Audio Video News

MvixUSA has just announced what looks like a killer product. The Mvix MV-2500U is a multimedia center that's ready to play all your movies, music and pictures. The MV-2500U is quite small, measuring just 5 x 3 x 0.8 inches so it's a breeze to take along wherever you go. With a USB connector, it's simple to drag and drop from a PC, where it functions as an external USB 2.0 hard drive. Connect it to an LCD or plasma display and watch movies, including 5.1 surround sound playback from transfered DVDs via a digital output to your receiver. The MV-2500U can play HD formats up to 1080i It comes with a complete remote control too, so watching movies is just as simple as always.  There's only one catch...

The Mvix MV-2500U doesn't actually come with any storage. Kinda weird, right?  But, actually, not such a bad deal if you think about it. The MV-2500U accepts a 2.5" PATA / IDE HDD and supports large-sized hard drives, up to 250GB. That's enough storage for about 100 DVDs. But, because it comes without built-in storage, you only have to buy what you need. And, you can also keep buying more HDDs as you fill them up, making this the ultimate archival system, with the added benefit of being a portable player.  With the ability to play MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4, DVD (VOB, IFO), DivX  (3/4/5/6), Xvid, BivX, VCD (DAT) for both PAL and NTSC systems, you can see why it might fill up quickly. 

For audio, the MV-2500U can play AC3, MP2, MP3, DTS pass through, WMA, and OGG. Photos can be stored as JPGs, and it's easy to create a playlist of music to accompany a slideshow. Your family photos never had it so good.

The Mvix MV-2500U has a small LCD screen for file information, but viewing is done primarily on your computer or television. Using a 12V DC adapter, it's great for boats, cars and RVs, although it would be even niftier if it ran from batteries. It's available now for $149, and packages can be purchased that bundle 2.5" HDDs of various capacities.

With so much going for it, it's easy to get over the fact that the actual storage of this storage device is sold separately. That certainly doesn't kill the appeal, that's for sure.-Leslie Shapiro