Sigma vs Realtek

This is an update on the current scenario since my previous post in March. The HD media player world is still dominated by chipsets from Sigma and Realtek. Sigma came out with the first HD media player chipset in 2008 while the cheaper Realtek chipset came out a year later and majority of the HD media players are now using chipsets from these two manufacturers.

Here's a partial list of popular media player brands using the two chipsets to give potential buyers some idea. Realtek has more manufacturers but mostly in the medium to low end market while Sigma has more players in the high end market apart from the popular WDTV Live. High end players will have more functionalities and may even have a blu-ray player built-in.

Sigma - WDTV Live, Popcorn Hour, Egreat, Dune Smart, HDX BD1

Realtek - ACRyan PlayOn!, Asus O!Play, Xtreamer, Patriot Box Office, Seagate Freeagent, Egreat, Yangxi HDPro+, Noontek, Eaget, Hornettek Phantom, DVico

Below are some items for comparison.

Video format support
Realtek - all common file formats.
Sigma - same as Realtek except it cannot support RMVB.

RMVB (RealMedia Variable Bitrate) files are very popular in the distribution of Asian contents such as Japanese Anime and Chinese TV series and movies so if you are going to use this type of files, then you must pick a media player that uses the Realtek and not the Sigma chip. Thus the popular WDTV Live is out in this case as it uses the Sigma chip.

Audio format support
Sigma - all common audio format including HD audio such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA.
Realtek - same as Sigma. Earlier versions of the Realtek chipset could not passthrough these HD audio but newer versions now have overcome this problem.

PQ or picture quality
Sigma has the better specs on paper but many prefer what they see from Realtek. There are supporters in both camps so it is very much a personal preference.

Clockspeed
The Sigma chipsets generally have higher clockspeed than Realtek chipsets but probably not significant in real world applications.

Please note that the firmware used can also affect the performance of the player. New brands and models are coming out fast and furious and some may even change camps (Egreat seems to have models in both camps) so best to check the specs of a particular model to see what they can offer. The best is to bring along some test videos and physically check that your video can be played if this is possible, before parting with your cash. The iboum website is a good place to learn more and check the specs of most commonly available HD media player.

Ronald Kwok

Choosing a Media Player

Media player is one item that has mushroomed recently and as more and more brands appear, buyer find it very difficult to make their choices. Hopefully this Blog will make it easier to pick one that is just right for you. As the title of the Blog suggests, this is only about HD Media Player. Here HD refers to High Definition and not Hard Disk as this can also be confusing. What is High Definition? In the HD video world, this is any resolution from 1280x720 (720p) to 1920x1080 (1080i or 1080p) which is full HD.


Points to consider in choosing a HD Media Player
1. What do you want it primarily for? Obviously you want to watch HD videos. If it is just for listening to MP3 music or watch JPEG photos, you can buy the cheapest normal media player you can find and it will do. All HD media player can play MP3 music files and display JPEG photos and it is in the area of HD videos that each media player function a bit differently. But if it is some exotic music or photo format, check to make sure.
2. What video format will you be watching? Make sure the file format is supported by the player and it is best to have a sample file and test it on the player itself if it is possible. The WDTV series cannot support RMVB so if you need to watch video with this format, look elsewhere.
3. How do you connect to your audio visual equipment? The simplest will be via HDMI to your HDTV or just the RCA connector (blue, red, yellow cable) to older TV sets. Or you may want component connection (red, blue, green) and audiophile may want coaxial and optical connections. Look at the back of the player to see if what you need is provided as not all are available.
4. How do you want your sound? For most users, as long as there is sound it is OK. (Actually, sometimes there can be no sound for certain player running certain video format, hence the need to test). But for the more serious, they need DTS5.1, true HD, etc and these should be pass through to their amplifiers to do their job. This is difficult to test in the shop since you cannot bring along your Hi-Fi gear to do an actual test.
5. Do you need the player to house a Hard Disk Drive(HDD) internally? What physical size, 3.5" or 2.5"? All players can connect a USB external HDD though.
6. Do you want to have networking? Most can have physical LAN connection, some can work with WiFi either built-in or using USB dongle.
7. Do you need a built-in card reader? But it is easy to plug in one via USB.
8. What is the physical built and does it blend it with your other gears?
9. How does the graphical user interface (GUI) look and what other bells and whistles are available?
10. What about firmware update and after sales support so that your player is kept up-to-date? Anyway there is only so much you can update before a new chip comes along.
11. And finally the price. Do I get value for money?


So you never thought that buying a HD media player can be so complicated and this is only a summary. I'll go into more details in my later posts. Good luck in your choice. 

Ronald Kwok