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The main interface is based around the Realtek reference design with only minor changes to default icons. Sadly we noticed a few spelling errors throughout the interface such as ‘scene' spelt with an extra C and ‘director' spelt with an E. Hardly that big a deal and we are aware they are a dutch company, but a native english speaker could certainly have spotted these before going to retail.
The signal can be output as HDMI dual channel (downmix), HDMI Multi Channel, HDMI Raw (Bitstream), SPDIF Downmix PCM and SPDIF Raw (Bitstream).
Anyone who has used an AC Ryan player, or who has seen our previous reviews of the products will immediately recognise the interface structuring. As they are all based around the Realtek system, they look similar.
Various languages can be selected from the menu and setting up a wired or wireless network is a straightforward process, no more complicated than a Windows system.
Browsing and playing files is extremely easy, you can access all the NAS systems on your network and stream files directly from the hard drives. Photo slideshows can be set up with various transitions available.
You can also copy files across the network to an internal hard drive, if you fitted one beforehand. Formatting takes only a few minutes.
Copying files is a step by step process from the source location (left side) to the player itself (right side). The networking capabilities are limited to 100mbit, so big files can take some time to copy. We are really hoping a future player from one of these companies has full gigabit support.
The Eminent player supports every file format we threw at it, from MKV's, DVD ISO's, DVD _TS folder structures to AVI's and WMV's. Fast forward and rewind speeds up to 32x are available during playback.
It is very important to keep the firmware updated to the newest revision available on the Eminent website as new features and support are added. To upgrade the firmware, you download and extract the data file to the root directory on a USB drive and plug it into the 1st (top) port at the front of the chassis. The player will reboot when it is detected and the upgrade process takes only a few minutes. After an automatic reboot you can remove the USB drive.
The Webservices section is a very useful menu which offers a wide range of online website support such as Youtube, blip.tv and CNN news.
We have included a video of the interface in action which you can see below.
As you can see from the video, the interface is snappy and quick to respond to commands. This is an upside of Eniment keeping the design very clean and streamlined. While we admire AC Ryan's design team and the desire to personalise the experience, the recent review of the Essentials player did note a substantial level of interface slowdown.
