ScanFX Mini HD Media Box Review

[wpcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””]In this day and age, the majority of consumers own a HD TV or other, similar HD device, even if it be a computer monitor, it’s all about HD. HD has taken the world by storm and due to this, more companies than ever before have tried to create HD media players or streamers, but sadly many have failed.

The areas that they failed in generally involve the UI being slow and laggy and even the connectivity lacking and file type abilities not the greatest. This is the case for cheap and even the more expensive units on the market, even from some of the big players that you wouldn’t expect to fail.

We could be looking at a £40 unit, or a £400 unit, a fault will always be found in one area or another, so the question is; which one do you go for?

Scan, a popular computer retailer in the UK believe they have the master of all HD media players that is simple, does what it says on the tin and more importantly, is cheap.

For the price (£26.14), you get a lot bundled with the player, including a remote control, AV cable consisting of 3.5mm to RCA + R/L audio leads, a YUV cable incorporating a 3.5mm to RCA RGB and the player and power adapter to get you up and running.

Though the unit does support HDMI, no cable is supplied, but can be picked up for pennies from most good retailers.

The top of the unit features some simple plastic buttons for controlling the media player without the remote. Though most people are too lazy to leave the sofa, this is always a nice addition than having a blank space of nothingness.

Connectivity wise, we find a single USB port for attaching a flash drive or external hard drive, an LED, IR sensor for the remote and a SD/MMC card reader giving you plenty of options.

The only thing missing in our eyes is some form of ethernet, but for the price you can’t complain.

On the other side of the unit we find the power switch and power port, a HDMI output and the 3.5mm ports for the YUV and AV cables that come pre-supplied.

The UI is a vital aspect of any media player and in our opinion, should be fluid and fast and that’s exactly what we get on offer here.[/wpcol_1half]

[wpcol_1half_end id=”” class=”” style=””]The main screen is quite stylish and it seems that a lot of work has gone into the design to make it simple, yet effective with five large icons for different areas of the UI.

One of those areas includes the settings where various options can be changed, which is quite surprising for a unit of this site and simplicity.

When you launch into the movie or music sections, you are greeted with a simple to use file browser type system which allows you to access your USB device or memory card to load your chosen media and then sit back and enjoy in full 1080p HD.

For a simple device, there’s not a lot that we can really say, apart from WOW. I’ve used a bunch of media players over the years and none have been as small and simple for starters, but the most important aspect that i have to comment on, is that none have had a nicer to use menu system.

The UI on this media player is simple, stylish and to the point. There are no sub-menus within menus that can take 10 minutes to navigate through, it simply gives you a “what you see is what you get” style system and that keeps the cost down.

Speaking of cost, at an astonishingly low £26.14, the ScanFX Mini HD Media Box has to be one of, if not the cheapest media player on the market today and with the connectivity options for a plethora of devices, you won’t be stuck for choice when decided what to watch or listen to.

In our honest opinion, we believe that one of these should be in every house in the UK, as it’s discrete, plays all HD formats and in 1080p we might add and costs less than a night out, we honestly have to ask; what more could you want?

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