How far along has media players come?

[jtvang125]

I had one a couple of years back but it was just fell short of what I wanted. Not many audio/video files supported, lack of expansion, and too simple of a UI. Many of these promised a lot but never delivered. And with little competition back then they were pretty pricey too. I sold mine and built a htpc and haven't looked back since.

I now see that there are a few more companies coming out with these all in one media players. Have they matured enough to where they can replace a htpc? How about the UI? Is it more than just listing files names in folders. I'm been spoiled by Vista Media Center and mymovies UI so browsing through filenames is not an option.

I also have about 8TB in hard drive space. Will these devices handle and utilize that much space?

 

[aphex]

My favorite HTPC software packages out there right now are Boxee and Plex, though each has their own requirements.

Plex is a fork of XBMC, designed for Leopard, needs a fairly capable Mac (or hackintosh) to work. IMO Plex has the best interface i've seen, very slick.
Boxee is a social media package, integrates with Hulu (finally again), Netflix, YouTube, ABC, etc... Boxee runs on OSX, Windows, Linux and Apple TV (though Apple TV version doesn't work with Netflix).

Both not only stream online content, but also can stream your music, movies and photos across your LAN.

There are rumors that Boxee will be releasing their own hardware later this year, but as of now its just speculation.

 

[Kaido]

Vista Media Center or Plex are pretty much the best ways to go. If you want Bluray disc playback and TV recording, then Vista Media Center is really your only option.