Customer Reviews

Antec 30124 VERIS Basic Multimedia Station

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

I already had an HTPC with an iMon/Soundgraph external infra-red receiver plus WMC-compatible remote. However, the external infra-red USB receiver was incapable of powering on the HTPC via remote. This is a relatively common issue with HTPC infra-red receivers. A common infra-red receiver at best receives USB standby power, only operates via USB signal, and must interface with the installed software to operate the PC - thus common receivers can only power off a PC but never power one on. Standard receivers *can* wake a PC from standby but standby can be problematic for some custom PC's.

The Antec Veris Basic Multimedia Station resolves the power-on issue. The unit connects internally to the PC case/motherboard power switch header and also into the motherboard ATX power connector harness. Additionally, the MM Station has a standard USB connector to connect to an external USB port. Note that the kit comes with a wiring module for connecting the USB into an internal motherboard USB header.

The unit works as intended - it allows me to power on/off the PC with a standard media center type remote control. I already had the iMon remote software setup so I only had to install the physical unit and cycle the PC power once (booting to Windows) to recognize the change in USB ports.

Note the following:
- The mounting holes in the unit are not well placed. One seemed slightly out of alignment but I just put some pressure on the bracket and the screw went in fine.
- The iMon Windows software is awkward but functional. I've used the software for some time...it's poorly designed with poor support and has some annoying "features"...but it works. There is not a large selection of alternatives but I believe most people will find it acceptable. That is after they turn off all of the annoyances.
- Don't bother installing iMedian - most users will find it unnecessary as it overlaps with features from Windows Media Center/XBMC...iMedian is poorly designed.
- The unit has a *bright* blue pinhole-sized LED for signal feedback - consider putting electrical tape over it or dimming it with standard paper inside the unit.
- This unit works well with a Windows Media Center compatible remote and operates WMC, Hulu, and XBMC fine once everything is setup.
- The remote appears to interface as a keyboard even before Windows is loaded - thus it works in the Windows Startup Recovery screens (try the exit button)

Overall, the Antec Veris Multimedia Station is a great solution with minor annoyances. It's also one of the only choices to remotely power on a PC ;)

This little thing is extremely flexible. You can use MCE command or just map keystrokes, even mouse clicks. For someone who's building a highly complex HTPC with multiple external players, you can't do better than this. I own two of these and use them in my fairly complex HTPCs (XBMC loading multiple video players based on extension).

The only drawback is that the Harmony One is really slow with this receiver. I resorted to using the tiny remote it comes with. Other IR receivers work fine. Not sure what the issue is.

There's only one reason to get this product, if you need the remote to be able to power on the computer. Other than that, the horrible software (both for configuration and the media player) ruin what would otherwise be a perfectly fine product. Several keys are locked out on the remote, making it impossible to reprogram them for anything other than their default. Even some keys, such as the arrow keys, won't reprogram even when the configuration utility seems to allow it.

For example, setting the arrow keys to control the mouse. Even if the settings show it set up like this, the keys will still only function as arrow keys. Another example, the back button is set to the backspace key. This works for a lot of apps, but if you want to change it to the escape key (a logical alternative) it will not allow you to do this at all. About 7 of the keys are like this.

Even if those issues were fixed, the software has other limitations, and is comprised of confusing and unintuitive menus that would make a first year programming student cringe.

I really want to like this product. It's the only one if it's kind that I've found that can fully power on a computer from a remote. For some apps being stuck with the defaults isn't bad, and it can function quite well. In theory it has all the keys you'll need to run your HTPC without having to go grab the keyboard.

The only real flaws I can see for the hardware is the receiving angle of the IR sensor (which could be modified, if you're daring) is narrow, and the blue LED on the unit will never turn off, even if the computer is. For my daily use, those issues have been pretty minor, and had the software been better, would not have impacted my decision to buy it.

So if you don't need the remote to do a full power-on of the PC then go grab another product that has better software support.