Brite view media player

brite-View CinemaTube 1080p HD Media Player Video Review

brite-View CinemaTube 1080p HD Media Player Video Review

We have had our fair share of next-gen HD media players come into our labs this year from the likes of ASUS, RaidSonic, Astone and Western Digital - but for the most part - they are basically all the same.

In fact, besides the Western Digital media players, all of the others we have tested use the exact same controller and interface, just with a modified menu system and maybe a unique feature here or there if you're lucky. The previous model we tested, the RaidSonic Icy Box IB-MP305A-B Network Multimedia HD Player . managed to add in streaming Internet radio support, but that was it. Still, it was something different, but not the special feature that would set it apart from the pack.

Today we get a close up look at the brite-View CinemaTube 1080p HD Media Player. On the surface we thought we might be in for a treat. What type of treat, you say? Well, something different than the usual run-of-the-mill HD media players we've been looking at this year. And by different, we mean a player with a unique controller, interface and feel. It turns out the brite-View product is (yes, again) another Realtek-based player. Yawn.

It's not all bad, though, the folks at brite-View managed to spice things up a bit by including a bit torrent downloading application inside the device, as well as YouTube XL (or YouTube for TV), but this last feature was a little deceptively added to the box as you'll see in the video below. The CinemaTube is said to be a 3-in-1 device with a full 1080p HD media player, streamer and torrent downloader.

Watch our video below to find out if this $99.99 USD player (on pre-order) is worth the bucks! If you like it, order quickly as the price will jump up to $129.99 USD later on when it goes on sale.

brite-View HDelight Wireless Media Player

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, has been a boon to home theater setups across the world. What used to take a variety of cables to hook up can now be done with just a single cable connection between devices, both for video and audio. HDMI can transmit video from standard definition's 480 lines to resolution all the way up to 35mm film 4k resolution. In addition, it can carry along a lossless audio signal for up to 7.1 channel surround setups and even stream 3D high definition content.

The only way the standard could get even better was if magically turned into a wireless Bluetooth-like standard and just required you to pair your Blu-ray/audio receiver to your TV and eliminate those pesky electronic store employees trying to sell you overpriced cables.

But I digress. While the fantasy of wireless connections built-in to your devices remains just that, brite-View has released their HDelight system that allows you to wirelessly stream an HDMI signal to your television. Sporting a latency time of less than one millisecond, the HDelight claims it can not only handle your movies and online streaming video, but your gaming needs as well.

The HDMI connectivity is where the HDelight differs greatly from the Warpia USB PC-to-TV wireless adapter. Instead of using software and a USB connection to send a basic picture out from your PC, the HDelight uses the HDMI port that's already a part of your graphics chipset, thereby insuring that everything just works . If you can hook your laptop or desktop PC up to a television over HDMI already, the only thing the HDelight changes is that you're free of a tethered connection.

Like the Warpia, the HDelight gets thirty feet of "line of sight" connectivity, and it doesn't like walls, so plan on being in-room with the device. Also, the HDelight does require USB connectivity, but this is for power purposes only. The dual-headed USB cable can require up to two ports in order to provide enough power, which might be a problem for those with limited connections. Of course, you can always adapt the cable to run from AC power if you find a two-port AC adapter (the kind you find to charge your phones away from a PC). It may not be an ideal solution like battery power or having an AC adapter port available in the transmitter unit, but it's still an option.

Setup is simple enough; plug power into the base station unit and then connect it via an HDMI cable into your television/audio receiver, then connect the transmitter into the HDMI port on your computer and plug in the USB power cable. Turn both units on and they will connect automatically. The process is as painless as it can get, and I never had a problem with the units staying connected to one another.

There are two methods of connecting a second display. The first is simply a mirror of what's on the desktop, while the second extends the desktop onto the other display. Extending the desktop had no issues and easily played back Hulu, YouTube and various digital media files. Resolutions were selectable all the way up to 1920x1080.