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Home -> Iomega
 | Iomega 1TB ScreenPlay Director HD Multimedia Player (34650)
Great idea gone bad -- 2010-07-28
Director is the second item from Iomega i bought. First one was a Screenplay HD player. I liked the idea to save all internet videos to a drive and watch it on a tv without PC. Blue led on the front of the HD played died after 10 days. When i saw that Director is available and has more storage space, network connection and Youtube i decided to give it a try despite the fact that Screenplay was not even close what i had expected. After a week of use i can say Director is a typical Iomega product, hard to work with unless you are a computer wizard as manual and manufacturer support is plain disaster. Please note that YouTube files cannot be played and i would like to ask Amazon to stop advertize this product with wrong information that you can use it to play Youtube. Overal good idea but so frustrating and setup time consuming that one star is all it can get.
Pretty good, but could use a few tweaks. -- 2010-07-09
I was excited to receive the Iomega ScreenPlay Director, the idea of storing all my media files in one place and playing them on any TV in my house. Here's how my experience went.
PC CONNECTION:
Since I had a large number of movie files on my PC, I first connected the Iomega to my PC via the included USB cable. My system did not immediately recognize the Iomega, so I ran the enclosed CD, but I am still unsure exactly what that did, or if it was even necessary. Printed instructions are rather vague. After finally getting my PC and the Iomega to talk, I discovered two partitions on the drive; one FAT32 and one NTSF. Where do I copy my files to? The printed Quick Start guide (which, in English, is less than a page and a half in length) was no help, so I decided on the larger, NTFS partition (which is correct) and copied over my movie files, which are mostly from my Sony HDD camcorder in .mpg format.
TV CONNECTION:
Next I took the Iomega to the room where my old "HD-compatible" TV is. Note: this TV is almost 10 years old and is "HD-compatible." Key words. This was before HD was the in thing, but I wanted to see if the Iomega would work on an older TV, as well as a newer LCD TV (which it does perfectly, via the included HDMI cable). I connected the Iomega to my old TV using the supplied composite cables. I could not get a picture, just a fuzzy black and white image, so I consulted the Quick Start guide. (While there is no PDF included on the CD, there is a HTML manual, which is adequate.)
I discovered that there is a button on the remote control called "TV SYS" and that when pressed, cycles through compatible TV resolutions. I went back to my TV and tried pressing this button but I could still not get a picture. Next I dug out some component cables (not supplied) and tried those, thinking that "HD-compatible" of my old TV might only be via component input. I was right. I cycled the "TV SYS" button until I finally had a picture. Of course, this is the fault of my old TV, not the Iomega, but now I had a picture . . . still B&W, just not fuzzy anymore.
ON-SCREEN MENU:
The Iomega menu is in black and white, with each section sporting a tiny colored graphic in the center. Colored-coded text matches the bottom three colored buttons on the remote control--Red for Video, Green for Photos, Blue for Music. I have to say, I really don't like the B&W design; I was expecting something a little more dazzling and eye-appealing, and a little less like an indication my TV was acting up.
FILE COMPATIBILITY:
Despite claims to the numerous file format the Iomega is said to be able to play, I had issues trying to play some simple ones, like .WMV. It told me no codec was found. I am willing to accept that this is my particular file and not all .WMVs. The Iomega did play all my Sony .mpg camcorder files without any issues, and since this is what I mainly wanted it to do, I am happy with that. Of note, if you're like me and use iTunes, you should be aware that the unit will not play protected .AAC files.
ETHERNET/HOME NETWORK:
When I attached the Iomega via Ethernet to my home network, the unit identified itself as SCREENPLAY with just a single partition that you can access. Because it supports folder directories, you can keep everything sorted nicely. You can copy your files to and from the Iomega via Ethernet, and you can also play any content from it on your PC. Although if you have a lot of files to copy to it, it is suggested you plug the Iomega directly into your PC via the USB cable for faster transfer. Interestingly enough, the .WMV mentioned above that I could not watch on my TV because of a codec error, played fine when streamed to my PC *from* the Iomega drive. Huh?
ONLINE CONTENT:
One of the coolest features is the button on the remote which allows you to stream online content from a number of sites, including YouTube, Flickr, CNN, Larry King, CNET, GameTrailers, and lots more. You can also read blogs and articles, and listen to internet radio. This effectively turns your non-internet TV into an internet TV. Very cool!
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UPDATE: July 29 2010: As of now, I can no longer access or watch anything on YouTube! This is unacceptable, and I am dropping my review to 3 stars to reflect this disappointing change. See comments to my review for details.
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REMOTE CONTROL:
While it's nice to have a remote control to sit back and play your media files and YouTube goodies from the couch, I really don't like the layout of the remote. The three main menu buttons that you use most to navigate the menu (Red for Video, Green for Photos, Blue for Music) are located at the very bottom edge, making them very hard to press unless you use two hands. If these were located central or at the top of the remote (where the Internet button is), it would be much easier to use. This is probably just a personal preference, but it is something I felt annoying enough to mention.
CONCLUSION:
With online access, Ethernet transfers, and a generous 1TB of disc space, the Iomega ScreenPlay Director is a great addition to any home theater. Still, while it successfully brings your PC's photos, movies, and music into your living room and onto your big screen TV, I feel there is room for some little tweaks and improvements.
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