Pixel Magic Crystalio II VPS-3800 Guide
Media Player
Supplementary Guide
Firmware Version 1.30
Welcome to the Crystalio II Media Player supplementary guide. This guide is to be used in addition to the
main Crystalio II Owner’s Guide. Please refer to that guide for the information needed to get Crystalio II
connected and working in your home theater system.
The Pixel Magic Crystalio II Media Player will deliver the finest standard and high definition images direct to
your display without the need for external sources. By directly integrating the HD media player into the
video processor, viewers will benefit from the cleanest signal path available and enjoy features such as
automatic resolution and aspect ratio detection, DVD file navigation and high fidelity audio output.
Please find below a list of the items needed to use the Media Player aspect of Crystalio II and also a list of
items you may find enhance the experience:
If any part of your system is missing or appears damaged, contact your dealer immediately.
This guide contains instructions for Crystalio II firmware version 1.30. As the firmware is updated, this guide
will be replaced to reflect any changes.
Once again, thank you for purchasing Crystalio II, the World’s most advanced video processor!
Enjoy!
In order to use all the features of your Crystalio II Media Player, you may wish to have access to
one or more of the following:
1. A PC with an FTP application installed to access the Crystalio II internal Hard Disk Drive
(see section 4.1)
2. USB 2.0 storage device/s to connect to the USB ports on the back of Crystalio II
(see section 4.2)
3. A PC or Network Attached Storage (NAS) device supporting the NFS protocol for file streaming
(see section 4.3)
In order to operate the Crystalio II Media Player you will need the following:
1. Crystalio II VPS3800 model already connected and configured for your display device
(see main Crystalio II Owner’s Guide)
2. Crystalio II Media Player remote control with 2 AAA batteries
3. This Crystalio II Media Player supplementary guide
WELCOME
1.1 INTRODUCING CRYSTALIO II MEDIA PLAYER
The media player contained within Crystalio II VPS3800 is a High-Definition HDD (hard disk drive)
media player, providing instant access to High-Definition video, digital music and DVD files either from its
internal hard disk drive (HDD), your personal computer, USB HDD or Network Attached Storage box.
For movies, TV shows, camcorder footage and more, Crystalio II Media Player supports MPEG 1/2/4, the
.ts container, as well as DVD .ISO, .IFO and .VOB files. Direct output through Crystalio II at the exact
sweetspot of your display ensures the highest quality video playback available.
Crystalio II Media Player is also designed with high quality audio playback in mind. Equipped with 24bit/192KHz audio DAC from Analog Devices Inc, low noise Op Amps from Burr-Brown® (famous for their
clean output and ultra-low distortion characteristics) and our own specially developed low jitter TCXO
(temperature compensated crystal oscillator) timing circuitry, Crystalio II Media Player can act as a high end
hi-fi jukebox providing the highest quality audio playback available in any network media player.
Digital optical, coax, and analogue connectors are all provided to deliver this high fidelity audio into any
home theater or stereo system.
1.2 FEATURES & FUNCTIONS OF CRYSTALIO II MEDIA PLAYER
1.2.1 GENERAL
User-friendly On Screen Display (OSD). Allows easy navigation using the included Media Player
Remote Control. All player settings are easily accessible and browsing your files across the network
is straightforward. Different media-types are color-coded and filters can be applied to help with file
identification.
Internal HDD included. An internal 200GB hard disk drive is included inside Crystalio II VPS3800 for
the convenient storage of your media.
Flexible and comprehensive AV outputs. All of the Crystalio II output connections are supported for use
with the internal Media Player, including HDMI (v1.1 including embedded audio), Component (YPbPr),
VGA, Optical and Coaxial SPDIF, and more (see main Owner’s Guide sections 2.2 and 3.4).
Connectivity options
USB: Crystalio II features two USB2.0 ports. These can be used for connecting external “Mass Storage
Devices” which include external USB HDDs, thumbdisks, etc (see section 4.2).
LAN: An RJ45 is provided to place Crystalio II on your Ethernet network (100BASE-T). You can now browse
shared files, drives and NAS (Networked Attached Storage) devices on your network that use the NFS
protocol (Network File System) (see section 4.3).
While Crystalio II is in standby mode, you can also transfer files to and from the internal Hard Disk Drive
(HDD) using a computer and an FTP application (see section 4.1).
File system format support. Crystalio II Media Player can read file systems formatted in either FAT32 or
NTFS. NTFS is recommended however, as FAT32 systems are limited to files less than 4GB in size and
High Definition video files very frequently exceed this.
For Crystalio II firmware upgrades, a FAT32 formatted USB disk must be used.
1. ABOUT CRYSTALIO II MEDIA PLAYER
File management. Files and folders can be created, deleted, renamed, copied and moved using the
Media Player file browser.
Backlit Remote Control. The included Remote Control is backlit to enable use in a darkened ‘home
theater’ environment.
Updateable firmware. The Media Player firmware is included in the main Crystalio II firmware download.
Firmware updates when available can be downloaded from the Support section of the Pixel Magic website
(see section 9).
1.2.2 VIDEO PLAYBACK
Playback of Standard and High Definition video files. See section 1.3.1 for supported formats.
Automatic format, resolution and aspect ratio detection. Crystalio II will automatically and transparently
detect the format (NTSC or PAL), resolution and aspect ratio of the media being played and display it
according to the rules and settings of the main Crystalio II OSD.
Scaling and deinterlacing. This function is performed automatically according to the settings in the main
Crystalio II OSD – all video will be rescaled to match your chosen Output Format or Resolution (see
Owner’s Guide section 5.3.3 for how to set). For SD and HD material, VXP inverse telecine for film
sources and motion adaptive deinterlacing for video sources are fully supported as is the use of
DynamicVP rules. Faroudja DCDi deinterlacing can also be used for SD video content (see Owner’s Guide
section 5.2.10).
Video streaming across the network. Crystalio II Media Player can stream media from shared folders and
drives on your network using the NFS protocol. (see section 4.3).
1.2.3 AUDIO PLAYBACK
Playback of popular audio formats (see section 1.3.2).
24bit/192KHz DAC from Analog Devices. The analog audio stereo output of the Media Player features a
high performance 24bit/192KHz upsampling DAC from Analog Devices. This increases the resolution of the
music, providing a more detailed and natural sound.
Precision Clock. The whole of Crystalio II is clocked using a low jitter TCXO (temperature compensated
crystal oscillator). For audio this dramatically improve spaciousness, clarity, impact, and purity.
HDMI audio embedding. Audio can be embedded in the HDMI signal. This provides a digital audio signal
to your external DAC (usually included in AV receivers) and reduces cabling.
“Play all” in folder option. All files in a folder can be played in alphabetical order, one after another.
1.3 SUPPORTED FORMATS
1.3.1 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF VIDEO FORMATS
All standard video formats are compressed. The amount of compression and the data rates of these
standards vary enormously. Often files made available for download, will be highly compressed (in order to
save bandwidth), resulting in a lower picture quality.
MPEG-1
MPEG-1 is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by MPEG
(Moving Picture Experts Group). 1.5Mbit/second data rates and 352x240 resolution are common with later
improvements allowing for up to 4Mbit/second for better quality.
MPEG-1 is very common, mainly due to its ability to store an entire film on a single CD. This Video CD
format is a mass-market competitor to VHS in countries where high humidity can quickly degrade magnetic
tapes.
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by MPEG
(Moving Picture Experts Group). MPEG-2 video is not optimized for low bit-rates (less than 1 Mbit/s), but
outperforms MPEG-1 at 3 Mbit/s and above.
MPEG-2 is typically used for standard definition DVDs (maximum average of 9.8 Mbit/s) and television
broadcasts (commonly a lower bit rate than DVD).
Some High-Definition files are also coded using MPEG-2, and higher bit rates do exist.
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by MPEG
(Moving Picture Experts Group).
In general, MPEG-4 video will look more natural than MPEG-2 at the same bit rate (all else being equal).
This has made it an incredibly popular format for bandwidth-sensitive applications such as online
steaming, web downloads and television broadcasting.
Common file extensions
Limitations of support
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.ts .trp .tp .vob .m2t .m2p .m2v
None
YES
Common file extensions
Limitations of support
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.mpg .mpeg .dat .m1v
Some variations of MPEG-1 encoding are not currently
supported
YES
DVD .ISO
An ISO image (.iso) is an informal term for a disk image of an ISO 9660 file system. Most CD/DVD
authoring utilities can create these kinds of files. In general these behave exactly as a DVD disc would
when put into a DVD player.
DVD .VOB and .IFO
A VOB file (DVD-Video Object) is a file type contained in DVD-Video media. It contains the actual Video,
Audio, Subtitle and Menu contents in stream form. The maximum size of VOB files is 1GB and are therefore
found in multiples, in conjunction with .IFO and .BUP files. An .IFO is a DVD information file that stores
information about Chapters, Subtitles and Audio Tracks. In general, when the VIDEO_TS.IFO file is
accessed, it will behave exactly as a DVD disc would when inserted into a DVD player. VOB files can also
be accessed directly.
.TS
This stands for Transport Stream and is an MPEG-2 video stream. It is used by some HDTV broadcasters
and is gaining popularity as a high quality High-Definition file format.
* A file extension on a file (such as .ts) does not mean that the data within that file is compatible with the player. Many file formats use similar
file extensions, and it is not necessarily an indication of what the file encoding format is. Crystalio II Media Player supports many types of file
format, but due to encoding differences, not all files may play.
† Some very high bitrate HD video files may not play smoothly across the network.
Common file extensions*
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.ts .tp
YES
†
Common file extensions*
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.vob
YES
Common file extensions*
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.iso
YES
Common file extensions*
Limitations of support
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.mp4 .m4p .m4v
Some variations of MPEG-4 encoding are not currently
supported such as DivX and XviD
YES
1.3.2 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF AUDIO FORMATS
Crystalio II Media Player supports a mixture of both compressed and uncompressed audio formats.
Recently, as computer storage costs have greatly reduced, lossless compression has become increasingly
popular among those who can discern the differences.
MP3
MP3 was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The name MP3 stands for MPEG 1
Audio Layer 3 (see section 1.3.1). It is by far the most commonly used compressed audio format. Like
most modern ‘lossy’ audio compression, the MP3 process is modeled on the human hearing range. MP3
tries to reduce file size by first removing sounds from the frequency extremes.
WAV or WAVE
A format developed by Microsoft and IBM for storing high quality, uncompressed audio. WAV became the
standard on PCs, but because of the large file sizes it requires (about 10MB per minute of music), most
people convert WAV files to compressed formats (MP3, WMA, and so on).
* A file extension on a file (such as .ts) does not mean that the data within that file is compatible with the player. Many file formats use similar
file extensions, and it is not necessarily an indication of what the file encoding format is. Crystalio II Media Player supports many types of file
format, but due to encoding differences, not all files may play.
Common file extensions*
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.wav
YES
Common file extensions*
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.mp3
YES
Power On/Off
No function with Crystalio II, but it can be used to turn the
remote control backlight on.
Mute
Pressing this key toggles the audio output of Crystalio II Media
Player on/off.
Alpha/Numeric keys
These keys enter alpha/numeric values in appropriate areas
In Media Playing Mode, pressing the numeric keys during
playback will access different parts of the file. Pressing 0 will
jump to the start of the file; 1 will jump to a point 10% of the
total playing time; 2 will jump to 20%; 3 will jump to 30%; etc
MEDIA
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key cycles through
the “Display file type:” options Video/Music/All
(see section 6.1).
INFO
In Media Playing Mode, pressing this key displays an info
panel displaying information about the file being played
(see section 7.1).
Rewind
In Media or DVD Playing Modes, pressing this key rewinds the media being played. Pressing it multiple
times will increase the speed of the rewind. An icon is displayed on the screen, to indicate the current
speed. The Play/Pause key must be pressed to stop rewinding.
Forward
In Media or DVD Playing Modes, pressing this key forward winds the media being played. Pressing it
multiple times will increase the speed of forwarding. An icon is displayed on the screen, to indicate the
current speed. The Play/Pause key must be pressed to stop forward winding.
Previous
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key goes back one page of the file list.
In Media Playing Mode, pressing this key plays the previous media file.
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing this key plays the previous chapter.
Next
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key goes forward one page of the file list.
In Media Playing Mode, pressing this key plays the next* media file.
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing this key plays the next chapter.
* In Media Playing Mode, the sequence of next media file depends on the Repeat Mode setting (see section 7.2 for more information)
2. THE MEDIA PLAYER REMOTE CONTROL
MENU
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing this key enters the MAIN MENU of the DVD.
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key will select a file or folder for copying, moving or deleting.
TITLE
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing this key enters the TITLE MENU of the DVD (if present).
SUBTITLE
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing this key cycles through the SUBTITLES (if present).
AUDIO
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing this key cycles through the AUDIO TRACKS of the DVD (if more than one).
VOL +/–
No function with Crystalio II.
PROFILE
No function with Crystalio II.
TV MODES
No function with Crystalio II.
Play/Pause
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key will play all media files listed in the current folder.
In Media or DVD Playing Modes, pressing this key will toggle between PLAY and PAUSE.
Stop
In Media or DVD Playing Modes, pressing this key will STOP the file and return to File Browsing Mode.
Up/Down/Left/Right
In File Browsing Mode, pressing these keys will move the highlighted item.
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing these keys will navigate the DVD menu screens.
OK
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key will select the currently highlighted item.
In DVD Playing Mode, pressing this key will select the currently highlighted item on DVD menu screens.
Up Folder
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key will navigate up one level to the parent folder.
SETUP
In File Browsing Mode, pressing this key will open the Setup Menu.
Press this button again to exit the Setup menu.
REPEAT
In Media Playing Mode, pressing this key will cycle through the following Repeat Modes:
• Track - repeats the current media file
• All - repeats all the media files in the current folder
• Random - repeats all the media files randomly in the current folder
• Cleared - no repeat
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