Storex NMT

The Storex NMT is a first gen NMT. It has the same internal software and components as the PopcornHour A-110. What added value is there? Answers in our article!

Hardware, design and build: customisable interface

Don't lie to us, we know that most of you will have looked at our rating before reading the test. We're not going to dwell too much here then; this is a disappointing product. As we said in our intro, it's a clone of the PopcornHour A-110. Surely Storex must have added something to boost its product?


Is the new idea the screen on the front of the device? A false dawn. It's the sort of screen you'd get on a Hi-Fi from the 80s, with just one line of pretty useless information. Don't count on being able to use it to navigate the menus. You can't.

While this doesn't look obvious in the photo, the Storex NMT won't stand out for its design and look. The casing is in glossy black plastic and is of very poor quality. It looks more like a child's toy than something you'd want to put beside your Hi-Fi system. What's more, the fan is noisy.

The remote is pretty average with a very rigid directional pad. It does however sit nicely in the hand. The interface is exactly identical to the one on the A-110. A shame that Storex didn't judge it necessary to give it an overhaul (this in spite of the fact that other formats are available on the Storex site).

You can still use YAMJ to make up your video jukebox. We're not going to go back over this however as we covered it fully in our PopcornHour C-200 test.


Compatibility: still very good but...

Compatibility with various video codecs is very good, as you can see in our face-off. HD video doesn't scare it, but the chip isn't powerful enough to play video at higher than 38 Mbps (MKV).

On the audio side, the stereo downmix mode allows you to retranscribe 5.1 sound and send it to your TV speakers. The mode isn't unfortunately compatible with DTS audio tracks. To play this format, you need a compatible external decoder (amp).

Connectivity: HDMI, Ethernet and optional Wi-Fi

Standard connectivity at the back of the box, with HDMI, YUV and composite. You can export audio through the HDMI but also with the coaxial or optical. Networking is via the Ethernet 100 Mbps socket and various internet services such as Picasa or Flickr are available. Obviously, there's a BitTorrent client. Wi-Fi is optional via a USB dongle.