The Windows-only Iogear Portable Media Server Player GMD2025U120 is a small, self-contained, non-networkable external 2.5in hard drive that you attach to your PC's USB port; copy media files on to it, and then attach it to your TV or other display to render its contents.
The whole deal - drive, cables, remote, carrying case, and all - will easily fit into a briefcase or backpack. The Iogear Portable Media Server Player lacks an HDMI output, but you can hook it up via component or composite jacks on a TV - far more common inputs on hotel sets than HDMI or DVI, at any rate.
Although the Iogear Portable Media Server Player ships with a remote, it conveniently has a full complement of controls on the unit itself that allow you to control playback as well as to navigate the on-screen menu.
It's not all that uncomfortable to actually hold the drive in the palm of your hand like a remote and press the buttons. Just be careful not to drop it - the case has a spinning hard drive inside that will almost certainly sustain damage in a fall.
Home entertainment news and reviews
The Iogear Portable Media Server Player played all its supported files types (including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Xvid, DivX, MP3, WAV, and JPEG) without any glitches. The one on-screen error message we received was when we tried to play a 1080p DivX file whose resolution exceeds the Iogear's 720p output capability.
One inconvenience: the onboard video electronics apparently takes a fair amount of power, so the GMD2025U120 requires its AC adaptor to operate, even when plugged into a PC's powered USB port.
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