Summary: Hauppauge has introduced a very interesting multimedia player that integrates a TV receiver, video player, music player, and much more.

The multimedia player market has evolved greatly since it began. MP3 players emerged a long time ago. But since then, time has let other great ideas mature, leading to an endless number of features for multimedia players.

INTRODUCTION

Hauppauge is a world leader in making TV tuners for PCs. It now seeks to leverage its knowledge to take the portable player market by storm. The result is the company’s myTV Player, a portable unit that lets users see and hear Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT/DTV) and Digital Terrestrial Radio (HD Radio/DTR), and which can be used as a multimedia player for photos, music, and videos.

• The myTV player offers spectacular possibilities. Let’s look at its technical features and then examine them in detail:High Definition 3.6″ QVGA TFT-LCD screen
• DVB-T receiver for DTV and DTR, with a built-in telescoping antenna
• A slot for SD 2.0/SDHC/MMC 4.2 cards of up to 8 GB, so you can listen to your music and view your photos and videos, including MP3 music, JPEG photos, and MPEG videos (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4/ISO MP4, DivX 4.0/5.0, and XviD)
• Stereo audio with 2 built-in speakers
• Two free games
• Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery
• Dimensions: 122 mm x 78 mm x 18.4 mm (4.8″ x 3.1″ x 0.7″)
• Weight: 200 grams (7.1 ounces)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The myTV Player’s box is very carefully designed. The predominant colors are black, red, and white. The front of the box shows a picture of the product. Hauppauge is aware of the myTV Player’s great virtues, including that it lets users see and hear DTV and DTR, and it tries to use this to differentiate it from the other multimedia players on the market. On the back of the box, it details all of the product’s virtues and high points, to win over buyers. The contents of the box’s sides are very simple. One side lists the included accessories, and the other gives the previously mentioned technical specs for the product.

When the box is opened, we see the myTV Player enclosed in a piece of cardboard and protected from possible scratches by a plastic sheet. In our opinion, this protection is good, but it could be better. When you remove the cardboard, you see the large number of accessories that Hauppauge has supplied. The box includes a strap and a protective bag, a wall plug adaptor for Europe and the United Kingdom, a portable DVT-B external antenna, a USB-to-mini-USB adaptor, an audio/video out cable, and an instruction manual. Although there are many accessories, it lacks headphones and even a low-capacity SD or MMC memory card, which would let buyers use the product better from the start. This means that if you want to have all the basic accessories to use the myTV Player’s television and multimedia capabilities, you must buy them separately.

DETAILS: EXTERIOR

Hauppauge has created an excellent portable TV that can also function as a multimedia player. The myTV Player has a 3.6″ QVGA TFT LCD that lets it perfectly display the multimedia content stored on SD/MMC memory cards of up to 8 GB, and show your favorite DTV programs.

The front of the myTV Player has a control pad that includes buttons to increase and decrease the volume and move up or down by one channel. These buttons also let you navigate the unit’s menus. The center “OK” button lets you make menu choices. The “HOME” and “MENU” buttons also help with navigation and menu choices. The front-mounted speaker above the control pad provides more direct sound than a side-mounted speaker would.

On top of the unit are the ON/OFF switch, a hold switch to prevent accidentally activating a control, three buttons for controlling multimedia playback, and a slot for SD/MMC memory cards of up to 8 GB. Finally, the built-in DVB-T antenna can be set to two different positions.

The back of the myTV Player has a small stand to keep the unit upright. The Lithium Ion battery is located on the back and is well protected by a screw that prevents accidental access.

The right side includes a hook for the unit’s carrying strap, which can help keep it safe from mishaps. There’s also a mini-jack for sound output, an analog video out, a battery status indicator, and a mini-USB connector. You can connect a USB memory drive or hard disk to the myTV player to copy multimedia content. This enormously increases your ability to load videos, images, and photos.

The lone connector on the left side lets you attach the external DVB-T antenna included with the unit’s accessories. This side also includes the left-hand speaker.

DETAILS: OPERATION

When you press the ON/OFF button, the myTV Player’s menu immediately appears. The portable TV and multimedia player start up very quickly. Also, there are no tedious pauses between one menu and another.

The opening menu includes various options: TV, Radio, Movie, Music, Photo, Game, and System.

The most common problem with this type of portable TV is that of tuning in to DTV channels. We tried many times to find TV and radio channels with the built-in antenna. We never succeeded, although we were in a zone that was supposed to have wide coverage. Hauppauge recommends that if you have access to a connector for the antenna of a building or hotel, that you use it, rather than the unit’s built-in telescoping antenna. If you don’t, and you don’t get a signal, you can use the included external antenna and locate the unit closer to outside, such as by a window. This will noticeably improve reception.

Because we couldn’t tune in to any TV or radio channel, we couldn’t evaluate this function. But we know that the myTV Player’s DTV receiver has Teletext and an electronic programming guide. We would have liked to see these functions at first hand, but it wasn’t possible.

The myTV Player can play various video formats, such as MPG, DAT, VOB, and AVI. The screen is very good and provides excellent definition, and videos are perfectly rendered. However, it’s missing certain capabilities, beyond its ability to pause and rewind video. It would have been better if Hauppauge had included more precise controls, so that you could jump forward or backward by a specific time interval, as you can with the PSP. They should also have included a menu for configuring the various screen modes, without having to go to the System configuration to set them. But it does provide subtitles in SRT format.

The Music function works equally as well as the Photos function. The myTV Player does what it promises to. But it only gets you halfway there, because it lacks features that make a difference in other multimedia players. In the Music function, the sound is spectacular. Having a front speaker along with the speaker on the left side provides more direct sound than with two side-mounted speakers. But the lack of features in the Music function keeps this unit from standing out. You can’t make playlists or tweak the sound on the fly. Still, the myTV Player supports MP3 and WAV files, so you can enjoy your favorite songs through earphones or through the built-in stereo speakers.

Of all the unit’s capabilities, Hauppauge has given the most care to the Photos functionality. It has all the basic functions, and more important ones, such as zooming photos and seeing them as a slide show by using the top-mounted multimedia buttons. It supports the JPEG, GIF, and BMP formats.

The myTV Player includes two famous videogames: Box Man and Tetris. These are useful when you want to take a break from all the available music and films.

It includes a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. One charge provides 4 hours of videos, music, and pictures, or 3 hours of watching TV.

Before we finish, you can click on the following link to see a short video of the myTV Player in operation. Enjoy!

CONCLUSIONS

Hauppauge has done a good job with the myTV Player. If you can get a good DTV signal, you can enjoy it at any place and time. Along with its TV function, it can also play multimedia content from many types of sources and is compatible with most storage media. But not everything is good. Outside of major urban areas (or even in them), DTV signals may not be available, or reception may be poor. This can make the unit your enemy, along the software’s lack of functionality. With its cost of about 150 Euros ($215) the myTV Player is a great option for TV enthusiasts, and it has the extra attraction of working as a multimedia player.

The final score is 75 out of 100 owls and we give the “Hauppauge myTV Player” our Recommended Award.

Thanks to Hauppauge for letting us test its myTV Player. It was a great pleasure.

Author: Noel Íñiguez Fernández

Translated by: Ed Winograd