Himedia HD600B 1080p USB 3.0 MKV Network Media Player

Box contents: HiMedia 600B, remote control, PSU, HDMI cable (1.5m), composite cable, SATA cable, manual.

The HiMedia 600B utilises the 2011 series Realtek 1185 processor to deliver unparalleled media playback performance. The sleek and professional looks of the 600B disguise a media powerhouse, with a feature-set that surpasses all other comparable players. The latest and most advanced Media Players features are present, including Gigabit networking, USB 3.0, full lossless 7.1 audio support, and a unique fanless 3.5" hatch-access hard drive bay.

Realtek 1185 Chipset (2011 '5' Series) The new Realtek 1185 chipset is more powerful than it's 1073/1283 predecessor but retains the total format support. It adds Gigabit networking, full 7.1 HD Audio support, media file indexing, thumbnail browsing, a web browser, support for Blu-Ray ISO profile 1.0 menus, and Youtube XL. This chipset is exactly the same (so format support, performance will be the same) as that found in the ACRyan PlayonHD2, Mede8er 500X2, Xtreamer Prodigy, and Xtreamer Sidewinder 2.

High Quality Hardware The 600B hardware is beautifully constructed. The main body is made of thick brushed aluminium, with the front panel being glass effect incorporating a VFD (LCD) display and touch buttons. The overall look is professional and fits in perfectly with AV equipment or an HDTV. The remote is full sized, ergonomically shaped, and operates from both a good range and a wide field of use.

Fanless and Silent The Realtek 1185 chipset was designed to be low power and to generate very little heat. This is illustrated by total power usage of only approx 9 watts during MKV playback. The innovative 3.5" HDD hatch design uses the player casing as a heatsink (*low power HDDs are recommended. See FAQ question) so removing the need for a potentially noisy cooling fan. The 600B is unique in accepting a 3.5" HDD whilst also being fanless and silent.

Casablanca Firmware Base An evolved version of the Realtek 'Casablanca' firmware is used. Local media files are indexed to allow for lightning fast browsing, intelligent sorting of media (date added, genre, year. etc), thumbnail browsing, playlist creation and editing, and an all important search function making finding a particular piece of media a breeze.

Extensive Firmware Development HiMedia are a large company with the resources to develop their firmware. The 600 players have benefitted from an intensive and ongoing firmware development program. There have been regular firmware releases and active community providing additional custom firmware versions. Check out our Knowledgebase for a list of official firmware updates. The HiMedia 600 firmware adds selective folder indexing, an enhanced thumbnail wall (now 14*2 rather than 8*2), subtitle language auto recognition, 3D subtitle support, easy media bookmarking, custom subtitle fonts, NFS networking, BD Profile 1.0 menus, TV show series recognition, media bookmarking, and an HDD auto power off feature that is unique to HiMedia players.

Massive Connectivity Two USB ports are mounted on the left side, along with an SD card port and and an external SATA port. At the back you have an HDMI 1.3 socket, USB 3.0 port, composite video out, component video out, Gigabit LAN port, and both TOSLINK and coaxial S/PDIF digital audio out. Whatever your setup, the 600B will connect to it.

Gigabit Wired Networking and Optional 300mbps Wi-Fi(n) The 600B is one of the first Media Players to feature Gigabit (10/100/1000) wired networking. This networking speed increase allows you (providing you have a Gigabit router) to stream all 720p/1080p HD video (including Blu-Ray), and to copy files at faster speeds than ever before. Alternatively, you can connect the player wirelessly by purchasing an inexpensive USB Wi-Fi dongle.

Comprehensive Networking Support Samba is fully supported both as a client (so you can access Windows networks) and as a host (so you can use the player as a NAS). Performance is much improved on the previous generation and, combined with the lower power usage of the 1185 chipset and the Gigabit LAN, make the 600B a very viable option as a NAS. NFS networking is also supported. The 600B will connect easily to your iPhone, iPad, or Android device by DLNA to allow streaming of your media to your HDTV. UPnP support allows you to stream content easily from popular PC / MAC applications like Windows Media Player + Hulu.

7.1 Channel HD Audio Support and Lossless FLAC The 600B offers total support for all HD-Audio standards. The 600B will downmix or bitstream DTS, DTS-HD MA, True-HD, AC3/Dolby Digital as either RAW or LPCM, and with 7.1 audio selectively downmixed to 5.1 or left alone. Virtually every digital audio format is supported including very high end audio such as 24bit 192Khz FLAC. The ability to bitstream ultra high quality formats make the 600B comparable in audio performance to audio Media Players costing £1,000s.

Mouse and Keyboard The 600B supports nearly all USB mice and keyboards as well as most Bluetooth mice and keyboards.

DVD and Blu-Ray ISO DVD ISO files (DVD backups) will play exactly the same as the original disc with full menus. Blu-Ray ISO images will play as the original disc for Blu-Ray profile 1.0 discs (those without BD-Live) or will play with a custom internal menu (BD Lite) for all the rest. The custom menu gives full access to all subtitle / language / chapter

External DVD and Blu-Ray Drive The HiMedia 600B supports an attached SATA DVD or Blu-Ray drive and will allow original discs to be played. DVD discs or ISOs will play with full original menus as if you were using a DVD player, whilst Blu-Ray discs or ISOs will play with either BD Profile 1.0 menus if supported or a custom internal menu (BD Lite) for all other discs.

HDD Spindown You can optionally set the internal HDD to power down after a defined number of minutes. This saves power and prolongs the life of your drive.

Web Services, Youtube XL, Web Browser Youtube is available in both standard and Youtube XL versions, both of which provide impressive search and ordering options and display video in HD if available. The speed and convenience of the Youtube implementation make it viable to use the 600B as an HD video jukebox. Other services include Picasa, Yahoo Weather, Yahoo Finance, video podcasts. etc. In addition, there are a whole host of Chinese services including some that might be of use outside China such as PPStream and QQLive. The web browser is quick to access and usably quick in loading pages. It is good for browsing simple websites like Facebook, Twitter, and news sites on your TV. The browser currently requires the use of a mouse and preferably a keyboard.

Comprehensive Subtitle Support Subtitle options are vast, with the 600B adding an auto subtitle language detection mode as well as custom subtitle fonts. The rest of the subtitle system is based on the Casablanca interface so you get comprehensive subtitle size, colour, positioning, and delay settings. All European languages are fully supported including the special characters used in Danish, Norwegian, Portuguese, French, Swedish, Greek, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Hebrew.. etc.

Photo Browser You can browse photos according to directory or let the player index for sort/search. All popular formats are supported with no practical limit to images size. There are a huge range of photo transitions, music can be selected to play in the background of a slideshow, and zoom/pan are smooth and fast.

The HiMedia 600B uses the latest Media Player chipset so delivers incredible file format support and performance. It builds on this rock solid foundation by adding a host of unique and useful features such as innovative fanless 3.5" HDD hatch design, USB 3.0, silent operation, HDD auto power off, front VFD display, and a front touch panel. On top of this HiMedia have a great reputation for firmware development, and the development work going into the 600 players has been hugely impressive.