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Remember the tiny, ickle ViewSonic VMP30 media player we tested back in November -- the one that claimed to handle 1080p video but struggled slightly? Well we've recently had a chance to take a look at its bigger brother, the VMP72, which ViewSonic says addresses the problems of its smaller sibling.

The VMP72 also has a wider range of ports. HDMI is present, as are component and composite video outputs and a digital S/PDIF audio jack. Interestingly, ViewSonic's thrown in a couple of USB ports for connecting your media sources, along with an Ethernet port for hooking the VMP72 up to a network-attached storage device.

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The player, which offers both A/V-in and A/V-out jacks (these require special minijack-to-RCA video/audio cables that ship with the device), can't display on both a TV and the built-in LCD simultaneously. Neither does it autodetect when the A/V output cable is plugged in. So in order to play video on an external monitor, you'll need to manually set the device to use the video-out jack.

Other than a built-in mount for attaching the MP-2000 to a tripod, the unit lacks a method of propping itself up for hands-free viewing. While you could lean it against a coffee cup for extended viewing, some kind of kickstand on the player would have been a welcome extra. The MP-2000 also sorely needs a remote control, an item that ships with Archos's AV420.

The MP-2000 is automatically recognized as a hard drive when you plug it into a USB 2.0 port, and transferring files is a simple, drag-and-drop process--just remember to put video in the video file and audio in the audio file. Perhaps the easier method of getting video content onto the MP-2000 is recording directly from a video source, such as a TV. Files are saved in MPEG4 format in a variety of quality and resolution settings, including Standard (240x180, 96Kbps) and Best (320x240, 224Kbps). It will not copy protected DVDs, though, which means that using the A/V output on your DVD player to record your DVD collection onto the MP-2000 simply isn't an option. The Archos AV420 offers the ability to record protected content onto the hard drive and play it back only on the LCD screen, something we would have liked to have seen in the MP-2000. Also, unlike some other PVPs, there isn't a bookmarking feature, nor is there a 24-second Skip Commercial function. The MP-2000 also offers audio recording via line-in or by using the built-in mic for voice recording. Line-in audio is recorded into MP3 at various bit rates, which are designated only as Standard, Better, Best, and so forth.

Back to the main interface: It's extremely low-res, it feels antiquated for a device of this nature, and it screams "Nintendo NES" rather than "21st-century media gadget." Still, it's not a deal breaker--it's efficient, just not elegant. The main menu includes the following clear options: Video, Music, Photo, Voice Record, A/V Record, and Settings. Drilling down into any of the content options (video, audio, photo) opens a Windows Explorer-type folder tree with separate tiny windows for thumbnail images (or video) and file information.

Using the MP-2000 to view photos varies from not bad to very annoying. Once you've selected a folder, hit the Play/Enter button to start a slide show. You can select a delay between slides ranging from 1 to 30 seconds and turn music on or off while you're playing slides, though we wish the manual would tell us how to pick a specific background song for a slide show. We expected we'd be able to use the thumbstick to skip back and forth between pictures, and after the slide show had been open for a bit, it did. Moving the 'stick from left to right moves forward and backward through the collection...er, rotates the picture...er, takes us into tiled Pick A Photo mode. We had to consult the manual and practice with the thumbstick to successfully navigate through our collection of photos. The player drags for more than a few seconds when queueing up thumbnails for, say, nine 1.6MB photos, but it works fairly quickly on smaller-size images.

As far as listening quality goes, the Apex offered us some surprisingly detailed sound, at least, once we dumped the cheap, over-the ear 'phones that came in the box. The horn solo that opens Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" was strikingly clear right down to the glissando, and the player managed to reveal much of the detail from the piano and Ms. Holiday's voice. Really cranking the volume up on a rocker such as Concrete Blonde's "It'll Chew You Up and Spit You Out" was problematic; at points, the bass started to distort a bit. That could be due in part to the hefty power demands of our Grado headphones, or the amp might simply get overtaxed on the low end when it's cranked. Voice recording via the onboard mic gave us tinny but still highly listenable audio.

You can actually plug in up to two USB storage devices at once and the content on those drives will show up in an onscreen menu system that's pretty easy to use. If there's a small knock against all these types of media players, it's that it takes a short while for the unit to initially recognize and load all the media files. It's not a huge delay, but you're not looking at the same kind of zippiness you've probably come to expect from connecting a drive to your PC or laptop and having the files show up in a few seconds (so long as everything is connected via USB 2.0). It's also worth noting that the stock thumbnail icons all look the same; there's no custom image for each thumbnail to differentiate the file icons. (You tell them apart by their titles.)

Western Digital assumes you obtained all your media files legally, but the WD TV Media Player appears to be rather inclusive in the types of files it plays. The device also ships with ArcSoft's MediaConverter 2.5, which converts photo, video, and music files into formats optimized for use on the WD TV HD Media Player. According to Western Digital, the player supports full HD video playback--up to 1080p--via HDMI, though 1080p files tend to be pretty large (5GB+). Our tests confirmed 1080p playback.

Owners of the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 should note that those consoles already do a good job of media playback (via USB or over the network), but the WD TV might have some key file format support that those do not. Likewise, dedicated media streamers such as the Popcorn Hour A-110 (which has built-in networking capabilities for streaming files directly from your computer to your TV, and even a dedicated BitTorrent client) or the Sling Media SlingCatcher (which supports file playback via USB) may be more full-featured, but they're far more expensive as well. They also include some degree of network configuration, while the WD TV is more of a plug and play device.

As far as direct competition, the Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link is less expensive ($80-100), but the WD TV Media player is the sleeker looking device and has a easier-to-use interface. However, the Iomega managed to play the audio without a hitch on those two files the Western Digital player had trouble with. Meanwhile, at the time of this writing, Seagate hadn't quite released its FreeAgent Theater HD media player, but the two products are very similar and carry identical price tags. We doubt that model will have any significant advantages over this one, so if you're in market for this type of device as a way to free your multimedia files from your computer, we have no problem recommending the WD TV Media Player. While it may not be without its kinks or offer networking capabilities, it does what it advertises--and does it pretty well.

However, the box, which retails for $699, is compatible only with Sony 4K TVs. Sony is offering owners of its X900A sets a $200 introductory discount on the media player's price. The media player will be bundled with 10 feature films and video shorts in 4K resolution, which Sony said has an estimated value of $300.

The M200's interface is simplistic, smooth, and easy to navigate. There's the option to browse via media type, by all, or by drive. Sure, the UI has its quirks, but it's nothing a few days behind the wheel won't cure. Text input remains a major issue with these types of devices, so it's tough to just knock one and not the other.

In addition to basic media browsing, the M200 offers plenty of Internet-based functionality, including YouTube, Picasa, and Flickr support as well as Internet radio, and RSS feeds. There's also compatibility with Play-On media service (which requires a subscription) that opens up the door to ESPN, Hulu, and Netflix on-demand content.

Several factors suggest the Ayres-Nalebuff scenario is unlikely to occur. First, producing a media player is not difficult: Cnet.com lists 31 free players. Second, although firms that own encoding standards can make money by licensing the standard, to monopolize encoding, Microsoft would need to exclude rival formats, forcing consumers to use its WMA format. Third, they assume that the ubiquity of one audio format means that content encoded in other formats will disappear. We believe it wont.

Update: A CNET spokesperson has told Joystiq's Kyle Orland, a regular games media commentator who is keeping close track of the story, that "we do not terminate employees based on external pressure from advertisers". Orland notes other developments here, here, here and here.

The Monday to Friday online tech news program, CNET Update, debuted a new interactive video player that produces real-time links to topics covered by the show, allowing viewers to read more on each story, while they watch.

While most of the the major video sites and online video services providers are providing HTML5 support, primarily for Apple iOS devices, Blip.tv is going to adopt HTML5 as its standard player for the Web and other platforms, says Justin Day, co-founder and CTO in this interview with Beet.TV 2351a5e196