Networked media player (need wireless G/N)

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I just received my first HDTV and I think I may have made a purchasing mistake. I didn't think of it before but I'd like to watch DVDs from my PC to my HDTV in a different room, via wireless.

What do I need to do this?

This is my new TV (I knew I should of left it packaged up)

EDIT: What is the latest in Media players for HDTV?

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

do you happen to have an xbox?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

No. I have DVDs backed up on my PC and want to watch them in the living room.

 

[ericlp]

madia tank or WD media player.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I think I need it to have wire & wireless N. Which would be the best in it's class right now with the most features?

And thanks for the reply, it's opened up some possibilities!

How is this model?

 

[s44]

Anything more expensive than a PS3 is a giant mistake.

 

[ericlp]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1080P-Network-H...QptZHome_Theater_in_a_Box?hash=item3a5173bef8

I got this. It plays everything for me. I don't know much about that netgear ... I would not buy that with out tons of research esp, for that price!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Anything more expensive than a PS3 is a giant mistake.

Thanks for the response. So you are talking about the anything over the current PS3 price tag is a waste and subsequently suggesting that a PS3 would be a good idea?

Does the PS3 do Wireless N?

 

[shortylickens]

OK, I just went to newegg and built a decent little HTPC for 381 dollars. It has a good bluray drive and a 1TB hard disk for saving stuff. If you wanna save a LOT of stuff, a 2TB drive would be 70 bucks more. I'm thinking that given how useful a computer is over any crummy little set top player, you should consider it.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I do have a few extra parts laying around like a Case, PSU, Vid card... can I use an atom to run a HTPC or what is necessary to build one..

 

[s44]

Thanks for the response. So you are talking about the anything over the current PS3 price tag is a waste and subsequently suggesting that a PS3 would be a good idea?

Does the PS3 do Wireless N?

PS3 will play back anything (actually, any DNLA-certified device can do media files), and is the only Blu-Ray player you can get that will never be abandoned or obsolete.

You'd need a bridge for wireless N, though.

 

[s44]

OK, I just went to newegg and built a decent little HTPC for 381 dollars.

Including the full version of the software you need for Blu-Ray surround sound output?

This way lies madness. The guy already has a computer with a media archive. Any DNLA device with HDMI will work both cheaper and with 100x less headaches for what he wants. Ditto Blu-Ray -- good standalones are under $100 and *just work*, as does the future-proof PS3.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

PS3 ... and is the only Blu-Ray player you can get that will never be abandoned or obsolete.

PS3 vs Blue-Ray player (stand alone) Can you explain a little more?

 

[Modelworks]

I would wait on purchasing a media player right now. There are several coming on the market before the end of the month.
The one I am watching is the popbox.
Supposed to retail for $130
http://www.popbox.com/

 

[velillen]

PS3 vs Blue-Ray player (stand alone) Can you explain a little more?

What he is saying is that the PS3 will be updated and supported pretty much till the next gen comes out (PS4) and even then will probably still get support for awhile. In fact the PS3 is going to get 3d added to it in the summer via a firmware update. You can also stream netflix and use it as a media center. So you could stream dvd's on your pc to the Ps3 wirelessly. The PS4 has been out for 4+ years and is still being updated.

Standalone players you do well until they release the next gen model then you pretty much stop getting updates/support. most now will do netflix but i havent really seen any that can be used as a media server (havent looked really either). My dad bought pretty much the first standalone sony bluray player (bdp-3000? or something) and it was updated and everything for about a year then the newer models had replaced it.

When you look at all the features of the ps3 and look for them in a standalone player it usually ends up being cheaper to just buy a ps3 unless you literally just need the bd player and nothing else

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The PS3 can do 40mbps on wireless??? cmon now

 

[ericlp]

I would wait on purchasing a media player right now. There are several coming on the market before the end of the month.
The one I am watching is the popbox.
Supposed to retail for $130
http://www.popbox.com/

That popbox is just another media tank device. 130 bucks isn't bad and Popcorn Hour is the best media tank out there. Egreat uses the same firmware and software as popcorn hour it's about the same price and plays everything.

I'll keep my eye on the popbox as well as I'm looking for another unit for the bedroom tv. I have almost two TB's already filled with the stuff I like to watch. Mostly science/space and educational crap. If it uses Ihome server that will be a bonus.

You can't go wrong with popcorn hour since it plays the most and has an active open source community.

http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showthread.php?tid=36039

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

How do the features on the popcorn & popbox compare to this model?

 

[radioouman]

I have a Popcorn Hour and I love it. Rarely do I have any problems with it. It plays everything I throw at it. The only complaint that I have is that the remote interface could be more intuitive. For example, when I hit the ZOOM button, I want it to toggle through each option rather than force me to hit the left/right... but that isn't a big deal.

I also have an Asus O!Play in the bedroom and it works well too. The remote feels like it was made by Fisher Price, but it is a nice little unit too and plays everything that I've thrown at it. I like the Asus for the preview when you put the cursor on a video file.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

How do the features on the popcorn & popbox compare to this model?

this

 

[ericlp]

How do the features on the popcorn & popbox compare to this model?

I don't know anything about that model.

But if you really want to have wireless N for a Networked Media Tank. For about 25 bucks for a re manufactured router. Usually remanufactureds are customer returns because they couldn't figure out how to get a wireless working. You can buy two of them for 60 bucks or so and make a fast N bridge.

80 ~ 100++Mbps bridge for 60 bucks! Depending on how far and how many walls the signal has to pass though. Your millage will very.


If you dont mind playing with firmware and are a bit tech savvy or atleast good at following directions, you can get a router like the Netgear WNR834B and flash it with DD-WRT and turn it into a nice bridge.

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?inv...100NAR&cpc=SCH

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=85799
steps for flashing netgear firmware to turn it into a bridge.

and get yourself a networked media tank and have fun! Not a bad solution for under 200 bucks.

 

[s44]

Or spend $40 on a bridge, no flashing required.

 

[Modelworks]

The main thing to consider is support. There are really only two chipset makers in the game, realtek and sigma designs. The sigma chipset is a bit better in terms of capabilities , but both can do their task pretty well.

There are over 30 media players on the market and they all but about 2 use those chipsets. So what you get is a box with a different case and different menus but internally pretty much the same hardware.


The other thing is netflix support if you want that. Netflix support is not something the community can add on afterwards so you need to decide if that is important to you.

I learned that the hard way with the WDTV Live. Don't misunderstand me it is a great piece of hardware and WD is updating the firmware a lot lately to improve it but I am a person that likes to customize things and while you can do that with the WDTV Live there are just some things you cannot do. Sigma Designs controls the chipset SDK and has it so locked up that doing things like changing audio settings for delay, altering video output for color or brightness are inside proprietary code. It is like banging your head against a wall trying to write your own apps or changing functions because you have to reverse engineer everything.

So I am waiting for the popbox where I can write my own apps and change things to better suit what I like.

Wireless N is doable on many of these devices by just using a usb wireless N adapter. They all run linux and most of the usb N adapters that mainstream linux supports the boxes do to.

 

[simonizor]

Wireless will suck for steaming movies regardless of whether it's g or n. Get a long ethernet cable. They're only like $20 with shipping for a 100 foot one on newegg.com.

I would get a PS3 if I were you. You can watch blu rays, play video games, and steam all of your moves from your pc (you could even copy them to the PS3's hard drive if you wanted to). With the PS3 Media Server program, you can watch any file type on the PS3, even mkvs.

 

[Fallen Kell]

another of the get a PS3 crowd. I have the HTPC in the home theater actually, and a PS3 on the other main TV. Works fine to stream pretty much anything standard def over wireless. For HD, you need wired, or a N bridge. Even though N theoretically has the bandwidth for HD, the reality is that it isn't really there. Between interference from other wireless networks in the area, use of the same wireless spectrum for "a", "g" and "n" networks, protocol changes for dealing how to act when other wireless networks are operating on the same channels, etc., etc., and you really only get about 30-40Mbps realistic performance.