Question on which streaming device to buy ?? Want to stream mkv 1080p

[ctcsoft]

Wanting to buy a streaming device but there are sooo many now and so many updates/hacks I don't know which to get.

My requirements:

1080P
Want to stream alot of .mkv 1080p/720p content
Want to be able to connect USB drive and stream from that primarily.

 

[bearxor]

You want to stream 1080p over network and local off USB? Boxee Box.

 

[mmntech]

There's quite a few options depending on what you want to spend. A Roku 2 XS or Boxee Box might be right up your ally. Both support MKV files and have USB ports for playback. I went a different route and purchased a nettop. I've mentioned the Zotac Zbox Nano before. AMD Fusion based nettop with HD 6310 graphics handles 1080p just fine. Has four USB ports, two of which are USB 3.0.

I can't recommend the Apple TV since it doesn't stream MKV (stock anyway) and doesn't have user accessible USB.

 

[Kaido]

I've really enjoyed my WDTV "Live Streaming" box:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2215917

$89 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KOZNBW

Handles 1080p without a hiccup. It does have a USB port as well.

 

[ArJuN]

Dune Player. If that's out of your budget then a Popcorn Hour.

 

[smitbret]

WD Live loves .mkv and will easily do 1080p. Boxee Box probably has the best UI out there, but it comes at a price. I could whole heartedly recommend either. Ultimately, when I had to make the decision, I went with the WD Live Hub. Includes 1TB of internal storage and will act as a DLNA server if you require or want that. Roku XS gets a lot of raves, but I don't think it's quite as friendly as the other boxes for local 1080p as some of the others.

 

[Gintaras]

I do have for a 2 or more years Argosy Media Player HV335T

http://www.argosyusa.com/hv335t.asp

Inside 640G HDD, with usb wireless adapter I could watch any video from my computers.

.mkv files plays wonderful...

 

[bearxor]

Personally, I simply couldn't stand the UI on the WDTV series, but if that's not a factor, then it's definitely my runner up. I'd stay away from the Roku, it's just simply not user friendly for local content at all unless something's changed recently. OTOH, if you're looking to primarily stream from online content sources, it would definitely be the top pick.

You can find refurb Boxe Boxes for $130 pretty easy these days. It's not without it's issues, but I did purchase and try every single streamer I could get my hands on before settling on it... For now.

 

[Edge1]

I love the Plex/Roku combo but I would say the simplest might be something like the WD Live. That's just a great streaming box apparently.

Roku 2 XS does generally require something like Plex media server to be installed locally on your PC. There are other "channels" that appear to address network streaming as well. And yes it has a USB port for streaming but I've never used it.

 

[AstroManLuca]

A friend of mine has the newer WD TV Live. Seems better than what I got about a year ago, the previous WD TV Live Plus. The Live Plus has a crummy slow interface and a bunch of utterly useless streaming channels. But all I really ask it to do is play Netflix and stream stuff from my computer. It technically supports playing from SMB shares but that feature was flaky at best and required me to restart my computer before it would show up, and even then it didn't always work. I ended up installing TVersity and that works great. It also plays movies from external USB storage just fine.

Like I said, my friend assures me the new WD TV Live is much improved, but I'm not sure I'd buy another WD TV if I were buying something today. I'll stick with it for as long as it works but my next device might be an HTPC or an Android-based device.

 

[smitbret]

I can assure you that the new Mochi interface on the WD Live Hub is much better. Looks a lot better and doesn't suffer from the same lag when making selections that the older interface does. Boxee was smoother, but not by much.

 

[rbk123]

Another option is to get a DLNA Bluray player - I've heard a lot of people recommend the Samsungs and use them instead of getting some like the WD TV.