Apple TV vs the Mvix MX-760 HD
So after writing a bit about my opinion about the Apple TV yesterday, the guys over at Mvix sent over a little note to remind me that they too offer an Apple TV alternative, the Mvix MX-760HD.
Though not as pretty as the Apple TV, the Mvix seems to boast a much nicer set of features and is capable of working with just about every audio and video format available. On the downside, if you’re already a slave to the iTunes, the MX-760HD will not play back iTunes DRM protected content.
Aside from not being able to play iTunes content (Something nobody else will be able to do either) this thing looks pretty damn good. Not only does it play nearly every video, audio and image format, it has a ton of other features that you won’t see on the Apple TV. Most notably:
- Unlimited hard drive upgrade ability.
- Support for the major types of Subtitle formats.
- An external storage port.
- Higher maximum output resolution.
Now, since they only sent me an email, and not an actual review unit, I can’t account for ease of setup or the user interface, but I can’t imagine it being much different than the Apple TV.
More information about the Mvix MX-760 can be found here.
Tags:apple tv alternative, Apple TV, mvix, MX 760HDPowered by Gregarious (36)
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March 26th, 2007 19:09
Hi, there.
I’ve actually tried out one of these. I did a review over at the Apple Blog.
Long story short: The Mvix’s interface is nowhere as slick as the Apple TV’s, but it is very functional. Also the Mvix plays lots of formats (unlike the Apple TV), so it’s a great alternative to the Apple TV.
March 28th, 2007 10:41
Yeah, I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these. The guys over at GeekExtreme are looking into doing an in-depth review sometime in the near future, so maybe I’ll get to play a bit.
As far as it’s interface goes, I’m assuming that, with the source code released, some 3rd party developers will end up throwing something slick together.
March 29th, 2007 14:41
I actually have two of each, Apple TVs and Mvix 760HDs. Setup was a breeze on both units. I will say that Apple has it together for the wireless streaming capabilities, hands down better than the Mvix.
The Mvix power is in it’s compatibility off the internal HDD. I store around 45 to 60 DVD images on my Mvix 500 gig HDD at any given time, yes I own all of these movies. The ability to skip previews and the usual nag screens is fantastic, not to mention the space I regained in my living room storing my 1235 DVDs in the basement.
I am a slave to the machine and purchased a lot of TV shows from iTunes. Since Apple does not allow you to properly backup these shows for playback on any other system I did have to purchase a couple Apple TVs.
Forcible actions aside I do love it. The picture quality is amazing and as mentioned before the wireless streaming is seamless.
April 11th, 2007 22:06
Yeah, the interface needs a lot of work, but it has the potential to be slick, and it is indeed very functional and plays a slew of media formats. They are releasing firmware updates pretty regularly (about monthly), so many of the shortcomings are being addressed constantly.
There is a forum dedicated to Mvix stuff over at MvixCommunity.com and one of the subforums is dedicated to Feature Requests for the MX-760HD.