Big Picture Big Sound

Dial Mvix...for HD

The first thing you'll notice about the Mvix MX-760HD Multimedia Player, in comparison with its cousin the MV-4000U, is its size. At under 8 inches high, it's still no hulking media center PC, but it is an inch or two bigger than its predecessor. But as we'll soon find out, good things sometimes come in slightly bigger packages too.

Formats and Outputs and Connections, Oh My!

Like its predecessor, the MX-760 supports an alphabet soup of the most popular video (DivX, AVI, Xvid, MPEG, MPG, DAT, VOB/IFO, WMV) and audio (MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, PCM, AC3, DTS decoded and pass-through) formats as well as a wide range of video (Composite, S-Video, Component and DVI) and audio (Stereo and 5.1 channel RCA, Coax and Optical) ports.

The 760 retains support of 480p, 720p and 1080i video output formats and adds 1080p into the mix. But unlike the MV-4000, which only upconverted SD content to HD resolutions, the MX-760 offers native support of high definition content. Have some AVI files recorded on a high def camcorder? You can play them back in their native high definition resolution on the MX-760.

But the real killer feature of this model is the addition of complete networking connectivity. The 760 supports Wireless (802.11b/g) or Wired (10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet) networking, as well as the usual USB file transfer.

The 4000U required you to connect your USB cable, transfer your files, power down, disconnect the USB, power back up and then play the file. While USB 2.0 made the file transfer lightning quick, the process was at best clunky, and at worst annoying.

With the 760, you still need to disconnect the USB after you transfer your files (after which the 760 mysteriously powers down automatically, ostensibly saving you that one button-click), but unless you want to store the file locally on the 760's hard drive, there's no need to transfer files via USB. The 760's networking capability allows you to stream wirelessly (or over Ethernet) from your PC directly to the 760's HD outputs, making it essentially a big (but not too big) HD output card.

Can I see the menu, please?


The 760 also makes great advances in the Mvix menuing system. The 4000U's menu was, shall we say, utilitarian. It got the job done, that was about it; it was pretty much a file list. The 760's menu does more than add scrolling support for long filenames and a recently played list, it also adds a device manager to select files from its local or networked drives. The system is perfectly intuitive - you can pretty much put away the user manual.

It also features one of my favorite loading screens: when you select a video to play, you'll see a message saying "Please wait for a while…" Thankfully, the waiting time isn't very long, but still, "a while" had me laughing.

Drives. A hard bargain.

For fun, I removed the Western Digital 80GB HDD from the 4000U and inserted it in the 760, just to see how plug-and-play the Mvix gets, and sure enough I was up and running in a snap.


The 760 may be a little bigger than the 4000U, but the trade-off is in the ease of drive installation. The 4000U was little bigger than a hard drive, making the installation a little too close for comfort - and those positioning screws never quite lined up correctly.

There's a lot more room to place the drive in the Mvix's new "enclosure bracket." The one stumbling block was in the initial removal of the "casing screw." The manual fails to inform you that there are two casing screws, but you only need to unscrew one of them, allowing the case to swing on a hinge. The other screw actually removes the hinge (not cool). For future reference, you'll want to remove the bottom casing screw.

The hard drive fit like a glove. Oddly, while the HDD data cable slid right in, I had to twist the 4-pin power cable to get it make it right-side up with my hard drive. Not sure what the thought process was there, but regardless, after some twisting, it worked. After closing the case and replacing the casing screw, I was ready to test 'er out.


Drivers? We don't need no stinking drivers

I decided to ignore the driver installation disk (those are so 1990s) and plug the 760 right into my Windows XP test PC via USB 2.0. After powering on the Mvix, it was immediately recognized and a Windows Explorer window opened to display all the old files on my hard drive. I dragged over a few new (legally-obtained, always) mp3s, avis, and jpgs to put the Mvix through its paces.

Gotta get yourself connected

Having struggled through the setup of many a networked component, I rolled up my sleeve and prepared for the Mvix network setup. What would it be this time? Unable to detect wireless network? Unable to obtain DHCP address? I was ready to find out.

Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to setup the wireless connection first. In the "Setup" menu, I selected "Enable" and clicked on "Wireless." Then within the "Wireless" menu, I set the SID and Channel for my wireless router. Once that was done I clicked the "Wireless Apply" setting - it's analogous to the "Apply" button in Window dialog boxes - and, wouldn't you know it, I got a "Fail" message. Happily, this was what we in the business call "user error." I have MAC address filtering enabled on my wireless router, so naturally the router wouldn't let the Mvix connect. I turned MAC filtering off, hit "Wireless Apply" again and, voila!, "Success." (Note: it's a snap to detect the Mvix's MAC address - it lists it right there in the menu! - for those who want to enable that security feature).

Also, I wasn't out of the woods yet. The Mvix still couldn't see my home network. Finally, I decided to consult the user manual, and there was my answer in boldface: "Turn off your Firewall Setting before initiating this setup." Sure enough, after turning off my Windows Firewall, I clicked on the 760's main menu and I could scroll through the folders I had setup for sharing ("My Pictures", "My Videos", etc) on my Windows PC.

While I was a little nervous about running with no Firewall, I was able to find out from the kind folks at Mvix support that you can have your Windows Firewall active as long as you have "File and Print Sharing" enabled in the exceptions tab. Whew. Feeling of security returning.

For more information on this technique, check out this Mvix article.


Drunk with power, I decided to setup Wired networking next. I plugged an Ethernet cable from my router to the back of the Mvix, changed the "Enable" setting to "Wired" and, voila!, "Success." Once you get these two modes setup the first time, switching between the two is a snap.

Play on, player

The 760 has another leg-up on the 4000U: a colorful display on the front of the player. While its gray-on-blue color is a bit of a throwback, it's still an improvement over the enigmatic face of the 4000U.

In the 760's TV Setup menu, I selected the native resolution of my Sanyo Z2 projector (720p), and I was off and running.

For fun, I started with some mp3s while I took some notes on the initial set up. The Mvix's player has an intuitive play/pause/ff/rew paradigm, but I don't see using the Mvix for much audio player. Still, it's nice to know it's there. And with the new front display, you don't need your TV on to play the audio.

You will, however, need your TV on to scroll through JPGs in the image slideshow. I was unhappy with the display of the images. They appeared downright blurry. This was also a drawback of the 4000U but since I don't see the Mvix being used for photo slideshows very often, I can't complain too much. Still, there must be a way to make this better, guys.


And so, on to the meat of the matter: SD and HD video content. The 760 plays video almost identically to the 4000U with a couple of exceptions: the remote is a bit more robust than the previous model and, more importantly, the forward and backward scanning is much smoother than the 4000U, and they seem to have fixed the "hanging" problem I used to get when fast-forwarding for too long. The 760 also has a built-in "fade out" when you hit "stop" which makes for a subtler ending to your viewing.

For testing purposes, I prepared a panoply of different material starting from the lower-end SD (480p) and working my way up to true HD (1080p). Initially, I played all the content off the local HDD. I'll get to the Wired and Wireless connections later for comparison.

I started with some "Simpsons" avi files and some DVD rips of "Superman Returns" and "King Kong" (you'd think I might get sick of these DVDs, and yet I do not). The vibrant color of Homer and the gang were flawless, to some extent even besting the original HD cable broadcast. I thought I detected some mild stuttering during particularly intense scenes in the films (the airplane landing on the baseball field, the T-Rex fight), but by and large the 760 kept up like a champ.

Next, I stepped it up to 720p content, using some of Microsoft's "True HD" showcase material. Keep in mind, this would be 720p content on a projector with a 720p native resolution, so this should be pretty rad. And sure enough, it was. I started with a skydiving video called "Adrenaline Rush" and, after getting over my initial vertigo, the sky and landscapes were beautiful. I then ran through "Step Into Liquid" and "Terminator 2" for some other types of footage. The 760 played the material smoothly without any pixellation, skipping or jumping. The quality was pristine throughout and even the FWD and REW scanning was smooth (much more so than the 4000U).

Again, feeling that surge of power, I decided to turn it up a notch and head into the land of 1080p. Now, keep in mind, I still had the 760 set to a 720p output (the 1080p output setting wouldn't display on my projector). So in this case I'd be playing 1080p and letting the 760 down-convert it to 720p. I tested the 1080p versions of "Terminator 2" and "Step into Liquid" for comparison, then moved onto "The Living Sea" just for fun. In each case, there was very little noticable difference between the 720p and 1080p content (which makes sense considering both were being output at 720p). If anything, the 1080p content had moments that almost appeared blurry or jumpy. I preferred the 720p content via a 720p output.

Time to cut the cord

All my tests up to this point have been with content off the 760's internal hard drive. Now it was time to go to the PC-based content. I went through all the content listed above first via Ethernet then wirelessly. Here are the results:

Wired: The 760's ethernet connection played content flawlessly up to and including 720p. When I played 1080p content over Ethernet, there were some moments of jumpiness and skipping, and at times there were also hiccups in the sound. All in all though, 1080p content was completely watchable over ethernet. The moments came and went but were not consistent enough to be annoying.

Wireless: Again, the 760 worked perfectly for all content up to and including 720p. Playing 1080p content over the wireless connection, however, was a different story. I tried each piece of 1080p content and got the same result: skipping, and eventually complete sound loss. 1080p content proved unwatchable over the Wireless connection.

I guess this explains why the 760's manual recommends Wired connectivity over Wireless. Wired connectivity is simply more reliable (and higher bandwidth), which is important for high definition content.

In perfect Harmony

My Logitech Harmony 890 Universal Remote never quite meshed with the Mvix 4000U. For some reason, pressing arrow-up or arrow-down always made the Mvix jump three places at once. It made selecting videos from the menu a frustrating ordeal. It was my secret shame. That is, until now. Magically, and without any reconfiguration, the Harmony worked perfectly with the 760. On/off, forward/reverse, up/down. All functioned properly. If I wasn't sold on the 760 already (and I was), this was the capper.

Final Thoughts

The Mvix MX-760 HD Multimedia Player isn't the answer for everyone. It solves a very specific need. As I said before, its audio playback is rudimentary and, worse yet, the image slideshow is grainy at best. However, if you don't have an HD output card on your home computer and you don't have a Media Center PC - and you don't plan to get one - the Mvix is really a perfect solution for playing HD and SD digital content. Small, slick, easy to setup and use, it allows you to play HD content to virtually any monitor. Its lack of HDMI output may be problematic for some, but you can easily convert the DVI output to HDMI (video only) via a simple DVI-to-HDMI adapter and lose nothing in video quality.

The addition of network connectivity in the 760 makes the Mvix invaluable for any home theater enthusiast with a collection of digital media. The need to remove the USB cable after data transfer is still annoying, but far less than before due to the networking. And while JPGs weren't as clear as I would have liked, keep in mind I was displaying them at 98 inches diagonal. Again, the Mvix isn't for a slideshow, it's for watching HD and SD digital content. And in that arena, it excels.

Where to Buy:

• MvixUSA MX-760HD Wireless Multimedia Player on TigerDirect.com
• Mvix(USA), Inc.

Specifications from the Manufacturer

• Model No.: MX-760HD
• Retail Price: $349.00
• TV System Compatibility: NTSC / PAL / AUTO
• Video and Audio Output: Composite, S-Video, Component, and DVI. Stereo RCA, 5.1 channel RCA, Digital Coaxial, Optical
• PC Interface: USB 2.0 (Backward Compatible to USB 1.1)
• Video Formats: DivX® (3/4/5), AVI, Xvid, MPEG, MPG, VCD(DAT), DVD(VOB, IFO), ISO, WMV(WMV-9), ASF(WMV-9), TP, TS, TRP
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, PCM, AC3, DTS decoding including down-mixing, DTS pass through
• Digital Image Formats: BMP, JPEG/JPG, PNG
• Hi-Def Decoding: HD COMPONENT Y, Pb, Pr (480p, 720p,1080) / HD DVI (480, 720,1080i, 1080p). WMV, ASF, AVI and MP4 formats. MPEG-2 MPat HL(720P/1,080I)MPEG-4 ASPat L5 (720p) and WMV9 MPat ML (720p)
• Wired Networking: Ethernet (10/100) LAN via RJ-45 Port
• Wireless Networking: Wireless LAN : 802.11b/g or Pre-N MIMO(option)
• Dimensions: 7.4"(W) x 7.6"(H) x 2.3"(D)
• Power: AC-DC Adapter 12V, 2.5A

What's in the Box

• MX-760HD
• Stand
• Remote control
• A/V cables
• USB cable
• Power cable and adapter

Manufacturer's Contact Information

Mvix(USA), Inc.
3917 Old Lee Hwy, Suite 11B
Fairfax, VA 22030 (USA)

Phone: (866) 310 4923 (Toll Free)
Fax: (866) 614 3880
Web site: MvixUSA.com

Email:

• Sales: sales@mvixusa.com
• Tech. Support: support@mvixusa.com