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Specifications and Installation
Ø Brief Introduction of Fengtao Software
Speaking of Fengtao Software, I guess a lot
of you here might never heard of this software vendor before. However, if I
mention DVDFab, I am definitely sure that most of you know, or even have been
using this famous DVD/Blu-ray backup software for years. Yes, the DVDFab brand
comes from this Chinese software vender, Fengtao Software Inc., and their
DVDFab DVD/Blu-ray backup software is one of best on the market, competing with
other reputed vendors such as SlySoft (now RedFox), VSO software, etc. But
today, what I’m going to talk about is not their software, it’s their second
attempt stepping into the arena of hardware — the DVDFab Movie Server.
DVDFab Movie Server, per the descriptions on their
official website, is a 4K UHD Blu-ray Media Player designed with the intention
to serve as the home multimedia center of DVDFab’s software customers, so that
they can manage and watch their DVDs, Blu-rays, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays and other
videos processed by the DVDFab 10 software in one place. Don’t be confused,
despite being originally designed for the existing DVDFab customers, but
through the later firmware updates, developers break the limitations to allow
the movie server accept all forms of media contents, whether they are handled
by DVDFab or other backup tools. That is to say, all the movie lovers who have
large collections of DVDs & Blu-rays & 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays at hone are
the targeted audience of this device.
Features
and Functionalities
* Digitalize your DVD & Blu-ray & 4K
Ultra HD Blu-ray collections
* Navigation menu support for DVDs &
Blu-rays & 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays
* Manage and organize movie library in one
place
* Play back Cinavia-protected DVDs and
Blu-rays
* Display movies by posters filled with
detailed metadata
* Compatible with 3D, H.265 and 4K UHD and other
videos
* Dolby Atmos, DTS: X and DTS-HD Master audio
support
* Work with DVDFab 10 to import media
contents easily
* Add your existing movie library quickly and
conveniently
* Access your media contents from the NAS
storage
* Manually correct the metadata in case of
inaccuracy
* Preinstalled Google Play, Google Search and
YouTube
DVDFab Movie Server packs all the
top-of-the-class components regarding hardware, at least based on their
opinions, and their developers also make impressive efforts on the software
level. Here below are the specs of the hardware and software.
Hardware
Configuration
|
CPU
|
Quad-Core 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 clocked at 1.2GHz
|
|
GPU
|
High-performance multi-core GPU MaliT720
|
|
RAM
|
2GB 1866MHz DDR3
|
|
Memory
|
16GB eMMC flash memory, 3.5 inch SATA HDD
with up to 8TB of storage (not included as an accessory)
|
|
Memory
Interface
|
USB2.0x1 + USB3.0x1 + built-in 3.5 inch
SATA extraction chamber
|
|
Video
Interface
|
HDMI 2.0a high-definition video output
|
|
Audio
Interface
|
HDMI 2.0a HD audio output
Optical audio output
Coaxial audio output
Stereo audio output
|
|
Network
Interface
|
IEEE 802.11A/B/G/N/AC wireless 2.4G/5G
network adaptor with double Wi-Fi antenna
Bluetooth 4.0
10/100/1000M adaptive Ethernet adaptor
|
|
Front
Panel
|
Large screen LED display + standby
indication light + inlayed IR receiver
|
|
Power
Adaptor
|
Input: 110~220V AC Output: 12V 2A DC
(Including three plug converters of US, EU and UK standard, respectively)
|
|
Size
|
305 * 255 * 95 (mm)
|
|
Weight
|
1.9 kg
|
Software
Specs
|
Disk Format (3.5 inch SATA)
|
EXT3, EXT4, FAT, NTFS, GPT
|
|
Output Resolution
|
PAL, NTSC, 720P@50/60Hz, 1080P@50/60Hz,
2160P@25/30/50/60Hz
|
|
Video Decoder
|
H.265/HEVC Main/Main10 profile@Level5.1
High-tier, up to 4Kx2K@60fps
H.264/AVC BP/MP/HP@ level 5.1; H264/AVC
MVC, up to 4Kx2K@30fps
VP9 up to 4Kx2K@60fps
VP6/8 up to 1080p@60fps
MPEG1 up to 1080p@60fps
MPEG2 SP@ML, MP@HL, up to 1080p@60fps
MPEG4 SP@L0-3, ASP@L0-5, support GMC and
Short-Header format, up to 1080p@60fps
AVS standard level@6.0, AVS-P16(AVS+), up
to 1080p@60fps
VC-1 SP@ML, MP@HL, AP@L0-3, up to
1080p@60fps
Video formats: TS, ASF, WMV, MKV, MP4, AVI,
M2TS, ISO, and BDMV… (up to 2160P@60fps)
|
|
Audio Decoder
|
MPEG L1/L2
Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital Plus
Decoder-Converter
Dolby True HD/Dolby Atoms
Decoding/passthrough
DTS-HD Master/DTS:X Decoding/passthrough
Dolby Digital/ DTS Decoding/passthrough
AAC-LC、HE
AAC V1/V2 Decoding
APE/FLAC/OGG/AMR-NB/WB Decoding
G.711(u/a)audio decoding
Dolby MS12 decode and sound effect
G.711(u/a) /AMR-NB/AMR-WB /AAC-LC audio
encoding
HE-AAC transcoding DD(AC3)
Decoding format: MPEG1/2, LPCM, PCM, FLAC,
AAC, OGG, APE, MP3
File format: M4A, MP1/2/3, MPA, WAV, OGG,
FLAC, APE, CUE
|
|
Video Processing
|
Imprex2.0 processing engine
HDR and HDR 10 support
|
|
Image
|
Full HD JPEG hardware decoding, up to 64
million pixels
PNG hardware decoding, up to 64 million
pixels
|
|
Subtitle
|
SRT, SSA, PGS (internal), SMI
|
Ø Setup and Installation
With the above specs sheet, it’s obvious that
Fengtao Software brings this hard drive multimedia player with an ambition to
replace your home Blu-ray player as the central multimedia hub of your entire
home theater system. It can store, manage and play back all the media contents
you have, no matter what forms they are in, DVD format, Blu-ray format, 4K
Ultra HD Blu-ray, or any other video format, including 3D, 4K UHD, and H265
videos as well. And to live up to that expectation, this Movie Server offers
very flexible options for users to freely configure with whatever audio and
video equipment they have at home, flat-screen smart TVs, large screen
monitors, projectors, receivers, and even the home theater system. The setup
and installation is easy. Here below are different ways of setting up DVDFab
Movie Server, depending on what you have at home.
Quick
Setup — this is the easiest way to set up the Movie Server,
which just requires a TV, whether HDMI enabled or the traditional RCA capable.
l Power off all your devices;
l Connect the Movie Server to the smart TV with
an HDMI cable (If you have an old TV with RCA ports, then use the RCA cables
instead, and it’s included in the package, too.);
l Insert your HDD into the HDD cabinet;
l Plug in the power adaptor and the Ethernet
cable;
l Power on the Movie Server and then the TV;
Receiver
Setup — this is an enhanced way of setting up the Movie Server
that should bring you better watching experience, by adding your Receiver for
improved sound effect.
l Power off all your devices;
l Connect the Movie Server to the TV with an
HDMI cable (If you have an old TV with RCA ports, then use the RCA cables
instead, and it’s included in the package, too.);
l Connect the Movie Server to the Receiver with
an S/PDIF optical cable (you can also use HDMI cable if you use the RCA cable
in the first step);
l Insert your HDD to the HDD cabinet;
l Plug in the power adaptor and the Ethernet
cable;
l Power on the Movie Server, then the Receiver,
and finally the TV.
Home
Theatre Setup — this should be the best way to take the full advantage
of both the Movie Server itself and your home theater system for the maximum
audiovisual experience.
l Power off all your devices;
l Connect the Receiver to the TV with an HDMI
cable;
l Connect the Movie Server to the Receiver with
an HDMI cable (you need to prepare an additional piece of HDMI cable, because
there is only one piece comes with the package);
l Insert your HDD to the HDD cabinet;
l Plug in the power adaptor and the Ethernet
cable;
l Power on the Movie Server, then the receiver,
and finally the TV.
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Import Media Contents to the Movie Server
We always say, content is the king. This is
especially true to a multimedia playback device like DVDFab Movie Server. But
there is no need to worry. DVDFab Movie Server has this covered. It offers an
array of very flexible options for you to add your media contents to the media
library stored in the standard 3.5 inch hard disc drive — you can copy and
convert your DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray collections with the Copy and
Ripper modules of the DVDFab 10 and transfer the resulting files directly to
the Movie Server; or you can directly transfer the existing ISO files and
videos from a computer to the hard disk drive inside the Movie Server; you can
also copy the existing media library to a USB drive and plug it into the Movie
Server; you even can directly access the media library on a NAS device via the
Windows Share feature. Next, I would like to guide you through each process
with great details.
Ø Transfer DVDFab 10 Produced Contents to the
Movie Server
Working seamlessly with the DVDFab 10 software is the original
intention for designing the Movie Server. DVDFab customers can use the DVDFab
10 software to copy your DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays to ISO files
with the Copy module, or convert them to digital videos such as MP4, AVI, M2TS,
etc., and send the resulting files directly to the 3.5 inch SATA drive inside
the Movie Server.
By the time I write this review, the supported products include
DVD Copy, DVD Ripper, Blu-ray Copy, Blu-ray Ripper, UHD Copy and UHD Ripper,
and among these modules, only the Full Disc, Main Movie and Clone modes with
the Copy module are supported, and all the conversion profiles with the Ripper
module are supported.
That said, it is recommended to use lossless conversion
profiles, such as MP4.Passthrough, to get the best audiovisual effect,
considering the fact that it is capable of playing back 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays
with HDR10 mode, and accommodating hi-res audios such as Dolby
Atmos, DTS: X and DTS-HD Master, etc.
Choose
the Output Destination as DVDFab Movie Server
Note:
the Movie Server must be turned on and connected to the same LAN with the
computer running DVDFab 10, otherwise, it won’t appear in this list. In that
case, power on the Movie Server and click the Refresh button.
DVDFab
Is Transferring the Copied ISO File to Movie Server
Copied
DVD ISO File Successfully Sent to Movie Server
Refresh the Media Library on the Movie Server
Copied Movie Appears in the “Recently Updated” Section
Ø Directly Copy & Paste Contents from
Computer to the Movie Server
Although being designed to work with its own DVDFab 10 software in
the first place, DVDFab Movie Server is not a closed system. If you already
have ripped your DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays to your computer
previously as ISO files or other digital videos, even not with DVDFab 10, there
is no need to redo the copy or conversion, because you can simply copy &
paste them to the Movie Server. This can be extremely helpful when your ripped
media is huge in size.
It is pretty easy to do that. You just need to enter the IP address
of the Movie Server to the address bar of the Windows Explorer, and then press
the Enter key on your keyboard, move straight to the DVDFab folder, and then
copy & paste your ripped media contents there. Do pay attention the file
names, because if not named correctly, the Movie Server might have difficulty
in finding the correct poster information from internet.
Directly
Copy & Paste the Existing Media Library to Movie Server
Tip:
DVDFab Movie Server supports up to 8TB 3.5 inch SATA hard drive, but you can
prepare multiple such HDDs so that you can switch between.
Ø Copy the Contents to a USB Drive for Playback
on the Movie Server
DVDFab Movie Server provides two USB ports for
expandable connectivity. This means, if you don’t have extra 3.5 inch HDDs at
home, you can also use a USB flash drive to watch your movie collections on the
Movie Server. Just copy the media contents to the USB drive and plug in to the
Movie Server and then you are ready to watch the movies there. However, by doing
this way, you cannot browse the media contents in the USB drive with the
DVDFab’s reputable Poster Wall feature.
Ø Directly Access the NAS Contents from the
Movie Server
Another approach to add existing media
library is to directly access them from the network attached storage devices,
known to many as NAS, which is very popular nowadays. This also allows you to
browse the media contents with the Poster Wall feature. To do that, you need to
login the webpage version of the Movie Server’s media library with the address https://dms.dvdfab.cn.
This requires your account information used for ordering the Movie Server.
Don’t be confused, the media library shown on the webpage is exactly the same
with those on your Movie Server.
The
Online Version of the Movie Server Media Library
Add
Media Contents from a Network Attached Storage
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Movie Library Management and Playback
The way how it manages the entire media
library and how it plays back the DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays are
the most eye-catching features of the DVDFab Movie Server. It offers a very
pleasant, smooth and convenient all-in-one solution. Among the similar products
that I have tried in recent years, this one is actually the best experience I
ever had.
Ø Organize and Manage the Media library
The Poster Wall feature is actually the No. 1
selling point the software vendor is advertising. They designed this feature
with the intention to help you find your wanted title from a myriad of movie collections
fast and efficiently. Suppose a Sunday
afternoon, you want to watch a Pixar movie with your kids, how much time it
will cost you to find that disc from your movie collections on the shelf? Five
minutes? Hell, with the Poster Wall feature, plus its smart sorting and
filtering function, you only need 1 minute, probably even less.
Display
the Media Library with the Poster Wall Feature
Ø Smart Sorting, Searching and Filtering
Features
The Poster Wall feature is the most direct
and visualized way to present you all the media contents you have on the Movie
Server, but Fengtao Software doesn’t just stop here, it goes even further to
make the process of locating a specific title more efficiently, with the Smart
Sorting, Searching and Filtering functions. The movies shown in the Poster Wall
are not just displayed randomly. They are well organized and grouped based on
the genres. With the additional help of the searching and filtering features, to
locate a target title from a sea of movie collection is just a piece of
pancake.
The Serach Function
The
Filter Function
Ø Movie Playback and Playback Control
DVDFab Movie Server offers two basic playback
modes to the ISO files made by the Full Disc mode of the DVDFab 10 software,
the Menu Mode and the Main Movie Mode. Menu Mode means to play back the movies
with the navigation menus, which is the best watching experience equal to the
home Blu-ray player. The Menu Mode works on DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD
Blu-rays; Main Movie Mode means to play back the feature-length movie directly,
instead of starting with the navigation menus. If you don’t want to choose which
mode to play back with every time you click the playback button, then it’s
better to make a default setting at the Settings panel > Playback >
Playback Mode.
Choose
Playback Mode between Menu Mode and Main Movie
Playback with the Navigation Menus
When it comes
to the playback control, DVDFab Movie Server also offers two ways. One is with
the traditional physical Remote, which is pretty much similar to any other
Remote you have at home. And the other way goes to digital, the company designs
a Remote App called DVDFab MS Remote, which works on both iOS and Android. This
approach, albeit nothing new, does free you from the trouble of losing your
physical Remote. You can use your smart phone or tablet to control the playback
process. But remember, apart from allowing you to browse and play back the
media contents on your iOS or Android device, the playback control functions
offered by the Remote App are quite limited. Compared to the fully-functional
physical Remote, with the Remote App, you can only Play/Pause, Fast Forward,
Rewind, switch from 2D to 3D playback mode (vice versa), switch audio tracks
and subtitle streams, and adjust the volume.
Playback Control with the Remote App on an iPhone
Ø Running Other Android Apps on the Movie
Server
Under the hood
running the DVDFab Movie Server is the Android 4.0 operating system. This
means, you can install other Android apps on this hard drive media player. But,
according to my test, most Apps are optimized either for smart phones or
tablets, only a few are compatible on set-top boxes, meaning your choices on
Apps might actually be a little be compromised.
Apps Installed on the Movie Server
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Conclusion
DVDFab Movie
Server is an excellent 4K UHD Blu-ray Media Plyer from both hardware and
software perspectives. It literally plays back anything you throw at it, from
DVDs, Blu-rays, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, and all the other digital files,
including H265 encoded videos and 4K 10-bit HDR10 videos. It can be a perfect
replacement of your home Blu-ray player and serve as your digital multimedia
hub.
Pros:
·
Excellent build
quality with affordable price;
·
The Poster
Wall feature really makes it pretty user-friendly to display your media
library;
·
Deeply
tailored UI design that is specifically optimized for the Movie Server;
·
Support
navigation menus on DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays;
·
Support
playback of H.265, 4K UHD, and HDR10 videos;
·
Compatible
with Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master and DTS:X audios;
·
Rich
connectivity and expandable possibilities.
Cons:
·
The hardware
specs, despite they say are top-level, are a little bit outdated today, 2GB RAM
with 16GB ROM, in my opinion, are just the minimal standard. After all, most
Android phones are employing 6GB RAM and 32GB ROM nowadays;
·
During my
test, the Wi-Fi connection and Ethernet connection sometimes do not work
simultaneously, and when streaming hi-res videos from MAS, it’s better to use
Ethernet connection, as Wi-Fi might occasionally cause jittery problems.
·
The 8TB
maximal capacity of the 3.5 inch SATA hard drive is quite limited. With the
prevailing of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, that space will surely be eaten up quickly.
·
The Poster
Wall feature is great, there is no doubt. However, during my experience, a few
of my movies failed to get the correct Meta information. Hopefully, this will
be addressed through the future firmware updates.
·
There is only
one HDMI port, which to me, is not enough. But, it might still can meet the
demand of most people.
Bottom Line:
Considering
the price tag of only $299 (plus, there are also holiday coupons), DVDFab Movie
Server is quite worthy of your money. Compared to the similar products with the
same price level, its performance is quite amazing. I also have a Dune HD Sole
4K, I personally think my experience with DVDFab Movie Server is far better
than that one. Besides, the 4K video image is quite sharp on my Samsung 4K TV.
Time to ditch your old home Blu-ray Player machine.
