NEW
Small in size but powerful Sigma 8635 chipset that can play full 1080p HD.

The ISTAR Mini Networked Media Tank player brings the magic of HD into your home theater.

It is based on the renowned Sigma Design SMP8635 multimedia processor (the family used in many Blu-Ray Disc players). It can decode the highest bitrate consumer HD content available today. ISTAR Mini supports MPEG-2 MP@HL, H.264 HP@L4.1, and VC-1 AP@L3 up to at least 40Mbps and can provide 1080p60/50/30/24/23.97 output, enabling a pristine HD signal path.

The ISTAR Mini can access digital media content from a variety of sources, such as NAS, USB 2.0, eSATA and SATA devices* (USB flash drive, SATA HDD, DVD drive, etc.) ISTAR Mini can also serve as a NAS and a BitTorrent peer-to-peer downloader.**

ISTAR Mini also supports peer-to-peer Internet TV streaming technology from SayaTV, as well as popular unicast Internet TV sites such as YouTube, Google Video and Metacafe via its Media Service Portal.

The ISTAR Mini is field-upgradeable to support future media containers, codecs and features.

*ISTAR Mini can connect to an external SATA HDD via the included 2-in-1 power/data cable. ISTAR Mini can also connect to eSATA device using a SATA-eSATA cable. ISTAR will soon offer an optional eSATA/Power 2-in-1 cable to eliminate the need for a second power supply for your external eSATA device.

**Please note that a SATA HDD is required to use ISTAR Mini's NAS and BitTorrent features.

FAQ

Q: Is ISTAR Mini a Networked Media Tank (NMT) based player?
A: Yes, ISTAR Mini player is part of the NMT program and ISTARHD Inc. is a customer of Syabas.
Q: How long does it take for new Syabas NMT features to show up in firmware updates for the ISTAR Mini?
A: There should be no significant delay because ISTAR Mini is part of the NMT program and Syabas is a highly-reputable software provider.
Q: Does HDMI 1.3 generate any real advantage over HDMI 1.1 for ISTAR Mini?
A: Not at this time. HDMI 1.3, implemented using the SIL9134 transmitter brings CEC, better lip-sync, bit-stream audio output, and deep color over previous version. Deep color adds no visible improvement on current 8-bit source material and Sigma's 24-bit hardware decoder. Bitstream audio output, however, is dependent on software implementation. Currently Syabas NMT has not implemented this feature. CEC and lip-sync depend not only on software but also require both sides of the link to be functional.
Q: Are all HDMI 1.3 devices the same?
A: No. HDMI 1.3 devices using SIL9133/9132 don't support bitstream audio output while HDMI 1.3 device with SIL9134 (such as ISTAR Mini's HDMI 1.3 version) does.
Q: Why does ISTAR Mini provide HDMI 1.3 if it generates no real benefit now?
A: In our experience, using HDMI 1.3 may improve handshaking/HDCP interpolating between the player and display in some cases. Secondly, equipping our hardware with this capability could push Syabas to provide bitstream audio output over HDMI in a future release of the NMT middleware. (However, we cannot provide an ETA for this feature.)
Q: Does ISTAR Mini have fan?
A: Yes, but the fan is disabled by default. In most cases, passive cooling will be sufficient, but you can easily enable the fan by plugging in the 2-pin power on the mainboard.
Q: Is there room for a hard drive inside the ISTAR Mini's case?
A: No, the ISTAR Mini does not provide room for an internal HDD.
Q: Why doesn't ISTAR Mini provide space for internal HDD?
A: As a portable streaming device, the design philosophy behind the ISTAR Mini was to pack a lot of functionality into the smallest footprint possible. Also, heat generated by an internal HDD could affect the life span of the Sigma media processor. The upcoming ISTAR model H10 will provide space for an internal HDD.
Q: What is the difference between Sigma Design SMP8635 and SMP8634?
A: The chips are identical except that the EM8634 adds Macrovision protection on NTSC/PAL Composite, S-Video and YPbPr Outputs and thus can legally perform AACS/BD+ decoding. The EM8635 cannot legally support this content.
Q: Does the ISTAR Mini support online firmware updates?
A: Yes, ISTAR MINI supports online updates for firmware versions newer than 080320.

Available in stock