Medion HD Media Player @ Aldi - £59.99

[Mr_Fantastic]

Aldi will be selling a Medion Media Player for £59.99 from the 24th January 2010. It seems to be the medion life e85015 from what I have been able to find. Not really something that interests me as it has no hard drive option.

heise online - Preiswerter HD-Zuspieler vom Discounter

http://i48.tinypic.com/30c3xg9.jpg

 

[pretri]

Interesting, I see they are selling a 500 BG USB drive alongside

 

[Mr_Fantastic]

Interesting, I see they are selling a 500 BG USB drive alongside

Yes, that seems the only way for these to have a hdd which is what puts me off them. I wouldn't bother with a media streamer as I have my PC in my lounge and that can do a better job of playing back media than any media player. If my PC cannot be off there is no point in me having one. I don't use NAS so there is no use for one of these for me.

 

[Deleted member 45086]

Seems this is pretty much an Xtreamer clone.

£60 is a good price.

neuty

 

[facade]

Can anyone tell me if it will support selectable soundtracks and subtitles within an mkv container?

I can save a bit of electricity and space if this will replace the Acer 510, the main use is playing fansubbed anime across the wired network.

Or do I just have to buy one to find out....

 

[Mr_Fantastic]

Can anyone tell me if it will support selectable soundtracks and subtitles within an mkv container?

I can save a bit of electricity and space if this will replace the Acer 510, the main use is playing fansubbed anime across the wired network.

Or do I just have to buy one to find out....

The firmware is meant to be very basic, a Realtek standard firmware so unless you try I don't know. The Aldi returns policy is meant to be okay, but check it properly first as I have not needed to do so.

It might be worth doing a search to see what you can find with the model number etc.

 

[facade]

Thanks for the reply, I did a bit of googling based on your model number and got this page
iboum.com : Future Entertainment Technology : Medion Life E85015 HD

There are some formats listed, the subtitles seem to be the files that have the same name as the avi, and get placed in the same directory.

Trouble with mkv is there can be anything inside it.

If Aldi still have the 30 day refund policy, it would be best to buy one and find out myself I think.

Then comes the problem of finding the files across the network....

I'll pick one up in the morning and report back.

 

[facade]

Initial indications are promising, it is playing files across the network, with subs, but I can't hear anything

It is set to output hdmi sound, volume on max, and nothing

Maybe it is broken

Strange that some of the folders within my shared folder aren't visible too

I'm going to have to look at the manual.

 

[facade]

Sorted the missing folders, seems to use a different alphabet to me they are there, just keep scrolling..

Can't get any HDMI digital sound, no matter what I do,
Analogue sound fine as is the picture on component.

Anybody else got one? Does yours work HDMI sound?

Edit: No HDMI sound on a Samsung TV, but sound is fine on a Toshiba.
video mode is fixed at 480p on the Samsung: on the Toshiba I can manually set 1080p.

Seems to happen to others too: there are reports on a German forum. Must be a firmware bug: the protocol must be ever so slightly off.

 

[Deleted member 45086]

Any chance of some pics of the menu and/or onscreen images.

neuty

 

[forkinhell]

Sorted the missing folders, seems to use a different alphabet to me they are there, just keep scrolling..

Can't get any HDMI digital sound, no matter what I do,
Analogue sound fine as is the picture on component.

Anybody else got one? Does yours work HDMI sound?

hi

got one of these today, strangely had to ask the assistant if they had any as they weren't on display....

the HDMI sound works fine on mine, just make sure the lead is securely in both ends, and don't select RAW i think, that option wouldn't work for me, the other option, LPM i think off the top of my head should be ok. I shall be using optical output anyway as it sounds much better through surround sound.

overall it's not too bad, interface is a little clunky, but it does what i want, streams movies from my NAS drive so i don't need the PC on all day, and even plays some AVI's that my Xbox 360 and PS3 wouldn't touch, not tried MKV's yet but will try a little later.

couple of small gripes,I have set screen res to 16:9 but doesn't autofit movies that are 4:3 so it has big black spaces either side, unless you use the zoom but then lose some of the picture area, and it also gets HOT... very hot... anyone else notice this?

 

[gadg17]

I'm returning mine to Aldi. Works OK but picture quality of Xvid files played over the network is awful - grainy and fuzzy. The same files burned to DVD or played via a laptop connected to the TV look much better.

What is the pic quality like on similar players?

@facade, HDMI sound is fine. Suspect yours is faulty if it isn't playing out of the box.

David

 

[Deleted member 45086]

Check page 33 of the manual regarding the audio.

Some info there.

neuty

 

[dermodyr]

Initial indications are promising, it is playing files across the network, with subs, but I can't hear anything

How can you see shares on the network? The box is picking up an address from my router but when I go to My_ShortCuts or My_Neighbours I cant see anything.

 

[forkinhell]

How can you see shares on the network? The box is picking up an address from my router but when I go to My_ShortCuts or My_Neighbours I cant see anything.

do you have file sharing enabled on your PC?

 

[dermodyr]

Yep but its in a different workgroup.
I cant see where you can change the workgroup on the media player. Is your workgroup called "WORKGROUP"?

EDIT : I've tried "WORKGROUP" as my workgroup but still no luck. Strange I can browse to this network storage device from any other pc on my network.

Thanks,

 

[facade]

Mine is working with my Pcs members of NETWORK.

Clicking on this accesses shares on the pc, and the NAS drives, but they aren't members of NETWORK though they are mapped as drive letters on my main pc.

Some of my shared folders cause the medion to jump up a box with password and user name as if it is logging on, but I cant change the password, it is too long for "guest", might be "password", pressing ok just give login failed.

The HDMI sound doesn't work on my Samsung, and the resolution is fixed at 480p.
On the Toshiba it outputs HDMI sound and I can manually set resolution to 1080p. Must be a bug, as there is a thread on a German forum with the same problem, but I don't speak German, and Google doesn't translate that well.

 

[WiZeR]

Hi Guys

I picked one of these up today and I'm impressed. Last Monday I had an Xtreamer delivered from Tranquil PC and I was greated with nothing but trouble. Compared to that, the Medion is 10times better. Menu's quick and plays prety much anything you throw at it.

I'm not getting grainy pictures over the network and I'm also using a Samsung Syncmaster and a Toshiba. No sound issues to my ears. I can put some pics and a proper review up tomorrow if anyone is interested?

 

[WiZeR]

Here you go, I took some video of the interface. Obviously the quality looks bad, but that's the camcorder, not the box. It's just a cheap camcorder to sometimes it goes out of focus. Let me know if you have any questions

YouTube - Medion Life E85015 HD Menus

 

[jdevil]

That looks pretty neat!

Thanks for the video.

 

[antsims]

Hi guys. A bit behind when it comes to streamers. Does this mean all the files (music, photos , films etc) can be sent from my iMac to this device? As everything goes through my onkyo amp, would I connect it via hdmi to the amp hdmi input?

Thanks for any advice....

 

[Deleted member 446079]

hi


it also gets HOT... very hot... anyone else notice this?

[/QUOTE

I got one of these and its works fine but gets VERY Hot - I have been in touch with UK Medion Helpline and they are running one of these continuously from 1100 hrs today - 28.1.10 and I am to ring back 1800 hrs for the result and will post again when I have done so.

 

[Deleted member 446079]

Rang back 1800 hrs but got no further forward other than being told it should not get hot - I figured running that hot it wasn't going to last so 1830 hrs took it back for a refund.

 

[tamick25]

Was considering the Xtreamer of Popcorn hour so this looks interesting. Anyone tried an mkv file yet?

 

[antsims]

Hi guys. A bit behind when it comes to streamers. Does this mean all the files (music, photos , films etc) can be sent from my iMac to this device? As everything goes through my onkyo amp, would I connect it via hdmi to the amp hdmi input?

Thanks for any advice....

Anyone wanna help me?