VPN: PCMPBO25Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
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44%
34%
11%
4%
6%
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 Rating: Review Date: 12/18/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
UI is still a bit weak. Takes 3 button presses to delete a show
Pros: Plays practically anything (so far). Looks great on 1080p. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/17/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
Doesn't include digital coaxial audio out (nor do the competitors)Weird problem with display being pink (see note below)
Pros: Plays anythingGreat videoSamba ShareInternal HDSimple UIAbility to browse LAN and stream video Comment:
When I fist got this device it was driving me crazy because the picture was really pink (it was as if I was wearing glasses with pink lenses) both in media browser and while playing video. I would turn the device off, back on, off, back on, ... , until finally the display would be black (its normal color). This happened all the time and I could not figure why it was doing it. Then I upgraded the firmware. For the last week I have had no problems with the device and I quite enjoy it.Actually, the device is absolutely amazing! And they sell at such a reasonable price. I've always wondering why a company wouldn't make such a device that would just play anything... this is it! I regularly play 720p x.264 .mkv files. The video is very smooth. People complain that the UI is a bit simple, but I really prefer simple UI's. This box is replacing my modded Xbox running XBMC. This device is better in just about every way.I have no way of testing the 1080p resolution as my display is 720pWould recommend to anyone! |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/16/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
Probably none.
Pros: Very Compact.Nice Finish.Smart design for ports.Descent GUI. Comment:
The box of joy.It might not be a HTPC , it might not have the slick GUIs.But it has the quality that a HTPC produces and it is by far more compact then a HTPC.This box can be plugged on everything without a problem.Buy it , Enjoy it. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/14/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
Wifi option available but not supplied, Files with embedded Closed Captioning on by default, buggy/laggy FF&RW feature, not pre-HDMI TV friendly
Pros: Network streaming, 1080p compliant, HDD option, multiple usb inputs, supports a wide range of file formats and codecs Comment:
Upon receiving the device it wouldn't play anything, downloading the firmware update from PatriotMemory website it now plays anything and everything I can throw at it. 1080p movies play beautifully through the network via HDMI and 5.1 surround through the optical output sounds clear and amazing. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to watch MKVs and high def TV series in the comfort of their livingroom. This review was modfied by poster @ 12-14-09 06:35 AM |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/13/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
OS a bit slow, a little on the loud side (built in fan), gets warm
Pros: small, HDMI included, easy to use, buit in 2.5in disk caddy, all metal construction Comment:
This is a very good unit, I've used the WDTV and WDTV live must say this is better! Play almost every file format I have without any problems. I put in a 320gb hdd in there and got it up and running in 3 min. Connect to my NAS in 2 minutes streamed media without any issues through ethernet. Mini usb makes it act as a external drive, so you can dump all your files over with your laptop or desktop. This is the best device I've used so far. Highly recommend this unit for everyone. I got my parents the same unit and they are going though the menu without any issues. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/10/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
Picture less bright than Western Digital.Fan buzz a little bit but you can disconnect. Patriot promised to send a new one for replacement.
Pros: PriceVersatilePossibility to add an internal HD3 USBNetworkFull Size RemoteDVD Manager for ISO, VOBDTS Downmix Comment:
I have this media player for a little bit more than a week now and I really like it. The chipset is Realtek 1073 vs Sigma 8635 on WD. It responds quite fast and accurate to the full size remote control. I have Mediagate MG350HD, Western Digital and this one and for ease of use, I prefer this one. It has DVD manager i.e you can watch an ISO movie or a DVD Video_TS folder with the DVD menu. For WD when I have a DTS audio track I have to convert to play, not with this one, as it will downmix. Browser wise, I like it too because you can list everything and depending on what you selected (video, music, photos), it will act accordingly unlike the WD where you have to be specific. You can even perform some file operations like delete, rename, copy from the remote. I have to add that it has a "go to" function and I was able to program the remote on my Logitech Harmony 550 with most of the commands. Right now I'm streaming from my PC with a wired ethernet 100mb and everything even the 1080p mkv is playing fine. I have ordered a wireless USB adapter from dealextreme.com with a chipset supposedly compatible but still wait for it. |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/29/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
Haven't found any weaknesses yet.
Pros: Very simple to set up, and to use.Small and mighty is words I'd use to describe it. Comment:
The menu system is quick and easy to use. I don't have an internal drive in it yet. I've been using flash drives. I've tested out viewing photos, listening to music and watching videos. The sound is wonderful and I'm not even using the HDMI. So it makes my old tv sound great.I plan to try streaming tv through it from my computer, although I don't have a RJ45 cable for that yet. Didn't think to order one at the time I purchased this.This was an impulse buy, but one I'm very happy with so far. |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/27/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
Does not seem able to play hi-def video off a USB stick but will of course play from an installed Hard Drive. Also, has a fan, so it does make a slight whirling noise.
Pros: seems to play just about any video format and even Flac audioAlso easy to connect to a PC/Mac so one can copy on files Comment:
Seems to work as advertised with all the capabilities of a hacked WD TV as is. Copy feature from a USB to the hard drive is not very intuitive but aside from that pretty good.Other similar product is the o!play by Asus which I opted not to buy because I could not put in a hard drive. |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/27/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
Weak GUI
Pros: DVD menu support, RMVB support, internal drive support Comment:
These media players are all about finding the one with the right features to suit you. For me, I got tired of waiting for WD to implement DVD menu support for ripped discs and with the rebate I took the plunge on the Patriot. The fan is not noisy but does buzz; generally playback volume is enough to mask it. Otherwise no complaints, it's played everything I've thrown at it and the form factor is great. |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/19/09 |
Patriot PBO Core Box Office All-in-one 1080p Full HD Media Player with HDMI PCMPBO25
Cons:
User interface is just very basic...think windows explorer
Pros: Small size.Plays everything.Plugs into any modern TV.Price.Network capable. Comment:
Ive had this thing for about a week now and I love it. I threw a 500GB hard drive in it and transferred all my movies on to it and it plays everything. Will plug into any TV with composite (Red/White/Yellow RCA's) or HDMI input.So small I can take it with me on my business trips and hook it up to hotel TVs or even over to a friends house for a movie night.I have it on my home network so I can transfer files to it with ease, just drag and drop. Windows 7 recognized it on the network without having to setup anything.The only downside of this thing is that the user interface is just very basic...think windows explorer.Im thinking of buying one for my kid for Christmas so I can transfer all of his cartoons and kids movies to it...he's 8 and has no problems using it.I havent tried setting it up to stream media from my main computer yet. |
Opening it up to install a 500G HD, I noticed there's _labeled_ pins for serial communications sitting right there. Makes me wonder how easy it'd be to watch the boot sequence, and lead in a custom hacked boot.