Topic: Astone AP-300 newbie review

[Galactus]

Astone AP-300

First off, this is my first time writing a review for any gadget whatsoever, so please be nice.

The things that drew me most to the AP-300 are the connectivity options.  It has almost all available ports: HDMI, component and composite for video; and optical, coaxial and RCA ports for audio.  I prefer redundancy, so in case one port fails, I have an alternative.  It also has 3 USB ports, can connect wirelessly (through a separate Wi-fi dongle), and has a search function.  GUI is ok, just plain vanilla, but it gets the job done, and I've seen worse GUI's.

The bit torrent feature is also a plus.  I’ve never considered an NMT without this feature, so in that aspect, the AP-300 for me, is the ultimate package.

IMO, the PQ for all NMT’s do not vary greatly, especially among similar chipsets, and if they can output 1080p, so there’s nothing much to write about with regards to that.  I’ve watched several movies in 720p and 1080p, and I was simply blown away with the clarity and detail.  Beats watching standard DVD’s every time, hands down.

Uptime is blazingly fast.  The User Manual indicated 27 seconds from boot-up to the time it is fully operational, but I was surprised that it took only around 5 secs (yes, I timed it).  Loading the movies on the preview screen was also instantaneous.  This NMT has just raised the bar.

It can also downmix DTS, but personally, it’s not an issue for me since I have an HTIB which can decode both DD and DTS signals.  The metal casing also exudes class and durability, (mainly because I hate gadgets encased in cheap plastic, which implies poor build quality).  The provision for an internal 3.5: SATA HDD is also beneficial (up to 2 TB capacity), as I have limited space on my AV rack.  An external HDD would only add up clutter and waste space.  It also runs quiet and doesn't get too hot at all. 

Downsides:  cheap-looking remote, and average aesthetics.  And I noticed a minor quirk.  When I selected NTSC for the TV System (I own a Samsung 40B530), it wouldn’t output sound.  When I picked PAL, tsaka lang siya gumana.  Weird, since NTSC is  what we have here in the Philippines.  

I’m still fiddling around with the unit, and will post additional comments from time to time.

I got the package (AP-300 with internal 1 TB with freebies) from Softbox (c/o Annot) for 10.7k (cash).  

[Galactus]

I've had the Astone AP-300 for almost 2 weeks now, and I can honestly say I'm quite satisfied with its performance.

The only issue I'm having is that audio from the RCA jacks don't seem to work (this is a verified problem in the official Astone forum).  But since I'm using an optical cable, then it's not a biggie for me. 

I also noticed recently that the Audio menu has limited options.  The only ones listed are SPDIF and Karaoke Vocals.  There are no other options for audio output.  Also, I played some movie files Starship Troopers, in particular), where there was a noticeable sync problem with the dialogue.  Mas nauuna (or nale-late) yung dialogue.  Would have been nice if there was an option to delay or advance the audio, para synchronized yung dialog sa option.  The only workaround is to stop the movie, and resume playback.  But after 5 to 10 minutes, balik na naman sa dati.  Rather frustrating to do it every now and then though.

I'm still searching the net for a movie jukebox for the AP-300, but I don't think there's anything available for now.  Hopefully, somebody will develop one and make it available for free, hehehe.  Uso naman ngayon ang freeware, eh. 

 

[eksi]

screenshots sana bro, if possible

[Galactus]

Tried playing Twilight New Moon on my unit last night.  Downloaded it via torrent (MP4 format), and saved it on a RCA MP3 player (with a 5GB capacity).  Filesize was 2.5GB, with 6 channel AAC audio.  

I was disappointed to learn that it was stuttering most of the time.  As if everything was in slow motion.  Worse, there was no audio!  I tried connecting it to my PS3, and although there were occasional stuttering in some scenes, audio was present in 6 channels.  I just copied the file to the PS3's hard disk, and I intend to watch it later tonight.  But I watched the first few minutes, and there were no problems.  Could be because the memory chip in the MP3 player isn't the high-speed kind.

I researched on the audio problem just now, and found out that AAC audio could only be played via LPCM 2 channel, which sort of dumbs down the viewing experience.  Firmware upgrades didn't seem to help, so I guess I just have to be more discriminating in downloading torrents, and avoid AAC-encoded movies.

Will provide screenshots over the weekend.

[beginner]

A good read for people like me who are in search of a good NMT. Another addition to the list of NMTs I will be looking at. Will wait for the screenshots bro.

[Galactus]

Sorry for the late post...dami ko kasing inasikaso over the weekend. 

And don't mind the clutter, hehehe...

[mcoolhand]

I just bought the ap-300. Good solid media player. Can play my stock of avi files. I have still to buy mkv's but this at least gets me primed up. I like the feature in the menu which plays the movie so you can preview while in the menu choosing from the list.

I am still playing this in a regular 29" Sony Wega via the white/yellow/red connections. My tv is even a japan surplus would you believe.

i would have like the user interface to be a bit more classy. a bit plain vanilla.

agree that the remote is a bit "plasticky"

over-all - thumbs up Softbox!

[Stagea]

Where did you buy the AP-300, and for how much?

Thanks!