Page 4 - Performance and Conclusion
Audio/Video Performance
After playing a number of 1080p videos, I was impressed by the playback quality. The videos I tried range from full 1080p HD to SD, and they all played without any stuttering at all. The only time I noticed any stuttering was during rewind, but that is to be expected. Overall, I was fairly impressed with this little device. The UEBO M50 handled fast-forwarding, rewinding, zooming without any other unusual quirks. Playing slideshows was an effortless experience, and the fact I could pick music to play during the slideshow was a hidden jewel of this media player. However, things were a completely different story when I was playing video through the provided composite output. I noticed an incredible level of blur on my old CRT screen when using the M50, and that the operating system's menus were designed to only be displayed properly on a widescreen setup, even when the 4:3 aspect ratio was selected from the setting menu. It also had very noticeable screen shaking that was not present when using HDMI. I would easily say this device is designed to be used with HDMI, and composite is really just a worst case backup.
As far as audio is concerned, the supported formats had very respectable playback quality over HDMI. During videos or just listening to music, I did not notice any drop in performance between during playback of a number of files I was familiar with. I'm not entirely convinced that someone purchasing the UEBO M50 would do it simply to play audio over HDMI. Therefore, it is only logical to take a look at the M50's performance with the composite cable. When it came to the analog output, I was fairly impressed at the quality, considering the video was not as fortunate. Playing music and audio during videos matched my expectations, and there was no noticeable drop in quality between HDMI and composite. If you were planning to use this as an audio player and hook it up with the composite output, you can certainly do that, unless you are a hardcore audiophile. On a side note, you can only do audio over HDMI; the UEBO M50 has no S/PDIF output.
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Small outside, big inside. This is what UEBO calls the M50, but is the right definition? For those who want a small and mobile media player, this little bugger is asking for $65 at press time, and acts as a great portable interface between your digital media and your HDTV. It provides a high definition solution for your audio/video needs, and even backwards compatibility with composite output. The only real catch here is the UEBO M50 doesn't come with an HDMI cable, and instead only comes with a composite cable. This means that the device cannot be used out of box as a high definition solution. The M50 also cannot be used on a network unless you supply your own wireless USB adapter, but for something of this price, this is well within expectations. Do keep in mind only SD cards can be used when a USB wireless adapter is attached, and any custom settings will be lost when the card is unplugged. In short, for $65 coming out of the box, the device provides very little in accessories, but its expandability options allow for many features to become accessible. The bad news is this doesn't change the fact that it feels cheap overall compared to other similar products around the same price. I'm not sure if the M50 is the most competitive product at this price range, especially compared against products like the Patriot Box Office (Now with updated firmware). The software is overall acceptable in use, but it really only offers the absolute bare minimum to be considered a media player, with nothing that makes this product stand out over others. The remote isn't very sturdy, and the responsiveness is not always present. The size of the remote is also a bit too small to be comfortable to use for a long period of time. When considering all of the above factors, I would question the quality of what you are getting for the price. In the end, only you can decide if the UEBO M50 is right for you.
UEBO provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Review Focus Summary:
6/10 means A product with its advantages, but drawbacks should not be ignored before purchasing.
5/10 means An average product with no real advantages; drawbacks and advantages just seems to cancel each other out.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 5.7/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
The UEBO M50 may be small on the outside, but it can still pack a good punch when juggling your media.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. A Closer Look - Software
4. Performance and Conclusion
