Are you looking for the best hdd media players? If so, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll provide detailed information about the hdd media players for 2023.
To help you navigate through these options, I took the help of research. I spent several hours studying all notable hdd media players. Things started getting clear after I put in some hard work. I started reading up more on public forums and got to know about various hdd media players in detail. The brands usually tend to overpromise and underdeliver, and who can tell better than the users themselves? These forums had long reviews by not only users but some subject matter experts as well.
Read this article to find unbiased reviews of various hdd media players. You will get to know the features as well as some minute details. I’ll also go over some of my favorite hdd media players on the market today and give my opinion on which ones are worth considering.
Note: Brands market their product to attract users, but in this article, we will reveal the truth about all the hdd media players that we mention.
10 Best Hdd media players Available Now
The best hdd media players of the year is not a single hdd media players. It’s a combination of hdd media players. It’s a combination of features that make a hdd media players the best one rather than just one or two unique features. A hdd media players is an essential product for many, but there are so many different options on the market that it can be difficult to find the right one for your needs.
- Premium full-sized 4Kp60 D Vision & HDR10+ Media Player on Realtek RTD1619DR with 2 HDD racks and Hi-Fi audio
- You can play top quality Super Audio CD (DSD) music files in all any popular formats (ISO, DFF, DSF), including both stereo and multichannel files, including files which use DST compression
- The media player has high-fidelity analog stereo audio outputs (2xXLR + 2xRCA) based on a premium 32-bit DAC (AKM AK4493EQ or ESS ES9038Q2M) with industry’s leading level low distortion characteristics
- Video file formats: MKV, MPEG-TS, MPEG-PS, M2TS, VOB, AVI, MOV, MP4, QT, ASF, WMV, ISO, folders
- ️ Two HDMI output ports – The additional HDMI output port allows getting the best picture and audio quality in various scenarios, for example, when using a 4K/HDR TV and an A/V receiver without 4K/HDR support
- Multichannel DSD files can be output to HDMI as high quality multichannel PCM (up to 176.4 KHz)
- Rear panel HDD slot can be used to install 3.5″ or 2.5″ HDD or SSD
- You can play music in the most advanced DSD format in “Direct DSD” mode, as well as in various lossless formats, including FLAC / PCM up to 384 kHz
- Stereo DSD files can be output to HDMI and S/PDIF as high quality stereo PCM (up to 176.4 KHz)
- Two HDD racks – Front panel hot-swap HDD rack can be used to easily and quickly insert and exchange 3.5″ SATA HDDs
- Advanced connectivity, 2x HDD: hot-swap + internal, Hi-Fi audio DAC, High-End toroidal PSU, premium case, OLED display
- The advanced D Vision VS10 video processing engine ensures maximum image quality when playing any type of content (SDR, HDR, D Vision) with any type of video output signal (SDR, HDR, D Vision), improves the SDR/HDR/D Vision conversion quality, minimizes the effect of “posterization” (“banding”) due to more advanced 12-bit video processing
- Video codecs: MPEG2, MPEG4, XVID, WMV9, VC1, H.264, H.265, H.265 10-bit, VP9, VP9 profile 2; support for very high bitrate video up to 100 Mbit/s and higher
- Hi-End PSU – Toroidal power transformer with separated circuits for digital and analog parts ensures excellent video and audio quality
- 4K D Vision & HDR10+ video output: output 4K content up to 4Kp60 HDR, HDR10+ and D Vision with pixel-to-pixel precision to 4K TV
- 4K D Vision & HDR10+ video playback: decode 4K video content in various popular formats including H.265 10-bit and VP9 profile 2 up to 4Kp60 HDR, HDR10+ and D Vision
- 4Kp60 D Vision & HDR10+ Media Player and Android Smart TV box on Realtek RTD1619DR with HDD rack and two HDMI outputs
- ️ 3D video: play all popular 3D video formats, including MVC, Side-by-Side, Top-and-Bottom
- D Vision VS10 engine: advanced D Vision VS10 engine for best possible processing of SDR, HDR and D Vision content
- Video file formats: MKV, MPEG-TS, MPEG-PS, M2TS, VOB, AVI, MOV, MP4, QT, ASF, WMV, ISO, folders
- Video codecs: MPEG2, MPEG4, XVID, WMV9, VC1, H.264, H.265, H.265 10-bit, VP9, VP9 profile 2; support for very high bitrate video up to 100 Mbit/s and higher
- High-End video quality, YouTube 4K HDR, HD audio, 1Gbit Ethernet, WiFi ac 2T2R, BT, USB Type-C, USB 3.1, HDMI input, 4GB RAM, 32GB flash
- Advanced media player: play video in MKV and other modern video file formats, including top quality 4K and HD with very high bit rates (100 Mbit/s+)
- Subtitle formats: SRT (external), SUB (MicroDVD) (external), text (MKV), SSA/ASS (MKV, external), VobSub (MP4, MKV, external SUB/IDX), PGS (ISO, TS, MKV)
- Hi-End music: play music files in various Hi-End audio formats: 192/24, FLAC, Monkey’s Audio APE, WAV/PCM, Super Audio CD (stereo and multichannel), etc
- Hot swapping is supported
- The extended D Vision information is used and transmitted to the TV to improve the picture quality
- D Vision VS10 video processing engine ensures maximum image quality when playing any type of content (SDR, HDR, D Vision) with any type of video output signal (SDR, HDR, D Vision)
- Also supports 2.5″ SSD (Solid State Drives)
- Small-sized enclosure with two bays for 2.5″/3.5″ SATA hard drives, with support for hard drives up to 16TB
- Real Vision 4K Duo supports direct playback of movie ISO/folder structures in D Vision format (MEL and FEL)
- Dune HD Real Vision 4K Duo is a Media Player and Android Smart TV box with a new and powerful RTD1619 processor supporting HDR10 +, D Vision, YouTube 4K HDR, as well as 4Kp60, HDR, HDR10 +, D Vision, HDMI 2.0b, HD sound, BD4K, BD3D, Blu-ray menu, NFS, SMB, 1Gbit Ethernet, WiFi 2.4 / 5, USB 3.1
- All popular D Vision profiles (P4, P5, P7 MEL and FEL, P8) are supported
- Intelligent passive and active cooling (silent fan)
- Hard drive bays are equipped with indicators.
- Hard drive installation is done by attaching the hard drive to the tray with screws (screws included)
- Hard drive bays can be key-locked (keys included)
- Media Player is supported for all popular file formats (MKV, MP4, TS, M2TS, ISO, movie folder structure)
- Widest support for D Vision file formats – D Vision is supported for all popular file formats (MKV, MP4, TS, M2TS, ISO, movie folder structure)
- You can play music in the most advanced DSD format in “Direct DSD” mode, as well as in various lossless formats, including FLAC / PCM up to 384 kHz
- This is possible due to the unique video playback and output engine created by Dune HD
- Hi-End components from famous vendors – NEUTRIK (Germany), Vishay Roederstein (Germany), WIMA (Germany), Nichicon (Japan)
- Video codecs: MPEG2, MPEG4, XVID, WMV9, VC1, H.264, H.265, H.265 10-bit, VP9, VP9 profile 2; support for very high bitrate video up to 100 Mbit/s and higher
- This gives benefits even when using the media player with older TVs that do not support D Vision
- Premium full-sized casing – Standard 43 cm design fits perfectly into your audio/video rack
- Hi-End PSU – Dual R-Type power transformers with totally separated power for digital and analog circuits to minimize interference and ensure outstanding video and audio quality
- Two HDD racks – Front panel hot-swap HDD rack can be used to easily and quickly insert and exchange 3.5″ SATA HDDs
- Hi-End audiophile DAC – ESS flagship SABRE PRO Hi-End DAC (ES9038PRO) with the industry’s highest dynamic range of 140dB and extremely low distortion for outstanding sound quality
- All popular D Vision profiles (P4, P5, P7 MEL and FEL, P8) are supported
- The built-in XMOS XU216 audio processor provides bit-perfect digital audio processing with original sample rate preservation, reclocking, ultra-low jitter
- Rear panel HDD slot can be used to install 3.5″ or 2.5″ HDD or SSD
- Headphone amplifier – Headphone output on the front panel with built-in high-quality headphone amplifier connected directly to ESS SABRE PRO DAC
- Playback of D Vision ISO/folder structures – The media player supports direct playback of movie ISO/folder structures in D Vision format (MEL and FEL)
- D Vision VS10 video processor – The advanced D Vision VS10 video processing engine ensures maximum image quality when playing any type of content (SDR, HDR, D Vision) with any type of video output signal (SDR, HDR, D Vision), improves the SDR/HDR/D Vision conversion quality, minimizes the effect of “posterization” (“banding”) due to more advanced 12-bit video processing
- The extended D Vision information is used and transmitted to the TV to improve the picture quality
- Z10pro has a fan for heat dissipation and Coaxia, RCA(L&R) and RCA video composite ports comparing with Zidoo Z9X
- H.265(HEVC), 12Bit, BD/UHD BDMV/ISO, MVC 3D(Blu-rayMKV), MKV, TS etc, will support all popular D Vision profiles ( P4, P5, P7, P8, MEL / FEL )
- Welcome to ZIDOO
- Any problem with zidoo device use, please feel free to email the seller
- CPU and Image Processing EngineZidoo Z10pro is equipped with chipset RTD1619DR hexa-core 64bit high-performance processor, 2G DDR4+32G eMMC
- Android world of APP, games, movies, music are waitting for you
- AUDIO lossless playback, including master-level DSD: SACD ISO, DFF, DSF, Lossless CD: WAV, APE, FLAC
- A home theater Forum on our official website
- Android 9.0 OSSmart Android tv box
- Meet Blu-ray And Hi-Fi Need4K HDR Media Player
- Up to DSD256 / PCM192Khz sampling rate, HDMI and SPDIF output, fully meet your Hi-Fi need
- Support OTA Update and Multi-language
- Zidoo Z10pro has 2 SATA3.0 supports hard drive 2X14TB, USB3.0X2, USB2.0X2, Bluetooth 4.2, Gigabit network transmission, 2.4G+5G dual-band WiFi, work with NFS, SMB V1/V2/V3, UPnP, stream easily from PC and NAS
- DRM widevine L1
- ZIDOO Controller is own APP for Zidoo device
- We attach great importance to your suggestions and opinions
- DV VS10 image processing engine, output low latency high-quality DV (LLDV), get best image quality
- Sufficient Expansion AbilitySmooth Media Player
- ZIDOO Service SupportZIDOO is a team that has been serving the home audio-visual industry for a long time
- 4K@60Hz
- Dual USB Ports– Plays from TF card / USB flash drives(up to 128G) and USB hard drives up to 8TB
- Dual USB ports for connecting two devices, but it can only read one of them at one time
- 4K Media Player– Experience Full 4k@30hz media files in this digital media player; It supports a single file up to 4GB(FAT32) or 30GB(NTFS) in MKV, AVI, TS/TP, MP4/M4V, MOV, VOB, M2TS, WMV, PMP, PG, M2TS; It is capable of 4K video only for 4K TV, HDMI up to 7.1 surround sound, good for home entertainment systems;Made of aluminum alloy, it has better protection during carrying
- It also reads embedded and external subtitle files like SRT, SMI, SUB, SSA
- It also supports horizontal and vertical screen, compatible with your vertical screen
- HDMI & AV & Optical Output– You can manage the media player to play MP3 or WAV songs to your speakers via optical or AV output to experience better audio effects
- Videos and photos can be played in order, and music can be played randomly; It also reads PPT document, you can connect a PPT flip to display it better
- You can also connect a USB mouse or keyboard to operate the player, making your TV smarter by adding the ability to play videos, music, and photo slideshows or PPT
- Multiple Play Modes & Vertical Display — This 4k media player can play various popular videos, music, and photos
- H.265 Decoding– Powerful H.265 decoding loads files by taking half time and half occupation of bandwidth of H.264 decoding, it is much more efficient and faster; Enjoy a higher quality video experience with less buffering
- Welcome to ZIDOO
- Support Multi-channel- DSD audio output as Mullti-channel PCM
- Any problem with zidoo device use, please email the seller feel free
- We attach great importance to your suggestions and opinions
- Zidoo Z1000pro has one SATA 3.0 and hidden HDD bay supports hard drive 2 X 16TB, USB3.0X2, support USB DAC
- H.265(HEVC), 12Bit, BD/UHD BDMV/ISO, MVC 3D(Blu-rayMKV), MKV, TS etc
- up to DSD256/PCM 192KHZ sampling rate, HDMI and SPDIF output, fully meet your Hi-Fi need
- Support OTA Update and Multi-language
- ZIDOO Service SupportZIDOO is a team that has been serving the home audio-visual industry for a long time
- 4K@60Hz
- Meet Blu-ray And Hi-Fi Need4K HDR tv box
- Sufficient Expansion Ability4K HDR media player
- ZIDOO Controller, own APP for Zidoo device
- DV VS10 image processing engine, output low latency high-quality DV (LLDV), get good image quality
- CPU and Image Quality EngineZidoo Z1000pro is equipped with chipset RTD1619DR hexa-core 64bit high-performance processor, 2G DDR4+32G eMMC
- Support streaming from PC and NAS
- AUDIO lossless playback, including master-level DSD: SACD ISO, DFF, DSF, Lossless CD: WAV, APE, FLAC
- Android 9.0 OSSmart Android tv box
- Bluetooth 4.2, Gigabit network transmission, work with NFS, SMB V1/V2/V3, UPnP
- DRM widevine L1
- A home theater Forum in our official website
- Android world of APP, games, movies, music are here
- DRM widevine L1
- Any problem with zidoo device use, please email the seller feel free
- Sufficient Expansion AbilitySmoothy Media Player
- CPU and Image Processing EngineZidoo Z1000pro is equipped with chipset RTD1619DR hexa-core 64bit high-performance processor, 2G DDR4+32G eMMC
- up to DSD256/PCM 192KHZ sampling rate, HDMI and SPDIF output, fully meet your Hi-Fi need
- Android 9.0 OSSmart Android tv box
- DV VS10 image processing engine, output low latency high-quality DV (LLDV), get good image quality
- Bluetooth 4.2, Gigabit network transmission,2.4G+5G dual-band WiFi, work with NFS, SMB V1/V2/V3, UPnP, stream easily from PC and NAS.
- ZIDOO Controller is own APP for Zidoo device
- H.265(HEVC), 12Bit, BD/UHD BDMV/ISO, MVC 3D(Blu-rayMKV), MKV, TS etc, will support all popular D Vision profiles ( P4, P5, P7, P8, MEL / FEL )
- ZIDOO Service SupportZIDOO is a team that has been serving the home audio-visual industry for a long time
- We attach great importance to your suggestions and opinions
- Android world of APP, games, movies, music are waitting for you
- Support OTA Update and Multi-language
- AUDIO lossless playback, including master-level DSD: SACD ISO, DFF, DSF, Lossless CD: WAV, APE, FLAC
- Meet Blu-ray And Hi-Fi Need4K HDR Media Player
- A home theater Forum in our official website
- Welcome to ZIDOO
- Zidoo Z1000pro has one SATA 3.0 and hidden HDD bay supports hard drive 2 X 16TB, USB3.0X2, support USB DAC
- 4K@60Hz
- Time format is 24 hours
- you are free to add the logo and subtitles to the videos and photos
- Advertising Subtitles MultifunctionWorking hours can be every day, except weekends, Sunday, etc
- Music: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, AAC etc; It can play a single file up to 4GB-30GB(NTFS)
- Dual USB ports for connecting two devices, Support mouse and keyboard, you can remotely control by mouse, it helps to make your TV smarter by adding the ability to play videos, music, and photo slideshows
- Support Video/Picture/Music/PPT & Auto/loop mode playback– This 4k media player can play various popular videos, music, and photos
- It works with MKV, AVI, TS/TP, MP4/M4V, MOV, VOB, M2TS or MPEG2/4 codecs,support for the latest video formats such as H.265/HEVC up to 4096x2304p@60fps resolution, Photos: JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF , PNG
- Especially for random playing video, music and pictures.Support video breakpoint and select mode from the beginning, you can start your home theater as you like
- The device has a built-in 11G memory, which can store your favorite movies or photos
- You can choose a variety of play mode: single, sequential
- It has repeat playback,Automatic Playback and shuffles playback mode; It also reads PPT document
- As to the subtitles, please name it as the same as the corresponding video and put them in the same folder, then use the Movie player to play the video, the subtitle will show automatically, You can customize the size and color of the subtitles, and the position of the scrolling display
- Vertical and Splicing Screen Display– With rotating picture output, 270 degrees, multiple settings, Flexible and versatile compatible with your vertical screen, makes it easy for anyone to use beautiful digital signs,You can use it on your advertising screen to display your advertising video.
- Networkable 4K@60HZ Media Player– Experience Full 4k@60hz videos in this digital media player
- It can be networked via the net cable and wifi, you can browse the web and download some app through the machine
- Powerful Compatibility & Internal 11G memory– It can play from micro SD card, USB flash drive up to 256GB and HDD up to 8TB; including FAT32, exFAT and NTFS
- Video file formats: MKV, MPEG-TS, MPEG-PS, M2TS, VOB, AVI, MOV, MP4, QT, ASF, WMV, ISO, folders
- Advanced media player: play video in MKV and other modern video file formats, including top quality 4K and HD with very high bit rates (100 Mbit/s+)
- Advanced GUI features: My Collection, Movies catalog, advanced file browser with movie recognition, TV browser with Extended EPG, and more
- Media sources: External HDDs (USB), USB devices (USB flash drive, USB card reader, etc), built-in micro SD card slot, PC and NAS in local network (SMB, NFS, UPnP/DLNA, HTTP), other Internet and local network media sources
- 4K video formats: H.265 up to 4Kp60 HDR, H.265 10-bit up to 4Kp60 HDR, H.264 up to 4Kp30
- 4Kp60 and HDR support: Next-generation 4K Dune HD media player with 4Kp60, HDR, BT.2020, HDMI 2.0a
- Audio codecs: MPEG-1/2 layer I/II/III, AAC, LPCM, WMA, WMAPro, FLAC, multichannel FLAC, Vorbis, WavPack, APE (Monkey’s Audio), ALAC (Apple lossless), SACD (Super Audio CD), AC3 (Dolby Digital), DTS
- Filesystems: FAT16/FAT32 (read-write), EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 (read-write), NTFS (read-write), exFAT (read-write), HFS/HFS+ (Mac OS Standard/Extended) (read-only), BTRFS (read-write)
- Audio file formats: MP3, MPA, M4A, AAC, WAV, WMA, FLAC, Ogg/Vorbis, WavPack, APE (Monkey’s Audio), ALAC (Apple lossless), SACD (Super Audio CD), AC3, DTS, DTS-WAV
- Compact 4Kp60 HDR Media Player and Smart TV box on Amlogic S905L2(X) Unique hybrid Dune HD (based on Linux) + Android software, Wi-Fi ac 5GHz, 2GB RAM
The Expert Buying Guide
Are you looking for a new hdd media players? If so, this buying guide is perfect for you. It will help you find the right one depending on your needs. There are several factors to take into consideration when purchasing a new hdd media players. With the help of this guide, you can find the perfect hdd media players for your needs.
In this buying guide, I will take you through all the different things that you need to know before going out and buying a new hdd media players. I will also talk about what to look for when choosing a hdd media players and how to make sure that you’re getting the best deal possible.
1. Budget
Never ignore the most crucial factor while shopping: budget. You might come across many attractive hdd media players but they could be way beyond your budget. You should simply use your budget as a filter. Trust me this always helps. You will save money and make prudent choices if you follow this rule, be it shopping for hdd media players or something else.
2. Requirement
Sometimes even a good product might not be something that we actually require. So the first step is to understand your own requirement. You need to answer those W questions of why do you need it, where do you need it, and so on. This will help you get a hdd media players that is most ideal for you. Also, this will make you realize if you really need to spend money right now on a hdd media players or not.
3. Guarantee
Always look for some kind of guarantee from the brand. It might be termed as something different but the idea is that the brand assures you of protection. If your new hdd media players runs into any problems the company will help you fix it. This is very important when going for something new these days.
The Verdict
In conclusion, the best hdd media players for you is the one that you are most comfortable with. There are many different options available to you and you should not be afraid to try out different brands and options before settling on one.
If I were to recommend, I would say that go for the hdd media players that is most suitable to your budget. Each range has some good options available with attractive features. The whole idea of this article was to make you independent. I want you to be able to make your own choice rather than me or someone else deciding for you. If you want more clarity, you should read the entire article again, or do your own research to help you further.
I hope this helps you with finding the perfect match of hdd media players for yourself.