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Today I finally get to review an
item Ive been trying to pin down for a long time now. Thanks to Geeks.com,
I finally have an Asour VPC-1000B multimedia hub sitting on my review bench.
So what is a multimedia hub? In a nutshell, this device acts almost exactly
like your car stereo does. Unlike your car stereo however, this little box
fits into a 5.25 spot, can read DVDs, and also doesnt need the computer to
be powered on. Interested? Read On!
Packaging & Contents
The
box was undamaged during its transit to my residence. It was also colorful
and descriptive of the contents...so no complaints there.
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Pulling all the toys out of the packaging, we have the VPC-1000B itself, a
manual, a bag o wires, a remote, a small circuit board, and a small power
wall wart. I cant actually call the card a PCI card it doesnt plug into
a motherboard PCI slot. More on that in a little bit.
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Externally, theres not a whole lot to make note of. This is essentially a
DVD drive with a cool multicolor VFD display slapped on the front of it.
There are only two visible controls an eject button on the left and a
small volume dial on the right. On the rear of the box are the usual IDE and
power connectors, with the addition of a unique connector that interfaces
with the aforementioned circuit board.
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The
board itself does attach to a computer case on an I/O slot, but does not
connect to the motherboard at all. What it does provide are a lot of inputs
and outputs, plus the socket to connect the wall wart, which will allow the
device to run without the system power. Internally, the card has inputs for
both analog and digital signals.
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The
remote appears to be where most of the action takes place, at least from a
control perspective. This is a good thing
if you cant control it from the
remote, why have it? The remote is fairly thin, and ships with a piece of
plastic to keep the battery fresh until you remove it. The unit does work on
IR, so you have to have line of sight to the VPC-1000 to use it. This could
be an issue if you case happens to have a door.
Specifications
Features/Specifications
MultiMedia Hub and DVD-ROM IDE Drive
General Features:
Integrated DVD-ROM drive
FM radio receiver
SRS WOW audio processor
Built-in real time clock and alarm
High luminance vacuum fluorescent display
5 mode preset audio equalizer
Standalone H-Fi system
Easy installation
Low power consumption
DVD-ROM Features:
16x maximum read speed (DVD)
48x maximum read speed (CD)
120 ms access time (DVD)
110 ms access time (CD)
512 KB buffer
Supported Disc Formats:
DVD-ROM (Single and dual layer)
DVD-R
DVD-RW
CD-ROM
CD-ROM XA
CD-R
CD-RW
Photo CD
CD-DA
CD-Extra
E-IDE/ATAPI interface
FM Tuner Features:
87.5 MHz - 108 MHz FM Wave Range (US/Europe)
76 MHz - 91 MHz FM Wave Range (Japan)
24 dB stereo channel separation
50 dB (S/N) signal to noise ratio
Less than 2 % total harmoinc distortion
Audio Signal Processor Features:
20 Hz - 20 KHz Max rear in/out input voltage
500 Ohm rear-out impedance
SRS WOW audio processor Stereo (bypass)
Equalizer Modes:
Rock
Pop
Classic
Jazz
Flat
Front Panel Feautes:
Panel release and tray eject button
Vacuum fluorescent display
Standby/On/Band button
Volume control
Rear Panel Features:
Device jumpers
IDE interface
4-pin power connector
Dominator connector
Bracket PCB Assembly Connectors:
Rear-in
Rear-out
Antenna
DC 12V
Regulatory Approvals:
FCC
CE
UL
Nemko
BSMI
TUV
Retail Package Includes:
VPC-1000B DVD-ROM IDE Drive and MultiMedia Hub
Manual
Remote control w/3V Lithium battery
Bracket PCB assembly
Audio cable
4-pin power cable
20-pin flat cable
3.5 mm stereo cable
FM antenna
AC adapter (100-240V, 50/60Hz)
Product Requirements
Pentium II 400 MHz/Celeron 366 MHz /AMD K6-2 400 MHz
processor or higher
Windows 95/98/98SE/ME/NT4.0/2000/XP
32 MB RAM
IDE cable
Available expansion slot
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