My New Toy: Lacie LaCinema Classic HD 1080 HDTV Media Player

I have a large movie collection (4 terabytes and growing) on my HTPC (home theater PC) which I use to play movies in my dedicated home theater. Sometimes I'm too lazy to walk downstairs to the home theater in the basement and start up my HTPC to play a movie.  It also takes too long to start the computer and wait for the family to gather at the theater. I wanted a simple gadget that I can use to quickly turn on and start watching movies.

Last week, I found the ideal solution...the Lacie LaCinema Classic HD (model 301864KUA). Don't let the picture below fool you. This gadget is tiny and measures only 4.6" wide x 7.6" long x 1.8" tall and weighs 33.5 oz. I guess good things do come in small packages. 

The unit plays full 1080p (via HDMI 1.3 port)  video source and many video formats such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2 / HD, MPEG-4, DIVX, DIVX HD, XVID, H.264 HD, WMV9 HD. It is capable of processing Dolby 5.1, Dolby True HD, DTS, DTS-HD using the passthrough optical audio port. The LaCinema HD can be hooked up to any ethernet network for file transfers or movie and music streaming. 

I will be hooking up the LaCinema HD to my 55" Sony TV (KDL-55EX500) in my sun room. Now I can play some of my movie collection using the media player's one terabyte hard drive. The LaCinema can also play music and photo slides. Sweet!

Lacie LaCinema Classic HD. Photo credits: Lacie USA

   

Specs from Lacie:
The LaCinema Classic HD provides uncompromising quality, adding stunning 1080p playback through HDMI on your HDTV. No matter the video, music or photo format and resolution, the LaCinema Classic HD will play it seamlessly with the highest sound and image quality. It’s compatible with all the most popular video formats on the market, from DivX, MKV, to AVC and H.264, and provides uncompromised Dolby Digital quality sound. Audio format capabilities include MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, AC3, MP4, MKA, WAV/PCM?LPCM and FLAC.

It’s easy to play your movie library on your HDTV: connect the LaCinema Classic HD to your computer to store your movies, then connect it to your TV for instant playback. No configuration is required.

Its UPnP®/DLNA capabilities also ensure that the LaCinema Classic HD works in tandem with your home network, connecting easily to your PC or network storage (like a LaCie Network Space) so it’s simple to populate with your media. In a snap, you can play all of your media—no matter where it’s stored.

The LaCinema Classic HD can also be turned into a powerful media server that will allow you to use it as a central location for all of your media. You can even share content with a Playstation® or Xbox®, with the LaCinema Classic HD functioning as your primary media player.

With up to 1TB of storage available, you can store your entire digital media library in one location. This user-friendly media player is quiet and fanless, and is designed by Neil Poulton, adding sophisticated style to your home. A user-friendly navigation and remote control have been designed to enhance your entertainment experience. You can even quickly connect a USB storage key to the front of your LaCinema Classic HD to instantly watch movies on your TV.

Other Media Players I considered:DVico TVIX HD Wireless Network Media Player M-6600N
ASUS HD Media Player O!Play Air HDP-R3
ASUS HD Media Player O!Play HDP-R1 HDMI Interface
Cirago TV Mini USB Media Player CTM1000
Masscool MP-1371RS 1080P
Western Digital WD HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN
ViewSonic NMP-610 Network Media Player
ENCORE Digital Media Player ENMMP-X210
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player STCEA201
Argosy 1TB HDD Media Player HV358T-00999
Habey BIS-6620-I Ultra-compact Intel Atom Z510
iomega ScreenPlay Plus 1TB HD Media Player 34499
Mede8er MED500X (recommend)
PopcornHour C-200 (recommend)
Playon!HD
ACR-PV73100 (recommend)

When reseaching 1080p media players make sure you read about the differences between Realtek and Sigma HD media player chipsets that are used by most media player manufacturers.  Realtek RTD1282, RTD1073, RTD107DD | Sigma Designs SMP8643, SMP8652, SMP8653 chipset. More information here and here.

Research and Software (ripping) Resources:
Network Media Tank forum
Network Media Players
AVS Forum
Digital Media Player comparison
Mini HTPC (mini hometheater PC) 
Rip, convert, revmove DVD, Blu-Ray protection: AnyDVD HD | Pavtube 


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My home theater pictures. I think I need a spanking for being too lazy and not wanting to walk downstairs to the theater to watch a movie.  I need a star trek transporter beam me to my home theater.

 

  

 

On second thought, I should drag my ass to this theater.