Legit Mods and Ends Reviews
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player Review
| Manufacturer: | Seagate Technologies |
| Product: | FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player (ST905004CEA2E1-RK) |
| Date: | Thu, Dec 10, 2009 - 12:00 AM |
| Written By: | Ken Brown - |
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In the Box and Under the Hood
Besides the FreeAgent Theater+, Seagate bundles the media player with a USB cable, “medium-sized” remote control, “AAA” batteries, composite a/v cables, component cables, Ethernet cable, an AC power adapter, a Quick Start Guide, and Media Sync software for either a Mac or your Windows-based machine. We would have loved to see an HDMI cable included with this bundle like the Patriot Box Office offers but this is just a nit-pick. Honestly, the Seagate bundle is solid and includes Seagate’s Media Sync software that allows you to automatically synchronize media files between your computer and your external USB storage device. You are not forced to install this software, but it helps with the synchronization of your media files.
The FreeAgent Theater+ is yet another media player that is based on the award winning Realtek 1073 System-on-Chip (SoC). The 1073 Realtek chip being utilized has a clock speed of 400 mhz, 128 MB SDRAM (DDR2-800) and 256 MB NAND Flash ROM memory. On paper, the Seagate looks almost identical to the other Realtek 1073-based media servers (like the Patriot Box Office or Asus O!Play).
Here, we can clearly see a picture of the Nanya SDRAM (NT5TU64W16DG-AC). The Realtek 1073 chip on the left, has no writing on it - probably to save on money in production. (EDIT - As a reader pointed out, the Realtek chip is actually underneath this grey heatsink. Thanks Franc!)
The remote that comes with the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ is almost a full-sized remote. While larger than the ridiculously small Western Digital, it has less buttons than that of the Patriot, but has lots of functionality. The 21-button remote has all the basic functions that your normal home theater remote poses, most notably volume control, zoom, directional/navigation, and basic DVD functions (FF, RW, Play/Pause, Next-Track, Last-Track, Stop).
Now that we know about the engine driving the FreeAgent+, let’s set the unit up and check out how this processor power translates into real-world performance.
Next Page - Configuring the FreeAgent Theater+
| Review Index |
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Page 1 - Introducing the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+
Page 2 - In the Box and Under the Hood Page 3 - Configuring the FreeAgent Theater+ Page 4 - High-Definition Video Playback Page 5 - Final Thoughts & Conclusions |
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