VidaBox Slim Media Center Review

[Audioholics]

<A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/Vidaboxslimp1.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 125px; HEIGHT: 94px" alt=[VidaBoxSlim] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/VidaBoxSlim_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>VidaBox has taken a different tact wth their Slim Media Center PCs. Rather than letting the user slap together whatever accessories and options they want and hope that everything meshes together the way it should, they pre-configure the system and test it extensively to make sure it is stable and solid out of the box. Supposedly, these means that once you set up the system, it should need little to no maintenance. No unexpected crashes, no driver conflicts, just solid performance. You know, the kind of performance you’d expect from a DVD player or a receiver.

[Read the Review]

 

[westcott]

Is it HDCP compliant?

 

[Audioholics]

They have units that are, but without BD and HD DVD players I don't believe it's necessary for it to be HDCP-compliant.

 

[VidaBox]

HDCP Compliance Upgrade

Is it HDCP compliant?

Hi Westcott,

Yes, we can upgrade the video card to be HDCP compliant.

Thank you for your interest!

Steven Cheung
VidaBox LLC

 

[ned]

"Loud Fan" How could they have missed this most basic feature of an HTPC?

 

[ned]

Hi Westcott,

Yes, we can upgrade the video card to be HDCP compliant.

Thank you for your interest!

Steven Cheung
VidaBox LLC

For how much?

 

[VidaBox]

Just how loud is quiet??

Hi ned,

"Loud Fan" How could they have missed this most basic feature of an HTPC?

Actually, we really wished that Tom had been more descriptive and made subjective comparison of the fan against other common home theater devices, instead of just saying that "it was loud."

Subjectively, my plasma TV's fan is just as loud, while my XBox is WAAAAY louder. By that's just my opinion. I personally don't think the fan is loud, and neither does the design team. Tom's ear may be more discriminating, so "fan noise" is very subjective. If you have a projector, then fan noise isn't even a question.

In any case, the second that you turn on music, a DVD, a TV show, etc. - the fan noise essentially disappears. The fans are rated at less than 30dBA at 1m, which is the equivalent of a quiet room. Here's what 30dBA actually sounds like in relative terms below.

TYPICAL SOUND LEVELS

Jet takeoff (200 feet) - 120 dBA
Construction Site - 110 dBA
Intolerable Shout (5 feet) - 100 dBA
Heavy truck (50 feet) - 90 dBA
Very noisy Urban street - 80 dBA
Automobile interior - 70 dBA
Noisy Normal conversation (3 feet) - 60 dBA
Office, classroom - 50 dBA
Moderate Living room - 40 dBA
Bedroom at night - 30 dBA
Quiet Broadcast studio - 20 dBA
Rustling leaves - 10 dBA (Barely audible)

From: http://www.brcacoustics.com/noisedescriptors.html

Essentially, the VidaBox SLIM's noise emissions are consistently lower than the surrounding ambient noise. I won't lie to you and say that it's silent - there'll always be noise in any media center with fans, but we worked really hard to minimize any noise that's coming out of our systems and think that most people will not be bothered by it under normal use.

On top of that, we stand by our VidaBox systems with a 30-day risk-free trial & money back guarantee. See for yourself how *quiet* the VidaBox really is - buy & try one for 30 days, and if you're not satisfied, just pack it back up and send it right back - we even cover the return shipping & handling!

Thanks for reading the review!

Sincerely,
Steven W Cheung
VidaBox LLC

 

[gene]

Subjectively, my plasma TV's fan is just as loud, while my XBox is WAAAAY louder. By that's just my opinion. I personally don't think the fan is loud, and neither does the design team. Tom's ear may be more discriminating, so "fan noise" is very subjective. If you have a projector, then fan noise isn't even a question.

Reducing background noise in a high performance home theater room is as important to audiophile as reducing light pollution in the room for videophiles. Most video experts encase projectors in their own transparent enclosures to minimize noise and many of the newer projectors are quieter than then ones from several years ago. As far as RPTV displays go, I have the new Samsung 1080p 56" Display that has absolutely no audible fan noise - a first among the new RPTV displays I've seen.

We are sticklers for maintaining the utmost quality in audio, hence the name of the site Tom's feedback should prove invaluable for you to improve upon this innovative product.

 

[VidaBox]

For how much?

Hi Ned,

HDMI outputs are available for our LUX, MAX, and ZERO systems for an additional $170 more. A HDMI upgrade for the SLIM is not yet available, but will be available in the near future (date pending).

Thanks for writing back!

Sincerely,
Steven W Cheung
VidaBox LLC

 

[VidaBox]

Fanless, Noise-free VidaBox systems

Reducing background noise in a high performance home theater room is as important to audiophile as reducing light pollution in the room for videophiles. Most video experts encase projectors in their own transparent enclosures to minimize noise and many of the newer projectors are quieter than then ones from several years ago. As far as RPTV displays go, I have the new Samsung 1080p 56" Display that has absolutely no audible fan noise - a first among the new RPTV displays I've seen.

We are sticklers for maintaining the utmost quality in audio, hence the name of the site Tom's feedback should prove invaluable for you to improve upon this innovative product.

Hi Gene,

You make an excellent point - everyone has different perceptions and tolerances for noise & light pollution, and we can definitely understand that.

If you're looking for a zero noise system, we also offer the VidaBox ZERO™ system that is completely fanless! Each drive is enclosed in zero-open-path, specially muffled heatsink case, so that there's practically ZERO noise emission.


VidaBox ZERO™ - Fully featured, Full-size Fanless Premium Media Center

Granted, this model is larger than the VidaBox SLIM™, but we plan on releasing the VidaBox STEALTH™ shortly, which is actually even smaller than the SLIM™ & is also fanless for a noise-free entertainment experience!


VidaBox STEALTH™ - Miniature Form Factor, Fanless Premium Media Center - Less than 4" tall!

So, for those who want zero background noise with a fanless system, the ZERO™ & STEALTH™ systems would fit the bill!

Thanks for the great feedback - keep it coming!

Sincerely,
Steven W Cheung
VidaBox LLC

 

[hopjohn]

I’m not going to sugarcoat this review for you. We had some problems getting a working unit for review.

I think I just heard my home built chuckle.