A Closer Look - Outside

Taking a quick look at the player, it is clear that Eminent is going for a clean, straight and understated look. Considering the main area of use, that is not a bad thing at all. The front is actually protected by a plastic film, which I did not notice doing the photographing of the device.


There is not much to be found in the front besides the company logo, the model name and an IR receiver. Most of the connectivity can naturally be found on the rear. The EM7280 hdMEDIA RT³ may act as a USB host, allowing for external storage devices to be attach to the device. If you choose to connect the media player to a PC, using the USB 3.0 interface ensures that your media files are transferred as quickly as possible. The mandatory HDMI connector, an Ethernet plug and both Analog Video/Audio along with a optical out round up the bunch of connectors in the back. A small fan is used to keep the hard drive cool. While this may be a precautionary measure, I would rather see a lot of air vents like in a traditional home theater amplifier, than a fan. You will find an SD card reader and additional USB 2.0 plug on one side, while the other is completely solid.


The hard drive needs to be installed from the underside of the chassis. As the clearly marked cover shows, you are required to remove a pair of screws to gain access.