Unless you're a scrapbooking enthusiast, chances are that you've not bought a photo album in the last five years or so.
With most people storing their digital photos in the computer, sharing them is likely to be restricted at most times to small, unflattering screens.
Seagate's latest offering, the FreeAgent Go multimedia player gives users the option of displaying their media files on a TV screen.
I was sceptical at first - most DVD players are now capable of playing picture and music files in addition to video. However, the ease in which one can browse through hundreds of media files and the quality in which they can be displayed on a large screen convinced me that the FreeAgent Theater is worth a go.
Chiefly designed for its FreeAgent Go portable storage drive, the FreeAgent Theater supports all storage media including UDB drives, but only if they are Windows based.
Encased in a glossy black finish, the FreeAgent Theater looks great placed next to a DVD player or below your sleek LCD TV. But leave out the FreeAgent Go from the picture and the FreeAgent Theater looks like a puzzle that's missing a piece.
Thankfully, for users getting the FreeAgent Theater dock itself but not the FreeAgent Go, Seagate includes a cover that clasps neatly over the dock.
Size wise, the media player is only about the size of a netbook and as thick as two of those units put together. Lightweight and easily transportable in a bag, I had no trouble at all taking the FreeAgent Theatre and its Go storage drive to my grandpa's place to share some of this spring's holiday photos.
Transferring files from one's computer to the FreeAgent Go drive is easy with the supplied dock. The software is easy to install, and organising files is straightforward and simple.
Viewing your media files is simply a matter of slotting your FreeAgent Go drive into the FreeAgent Theater's dock and then selecting the type of media and files you want to play from the on-screen menu
The media player automatically detects media files and sorts them according to the respective picture, video or music menus. I found this to be a very convenient feature, and there are no worries even if other non-media files (such as Word documents) are present in the hard drive.
Users navigate the on-screen interface with the supplied remote, but I found the buttons a tad too sensitive and you might need a couple of tries to select a specific file from a long list.
Media files are usually pretty quick to load, though I thought the video files load times could do a little better. The FreeAgent Theater comes with 1080i HD playback and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio surround support, and if you have videos shot in HD or high resolution photos the media player does a pretty good job of showcasing them.
The Verdict
Seagate's FreeAgent Theater especially suited for those who want to share a large number of photos and videos on a large screen.
Its convenient user features and easy operation also make it a very accessible device.
