Micca Slim-HD: 1080p In Your Pocket
by Vivek Gowri on November 23, 2010 1:40 AM EST- Posted in
- Home Theater
- Micca
- Slim-HD
- Media Player
Micca Slim-HD - Performance
The Slim-HD has it’s fair share of container and codec support, as listed in the table below. Most of the standard suspects are there, but some of the more interesting (or obscure) things like webm, m2v, and ISO are missing from the spec sheet.
| Micca Slim-HD Digital Media Player | ||||
| Feature | Supported Formats | |||
| 1080p Video | MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4-XVID, DIVX, H.264, H.263, WMV9/VC1 | |||
| 720p Video | RMVB | |||
| Video Containers | MKV, AVI, TS/TP, MP4/M4V, MOV, VOB, PMP, RM/RMVB, MPG, M2TS, FLV, WMV | |||
| Audio Codecs | MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, AAC, AC3, ATRA, DTS | |||
| Image Files | JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG | |||
| Analog Video Outputs | 720x576 (PAL), 720x480 (NTSC) | |||
| Digital Video Outputs | 480p, 720p (50Hz/60Hz), 1080i (50Hz/60Hz), 1080p (50Hz/60Hz) | |||
But when we ran the Slim-HD through our Media Streaming Compatibility Test Suite, we hit some problems. First and foremost, higher framerate 1080p x264 got shafted, especially in the .mkv container. Tons of choppiness, to an unwatchable extent. Add DTS Master Audio, and you end up with a literal slideshow. Weirdly, the problem with DTS-MA also showed up in the 720p test clip. Even trying it two or three times didn’t work too well. The other problem is that while trying to play through those clips, the entire unit would basically go unresponsive to remote inputs (for example, trying to pause it or exit the video and go back to the menu). Let’s just say that the slower processor is coming back to bite the Slim-HD.
As we mentioned before, no ISO support, so the DVD and BD ISO files were goners. Some of the files simply wouldn’t open, even files in common formats supposedly supported by the Slim-HD (note the OGG file [012], the 1080p24 x264 mp4 [010], and a few others). And then some of the more obscure formats that don’t work. We do have to admit that these test streams are meant to put even high end media streamers under stress, and that most of the streams with which the Slim-HD has problems with are not very common. As long as you don't expect everything off the Internet to play, the Slim-HD keeps chugging along.
| Micca Slim-HD: AT Media Streamer Test Suite | |||||||
| File Name | Aspects Tested | Max. Score |
Slim-HD Score |
Notes | |||
| 001-1080p30.x264.AC3.m2ts | H.264, AC3, M2TS |
8
|
8
|
||||
| 002-480i30.MPEG.ASF.dvr-ms | ASF, DVR-MS |
2
|
0 | Format Not Recognized | |||
| 003-1080p24.WMV9.WMAPro.6Ch.wmv | WMV9, WMAPro |
8
|
8 | ||||
| 004-1080p60.x264.8ref.mkv | 60 fps L5.1 H.264 |
8
|
2
|
Very Choppy Playback | |||
| 005-1440x1080i30.SonyAVCHD.m2ts | HD Camcorder Clips |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 006-1080p24.x264.16ref.mkv | L5.1 H.264 |
8
|
0 | File Does Not Play | |||
| 007-1080p.x264.DTS.6Ch.mkv | DTS |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 008-DTS-HRA.8Ch.m2ts | DTS-HRA Bitstreaming |
8
|
8
|
||||
| 009-TrueHD.6Ch..m2ts | TrueHD Bitstreaming |
8
|
8
|
||||
| 010-1080p24.x264.AAC.mp4 | AAC, MP4 |
8
|
0 | File Does Not Play | |||
| 011-FLAC.6Ch.ASS.Subs.mkv | FLAC, ASS Subs |
8
|
4
|
Stylized Subs not displayed | |||
| 012-1080p24.Vorbis.ogg | Vorbis, OGG |
4
|
0
|
File Does Not Play | |||
| 013-352p25RV40.RACook.rmvb | Real Media |
8
|
8
|
||||
| 014-1080i25.AVC.AC3..MPEG-TS.trp | TRP |
2
|
0 | Format Not Recognized | |||
| 015-360p24.XVid.12LanguagesSRT.Subs.mkv | UTF Subs |
8
|
8 | ||||
| 016-1080i30.MPEG2.HeavilyInterlaced.ts | Deinterlacing for MPEG-2 |
8
|
2
|
Flickering Issues | |||
| 017-1080p24.TrueHD.PGS.Subs.mkv | PGS Subs, TrueHD Bitstreaming from MKV |
12
|
8 | No Subtitles | |||
| 018-480p.TVCapture.wtv | WTV |
4
|
0
|
Format Not Recognized | |||
| 019-240p.H264.AAC.m4v | M4V |
8
|
8
|
||||
| 020-1080p30.x264.AC3.m2ts | H.264, AC3, M2TS |
10
|
10 | ||||
| 021-442p30.DivX.AAC.mkv | DivX in MKV Container |
8
|
8
|
||||
| 022-DVDISO.iso | DVD ISO |
10
|
0
|
No ISO Support | |||
| 023-BluRayISO.iso | Blu Ray ISO |
10
|
0 | No ISO Support | |||
| 024-1080p24.x264.DTS-MA.7Ch.mkv | DTS-MA Bitstreaming from MKV |
4
|
0
|
Extremely Choppy Video, No Audio | |||
| 025-720p24.x264.DTS-MA.6Ch.mkv | DTS-MA Bitstreaming from MKV |
4
|
0
|
Extremely Choppy Video, No Audio | |||
| 026-1080p24.VC1.AC3.mkv | VC1 in MKV |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 027-1440x576p25.WVC1.wmv | WVC1 |
8
|
8 |
||||
| 028-720p60.WVC1.WMA3.6Ch.wmv | 60fps WVC1 |
8
|
8 | ||||
| 029-1080p60.AVC.AAC.MP4 | HD Camcorder Clips |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 030-272p.VP6.MP3.FLV | VP6 in FLV, MP3 |
10
|
0
|
File Does Not Play | |||
| 031-854x480p30.H264.AAC.flv | H.264 in FLV |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 032-1080p.VP8.Vorbis.webm | VP8, WebM |
10
|
0
|
Format Not Recognized | |||
| 033-480p24.MPEG1.mpg | MPEG-1 |
4
|
4
|
||||
| 034-1080p24.xvid.avi | HD Xvid, AVI |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 035-672p30.DIVX.MP3.divx | DivX |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 036-720p60.MPEG2.m2v | MPEG-2, M2V |
2
|
0 | Format Not Recognized | |||
| 037-1080p30.MPEG2TS.ts | TS |
2
|
2
|
||||
| 038-1080p25.AVC.AAC.6Ch.MOV.mov | MOV |
10
|
10
|
||||
| 039-1080p24.RV40.Cook.rmvb | HD Real Media |
8
|
8 | ||||
| 040-Anamorphic.MultAud.MultSubs.mkv | Anamorphic, SSA Subs |
10
|
10 |
||||
| 041-1080p24.VC1.DTSHD-MA.m2ts | VC1 in M2TS, DTS-HD Bitstreaming |
6
|
6
|
Only passed DTS | |||
| 042-1080p24.VC1.TrueHD.AC3.m2ts | VC1 in M2TS, TrueHD Bitstreaming |
6
|
6
|
||||
| 043-1080i30.H264.HeavilyInterlaced.ts | Deinterlacing for H264 |
8
|
2
|
Flickering Issues | |||
| 044-1080i30.VC1.HeavilyInterlaced.ts | Deinterlacing for VC1 |
8
|
2
|
Flickering Issues | |||
| Total |
226 out of 336
|
||||||
Overall, the Slim-HD scored 226 out of a possible 336 points, which is 67.25%. That’s pretty good compared to the WD TV Live Plus, which got just 200 (58%), but here’s the rub. The WD TV got really owned in our compatibility suite by the lack of WMV audio and the entire RMVB format. Other than that, it seems that the WD TV might do slightly better with highly compressed 1080p video, but it just doesn’t have the amount of compatibility that the Slim-HD does, and if you’re really into Windows Media or Real Player video formats, the Slim-HD is clearly the way to go.
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Shadowmaster625 - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
Why dont you create a media player since you have all those test files? lol. Anyway, one important thing to me in a media player is how fast it can navigate through a directory with over 100 files. Also, can the usb port be used to stream video off a flash drive, without a hard drive installed?jack@micca - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
Hi,There is no delay in navigating the folders of a drive. The simple interface means navigation overhead is very low. However, for the sake of being able to find a file easily, it's not recommended that you keep over 100 files in the same folder - you'll have to do a lot of scrolling.
The USB port can be used to play videos from a flash drive or an external USB hard drive, up to 2TB in size. And the flash card reader can be used to play videos from a SD/SDHC card.
You do not need to install a hard drive in this player. Many of our customers buy one to keep in their car (there is a car power adapter available) and use it with their in-car video systems to play videos/cartoons from a flash drive.
Jack
Sufo - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
In its defence, 60fps 1080p h.264 would give even reasonably fast processors a run for their money. It's a pretty uncommon configuration outside of the 3D world, and personally, I wouldn't hold the fact that it struggles with it against a device like this. :3chomlee - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
I dont know about anyone else but the no iso support is a deal breaker for me. It is just so much easier to be able to rip dvds into one file. The other thing is that this device really doesn't offer much that isn't already out there. I have a Patriot Box Office which allows room for a notebook drive and it plays anything you throw at it, and is on sale at newegg from time to time for 59.00 with rebate. The UI on the PBO is probably similar to the Micca but also offers network support so you can stream from a home server.Personally, I would wait for the Boxee Box to come down in price and iron out their bugs before I get anything else.
therealnickdanger - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
True, but the Boxee Box doesn't fit in your pocket.jack@micca - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
You can rip DVDs into one file using something like MakeMKV. You would not have any of the DVD menus or extras, but you would have a smaller file and retain all of the original audio tracks, chapters, subtitles, and etc.Full size players like the Pariot Box Office are great if portability is not a concern. The Slim-HD is idea for those that would like to be able to take the player with them. Many people have a portable USB hard drive anyway, why not have one that also plays 1080p videos?
Jack
Milleman - Wednesday, November 24, 2010 - link
Saw that Amazon is selling the unit for $79, which is really a good price for a portable harddisk container that also will play HD movies, music and photos as a bonus. I've actually been waiting for something like this!The0ne - Monday, November 29, 2010 - link
Someone like me that takes his media everywhere :) My family loves it as we can watch anything at any time without any hassle. Same when we travel and stay at relatives home.But I can see this not being so attractive to someone that doesn't have/enjoy the things I have. Good price too.
Shadowmaster625 - Wednesday, November 24, 2010 - link
I do like ISOs, but if you're going to rip it into an ISO, why not go the extra step and convert it to something less than 4-20GB?jack@micca - Thursday, November 25, 2010 - link
That's very true. I know you'll loose some quality, but you can get a very good conversion into H.264 and get a movie down to 1/3 or even 1/4 its original size.Jack