Monday, December 12, 2011

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TV STAJ100


Manufacturer : SEAGATE
Model : STAJ100
ASIN : B003IT6YFK
Price : 129.99$
Last Price : 132.99$(Discount -2.30786983614124%
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Product Description

Seagate FreeAgent STAJ100 Network Audio/Video Player STAJ100 Network Media Players
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
Works great with ISO files! It's 'OK' as a media player...
     
This review is from: Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TV STAJ100 (Electronics)
Ok, let's get something straight right away. The biggest thing I was looking forward to with this little device was if and how well it handled ISO files. I have great news, in that it does so very nicely. You basically browse to where the ISO files are located, and just click on the file. It starts playing immediately and at that point functions just like a DVD player. I would even suggest that it's better than a DVD player in that it has a very quick response to commands, such as chapter skips and fast forwarding. Video quality is fantastic. I have this plugged into a Panasonic 42" Plasma at 1080P and the up-conversion is very good.

So, that being said, I'm immediately happy with this device. For me everything else is just a 'nice to have' feature. Let's talk about those nice to haves...

The device is small. It has a door in the front that can open up to insert Seagate's FreeAgent's HDD's. Doing so isn't required to use the device at all. You can just as easily stream music/videos/pictures from a network device. However, on the main screen there are buttons associated with music/videos/pictures, that won't work unless you do have the drive installed and Seagates software sync'ed up with a PC (Win or Mac). At some point, I'll get around to installing that software on my Mac or my PC, but I haven't done so yet.

Plugging in and powering up was a snap. It took less than 30 seconds to power up and I was ready to go. There was no lengthy setup to perform. Literally plug and play. I was immediately able to click on some of the Internet features, such as Youtube and Flickr. Looking at pictures in HD is really amazing. Extremely clear and really a pleasure to look at.

The remote is small, but a bit cheap. This seems to be a common theme among these devices in that there's no real though put into the remote. It's not that complicated, so I feel it's very easy to use once you've learned the button layout. It has the common playback buttons, as well as arrow buttons and a home button. If you're ever lost, click on the home button to get back to the main menu. The one thing I hate is that the IR sensors aren't very forgiving. You have to firmly push on the remote buttons and make sure that you're pointing directly at the GoFlex. There's no feedback, so you essentially have to wait a few seconds to know whether or not it's going to work. I wish there was a LED on the device that blinked when it received a command.

The only other feature that I'm interested in is the NetFlix playback. It works very similar to others in that you can browse your saved queue and select the movie you want to watch. It's work very well. Video quality also is very good and is likely limited to what NetFlix is able to stream. There's seems to be zero strain on the device to playback movies.

The interface is very basic. I would place it significantly below the quality of the Roku box, but better than most other media players (aka PCH or NMT, if you know what I'm talking about) I've tested. There doesn't appear to be any way to modify or customize the interface. There's an options menu that lets you do very common stuff like check the network settings, change video resolution, etc...

Overall, I like the device and successfully met my requirements for ISO files. I hope that future updates improve on the interface as well as add other features. One feature in particular that I would like to see is Amazon OnDemand. I don't use that service that much, but it's nice to have when you want to watch some of the latest releases. That being said, I would have no problem in recommending this as a solid Media Player. It's probably one of the best values out there today.

Pros
====
- Plays ISO files perfectly
- Great up-conversion for movie files
- Excellent video quality (for 42" plasma @1080p via HDMI)
- NetFlix playback works very well
- Interface is pretty quick, even when browsing network devices
- Excellent value

Cons
====
- The remote is a bit on the cheap, but decent button layout.
- Not enough feedback when using the remote. It's hard to tell if the button you clicked is doing anything.
- Requires firm button clicks and direct pointing at the device.

Wishlist
========
- Add Amazon OnDemand
- Improvements to interface, such as better feedback when clicking remote buttons
- Improve the remote IR sensitivity
- Recognize folder bitmap images. Would be very helpful when browsing video folders.


28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
all of the above plus
This review is from: Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TV STAJ100 (Electronics)
I agree with the comments in the previous reviews. One quick heads-up for anyone looking to bundle this with the recommended items (hard drive and cable).... The 1TB "go flex" drive has a larger footprint and does not fit into the drive slot on the front of the box. It can be connected via the USB port on the back but if you were hoping for the ability to slide the drive into the front slot use must order a "go flex" drive sized lower than 1TB with the 14mm profile. Not a big deal just a heads up.


31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
NO BETTER THEN THE CHEAPER FREEAGENT THEATER+
  
This review is from: Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TV STAJ100 (Electronics)
With the current firmware, the new Seagate FreeAgnet GoFlex TV performs identically to the older FreeAgent Theater+ it replaces. The menu looks EXACTLY the same, and the some of the problems that the FreeAgent Theater+ has is also present on the Goflex TV.

GOOD
-Playback virtually everything I throw at it.
-Excellent picture quality
-Compact and light weight
-Behaves like a regular DVD player - play back DVD ISO or VIDEO_TS folder with MENU support
-Built-in dock for FreeAgent Goflex via internal SATA connector - actually you can hook up ANY 2.5" SATA hard drive directly but the front of the hard drive will protrude out from the Goflex TV by 0.5 inch so it looks awkward if you just use a bare drive.
-Netflix support

BAD
-Heats up a lot after prolonged playback (just like the FreeAgent Theater+), especially if you use the Goflex hard drive with the Goflex TV. When I use the FreeAgent GO with FreeAgent Theater+, the hard drive does not heat up as much.
-For some reason, when power down the Goflex TV via the remote control, the indicator light turn orange BUT the Goflex hard drive that's inserted does NOT power down and keeps spinning!! This ia a major design flaw in my opinion (when the FreeAgent Theater+ is turned off, Freeagnet GO powers down)
-No way to categorize files on the hard drive - everything is displayed on a big long list
-Cost $20 more than the FreeAgent Theater+ yet no new features are added

BOTTOM LINE - it's a better deal getting the FreeAgent Theater+ and FreeAgent GO portable hard drive

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Not simple to use
I have to confess that I am not a network expert or even an expert on using this kind of hardware but I was hoping I wouldn't have to be.
by Thomas Paul

Love this little box , Netflix interface is a let down
Have been using the goflex tv for a few weeks now. I haven't had any problems with it playing any file type I've ran through it.
by cwalker1960

shame on you, Seagate
I've spent WAY too much time trying to make this thing work...difficult firmware downloads, calls to tech support, buy new cables...
by Keith Hopper

Great product at a great price!
I purchased this unit about 3 months ago and it works great! I have it connected via ethernet over power adapter to my router upstairs.
by Brent Alexander

fine drive reader, but netflix is awful
As a drive reader/player, this device is excellent! However, if you're looking for a Netflix player, stick with your Wii or computer/iPad.
by Nicholas Eric vonKlock

Slow and Did NOT Come With Ethernet Cable
The Seagate GoFlex TV HD Media Playing Device is a convenient little box that makes it easier to connect to the internet or your personal computer and view everything from your...
by SciFiChick

Plays anything, random lock ups
Pros: Plays anything, at least so far. Small footprint, some Go flex HDDs will dock. Easy set up. Excellent HD video picture play with .mts files.
by B-Tine

Not worth my money
I bought this item thinking it was a great combination for a portable USB drive and would give my old Roku box a run for its money.
by newnewyorker

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TB STAJ100
PROS:
Unit is very small, maybe smaller then a paperback.
Can read USBs for pics/videos (USB port)
Can do Netflix, YouTube, Paramount, vTuner, Mediafly, Picasa,...
by Lena, LMT

Early review of the GoFlex TV
I bought this unit about a week ago. I connected it to an Airport Express via an ethernet cable. The connection was easy to setup and I could access and play Netflix movies.
by Winkster

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