TViX Slim S1 : Bidding Adieu to the Realtek RTD1283
by Ganesh T S on March 8, 2011 8:23 PM EST- Posted in
- Home Theater
- Media Streamer
- DVICO
- TVIX
We took a look at DViCO's premium TViX streamer, the Slim S1. It would be an understatement to say that we are disappointed with its codec compatibility. The firmware updates have been few and core complaints haven't been addressed fully. The saving grace for the product is its premium nature (stylish look, good user interface and the Web Remote).
The fan on the side of the unit is not of the small diameter high pitched variety. It is barely audible in a typical home theater setting. For those with sensitive ears, a fan-less media streamer is always recommended irrespective of the fan used in the unit under consideration. Connected to the wired network, and with no hard disk installed, the TViX Slim S1 consumed 8.9W to 9.1W while streaming 1080p video over the network. With an internal hard disk (the 7200rpm 2TB Seagate Barracuda XT), the power consumption hovered around 19W.
The absence of any premium services such as Netflix in the US market / AceTrax in EU is also a downer for the price. All in all, the TViX Slim S1 will appeal only to the diehard DViCO / TViX fans. After reading about DViCO's excellent TViX series on many other websites, the TViX Slim S1 was a letdown of sorts for me. Hopefully, DViCO's future products will have a better platform to build their firmware upon and impress us. In this market, the ideal media streamer is one which combines the low power consumption of the Sigma / Realtek chipsets, nice build, UI and Web remote functionality of the TViX Slim S1 and the codec and online streaming compatibility of the Boxee Box, Nixeus Fusion HD and the Netgear NeoTV 550. Are we asking for too much?
Note: Thanks to Digital Connection for providing us with the review sample of the TViX Slim S1.
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Cullinaire - Tuesday, March 8, 2011 - link
Doesn't adieu mean to say goodbye? Seems odd to use it in the headline as is.ganeshts - Tuesday, March 8, 2011 - link
That was the intent :) This is the final 1283 based product that we review.From now on, it will be 1185 only..
Cullinaire - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - link
Now I understand :)MGSsancho - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - link
over all Ganesh, excellent review. the box on the stuff it does not support was mostly what I went directly to. I agree with your wish list in your conclusion. I noticed you didn't mention cheap. to be honest some of ups demand top features, quality and user interface. we recognize premium features come at a premium price. $100 or $150 would be ideal but I will pay $300 or even $500 for a perfect media streamer box. how ever i beleive these should be optional extras (tuners, hdds, ssds, wifi, etc.)you know if any of these devices come with a 3.5mm IR port on the back or those of us with more 'fun' setups? :-)
probedb - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - link
Thanks for the review again :)Why are streamers so bad at this stuff?
I see this one doesn't even pass the CUE test which has been known about and fixed in pretty much every DVD player for the last 5-10 years?
The deinterlacing stuff is particularly annoying and noticable on larger TVs.
Rainman200 - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - link
In a way yes, the media streamer market has been dragging it's feet for years servicing a niche user base.* Not considering the wider market or improving usability so horrible GUI's are all too common (realtek a major sinner here)
* Avoiding putting GPU's in their chipsets until forced to do so by competition.
* Not bothering implementing automatic media scraping until competition does so.
* Sticking to the outdated one folder per movie for metadata system.
None of the traditional media streamer companies are proactive, they're all reactive waiting until something threatens their business model to respond.
The one bright thing Sigma Designs did is porting XBMC to their chipsets, that will put a serious dent in most of the competition if XBMC players start shipping on the market.
RamarC - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - link
quite a few have DLNA support and many can play content from usb drives. So, to me, a $200 blu-ray is definitely an alternative to a streamer, but in what areas is it better than or worse than a steamer?reggiethealligator - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - link
Another great media player review! And i like that you are reviewing more than just the boxee and wd offerings which are more well known, but not always better in every situation. This and the Nixeus Fusion HD review gave me some more options to think about.jnmfox - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - link
Any plans on reviewing the HD Theater 300 from SageTV? Works as a standalone media streamer and can be connected to a Sage Server for a more feature rich experience. If you are looking to integrate DVR/PRV functions with your media player WMC and SageTV seem to be the two best ways to go.User created plug-ins (apps) has also improved the functionality as well as the look and feel of the interface.
http://www.sagetv.com/hd_theater.html