.
Also any warrenty claims would be a lot more complicated if you have imported a C-200 from the USA - not to mention the chances of getting caught at customs and being charged import duty & VAT.

The Base & C-200 have basically the same internal hardware, the only real differences are the firmware they run on. So either player should be fine if you know the Base does everything you want it to - I just think the Base (well a Prime in my case) looks a lot better on the AV rack, and the 7.1 analogue outputs are a real bonus for my setup.

The standard file format for any internal HDD on either the Base or C-200 is EXT3 (a Unix format) and both can use NTFS as well - AFAIK both formats have read & write support on either player.

Mark.
 
Firstly, thanks again Mark for your continued help and advice on this thread.

Yup, didn't realise the Base had an internal PSU - I was working on the assumption it used an external adaptor like the Smart range. Learn something new everyday! As for the PSU on the C200, it's internal but is of the '100 ~ 240V AC, 50 ~ 60 Hz' specification. I need to double/triple check but I think it should be OK over here.

The warranty issue you mention is a good one. I'm lucky that I can get things to and from the US very quickly and reliably (family member spends equal time between here and there). And of course, there's the old issue of customs!

I agree with the looks point too - the Dune models look better I think.
 
Sorry to bring this one back up again, but it appears that I'm going to struggle to get a Dune Smart in the timescale I'd like.

Don't see why, I ordered my D1 on Thursday and had it delivered yesterday. They're in stock in the UK now.
 
Sorry, been away. Yes, KJ Global. Great service by the way. Very speedy. I think they'd packed and dispatched it before I had a chance to check my email for the order confirmation. :smashin:
 
The H1 has the front loading HDD caddy - The D1 has the display so an internal HDD requires removing the lid (and therefore voiding the warrety if you do it IIRC) - Then there is the B1 with the BluRay drive but no room for an internal HDD.
Other than the above options all the Smart media players have the same connections on the back and the same motherboard/chipset.

Mark.
 

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