This article is more than 1 year old

Crystal Acoustics MediaMatchBox

Tiny media player with fantastic format support

Teeny, tiny yet packed with codecs

The MediaMatchBox made short work of my test folder of file types: AVI, WMV, MPEG, FLV, TS and MKVs all played. Subtitles are adjustable, with selectable colour and size.

Crystal Acoustics MediaMatchBox

HDMI and a composite video adaptor cable are your only video outputs

The MediaMatchBox can also cope with DVD and BD ISOs, offering multichannel bitstream or LPCM audio streaming.

If you’re more interested in using this media player for music, perhaps in conjunction with an older AVR, then you’ll find equally robust compliancy. It’s happy with MP3, AAC, APE, Flac, Ogg, WAV and WMA files. Audio post processing is limited to a Night Mode range suppressor. Album art is displayed when available.

Crystal Acoustics MediaMatchBox

The UI isn't a gem of aesthetics, but it's functional

It can also display JPEGs, BMP, PNG and Gifs.

Crystal Acoustics hasn’t done much to pimp the interface of the MediaMatchBox - it offers the basic Realtek UI. That said, it’s sharp and colourful, with direct navigation to Movies, Music, Photos and Settings. The HDMI output is variable up to 1080p/24 and there’s a video zoom for anyone that can think of a use for it.

Crystal Acoustics MediaMatchBox

Using the remote feels like popping bubble-wrap

RH Recommended Medal

I still found it the MediaMatchBox a little slow when it comes to scanning connected drives. It occasionally misses stuff as well, requiring you to resort to the File Management tool to riffle through nested folders. There is some basic file editing built-in, with Copy, Paste, Delete and Move options on files or folders.

Verdict

The MediaMatchBox is a great advert for the new Realtek chip, and a super little media player in its own right. If you’re looking to upgrade your TV or AV system it provides a slick user experience in a tidy chassis. ®

More Media Player Reviews

Crystal
Acoustics
PicoHD5.1
PCTV
NanoStick
T2
PopBox
3D
Digital
Stream
DPS-1000
Elgato
Tivizen
85%
Crystal Acoustics MediaMatchBox

Crystal Acoustics MediaMatchBox

Ultra-compact storage-less media player that'll sit between a content-filled hard drive and your telly.
Price: £55 RRP

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like