Cirago CMC 1000 Home Media Center Review

I’m a HUGE gadget fan and I love to get my hands on the latest and greatest technologies and toys. However, when I find a setup I like, I’m always a bit hesitant to change things around.

A few months ago I received a brand new demo unit of the Cirago CMC 1000 Multimedia Center. I haven’t really been in the market for an upgrade to my existing system  and to be honest, I kinda got tired of all the hype of these so called home media PC’s configurations. Mostly because they almost always seemed to need a lot of tweaking, extra software and typically didn’t have all the inputs I needed.

So, when I popped open the surprisingly small box of this Multimedia Center, I was pretty darn surprised.

First, the size of the box completely caught me off guard. This thing is small. I mean really small, close to the size of one of those external backup drives or a portable DVD player.

As I read the box a few things caught my eye. Things like HDMI inputs, USB support, DVR support, Included wireless Adapter and the ability to read MMC and SD cards. All very cool.

The inputs on the Cirago CMC were also quite impressive. Component inputs, Optical and Coax outputs as all as HDMI.

So far, so good. I also notice the MMC.SD slots available right on the top of the box, easy to access. So now the question was, “how easily can this thing get setup?”

Inside the Box

As with many new home theater gadgets, you are guaranteed to need some cables. The Cirago CMC 1000 comes with Component and Composite cables, an HDMI cable, USB cable and a USB wireless adapter. I was probably the most pleased at the inclusion of the HDMI as many new purchases require you to buy this as an addtional item.

Also included is a quick start guide and a pretty thick user manual.

Working with the Cirago CMC 1000 Multimedia Center

Getting the system setup and turned on was a breeze. I chose to use the HDMI input and quickly had it connected to my HDTV without a problem. Once turned on I was prompted with 5 pretty straight forward options. AV Input, Browse Media, Record, Copy Files and setup.

The first thing I noticed was that this wasn’t my Tivo, Mac or Windows Media PC. The interface was pretty basic and not flashy at all.

The setup was everything you’d think it would be. You have control over your Audio setup including Digital Output formats (HDMI/SPDIF), Video formats including Aspect Ratio, Brightness/Contrast Controls and Resolution.

Resolution options included the HDMI Auto, and 480P, 576P, 720P and 1080i.

As I continued to move the setup of the system, which is not controlled by a wizard of any sort, I had the ability to setup my DVR recording options including Timeshift, where to record my video (internal HD or support USB HD) and the recording quality. I really like the ability to support the external USB HDD, which will also offer the option to copy files from the internal HDD to external devices.

Network setup was also a breeze. I plugged in the provide USB Wireless adapter and it immediately found my home network and allowed me to plug in the required credentials. I was up and running on my network in under 3 minutes. There is also support for wired network connections.

Cirago has also included the ability to configure Photo slideshows with settings like slideshow timing, Transition effects(7 options), and background music.

Individual Functionality

I was a bit intrigued by the DVR functionality. Playing back existing movies and video that were stored on the device was pretty easy. A simple browse featured that mirrors the appears of a windows PC directory structure was provided. I was easily able to select a movie to play and had the options to play, pause, fast forward, rewind and zoom.

However, the DVR and scheduling was not what I was expected. The Ciraga CMC 1000 does give you the option to record live video and an option to record a specific input stream at a given time. However, there is no output IR to control cable box channel changing which almost defeats the DVR function (in my opinion). In fact, if I were to attempt to schedule a program to be recorded, I would have to set my cable box to turn to specific channel, then go into the Cirago CMC 1000 and set a schedule there as well. Double the work in my opinion.

Playback of videos, audio and photos was easy and I was happy with the ability to play back ripped DVD’s and AVI’s. A nice feature that doesn’t require any additional software or add-ons. Everything was easy to control via the provided remote control. Copying files from my shared network drive was fast and easy as well.

User interface

Even as someone who is technical, I found the Cirago CMC 1000 user interface very clunky and not very user friend for novices or those looking for an easy way to manage photos and mp3’s. It was too easy to get into the setup screen and inadvertently make changes… which could cause problems for those with kids or family members who shouldn’t be in those areas.

I also found the navigating some of the menus was not easy, especially when I did really want to change a setting. I was required to confirm an existing setting just to return to the previous menu. Maybe it was my inability to use the menu or remote, but it began to bother me quite a bit.

My preference would be that Cirago spend a bit more time on the user interface and navigation screens to really make this a complete product. I felt like I was stumbling quite a bit and was never really able to get a wow factor out of using the system.

Overall Recommendation

If you are looking for a small footprint, powerful device that is capable of playing all sorts of media, especially ripped DVD’s and movies, this is a great device. Again, I was very pleased with the performance, hardware outputs and ability to play a variety of media formats. In that regard, I’d give the device a solid B. I’d like to see support for Quicktime and Flash Movies.

User interface, navigation and ease of use I would give the Cirago a D.. in my opinion, back to the drawing board for this one. However, if you are a bit technical, like your gadgets and will be the primary person using this device…go for it. You can’t lose. I would just keep the controls away from everyone else.

If you own a Cirago CMC 1000 Home Media Center please provide your comments.

NOTE: Inflix.com received a Cirago CMC 1000 unit  for review purposes and as compensation for this review.  Inflix.com and it’s owners receive no other commissions or compensation for referrals or sales of this unit and are not affiliated with Cirago International, Ltd.