Replacement for your DVD recorder?

We have with us in the office today is the A.C.Ryan AluBoxDVR. It is a fairly new product, and it is the first of a new line of AluBox series to be equipped with digital video capabilities.

The 'DVR' in its name stands for 'Digital Video Recorder-Player'. What this AluBox is able to do for us, is to not only playback files from our digital medias, but also being able to record from an input source.










The pretty standard looking box is fairly simple on both sides. Not too cluttered but provides sufficient information to briefly state what the product offers.






The outer enclosure of the AluBoxDVR is completely glossy black, and made of 1.8mm of solid aluminium. It provides adequete protection against slight knocks. As aluminium is used on the outside, there is better transfer of heat from the internal hard drive to the external surroundings, reducing the risk of high operating temperatures from long hours of usage.

Do take note of its glossy nature and colour, as finger marks will be very obvious!

Packed in a 3.5-inch box

The AluBox DVR is both a media and storage machine. It can play a wide range of media such as audio, video and even your photos in Slideshow view. On the front of the AluBox is a built-in card reader that accepts CompactFlash cards, SD cards and MMC. Basically cards from your cameras or handphones could probably be used with this box.

We also have a few indicator LEDs presented to us on the front bezel that will light up accordingly when data is being accessed/written whether via the PC or during recording and plackback. Overall, the front is neat and very presentable.






The rear holds all the input and output jacks. There is a USB 2.0 port. And there are a set of 3.5mm jacks for video input and video output. The box requires DC input and an external adapter is used. A nice addition is the built-in power on/off switch. It comes in handy when you need to have it completely off but have hidden your power brick somewhere.






With the hard drive loaded, everything fits nicely and there isn't really any squeeze anywhere. Using the provided screws to hold the hard disk firmly in place, just slot the tray back in, screw it tight and you're good to go.

The internals

The AluBoxDVR runs on Parallel ATA, so be sure to get yourself a PATA hard drive.

The power and IDE cables are of ideal length, so no worries about struggling to install a hard disk because of cables that are too short, or how to pack it back in after installing a hard drive in the case of long cables.






The top looks very very clean. All the components are hidden on the underside of the PCB. Unfortunately, I was unable to draw the PCB out from the metal housing to get some shots because of some components getting a little stuck.






What we have here are the four LEDs that light up for for power, CF/SD card access, hard disk access and recording and errors.

We didn't really like the idea of just suspending a small, thin PCB on an even thinner and soft piece of metal. It holds fine, no doubt about it, but users may need to be a bit more careful if they happen to be especially clumsy when handling electronics.

The SD/MMC slot is just below the suspended PCB.






Here is a closer look for the receiver for the remote control unit, as well as the CompactFlash slot.

Also notice the two tiny black screws beside the RF receiver unit. These two screws are responsible for keeping the PCB in place.

What's in the package

An external power adapter is used for the AluBoxDVR.






Two sets of AV cables are provided. One for the input, and one for the output. The side to be connected to the AluBoxDVR is a 3.5mm jack, whereas for the side to be connected to your equipment (recorder, TV, etc.) are RCA jacks: red and white for audio, and yellow for video.






A 1-meter USB 2.0 cable is included for file transfers between a computer and the AluBox. The AluBox can double as a storage device anytime.






A neat little remote. The remote is required in order to access the functions of the AluBoxDVR.






Two AAA-sized batteries are used. A pair is included in the box.






Unlike some crappy manuals with horrid English, this manual does a pretty good job in providing information required by the user to operate the AluBox.

It has everything from how to browse files using the system, to recording programmes off the television, to configuring the AluBox settings.

Summary of features

Media supported	IDE HDD, CompactFlash, SD, MMC
Capacity supported	Max. 750GB, max. 10,000rpm drives
Connectors	USB 2.0  Video In:  3.5mm jack to 3x RCA jacks (L/R sound, video)  Video Out:  3.5mm jack to 3x RCA jacks (L/R sound, video)  DC In
Power	100 - 240V AC, 50 / 60Hz to external DC adapter
Power consumption	6W typical
Colour system	PAL / NTSC
File system supported	FAT32 in primary partition
Firmware	Upgradeable
Audio formats supported	WAV / MP3 / AAC
Audio features	Equaliser  Multi-language DVD audio support  MP3 ID3 tag display  Can be used as an independent music player
Video formats supported	AVI / ASF / MPG / MPEG / DAT / VOB
Video features	Subtitles support  Playback from last location
Image formats supported	JPG / JPEG
Imaging features	Advanced slideshow  Special effects  Thumbnails  Zoom
Languages	English  German  French  Spanish  Simplified / Traditional Chinese
Video recording resolution	640 x 480
Video compression	MPEG-4
Record rate	25 - 30 frames per second
Recording timer	Able to preset times
Dimensions	205 x 125 x 30mm (L x W x H)
Weight	550g approx.
Package contents	A.C.Ryan AluBoxDVR  Plastic stand  4 screws for hard drive mounting  2 x audio/video cables  1 x USB 2.0 cable  AC/DC power adaptor with power cable  Driver CD  User manual

Closing thoughts

With an external casing, there is a lot more flexibility and portability as compared to having a PC with video recording capabilities.

The A.C.Ryan AluBoxDVR sized just like any regular external 3.5-inch hard disk enclosure. You could put in a hard disk with a capacity of your choice, and upgrade your hard disk when there is a need to increase storage space (in either case, the maximum one can install is a 750GB disk). When there is no need for its video recording or playback capabilities, the AluBoxDVR simply becomes an external storage device - plug it in to a USB 2.0 port on your computer and start transfering your data!