Conclusion

We want to enjoy a variety of multimedia content on our HDTVs, but many people don’t want to bother with the relative complexities of connecting a notebook to the TV nor do they want to buy a dedicated HTPC. A solution like the Seagate FreeAgent Theater is just so much easier.

The included FreeAgent Go hard drive makes it easy to load up as many movies and songs as you’d like, just as you would with any other portable hard drive. In this way, the FreeAgent Theater is easily accessible even for computer and home theater novices.

I would have liked to see a more robust selection of audio/vido outputs, particularly the inclusion of an HDMI-out. The codec and file support could also be improved, so I hope that Seagate pushes out a new firmware to address this as well. As it stands, the FreeAgent Theater is a pretty good value for what it is and it’s very easy to use.

The Good

• Bundled hard drive offers good value
• Hot-swap FreeAgent Go and USB drives for more content
• Video preview feature is a nice addition
• Compact and easy-to-use

The Bad

• No wireless streaming
• Disappointing audio/video output options
• Music player is folder-based, not ID3 tag-based

The Verdict: 8.0/10