QNAP might be a name most commonly associated with Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, but the Taiwanese outfit is branching out into the multimedia space with the introduction of the NMP-1000 network media player.
The device, pictured below, has been doing the rounds for a number of months but has now finally reached retail and promises to "bridge the gap between the home network and the living room".
QNAP describes the NMP-1000 as a "set-top player crossed with a NAS server", and that's a pretty accurate description. Hooking up to the web via Ethernet, the unit is designed to playback multimedia from a variety of sources - including networked devices, an optional internal hard drive or web sources including Flickr and YouTube.
With added NAS functionality, the NMP-1000 can also be used as an automatic backup device, as well as a file-sharing server.
Video connectivity options include HDMI, Composite, S-Video, Component, as well as analogue stereo and S/PDIF for audio.
A pair of USB ports allow for storage expansion, whilst a third USB or eSATA port allows for the unit to be connected to a PC for use as an external storage device.
The NMP-1000 is DLNA-compliant, offers support for Windows, Mac or Linux-based clients, and it'll output at a full-HD 1080p resolution. It should also playback just about anything you throw at it. Here's QNAP's list of supported formats:
| Audio Formats | FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, PCM, AC3, MPA, DTS, OGG |
|---|---|
| Video Formats | Codec: MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, XVID, H.264, H.263, WMV9, VC1 |
| Container: AVI, MPEG/MPG, VCD (ISO, MPG), DVD (VOB, IFO, ISO), WMV, ASF, TP, TS, TRP, M1V, M2V, M4V, M2P, M2T, M2TS, MTS, MOV, MP4, RMP4, MKV | |
| Image Formats | BMP, JPEG/ JPG, PNG |
| Playlist | M3U, PLS, WPL, ASX |
| Subtitle Compatibility | SRT, SUB, SMI, TXT, ASS, SSA, SUB (with idx) |
Interested? It's available now from the QNAP Store priced at £262.99.
