We’ve reviewed many Home Theater cases over the years at OCmodshop. Some of them have multimedia features that are seamlessly integrated with the case, while many others are nothing more than standard desktop cases with a fancy front panel. There are several cases I have owned that were awesome, but converting them into Home Theater cases would have been way more trouble than it would be worth. If only there was a way to implement an awesome display and media controls into any case…
Well finally there is a solution! Antec’s Veris Multimedia Station Premium is a front panel that uses the same technology found in most expensive HTPC cases today. As a matter of fact, the innards of this device are by Soundgraph using an implementation of iMon displays. These same displays have been implemented in pretty much every home theater case we’ve reviewed in the past 3 years.
The Multimedia Station family is a complete solution for home theater PC builders: a stylish IR receiver, a remote control and iMEDIAN HD by iMON software for media management and playback. With four distinct models available, the Multimedia Station can fit the needs of all builders, while the included iMEDIAN HD software supports full 1080p resolution and is compatible with Windows MCE and all versions of Vista™ and XP™. The Multimedia Station provides all the hardware and software you need to turn your PC into an entertainment center in one easy-to-use, easy-to-install package.
You can check prices on the Antec Multimedia Station products right here.
- RM200 Remote Control and Batteries
- Receiver
- 24-pin Power Adapter with 4 pin breakaway
- Internal USB Cable
- Installation mini-CD
- Installation Guide
- Mounting screws
- Antec Quality three-year parts and labor warranty
- IR receiver with LCD display to see system information, adjust the volume, check email status, and more
- IR receiver mounts in external 5.25″ drive bay
- Sleek remote with incredible functionality, allowing user to play and manage media, change settings, and browse via the easy-to-use Thumb Pad Mouse controller
- IMEDIAN software allows the playback of most media formats through internal codecs, full 1080p HD support, and a simple and convenient graphical interface
- Support for CD/DVD, removable storage, network media, and digital/TV analog cards
- Fully compatible with all versions of Windows XP™ and Vista™
Just looking at the box you know this is going to be something special. The box features a photo of the unit in action, and has lots of marketing fluff on the back of the box listing the units benefits and features. Opening the box, we are met with a standard iMon remote control. Beneath this is the Antec Veris unit itself, which has all the necessary wires and cabling already attached. The other goodies include 2 AAA batteries (for the remote), internal to external USB adapter, motherboard power cable and mounting screws.
The remote control is pretty standard by this point, as we’ve seen this same unit included in many HTPC cases. The top of the remote control has two power buttons and standard media controls. Below this is a small D-pad surrounded by navigation controls. The D-pad is analog and is mostly used to drive your computer’s mouse. The features around the ring include simulating right-click, left-click, keyboard/mouse mode, and other navigation controls.
Below this control ring is the “Home” button (which can be programmed to run any media application). Below these are the volume, channel, numerical buttons (usually to change channels), and Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow buttons (by default mapped to Video, Music, Pictures, and TV). Below this row of colored buttons are other nifty features, like Bookmark, Thumbnail, Zoom, Full Screen, and DVD functions (DVD mode, Menu, Subtitle, and Audio).
The main display unit looks absolutely beautiful. The front is black plastic, and is adorned with two anodized aluminum control knobs. The top of the display features the LCD display itself, along with a large “go” button, that can be used to launch any pre-determined application, like Windows Media Center. Beneath that is a round infrared sensor, which takes input from the remote control.
The sides of the unit have holes pre-drilled which allow you to mount to your front case using standard case screws. The back of the unit has a simple circuit board (which has SoundGraph silkscreened onto it), with leads already attached for USB and the motherboard power switch. A ribbon cable attaches the actual display and controls to this circuit board. There are two blank pins which will take the power lead from the front of your case… more on this during the installation section.
The bottom bank is the control portion of the display. On the left of the display is a Navigation jog dial, which is notched to provide tactile feedback when in use. This knob works best with software that can be navigated using up and down arrows, like Media Center, iTunes, or the included iMedian HD software. Turning the knob clockwise issues an “up arrow” command, and turning counterclockwise issues a “down arrow” command. These commands work in any application that has focus, so I was even able to scroll through a web page in Internet Explorer. The knob can be pressed in to select an item.
To the right of the navigation wheel are standard media controls. The top row of buttons selects Music, Videos, Pictures, DVD, or TV. These buttons go directly to the corresponding sub-area of Windows Media Center (or other software). The bottom row are standard media navigation buttons (Previous, Rewind, Stop, Play/Pause, Forward, and Next. To the right of the media buttons is the Volume knob. Of course, clockwise turns the volume up, counterclockwise turns the volume down, and pressing the knob mutes the sound.
iMon displays have always had a goofy implementation, in my opinion. Even in pre-installed units, connecting this panel to your computer is not exactly straighforward. The display takes power directly from your motherboard power cable, and also acts as a “power button proxy” as it sits in-between your case’s power button and the motherboard. This configuration is set up this way so that the unit is always on, even if your PC is off (which allows you to turn on your PC from the remote control).
To install, you need to first free up two 5.25″ case bays. It’s probably best to route the wires through the front, complete all the connections, and then mount the display last. Attach the power cable (which is basically two wires that pull 3.3 volts from your power supply’s motherboard cable). Next, attach the USB cable to an internal USB port. An adapter is included which allows you to plug the standard USB plug into your motherboard’s USB pinout. The end has 5 pins, but the fifth pin being a dummy pin so you have to plug it into the part of your USB lead which has free space to the right of the fourth pin.
You can check prices on the Antec Multimedia Station products right here.
At this point you can in theory run the unit, but the display will remain on even after you turn off your computer, and you won’t be able to remotely turn on your PC. You must now connect your case’s power switch to the display’s circuit board. Unplug your power switch lead from your motherboard, and attach it to the two exposed pins on the small circuit board (which is more of a pain than it sounds). Now attach the iMon’s 2-pin power switch cable to your motherboard’s Pwr Switch pins.
There are now a lot of extra loose wires in your case, which require some creative routing to make it look nice. There are several improvements that could be implemented with installation, but this is not a problem for the vendors, but with iMon itself. Instead of a motherboard-extension cable for power, why not use a small plug that just passes the power through, and taps the necessary 3.3 volts? Another alternative could be to use a standard molex connector, making the unit take 5v. If the display really only needs 3 volts, then why not include a simple circuit to condition the power (which would also provide overvolt protection)? I understand why this method was used: so the display can take IR signals when the host PC is off, but honestly, there’s got to be a better way to do this.
Before iMon implementations became standard, configuring an LCD display used to be a very complicated ordeal, requiring software that was complicated to use. The software (like LCDC) was very powerful and configurable, but you could literally spend weeks tweaking your display just right, and this software was not tuned for Media purposes.
The included iMon software takes a lot of hassles out of configuring your display. By default, it works in Auto mode, so all you have to do is install the software, and it automatically displays what you’re doing. If you are in Media Center, then the display shows the name of the TV program you’re watching, the MP3, or DVD chapter. If you are on the navigation screen, then the display shows what sub-section you are in. If you exit out of Media Center, then the display starts showing you computer stats, like CPU and memory usage, hard drive and network usage, and even weather and news feeds.
The software is very smart depending on what you’re doing, but not very configurable beyond its canned functionality. For most people, the display works great, but you are out of luck if you want a custom screen that isn’t included with the software (like showing gaming stats, etc).
The main part of the display has a dot grid, which displays the text. This is not a traditional character-based array that only has one font: you can select any system font of any size, and this unit will display it. Depending on the size you choose, the text may scroll, and you can also set the speed of the scroll. Other parts of the display are hard set. When playing media then an icon of a disc will start an animation in the top left corner. The display also toggles on items based on what you’re doing. It will display “MP3” when listening to music, complete with bars that show time left.
From the pictures, it looks like this display is a VFD (Vacuum Flouresant Display), but it is really an LCD with a screen. Because of this, unless you are looking at it head-on then you will just see a big blueish-white rectangle. The LCD contrast can be configured, but just doesn’t have the contrast of a VFD. Instead of seeing a pleasing subtle display from across your living room, you see a distracting blue rectangle.
Some of the complaints about this unit are really very minor, althrough I may have harped on them a bit much. The complaints I have are with ALL iMon solutions, not just the Antec Veris. The Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premium is one of the best implementations I’ve seen of an iMon solution, and is very attractive and can only add value to your PC. Keep in mind that this unit is optimized for viewing media, and you’ll be very happy with it. Believe me, this will turn some heads at the next LAN party.
The ability to transform any case into a Home Theater PC is a very compelling reason to buy this product. Even if you don’t need a dedicated theater appliance, this is a great way to navigate through your music and videos, especially if you have your PC within arm’s length and at eye level. It is very fun to navigate using the satisfying jog wheels, and the smart software makes your comptuer feel like an appliance. Plus, you can now control your PC from across the room, even turn it on! How’s that for a magic trick?
The Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premium is highly recommended for just about any comptuer enthusiast, who will certainly enjoy it for many years.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||