Raidsonic IB-MP305 Network MultiMedia Player None Specified   Page 1

Reviewer: Nik Kastrantas Article Publish Date: 11/10/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

    With Christmas holidays just around the corner it really comes as no surprise than companies are rushing to release new products into the market with quite affordable prices. It has been a while since we had a new Hardware Media Player into our hands and right now we are testing not one but 5 new models ranging from entry level ones up to high end ones which we plan to introduce to you until Christmas. The first unit comes from Raidsonic which is one of the few companies that have been making standalone media players for quite a long time and they keep doing so. The name of the device is the Icy Box MP305 or IB-MP305 and is based on the latest Realtek High Definition playback chipset solution the RTD1073 which is their answer to the well known Sigma Designs playback chipset line.

 

 

 

 

 

     RaidSonic was founded in Hamburg in 1999 and in May 2004 they moved to Ahrensburg due to the need for larger warehouse space. Ever since Raidsonic has grown into one of the best known corporations around especially in the PC market not only as a result of the high quality components and materials used in their solutions but also because of their permanent improving logistic and expanded technical support.

 

 

 

 

 

     Having tested a large number of Sigma Designs based solutions i really have no idea of what to expect from the IB-MP305 but considering the range of features and specifications which are quite inferior to the ones found on Sigma Design Solutions and also the price tag is set quite lower and so at first glance the unit seems like an entry level solution for people that just require basic functionality in a Hardware Media Player. The real question however is whether or not both the image and sound quality  are equivalent with the latest media players based on the new Sigma Designs chipset.