LaCie LaCinema Rugged HD - All-terrain 1080p H.264 Playback

Our chief complaint with LaCie LaCinema Rugged is the lack of H.264 codec and especially MKV container compatibility. When you are targeting a portable media center market, skipping those features will almost guarantee failure. Other than that, the Rugged by Neil Poulton is pretty slick overall. This is why we should give it a second chance with the release of LaCinema Rugged HD.

The updated version sports the same scratch-resistant aluminum design as its "SD" sibling except with the addition of popular HD video codec and audio format support. The LaCinema Rugged HD, like its unsuccessful predecessor, can now playback H.264, VC-1 and WMV9. Container support has been expanded to MKV, TRP and M2TS. Audio support now includes OGG, PCM and AC3. Feature-wise, it's fair to say that WDTV media player has finally met its match. Then again, after checking LaCie product page on the Rugged, the $349.99 price tag for the 500GB model may deter buyers.