Patriot Box Office Media Player Review

Digital video has been around for many years, but the emergence of the DVD format made digital video commonplace in the average household.  Media Center PCs have been used to fill the need of videos that are just not on DVD.  Whether to save shelf space or just have your library available instantly, people are putting more and more media on their PCs hard drives (or on a media server) and watching them on a media player.  All of today’s video game consoles (yes, even the Wii) can stream your movies over your home’s network.  No longer do you have to search for a particular disc: it’s all available with a few clicks of your remote.

There is a great divide between media players and Home Theater PCs (HTPC).  There are many pros and cons to each type of device, as I discovered from installing and managing a Home Theater network over many years.  I eventually came to the conclusion that HTPCs are noisy, use way too much electricity, produce too much heat, and just don’t work right all of the time, which really impacts the SAF (Spousal Acceptance Factor).

	pros	cons
Media appliances	don’t use much electricity don’t produce much heat very stable inexpensive small practically noiseless	require a streaming server limited video format support can’t install hard drive limited media connectivity (UPNP only)
HTPC	unlimited video format support can play local content can be a server	use a lot of electricity produce a lot of heat prone to crashes hardware configuration & issues expensive can be very large noisy

Media player appliances just sit there being cute and do their job without any fuss, but they usually have very limited video support.  This means you either have to transcode all of your videos into a format that your player (or console) will use, which can be very tiresome.  Additionally, you usually have to have a dedicated Media Server that has to be turned on all of the time in order to have instant access to your files.  You don’t have to use a PC for this, as you can find other low-power UPNP (Universal Plug n Play) appliances that do a great job.

Patriot is a company that is known primarially for its computer memory solutions, but they have developed a media appliance that promises to resolve all of the issues of a HTPC in an inexpensive media appliance.  This wonder product is known as the Patriot Box Office.

Marketing Fluff

The Patriot Box Office is a media player that frees your digital media library from the constraints of a PC and bridges digital media to your home entertainment system to bring your entire media library to the comfort of your living room. With support for the most popular media formats (H.264, ISO, VOB, DivX, xVid, MKV, MOV, MPEG and more) you can remove the limits of your media collection. Box Office offers a variety of ways to connect to your media library: 3 USB ports, internal 2.5″ hard drive (not included), UPnP streaming, 10/100 Ethernet connection and optional WiFi USB adapter.

Works with any USB storage devices – Play content from most USB drives or any portable device that can be recognized as a mass storage device.

Expandable internal storage – Use the internal 2.5″ SATA drive slot with any SSD/HDD to increase the storage capacity for your expanding media library.

Full HD video playback and navigation – Up to 1080p – Experience the highest quality HD video possible and crystal clear audio with Dolby® and DTS® surround sound. Use the included remote control to navigate and control your media collection with ease.

Network Streaming – Stream media files through your wired or wireless (optional wifi adapter required) home network from desktop PCs.

File transfer – Copy or transfer files between connected USBs, the internal hard drive (not included), network PCs or other network attached storage (NAS) devices.

PC less download management – Download files via P2P sharing for easy access to media from the web.

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) – Support for UPnP streaming on UPnP cabable devices such as Sony Playstation® and Microsoft Xbox®

Picture viewing – Create custom slide shows and add your own background music to create a truly unique experience. Zoom and pan on each image to view hard to see details.

Movie preview and playback – Quickly preview video files prior to playback. Once selected, control movies at your own pace… Fast forward, rewind, pause, zoom, and pan. Supports subtitles.

Music playback – Listen to your entire music library with fast forward, rewind, pause, and repeat options.

HDMI and composite video connections – The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port lets you connect to the highest quality HDTV or home theater. Additional composite (RCA) outputs ensure compatibility with virtually all television sets.

File Formats Supported Music – WMA, MP3, Real Audio (RA) Graphics – JPEG, BMP, PNG Video – [MPEG-1] MPG/MPEG/DAT, [MPEG-2] MPG/MPEG/VOB/ISO/TS/TP/M2TS, [MPEG-4] MP4/AVI/MOV, WMV9, FLA, [H.264/AVC] MKV/TS/AVI/MOV/M2TS, [DviX 3/4/5/6, Xvid] AVI/MKV, [Real Video 8/9/10] RM/RMVB

Inputs: 10/100 Ethernet, 3x USB 2.0 ports & internal 2.5″ SATA HDD connector (HDD not included).

Outputs: HDMI, composite A/V, S/PDIF

System Requirements: External USB storage device or internal 2.5″ SATA SSD/HDD with supported video or audio content stored on it. Standard or high definition television with HDMI or composite video connections.

Package Contents: Box Office Media Player, remote with batteries, composite AV cable, HDMI 1.3 cable, AC adapter, Quick Install Guide, Software and CD Manual.

Inside the package is the Patriot Box Office appliance itself, HDMI cable, a set of screws, two USB cables, a power adapter, remote control, software CD, and quick-install guide.  No paper manual exists other than the picture guide, but a PDF version is available on the software CD.

The Box Office is a small black aluminum box which has been anodized black.  The front of the unit has one USB port, an IR receiver, and indicator LEDs for USB, internatl Hard Drive (HDD), LAN activity, and Power.  Both the left and right sides of the box have a “Box Office” logo etched into the brushed aluminum.

The back of the unit is where most of the connectivity ports are located.  From left to right, there are three legacy RCA ports (right audio, left audio, and composite video).  Next is an optical SPDIF port and HDMI port.  Next to that are two USB 2.0 ports: one is a mini type-B port (used only when connected to a PC), and a full-size  type-A port.  Next to that is a gigabit LAN port and a small DC-in port for the power adapter.

Above all of these connections is a power switch, which is used to completely turn the unit off, but the unit can be put in standby using the remote control.  Inline with the power switch is an array of ventillation holes used to help cool the unit off, but more on that later.  There are also two black screws on the left and right side of the rear, which can be removed to access the interior.

Why would you need to get inside?  Why to install an internal hard drive or SSD, that’s why!

As far as I know, the Box Office is the only commercial media appliance that allows installation of its own internal hard drive.  This way, you can bring this small box along with you when you travel, or just to a friend’s house without having to lug around several DVD or CD binders.

When the two screws are removed, the main board slides out from the aluminum housing.  You can see part of the board, but it is guarded by thin SECC (Steel, Electrogalvanized, Cole-Rolled Coil) steel plate.  On this plate is a small “Power Logic” fan model PLA04710S12L, which is plugged into a daughterboard, which is connected to the main board.  Also connected to this daughterboard is a 2.5″ SATA interface, which is used to connect a laptop hard drive or SSD (Solid State Drive).

Installing an internal drive is very simple.  All you do is lay the drive down on the steel plate, and slide it back until the drive connector clicks into the SATA interface.  You then secure the front of the drive with two of the included drive screws.  Now your drive is physically installed, and can be formatted from the software menu.

Connections (installation)

Connecting the Patriot Box Office to a TV is really simple, and works with practially every display available.  There are no component jacks, so you may be out of luck if you have an older rear-projection set, but most of these “legacy” HDTV sets have DVI, which works just fine if you have an HDMI to DVI adapter.  Otherwise you must use the composite jacks, which can output NTSC or PAL.  There is also an optical SPDIF audio port if you have a receiver without HDMI.  It is also good to note that the analog audio jacks work even if you use the HDMI port, so it’s not an either/or situation.

There is no wireless LAN option in the box, but is available seperately and fits in one of the full-size type-A USB ports.  There are a few USB adapters on the market, but users have had mixed results when using them with the Box Office.  If you must have wireless, the I would save yourself a lot of hassle and order the Patriot Box Office Wireles G USB Adapter (part # PCBOWAV2-G).  Depending on your signal strength and location of the box, you may have dropped frames or corrupted video if you use wireless, so I would strongly advise routing a gigabit ethernet cable to wherever you set the box up.

If you have installed an internal hard drive, then you can connect the unit up to your PC to load it up with media.  Just connect a mini type-B USB cable to the back and turn the unit on.  The Box Office’s internal hard drive appears as another drive letter, and you can just drag and drop whatever media you like, and you can arrange media in any way you see fit (unlike most UPNP devices).

When the unit is powered on, a green LED illuminates on the “power” field.  If a wired or wireless LAN is in use, then the LAN LED turns on, and activity flashes in red.  I’ve never been a fan of activity lights on the front of a media appliance, as they are distracting.  An acitivity light should have been included on the port (or the wireless USB adapter) when the need for troubleshooting arises.  Of course, if you plug in a USB memory stick or hard drive, then the USB light turns on.  If you have an internal hard drive, then the green HDD light turns on.

The appliance only uses 7 watts of power, even when playing 1080p video and can get up to 10 if you load it up with an internal hard drive and two USB drives.  That’s a tremendous electricity savings over a typical HTPC, which can easily use 200 watts or more, even when sitting idle.  The unit can get slightly warm, hence the need for the small cooling fan and previously mentioned ventillation holes.  In a 73 degree room, the aluminum housing reached 90 degrees.  It is safe to say that this unit is in no danger of overheating.  If you must use an internal drive, I would use a 5200 RPM drive to cut down on noise and additional heat.

When powered on, the Box Office presents you with a main screen.  There are three options: File Copy, Browser, and Setup.

File Copy

The File Copy option allows you to copy any file from any attached media to another, but is primarially inteded to copy files from a USB hard drive to the internal hard drive.  You are presented with two columns: a Source and Destination.  You can navigate the file structure of any connected device (or your network), and navigate through the devices in the Destination column.  You can create directories with an on-screen keyboard using the remote control, but this gets tiresome.  Honestly, I would recommend using your PC to connect to the device and manage internal content.

Setup

There are many options to be set on the Box Office, which are grouped into several main categories: Audio, Video, Network, System, and Misc.

Audio	Night Mode Digital Output
Video	Aspect Ratio (Pan Scan 4: Zoom Out (on/off) Brightness Contrast Hue Saturation Digital Noise Reduction Video System (NTCS, PAL, 480p, 720, 1080i, 1080p, etc)
Network	Wired LAN Setup Wireless Setup PPPoE Setup
System	Menu Language Text Encoding Login Control BT and SAMBA System Update Time HDD Format
Misc	Resume Play (on/off) Slide Show Timing Transition Effect Ken Burns Seamless Playback Background Music Screen Saver Movie Preview

Many of these options should be pretty self-explanitory.  Night Mode adjusts the audio volume level between and within files so the dynamic range isn’t too dramatic.  I’ll be watching one video at a normal volume and the next one will shake the roof.  Use Night Mode to adjust the audio compression level (in this context audio compression refers to the difference between the softest and the loudest parts.

When you have “Resume Play” enabled then the system will ask you if you want to “resume” your video file if you were previously watching it.  You only have a few seconds to use this option before it goes away.  The “Ken Burns” effect is an option that applies when watching a photo slideshow.  This is a name for a popular pan-and-scan effect used in video production from still imagery.  You’ve probably seen this effect used on any TV show that displays a still photograph.

If you really want to, you can browse through all of the menu screens

Most media player appliances (including the Playstation and Xbox 360) rely on the use of a UPNP server.  The Patriot Box Office breaks this mold by allowing you to play media not only through locally-attached devices, but direct network maps in addition to UPNP.  The available options from the Browse menu are:

• USB
• HDD
• NET
• UPNP
• DVD* (if a USB-based DVD or Bluray drive is attached)
• Playlist

By default the DVD option does not show up unless you have an attached USB-based DVD drive.  You cannot play a traditional DVD movie as you would a DVD player.  The Box Office will play DVD movies only from a single image (ISO) file, which must be pre-ripped.  Many people like to back up their movies to DVD as files.  Use the DVD option to play individual files from a disc.  You cannot rip a DVD movie to any other attached device using the Box Office.

All media can be sub-categorized by selecting “All, Music, Photo, or Movies” (press left or right on the remote control).  Most people usually have their media already organized, so it’s generally safe just to keel this on “All”.

USB and HDD
You can navigate to any device using these main categories.  If you have two USB devices attached (one in front and one in back), then two devices will show up in the USB sub-menu.  You can then navigate to your media files.   If you have not installed an internal hard drive, then the sub-menu of “HDD” will be blank.  Playlist is where you select any previously-configured media playlists so that you don’t have to browse through several levels of folders to reach your media.

UPNP
UPNP finds files as any other UPNP client would, and is dependant on the UPNP server indexing files before they are presented.  The NAS devices I have used have pre-defined categories of media (photo, video, and music), and all files must be placed in these directories before they will be indexed by the UPNP server.  How you play your media can also be affected by the UPNP server.  I ran into some limitations such as (1) only being able to fast-forward up to 2x, and (2) inability to jump to within a movie, among other weird playback issues.  These issues were not present when using the same file over “NET” or through a local device.  These issues were resolved when I upgraded the firmware on the Synology Diskstation NAS.  The point to this is: if you run into any playback issues, then the problem probably lies with your UPNP server version.

NET
The “NET” option is a direct method to connect to any shared media on any type of comptuer or server, and can be password protected.  When you dig down into the NET option, you are presented with all of the workgroups or domains the Box Office detects.   You can also select “My Neighbors” to browse all of the computers on your local LAN.   When you find a share you want to connect to, a menu is brought up with an on-screen keyboard that allows you to login to the share, just like you would from any computer.  You also have the option of making a shortcut with the login credentials, so that you don’t have to repeat this process every time you want to connect to a share.  These shortcuts appear under the “My Shortcuts” sub menu.  When using files under the NET menu, sometimes the detected network speed is displayed in the top left corner, which can be distracting at some times.

When you have selected a file you want to play, there is a slight pause as the Box Office determines the file type.  If you have “Movie Preview” turned on, then the movie starts to play in a little preview window to the right.  The video preview starts from the beginning, which usually have credits or a few minutes of other stuff that you really can’t identify the movie.  In my honest opinion, the “Movie Preview” option is really unnecessary, and would have been better if you could assign thumbnails to the video files instead.  There is an additional lag beyond the file identification process before you can select the movie.  You can watch an entire movie in “preview mode”, but the screensaver could kick on, and the system will not automatically move to the next file at the end.

While the navigation is very funtional, it is not very user friendly at all, and is the only part that makes you feel like you’re using a computer rather than a video appliance.  One of the biggest usability issues of a video device is the aforementioned Spousal Acceptance Factor (SAF).  Although my wife is more technically-savvy than most, she had a hard time understanding how to use the appliance at first.

The remote control is also functional, but there are a lot of things that could use some improvement.  There are hard physical buttons, so you can “feel” your way across the remote, but the options you will use most often (Go To, back, skip, and fast forward) are on completely different parts of the remote, which can be hard to find.  The remote does not offer any illuminated options, which make it even more difficult to use in a dimly-lit room.

While playing a movie, there is no time indicator to show how far in you are.  The only option is a somewhat hidden box accessed by the “Playback Search” box, which allows you to enter the Title number, Chapter number, or Time.  Any type of video other than a DVD or Bluray image will skip using the Time indicator.  You must press the “Playback Search” button, then press down two times, then right to highlight the time. and then press up and down to change the time increments and then press Enter.  This is way too demanding when I just want to skip the intro credits.  If I’ve already seen part of a movie, I don’t want to have to guess how many minutes I’ve already watched, or press the Skip button 20 times.  I really wish there was a bar, thumbnails, or other navigation method that was a lot easier to use.  A system primarially intended to watch AVI files such as this should have a much more user-friendly way to watch the movies.

There are also no video scaling options, other than zooming in.  Once you have set the aspect of your display, you are at the mercy of the video file’s aspect ratio.  The only way I could fill a 4:3 TV show to full screen was to use the internal scaling options of my TV, and your mileage will vary depending on your TV.

One feature we did like was that the Box Office automatically plays the next video file in the folder when finished, rather than going back to the navigation menu.  This can be both a blessing and a curse, however.  We like to have a queue of shows running when we fall to sleep, but they could still be playing when we wake up.  You’ll have to rely on the “sleep timer” function on your TV if you want it to shut off.

Audio
Switching audio tracks is relatively easy.  Just press the “audio” button on the remote and you’ll be presented with the language tracks.  Keep pressing the button to toggle through the available audio options.  There aren’t a lot of AVIs that have multiple audio tracks, but many MKV files usually have lots of them.  It’s also great to encode a Rifftrax audio track with a movie, so you can enjoy both versions of the movie without the bulk of two seperate files.

Compatibility
We tested the Box Office on a very wide variety of media formats.  AVI files (especially older ones) can have a lot of different audio and video codecs, and for the most part the Box Office played them all.  There were a few issues that we couldn’t resolve.  The MPEG-2 files from a Sony Camcorder would play, but the audio would drop on subsequent files.  If we manually stopped and restarted, then the audio was fine.  Short MPEG-4 files created with the Pinnacle Video Capture Device (reviewed here) would actually cause the device to crash, which required a hard power cycle.  Overall, the device played just about every file we could throw at it, and its compatibility is way more robust than any other UPNP streaming device, including the Playstation 3.

The Patriot Box Office media player appliance is by far the most capable video player we’ve currently tested.  It can connect up to practically any hosting device you can think of, from local devices to UPNP servers and just about any networked device.  It does lack NetFlix and YouTube capability, but this may be coming.  The fact that this device can output 1080p and consume under 10 watts of power with all the bells and whistles enabled is simply amazing.

There is no wireless networking option out of the box, and adding this feature will cost you a USB port. Video quality was supurb, but of course that depends greatly on the quality of the video file.  The unit plays full 1080p content without a hiccup, and fast-forward other navigation is almost instantaneous.

The user interface is the only serious flaw with this device, which has no pizzaz at all.  No animation, thumbnails, or status indicators that you expect from a high-quality media center device such as the PS3 or HTPC interface.  This usability issue could greatly impact if the whole family will be able to use the device.  Ask yourself if you really want to be called away every time the kids want to watch a movie?  Otherwise the Box Office does its job well, as it is extremely functional, barely sips electricity, and plays just about any media format you can throw its way.  All of this and the player costs under $100.

	REPORT CARD : Patriot Box Office Media Player category rating comments Quality 4 Video and audio quality is great.  Hardware quality also appears rock-solid.  The interface needs some work, though. Innovation 3 Kudos for giving birth to a product that addresses the lines between an appliance and HTPC, but the interface needs a lot more work Performance 5 It totally gets the job done and plays just about anything Installation 5 Very easy to get up and going, regardless of your Home Theater setup Value 5 It may lack polish, but it gets the job done, and for far less than the competition FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5 stars