Antec 30124 VERIS Basic Multimedia Station

by Antec

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 3.5 x 1 inches ; 12 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001B8ZS02
• Item model number: Basic
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

The Basic Multimedia Station model is a compact, internal solution designed to work with an external 3.5 drive bay. It fits in seamlessly with your computer s front panel and gives you sleek, stylish multimedia functionality at a great deal. The first of the internally-installed Multimedia Stations, the Basic model is designed to blend in with your computer s front panel for a seamless and unobtrusive aesthetic. Like the rest of the mounted units, the Basic Multimedia Station connects to an internal USB connector, keeping your cables neat and out of sight. The Basic also features a petite remote control to manage and browse your multimedia using the included iMON iMEDIAN software. Turning your PC into a home theater is a piece of cake with the Multimedia Station Basic!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I needed, frustrating to setup correctly!, March 11, 2011

By 

RIP-Felix "When nothing is left in your bag o... (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Antec 30124 VERIS Basic Multimedia Station (Electronics)

I have only 2 5.25" bays in my HTPC case. So, I paired this with a bracket that allows me to use a 3.5" bay and a slim optical drive in 1 5.25" bay. I really like this unit. Please note that I really only use this for controlling Windows Media Center and turning my HTPC on/off. If you want to controll everything with your remote, internet, mouse tracking/clicking, etc, the iMON software is not up to the task of eliminating the need for a mouse and keyboard.

Pros:
- It blends in great with my case
- Adds functionality required for an Home Theater PC
- No need to get up from the couch
- The instructions are legable and adequate for installation.

Cons:
- I got a faulty remote (RM100)
- Bright blue LED power indicator never turns off. Cover it!
- No battery backup for the units memory
- Software is not what it could be
- Takes some computer skill to install! Took me 3 days of tweaking to set it up the way I want. I'm sure I will find more things to change. It will take quite some time before a "technophobe" can use it without running into problems. A "technosav" can expect to spend at least half a day getting it installed and working for multiple programs. You have been warned.

INSTALLATION:
1) For constant power and to power on from complete shutdown, it has a 24 pin power adapter that ataches between your power supply and the motherboard.

2) The case power switch plugs it into the back of the sensor. The sensor's power switch plugs into the motherboard. IR remotes can switch on the computer and the case switch still works.

3) It comes with an internal USB to USB adapter. Plug the adapter into one of the motherboard's internal USB slots and plug the USB from the sensor into the other end of the adapter. You can also plug the sensor into a regular USB port.

4) Put the battery in your remote and try to turn the PC on with the power button on the remote. It should turn on without any software. Mine did not. I tried another RM100 remote and it worked fine. So be aware you might get a faulty remote as I did.

5) Install the iMON Manager that comes with the unit or download and install the most recient release from soundgraph's website. I personally like the iMON manager as it has lots of functionality and customizability. However, as another reviever detailed, it lacks alot too. The iMEDIAN HD software is provided in the install but is not necessary [It got old quick and became bloatware].

6) This is where the whole thing turns frustrating. It was a pain to setup my remote. I have a Logitech Harmony 880. After searching on the internet for 3 days, I finally found a preset that is working correctly. I suggest getting one that allows you complete customizability of the buttons including the option to add extra functions. If you don't plan to use a Harmony [recomended] you can disregard the following Tutorial.

FOR HARMONY UNIVERSAL REMOTES (OR AT LEAST THE 880):
- In the logitech software tab "Devices", go to "Add Device". Choose "Computer" > "Microsoft" > and type in "Media Center". Then add the device. Customize the buttons and configure your activitys as needed.

- When you unplug your computer and plug it back in the memory on the sensor gets wiped. I do this every day because my entertainment center is on a remotely switched power strip to save energy. It reverts to it's factory RM100 setting. You can't power on the computer with your Harmony or MCE remote, only the RM100 or the physical power button will turn it on untill you boot up and the iMON manager automatically refreshes the memory. Then only the harmony or MCE remote can turn it on and off. You need to set up your Harmony remote to send both MCE and RM100 Power toggle signals when turning on the PC. To do this, go to "Devices" > "Media Center Computer" and choose the settings option. > Choose "Learn infrared commands". > Click on the "Learn" button next to "PowerOn". > Grab your RM100 remote that came with this unit (or a spare like I did) and use it's power button to program the PowerOn button for this device. > Click "Done" at the bottom. > On the settings screen, choose "Troubleshoot". > Choose "Media Center Computer is not turning on or off the way it should". > Choose "No - the Help button on the remote does not fix the problem." > Choose either "I want to leave this device on all the time" or "I want to turn off this device when it's not in use" whichever you want. > Choose "A button on the remote for On, and a different button for Off". > In the screen that asks "which command powers on your device" choose "My device needs more than one command to turn it on and off". > Under "I don't have the original remote, but I know the commands that are used:", select "PowerOn" in one of the boxes and "Power toggle" in another. > In the screen that asks "which command powers off your device", under "I don't have the original remote, but I know the commands that are used:", select "Power toggle" in the drop down box. > Continue through the rest of the troubleshooter and setup process. > update the remote.

- Open the iMON Manager. Go to "Settings" > "Remote Controller" > choose "MCE remote" in the drop down box > then click "Refresh".

- Restart the computer. It did not prompt me to restart, but would not work until I did. It works nearly perfectly now. You will still need to fine tune all your settings and button assignments for many windows tasks within the iMON manager and Logitech software.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Product, June 1, 2009

By 

K. Clark (Westbrook, Me) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antec 30124 VERIS Basic Multimedia Station (Electronics)

This product is awesome. I have been using it more then my TV. It was a little tough at first to get it to find the media I wanted it to play. Since I did it has been great updating itself and everything. The controls are a little touchy and I havent gotten my Logitech Remote to completely control it yet but it does most and I think it is doable. Totally worth the money!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent attempt, but failed in the details maybe 3 1/2 stars, July 4, 2009

By 

D. Crain "nanohead" (NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antec 30124 VERIS Basic Multimedia Station (Electronics)

This device is actually made by Soundgraph and is also sold as an iMon product. The Soundgraph guys make these gizmos for most HTPC supppliers like Zalman, Antec, Silverstone, etc. It is probably worth the 20 bucks I paid for it, but not much more. I was mostly interested in the integrated IR receiver, to use with Windows Media Center and the Windows remote for MCE. I only really bought it for that, as I have no plans to use the silly remote provided in the Varis box.

Pros
To the credit of the product, it does actually work.
Looks integrated if you have a 3 1/2 inch wide floppy slot in your case
You do NOT need the iMon software if you want to control Windows Media Center
It works with the Windows Media Center remote

Cons
The construction is total junk. The 3 1/2 inch chassis its mounted in has the holes in many wrong places. I had to do surgery to get it to mount properly in my HTPC case (case was weird too), but the chassis is not long enough to really fit into most cases.

The front plastic bezel is warped, and looks cheapo

As has been mentioned, the iMon software has many many many issues. But to be fair, it works better than it used to (I've had several remotes that used the iMon software over the years). It loads WAY too much stuff when you install it. And the quality control on it is bad (to say the least).

Conclusion
This device is usable for those who want an integrated IR receiver in their case to use with Windows Media Center (MCE). Vista sees the device and the remote runs Media Center without any iMon software. But the construction is devoid of thought, and the iMon software has little value.