Helios X3000 HD Wi-Fi Media Streamer and DVD Player Review

Jan 25 2007, 12:00am CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

NeoDigits now called Helios Labs Ltd. sent us their X3000 1080p up-scaling DVD player with Wi-fi media streaming capabilities. With the Helios X3000 you can watch movies, listen to music and view photos along with internet content via your PC on your TV over wired or wireless network. And not to forget this device also plays DVDs and up-scales them to 1080p. The X3000 basically saves space in your living room by not having to get a separate media streaming box.

Gallery

6 images

Benchmarks

Overview
You could describe the Helios X3000 as a slimmed down HD Media Center PC. You can access your media stored on one or more servers in your network, you can browse the web, watch internet TV and play DVDs upscaled to 1080p. The X3000 is a very straight forward device and was simple to get up and running. You can either hook it up via Ethernet Cable or Wi-Fi to your network. With the bundled HDMI or RCA audio video cables you can connect your TV. You have the choice to connect via HDMI, S-Video, Component and Composite video and HDMI for video output. For sound you can either use coaxial, optical digital audio, surround sound speakers, or stereo audio.

neodigits helios labs helios x3000 hd network media dvd player review

Back view of the X3000 with all the connectors you need. In the middle is the connector for the Wi-Fi antenna.

Powering up the X3000 takes about 10s. On the initial screen you see a list that contains the DVD drive, servers running the neolink server software and the Helios Media Portal.

Usage
If you have connected via Ethernet cable, everything should happen automatically and the X3000 is immediately online. If you choose to connect via Wi-Fi you need to press Setup on the remote and provide your Wi-Fi network details.

Be sure to update to the latest firmware that was published on December 22nd 2006:
Version: 60-52-061218-01-HLO-288-000-HLO
Release Date: 22-Dec-2006

I had issues to connect the X3000 to my secured (PSK-TKIP) Wi-Fi network with the former firmware. After updating via the internet to the latest firmware the Wi-Fi connectivity works fine.

The neolink server software comes on a CD and is straight forward to install. The only thing you have to configure are the folders where your media files are stored that you want to have access to on the X3000.

neodigits helios labs helios x3000 hd network media dvd player review

The neolink server software running on a Windows PC.

The media player user interface on the X3000 has the same look as the neolink software running on your Windows PC, which keeps things simple and easy to understand. Selecting either videos, music, photos or online lets you browse the content and play it. I had no issues watching videos, listening to music and viewing photos. I also tried the Helios Media Portal, where Helios Labs features News, Internet TV channels and Internet Radio stations. The news channel is not bad. The Internet TV and radio station listings are filled very poorly though. Good thing that you can surf to any site on the web with the integrated browser. The browser is not very powerful though. Another way to access internet resources is via the media player interface where you can browse the bookmarks on your PC and also create a bookmark list specifically for the X3000. Here you can compile a list of sites that provide content that works with the X3000.

neodigits helios labs helios x3000 hd network media dvd player review

The media player interface on the X3000.

The remote control of the X3000 is also full of buttons but I actually like it better than the one the company ships with their H4000 DVD player. The number buttons can be used to input text in the same way your mobile phone keys work - A method most people are accustomed to now.

neodigits helios labs helios x3000 hd network media dvd player review

Helios Labs is nice enough to bundle a HDMI cable

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

1080p upscaling
HD Video support
Broad video and audio format support (see specs below for details)
Wi-fi and Ethernet connectivity
Great choice of outputs
USB port to access media on portable storage devices
Bundled HDMI Cable

Cons

Case Design a bit to simplistic and old fashioned
Web Browser not very powerful
Online media offering on Helios Media Portal not very rich

Verdict
The Helios X3000 gives you a lot of functionality in a single box. You can watch DVDs in 1080p upscaled resolution, watch and listen to your media stored on your PCs, browse the web either wired or wireless. Helios Labs could have invested a bit more into a nice case design, but the all black box also hides well in your AV component shelf.

8.0

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

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Luigi Lugmayr
Luigi is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at ml@i4u.com. Luigi posts regularly on LuigiMe.com about his experience running I4U.