Sigma Designs' groundbreaking EM8620 chipset has brought us a slew of hi-def ready network streaming products. Some are purely network players, though some also handle compatible content stored on USB memory devices. Others, including the KiSS DP-600, have DVDROM drives and will thus also play DVDs. NeoDigits – one of the few manufacturers to support the obscure HVD hi-def format – has now declared its interest in AV networking with the EM8620-based X3000.
There's DVD playback – better still, the X3000 is multiregion ‘out of the box'. NeoDigits love affair with HVD appears to be over; it won't play these discs. Okay, there's not a lot of content available on HVD, but it's nevertheless a shame to see these curiosities de-listed. NeoDigits also sells the X5000, an ‘upmarket' version with an additional USB
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port, improved audio circuitry and linear (as opposed to switchmode) power supply. Audiophiles may well be interested in this otherwise identically-specced model.
Connections
With its black front panel and no-nonsense layout, the X3000 could easily be mistaken for a vintage CD player. The only clue to its cutting-edge nature is the exposed USB connector, which allows the unit to decode audio, video and photos from storage devices like memory ‘keyrings' or external hard drives. The rear panel leaves you in no doubt that the X3000 is firmly placed in the 21st century. There's a 100Mbps LAN port for streaming, a connector for a supplied wi-fi aerial (the X3000 is capable of receiving audio and low-bandwidth video from a wireless network) and a plethora of AV outputs.
