The DELTRON Cinema Disk is a portable media player capable of handling audio and video files while doubling as a 20GB portable external hard drive. It offers USB 2.0 connectivity, and reads CompactFlash (I & II) and Microdrive flash cards. The player supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats, MP3, and JPEG files and it has outputs for stereo audio, S-Video and composite. The chunky Lithium-Ion battery makes the Cinema Disk must less portable while it's attached, however, the device may also be powered directly though an AC adaptor.
The build quality of the Cinema Disk is excellent: the controls are intuitive and accessing the data using the backlit display is fairly simple. It ships with an IR remote, which can be used to activate an OSD on the display from a distance. The remote is small, rugged and not easy on the fingers. No matter how you decide to control the unit, the Cinema Disk is almost completely silent when in operation.
The unit's S-Video and composite outputs allow you to connect the unit to a television, or using the supplied cable, an S-Video capable monitor. The device can act like a CF card reader when connected to the computer via USB. Its functionality and portability mean that flash cards from a digital camera for example, may be emptied into the Cinema Disk. If images are encoded as JPEGs, the Cinema Disk can output them to a TV while an MP3 is playing in the background. Interestingly, the unit has no support for recording and doesn't include a line-in or microphone.
The complete package includes a slim carry case, remote control, Li-Ion battery, USB cable, S-Video and composite cables, car charger, AC adaptor and a manual. Also, for those bandwidth hungry media freaks, a FireWire version of the player is due to be released. Overall, the DELTRON Cinema Disk is a decent unit for playing audio and video on your TV or PC, however, as it's slightly on the chunky side when its battery is attached, its portability is limited.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012