Brand Name | Mediasonic |
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Item Weight | 1 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 6 x 1.6 x 8.7 inches |
Item model number | HW-150PVR |
Batteries | 2 AAA batteries required. |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Color Name | Black |
Item display height | 5 inches |
Mediasonic ATSC Digital Converter Box w/ TV Recording, USB Multimedia Player, and TV Tuner Function (HW-150PVR), Black
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Brand | Mediasonic |
Mounting Type | Coaxial,Surface Mount,Plug Mount |
Interface Type | USB, HDMI, Coaxial |
Number of Channels | 120 |
Material | Mediasonic HomeWorX ATSC HD Converter Box with Recording and HDMI Output |
About this item
- Converts Over-The-Air Digital Broadcast to your Analog TV, Antenna out Analog Pass Through, Favorite Channel List, Parental Control Function
- Auto Tuning, HDMI 1080P Output / YPbPr output / Coaxial Output, Closed Caption,
- Real-Time Recording & Programmed Time Recording, Auto, 16:9 Pillar Box, 16:9 Pan G Scan, 4:3 Letter Box, 4:3 Pan G Scan, 4:3 Full, 16:9 Wide Screen. Recording function require users to use their own USB external hard drive or USB flash drive.
- Real-Time Recording & Programmed Time Recording, Auto, 16:9 Pillar Box, 16:9 Pan G Scan, 4:3 Letter Box, 4:3 Pan G Scan, 4:3 Full, 16:9 Wide Screen. Recording function require users to use their own USB 3.5" external hard drive (Support up to 2TB) or USB flash drive (Support up to 64GB)
- This product does NOT work with TIVO and cable company such as Comcast, DirecTV, DISH Network, Time Warner Cable, Shaw Cable, etc. In general, this product does NOT work with encryped cable signal. This Box is NOT a replacement of a cable company's box.
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This Item Mediasonic ATSC Digital Converter Box w/ TV Recording, USB Multimedia Player, and TV Tuner Function (HW-150PVR), Black | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $24.99$24.99 | $83.03$83.03 | $56.99$56.99 | $63.96$63.96 | -7% $49.13$49.13 Typical: $52.93 |
Delivery | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it Apr 5 - 9 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | — |
Customer Ratings | |||||
Picture quality | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.0 |
Remote Control | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
Sold By | Mediasonic_Store | DNE Express | I.R.N. GROUP LLC | A-Dub & More | Edboe |
mounting type | Coaxial,Surface Mount,Plug Mount | Surface Mount | Surface Mount,Coax Cable | Surface Mount | — |
Product information
Technical Details
Additional Information
ASIN | B00I2ZBD1U |
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Customer Reviews |
3.9 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #101,016 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #22 in Analog-to-Digital (DTV) Converters #535 in Streaming Media Players |
Date First Available | May 21, 2013 |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Looking for specific info?
From the manufacturer
HW-150PVR
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Free Local TV ChannelMediasonic ATSC digital TV converter box converts over-the-air ATSC digital TV broadcast to your analog and digital TV, projector, and computer monitor. |
Record and Playback your favorite TV showNo TV Recording for Refurbished Product |
Multi-Media Player FunctionAllows you to play back music, video, movie, and recorded TV show. |
Easy InstallationYou can connect HW-150PVR to your TV by either HDMI or Composite or Component, or Coaxial port. |
Additional Features:
- TV Tuner Function: Add additional Tuner to your TV, some TV does not have built-in tuner, this can be an add-on to your TV. eg: compatible with VIZIO TV.
- EPG (Electronic Program Guide) and program information.
- Favorite Channel List.
- Parental Control Function.
- Closed Caption.
- EAS (Emergency Alert System) to alert you any emergency information from TV station
Important Note:
This converter box is designed to receive Over-The-Air signal, and it is not a replacement of cable box. External Antenna is required to connect to this converter box in order to receive signal. This product does Not Work with TIVO and cable company such as Comcast, DirecTV, DISH Network, Time Warner Cable, etc. In general, this product does not work with encrypted cable signal.
Important Note:
- This product ONLY work with Clear QAM CABLE signal.
- This product does NOT work with any cable company in Canada
TV Recording Important Note
- No TV Recording for Refurbished Product
HW-150PVR | HW130STB | HW130RN | HW-150PVR-Y22 | |
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Add to Cart
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Add to Cart
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Add to Cart
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Add to Cart
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Customer Reviews |
3.9 out of 5 stars
3,901
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3.9 out of 5 stars
8,927
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3.9 out of 5 stars
2,987
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3.9 out of 5 stars
695
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Case Material | Metal | ABS Plastic | ABS Plastic | Metal |
Power | Internal | External Power Adapter | External Power Adapter | Internal |
Product Size (inch) | 8.7 x 6.1 x 1.6 | 5 x 4 x 1.5 | 5 x 4 x 1.5 | 8.7 x 6.1 x 1.6 |
TV Recording | ✓ | No | ✓ | |
TV Tuner | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Media Player | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Condition | Refurbished | New | Renewed | New |
What's in the box
Product Description
Mediasonic HomeWorx ATSC Digital Converter Box with TV Tuner, TV Recording, USB Multimedia Function
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the value of the TV tuner, saying it's a great way to save money on TV service. They also like the picture quality. However, some customers have reported issues with the remote control, describing it as the worst and not universal. They dislike the time settings and have mixed opinions on channels, ease of use, performance, and quality.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the value of the tuner. They say it's totally acceptable for the price, a great way to save money on TV service, and a flexible machine for the cost. Customers also mention that the USB/multimedia playback feature is worth the cost, and the TV tuner alone is worth it.
"...like and it does exhibit a quirk or two, but it sure is a flexible machine for the price. And it's so nice not have those outrageous cable and sat...." Read more
"...However, what the set will do is worth the price, easily...." Read more
"...it's great as just an RF to digital converter, and it's at the usual price point for that...." Read more
"...Decent video quality if you have the signal for it.-- Inexpensive. As a replacement for a tuner, it rocks.--..." Read more
Customers like the picture quality of the tuner. They say it produces a beautiful crisp picture with absolutely no pixelization or audio dropouts. The box can even do 1080p (60Hz) which was a bit of an extra feature. The playback of HD shows is great, and the contrast is better. Customers also love the clarity of uncompressed digital broadcasts, and recordings are good quality.
"...is now my main use for watching TV - it is not only delivering beautiful pictures and sound, but it makes the signals from the antenna rock solid -..." Read more
"...digital HD 720p or 1080i resolution - which is still a beautiful, sharp picture. So I now get a lot more than I had with satellite and all for FREE!!..." Read more
"...I have a Roku for that. It is a great tuner and dvr. Picture is just as clear as if the antenna was going straight to my hdtv...." Read more
"...Wow. My firstimpression? Nice looking black box. Hooked it up and in less then 3 minutes I wasall set...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the tuner. Some mention that it functions very nicely, they are pleased with the overall performance and versatility of the unit. However, others say that it fails to work consistently, is less capable, and does few things well. They also mention that the user interface is usable.
"...And a his and hers wouldn't be a bad idea. Excellent piece of equipment now even better with the firmware update!UPDATE:..." Read more
"...(I did try it on the iView with a hard drive, and it seemed to work very easily, I expect it will be the same with the HomeWorx unit)3.)..." Read more
"...program, then that thing will record forever because there is no "timed" recording (see above)...." Read more
"...Some of them are even worth watching; fortunately, some ones i was actually hoping for. So far, the only thing I don't like about the..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the tuner. Some mention that the recording feature is a heaven sent, and it makes it super easy to record shows. However, others say that the signal capture is good, and the recorded programs are good. The product has a low power usage, and can record SD. However, some customers say that it stops recording at approximately the same time each time, and that the PVR corrupts recordings or reboots.
"...Not only does this converter provide an excellent digital TV signal for your old analog TV, it functions as a digital recorder and player of your..." Read more
"...The instructions were comical the translation was so poor. Only has one tuner so you have to watch what your recording, unless you can do the much..." Read more
"...the ability to record tv - again, haven't used this, but will be purchasing a new external hard drive to enable this feature...." Read more
"...and I can walk away, go do shopping, etc.. With this unit you can only hit record once and you have to stick around to stop it, otherwise it would..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the tuner. Some mention that it's very easy to set up program recordings with this device, the remote is very nice and easy to use, and the showings make it pretty easy to find and setup programs to record. However, others say that the operating instructions are a little thin, the user interface is primitive, and it''s not as easy to operate as a satellite DVR.
"...Set up was pretty intuitive, which is a good thing since the instruction booklet was sub par...." Read more
"...far, the only thing I don't like about the purchase is the truly awful user's manual...." Read more
"...The unit connected and set-up quickly and easily...." Read more
"...The instructions were comical the translation was so poor...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the channels. Some mention that it picks up a couple of channels, while others say that it finds no channels. They also say that they can't change channels when in time shift and that it records a different sub-channel from the one set.
"...I was able to get the menu program to come up, but no channels...." Read more
"...It auto-searched and found 46 local channels here in the Tampa Bay, FL area - so I was both very happy and surprised that there are so many free OTA..." Read more
"...Right now it only shows signal strength (as "extra" info)..." Read more
"...I went from about 21 channels to 39 channels. This unit gets more stations than my tv tuner...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the remote control of the TV. They mention that it is a tragedy of stupid design, it's not universal, and frustrating to use. Some say that the remote controls are not interchangeable. Overall, customers are disappointed with the design and functionality of the remote.
"...It was so frustrating to use the remote, that I would have been ticked off every time I had to touch it!..." Read more
"...The line of sight on this remote is just frustrating, abysmal, horrible, the worst on the planet...." Read more
"...operations, the menu is a little clunky and the remote requires looking at the buttons closely...." Read more
"...You only see EPG data for one channel at a time.-- Remote layout seems a bit odd to me...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the time settings of the TV. They mention that the time shown isn't consistent, there is no setting of timed recordings from a guide, and the dvr loses the timed event for an unknown reason. They also say that the clock can only be displayed in 24 hours, the time zone settings were off or incorrect, and that the device does not recognize Daylight Savings Time.
"...It does not recognize Daylight Savings Time, so tell it you live in Canada and use Atlantic Time if you live in the Eastern US...." Read more
"...can manage to get past the EPG booking problems, and the missing timed record button, the recordings are great...." Read more
"...My only minor complaint is that the clock can only be displayed in 24 hr...." Read more
"...Yet another issue: A timer recording recorded correctly, and plays...." Read more
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Not only does this converter provide an excellent digital TV signal for your old analog TV, it functions as a digital recorder and player of your favorite TV shows and other media. The USB port and your memory stick allow a convenient way to enjoy your recorded TV programs and play music, movie, and photo data. The converter seems to be more sensitive than my old one giving me an additional station and providing superior image quality. Use the supplied composite video/audio cable for the best image. Set up was pretty intuitive, which is a good thing since the instruction booklet was sub par. Do keep and read the booklet but use the Quick Installation sheet to get going. Then refer to the booklet and play with the Menu items to learn the finer details of using your box. It does not recognize Daylight Savings Time, so tell it you live in Canada and use Atlantic Time if you live in the Eastern US. You will need a fairly large memory stick if you intend to record much TV. It will allow you to record the program you are watching but apparently not another channel at the same time. It does allow recording your selected shows remotely while your TV is off. Do format your stick using the appropriate menu selection. I had problems recording until I did this. Allowing for a few quirks, this is an excellent piece of equipment especially given the price.
UPDATE:
I have just purchased another of these units to replace a converter box(different brand)on another TV. With its recording ability and solid performance as a converter, it was a no brainer. Please take note that a firmware update is available from the distributor. You'll find that at mediasonic.ca under product forums. This update fixes the DST problem and a couple of other issues. It did seem that the image quality deteriorated slightly in the process, but I rescanned the channels, went through the converter setup menu, and tweaked the video settings in the TV menu and everything was fine once again. My TV is very old so it could very well have been the problem. Thanks Mediasonic for the update. It's nice to find a company still interested in customer satisfaction. If you're listening: What about offering additional remotes for sale? You know these things are notorious for getting lost or broken. And a his and hers wouldn't be a bad idea. Excellent piece of equipment now even better with the firmware update!
UPDATE:
This update comes after owning this converter for over two months. My original conclusion has not changed - excellent little machine especially when you consider the price.
My second unit now operates solely as a recorder as I have replaced that TV with a new digital model. I use the HDMI out connection on the recorder to connect to the TV to play the program back. You'll have to purchase a cord, but it's worth it. The quality is identical to the original, and I find the recording process simple. It took a couple of tries at first but just read the manual and play with it on your own and you should have no problem. The following explains how to send the antenna signal through your unit and still use the TV's tuner. First you connect your coax antenna connection to the RF In and then set your unit to loop through the signal to the TV. Of course your unit has to be connected to the TV via the RF Out. To loop the signal, go the Menu and Channel Search. Under Channel Search, press RF Output until you see Loop. If you have your TV input set properly, you should be able to use your TV tuner to see all your channels and record on your unit. Looping the signal does reduce its strength somewhat so that a weak station may not come in. Since my TV in question is at the end of a 125' cable run and the signal is split, I lost too much signal to use this approach. I use a good quality mechanical A/B switch to accomplish basically the same thing albeit with a bit more trouble but less signal loss.
Judging from the Mediasonic.ca web site HomeWorx HW-150PVR forum, people are finding ways to use this unit to function with many equipment set-ups and having fun personalizing it for their own use. It won't do everything that people would like and it does exhibit a quirk or two, but it sure is a flexible machine for the price. And it's so nice not have those outrageous cable and sat. bills.
Mediasonic.ca has provided a company administrator for the forum site. There is a very sincere effort to provide solutions for problems and questions. Check out the forum for answers and info. How unusual for a company to provide a forum and administrator for a product that you can buy for under $50.00! Also the company is selling a replacement remote on their web site, $8.00 or $9.00 with shipping I believe. Fairly priced and good to have on hand.
Newer machines are shipping with updated firmware and a slightly different remote unit. Before you go downloading firmware from the forum site and installing it, make sure that you need to do that. It may cause some problems if done unneccesarily. Here again check the web site forum for assistance if you have questions.
As I mentioned in my original review, make sure you format your memory stick before recording. I noticed some people having recording problems that probably are because of this. Go to menu and under PVR Config. use the Format command.
It's always possible to get a lemon with any product, but both my units have been fine. Most reception problems a few people have complained about are likely due to antenna, wiring, or hookup sources. Anomalies in wiring and misplacement of the antenna can shutdown the reception on the best of equipment. I'd buy again.
After reading through many forums, it seemed that most HT enthusiasts just have cable/satellite, and those who have "cut the cord" still used the Tivo service and paid a monthly fee - because several models have a built-in tuner, and they still can record/pause live tv, etc... From what I was finding, not many people have "really" cut the cord, remaining a slave to some sort of commitment. Those who were accomplishing this successfully were using older equipment, and most of them paid $150-$200.
I purchased the iView 3500STB DTV Converter Box first. It was as poor as advertised, mainly from the remote layout perspective. How anyone can make such a poorly designed remote control is beyond me. It did work with my older tv's and brought in a good picture. I tried it in my basement home theater w/ my projector, and no luck, so I just installed it on an older tv in my Living Room.
With the NFL season quickly approaching, and the need for watching my Chiefs on the local CBS station on my 100" screen, I began to get desperate. I purchased the HomeWorx HW-150PVR ATSC Digital TV Converter. Trying to stay ahead of the game, I sent a PM to an admin guy on a Mediasonic Forum, and he re-assured me that this unit should work, he just suggested that I set it up with another tv to scan for channels first, then install in my theater - which I was connecting via HDMI to my Yamaha receiver.
I did this, and to my disappointment, no picture. I was able to get the menu program to come up, but no channels. I thought I had been beat, but the Admin from Mediasonic suggested that I wasn't connected properly and to try another tv to verify this was true. I did this, and lo and behold, he was right. At some point in my disconnecting the dozens of cables outside (both from DirecTV and the cable company), I had apparently disconnected the cable going to my home theater. Once I figured out which one it was, with the help of my 9 year old son, we were ecstatic! IT DID WORK!
Now I wonder if the iView would have worked after all -- but I'll never know. It was so frustrating to use the remote, that I would have been ticked off every time I had to touch it! I was able to send it back and get a refund from Amazon.
I will be contacting my AV buddy to program the HomeWorx remote into my URC remote control, which should eliminate any issues at all. Even though it is significantly better than the iView remote, it is still a bit awkward.
A few pros about the HomeWorx unit:
1.) the on screen programming ability - haven't used this much, but it is nice to see what is on, and what's coming up by channel.
2.) the ability to record tv - again, haven't used this, but will be purchasing a new external hard drive to enable this feature. (I did try it on the iView with a hard drive, and it seemed to work very easily, I expect it will be the same with the HomeWorx unit)
3.) the remote, although it's not great, it's so much better than the iView remote that it seems great! At least the buttons work when you push them, unlike the iView.
4.) HDMI (great picture) - using the "antenna in" and "HDMI out" to my Yamaha receiver worked perfectly. I did find out that I had a bad HDMI cord during this setup process, but had another one available and it worked great. There is no need for the RCA plugs, since the HDMI processes both audio and video. My picture is 1080 and looks great on my Panasonic projector.
5.) Built in tuner, which WILL work with your projector! This should be a popular piece of equipment in any home theater setup where you are cutting cable/satellite and need the ability to access local channels in an affordable way.
6.) Price - for under $50, you will own a piece of equipment (not rent, no monthly fees, no subscriptions....) It gives you the freedom you are searching for as a member of the ever-growing cord cutter society!!
The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is - the on screen display is kind of hokey and the button layout on the remote is goofy. It seems like this unit was designed overseas by people who aren't used to standards we are accustomed to in the US. The unit itself seems very cheap, but as long as it works, I'll be a happy camper.
I am only days into this new adventure, and expect big things, however, if this product should fail me, I will update this review. For now, I am pleased - I was able to see my Kansas City Chiefs put a whoopin on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, and the picture was awesome, and access to my local CBS station (and 13 other stations in my area) costs me $0/month!
Top reviews from other countries
Works great.
I fixed the antenna on a mast and mounted it on my chimney. Remember "height is King" to get the best signal.
I aimed the antenna towards between Buffalo and Toronto and on a good day I can get over 50 channels!
Even on a bad day I still get 20 with the major channels.
The Interface is easy to navigate. PVR simple as cake. Just plug in an external Hard drive to the USB Port, choose channel and press record.
Pros:
=====
- Easy quick navigation between channels with the "OK" button. Once you've scanned for channels, when you're watching any single channel, if you press "OK" without any other menu up, it will bring up it's own small menu. Rather than have to monotonously type in the channel number, or go up or down through the channels and wait for them to load first (which is still quick but normally that could add an extra 10 seconds going through each channel to get there) - if you know what exact channel you want you can just go there immediately.
- You can rename familiar channels so you can identify them easily.
- It only has one tuner, but you can still watch a channel while recording a second channel. If you are buying this solely for the PVR function like I did, it has a "Loop through" (passthru) option that if enabled allows you to watch a different channel on your TV tuner while the PVR is recording a different channel on it's own tuner. This requires you to have the antenna in coaxial to the PVR, another coaxial from the PVR to the TV, and a separate Yellow/White/Red RCA cable (that it comes with) OR (more preferably) an HDMI out to the TV. The book isn't very clear about this, but when it's set to Loop through, you won't be able to watch this PVR via the coaxial on Channel 3 or Channel 4 like normal (not that you would want to if you could avoid it!) Of course this means you'll obviously have to scan the channels in on your TV as well.
- You can leave it in Standby, and if you had programmed times to record shows it will kick on and start recording on it's own and turns itself back off when it's done. That's pretty standard, but this is a really cheap model so it's nice to have.
- The manual is relatively good, although some clunky English is used. You can tell it was made in China, but it's far superior to many other Chinese-made manuals and is actually helpful.
- The program data is thorough, and it's easy to set a recording on those shows when the data is available. As with many of the better converter boxes, it shows several hours of data and program information ahead. It's also easy to get the info to pop-up while watching your program.
Cons:
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- There is no way to set the time apparently - only the Time Zone. Usually this isn't a problem though, as it seems to get the time from the channels on it's own. This becomes REALLY annoying though for the PVR function if the channel is broadcasting the WRONG TIME! I have 6 channels that report the exact EST time synced with Windows 8 time servers on my computer and which agree with my cell phone as reported from the cell towers. But 2 channels I get (on 1 station) are both 3 MINUTES ahead. When I programmed several shows to record with the PVR function on these channels I was annoyed to find it started recording 3 minutes early because it went by the channels reported time, and then it cut off 3 minutes early and I couldn't see the end of any of them. This means that if ever I want to record from these channels I have to set the time 7:33-8:03 or similar every time manually now.
- This leads me to my next con - if the channel does not provide the data for the show times so that you can just select a show to record, programming the shows can be cumbersome.
- If you are watching a show while trying to record it (since it only has 1 tuner, again remedied by the 2nd tuner in your TV), the record icon takes up an unnecessary amount of space on screen. It uses a couple of inches by a couple of inches and covers the picture in a small grey box. It's not out of the way or like a small red dot in the bottom corner either - it's in the top-left quadrant of the screen where some of the actual program might be going on and is very distracting. So if you are using it to record and don't have a TV-tuner - forget watching while recording and watch later, lol.
- Unfortunately, after only 1 week of owning it, it managed to already glitch out. It came back, but when I pressed "USB" to play back my PVR recordings, it refused to open several times. Retrying eventually it just went black and froze. I had to use the hard power button on the physical unit (kind of like an "Eject" button) to power it off and on to get it to come back.
Simple plug and play set up, and away you go. You can use either the boxes tuner, or use your TV's tuner, depending how you choose to configure it. The only thing I would change is to have the USB plug on the rear of the box, rather than the front. But, if you think you would be plugging and unplugging regularly, the front USB connector is preferable.
UPDATE - review changed to 3 stars from two. After downloading and installing the v10 update, the HDMI output sparked up again and the unit works fine. I'm holding to three stars because the OS is still clunky, and there are still issues with the episode guide. Picture and such are good though. It's a nice, cheaper unit.
In any case, we're reluctantly returning it, we were hoping for a new Media player that was 1. quiet, 2. easy to use, and 3 Good quality,....this one is only #1...quiet.