1. Hard Drive Case Mutates Into DivX And DVD Player

External USB hard drive boxes are useful, but lack the ability to directly play video and audio data on a television; they require a PC. This means that until now, you always had to burn saved films or MP3 files on blank discs to be able to play them with a DVD player. But with the new Modix HD-3510 box, you can eliminate this step and play the files directly from the hard disk you installed yourself.

The IDE interface can handle disks of up to 400 GB, which means storage space for several DVDs. But the Modix HD-3510 can also play back DivX films, which means there's an almost endless playback time. The box is supplied without a hard disk, and its dimensions (5" x 8" x 1.75" or 129 x 205 x 45 mm, WxLxH) are no larger than a normal USB box. Weighing about three-quarters of a pound (350 grams) it could even be considered a lightweight.

In addition to DVD and MPEG4 files, the integrated hardware can display photos and play back MP3 files. The HD-3510 should even be able to play films in HDTV 1080i format and sound in AC3 format without any problems. This is very appealing, because once you have films or sound files on the hard disk, you don't always want to burn them to be able to play them at any given time. Playing directly saves many blank discs and, above all, unnecessary time waiting for the medium to be burned. It's also no longer necessary to buy a fast DVD burner, whether single or dual layer, because you no longer need to burn anything. The Modix HD-3510 box makes that a thing of the past.

Something different: a USB box as a DVD/DivX player with HDTV output

There's hardly any difference between it and a normal USB hard disk box.