Streaming media help/suggestions

[Fallengod]

Ok so... Havnt really done much of the home theater/streaming media stuff yet.

So heres my scenario, I need some help and suggestions.

My computer/router is upstairs while my TV/Receiver is downstairs. I just want to be able to play all types of media files such as vobs, dvds, blu-rays, .mkv and all other high def media files. What is the best and most cost effective option here?

I just bought a Amazon Fire TV stick because it was on sale for $25, have not yet opened it or tried it yet.

I was thinking it might just be nice to not have to rely on having my computer upstairs turned on to play digital files, so if that was the case, id need to go with something I can plug into my receiver I think... I wish I could just straight plug in an external hard drive with media files into the receiver but I dont think it would read the files....

Is WD TV live any good? I can get $25 off on it now putting it at $75 which is fairly cheap. Good bet for that and id be able to stream stuff as well I think.

 

[smitbret]

Ok so... Havnt really done much of the home theater/streaming media stuff yet.

So heres my scenario, I need some help and suggestions.

My computer/router is upstairs while my TV/Receiver is downstairs. I just want to be able to play all types of media files such as vobs, dvds, blu-rays, .mkv and all other high def media files. What is the best and most cost effective option here?

I just bought a Amazon Fire TV stick because it was on sale for $25, have not yet opened it or tried it yet.

I was thinking it might just be nice to not have to rely on having my computer upstairs turned on to play digital files, so if that was the case, id need to go with something I can plug into my receiver I think... I wish I could just straight plug in an external hard drive with media files into the receiver but I dont think it would read the files....

Is WD TV live any good? I can get $25 off on it now putting it at $75 which is fairly cheap. Good bet for that and id be able to stream stuff as well I think.

Honestly, the best experience is going to come from just leaving the PC on and sideloading XBMC onto the FireTV stick. Playback from network shares. Total cost $0 and no add'l boxes to hook up.

Otherwise, for playback of local storage the WDTV Live is pretty good and unbeatable for local codec support but I would still just get a FireTV or Chromebox and use XBMC.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yup, you want XBMC on something. The Firestick will run it. Use something like this to sideload the app:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2736774

Even though I personally would return the stick and combine that money with the money for the WDTV Live and get a FireTV. It will have better performance and an easier to follow guide:

http://kodi.wiki/view/Amazon_Fire_TV#Installing

Queue my usual bit of if you want the "best" XBMC experience you want a Chromebox, but anything with XBMC will work. A WDTV Live is PRIMITIVE compared to XBMC in many many ways.

 

[Fallengod]

So you think the Fire TV (non-stick) would be better than the WDTV Live huh? Fire TV plays all the file formats and everything?

My issue now is, theres a $25 off $100 coupon for tigerdirect right now, so honestly, Fire TV or WDTV Live would be only $50 more over the Fire tv stick.

I guess I am just trying to avoid the whole steaming thing because I am sure it is less smooth than local playback you know? And then I wouldnt have to always make sure my upstairs computer is turned on.

 

[poofyhairguy]

My issue now is, theres a $25 off $100 coupon for tigerdirect right now, so honestly, Fire TV or WDTV Live would be only $50 more over the Fire tv stick.

I think a FireTV is the best option as it gives you more power to drive the interface. A WDTV Live was the answer to this same problem in 2011, a FireTV is a much better option in 2014.

I guess I am just trying to avoid the whole steaming thing because I am sure it is less smooth than local playback you know? And then I wouldnt have to always make sure my upstairs computer is turned on.

The FireTV box actually has a USB port, so if you go that route you can hook up a hard drive straight to it.

 

[tential]

A WDTV live isn't bad though. I've seen the videos on youtube of it.

I think we're biased in that we use XBMC so we know how great it is to use.
But to a person who may not care about the benefits of the faster interface/functions/etc. of FireTV/XBMC they may want to safe that $25 dollars...

Meh, $25 dollars it's worth the extra hassle to set up XBMC on FireTV and get both teh Amazon ecosystem and XBMC. WDTV interface was no where near as snappy as my XBMC and god knows how much slower it would get when I load my size of a library on it.

 

[Fallengod]

I think a FireTV is the best option as it gives you more power to drive the interface. A WDTV Live was the answer to this same problem in 2011, a FireTV is a much better option in 2014.



The FireTV box actually has a USB port, so if you go that route you can hook up a hard drive straight to it.

My worry is the file types supported then. Id need to it to play lots of file types, I dont want to be limited. I havnt done enough research yet I guess, I dont know what all file types it supports.

So maybe then FireTV with XBMC if I can connect my HDD locally to it so it doesnt have to be streamed. That would work if it will support all the files I need.

EDIT: I just read this on one site, are you sure it supports stuff connected to USB? (This could be a really old review)

"One of the easiest ways to do this on many devices is to simply copy the file to a Flash thumb drive, plug it in and watch away. Not so on the Fire TV. The device does have a USB port, but local file playback currently isn’t supported, and I’ve been told by Amazon folks that it’s instead being used for accessories as well as developer support.
The Fire TV has a USB port - but you will not be able to use it for local file playback.


Customers are instead advised to upload local media to the Amazon Cloud Drive. Of course, there is also Plex, which is great if you have a lot of media to share over your home network. But still, a simple file player app with access to the USB port, or possibly even networked hard drives, would definitely improve the experience, especially for less technical users."

 

[Raincity]

A Roku 3 running Plex on both ends will do the same thing. Also it will read local media off a external harddrive plugged into the USB port. Its easy to set up on both ends without jumping through any hoops of using the android developer mode to get XBMC/Kodi installed on FireTV.

 

[tential]

My worry is the file types supported then. Id need to it to play lots of file types, I dont want to be limited. I havnt done enough research yet I guess, I dont know what all file types it supports.

So maybe then FireTV with XBMC if I can connect my HDD locally to it so it doesnt have to be streamed. That would work if it will support all the files I need.

EDIT: I just read this on one site, are you sure it supports stuff connected to USB? (This could be a really old review)

"One of the easiest ways to do this on many devices is to simply copy the file to a Flash thumb drive, plug it in and watch away. Not so on the Fire TV. The device does have a USB port, but local file playback currently isn’t supported, and I’ve been told by Amazon folks that it’s instead being used for accessories as well as developer support.
The Fire TV has a USB port - but you will not be able to use it for local file playback.


Customers are instead advised to upload local media to the Amazon Cloud Drive. Of course, there is also Plex, which is great if you have a lot of media to share over your home network. But still, a simple file player app with access to the USB port, or possibly even networked hard drives, would definitely improve the experience, especially for less technical users."

That is most likely FireTV app specific and isn't specific to XBMC. XBMC plays EVERYTHING I can think of so far. Might have trouble with x265 playback but well, you'd have trouble with x265 playback on most devices in this price range anyway.
FireTV's built in apps may not access USB for fileplayback due to them wanting you int he FireTV ecosystem but if you sideload XBMC, it should be able to.
Quick google searches show people are able to play files back through XBMC using external harddrive on FirETV.

 

[poofyhairguy]

My worry is the file types supported then. Id need to it to play lots of file types, I dont want to be limited. I havnt done enough research yet I guess, I dont know what all file types it supports.

So maybe then FireTV with XBMC if I can connect my HDD locally to it so it doesnt have to be streamed. That would work if it will support all the files I need.

XBMC/Kodi is the most flexible media software on the planet. It uses FFMPEG at its core, which is basically the same thing used by VLC. If VLC works, so will XBMC.

As a piece of software it BLOWS AWAY any sort of hardware solution like the WDTV Live. I have over 50,000 different media files, 30+TBs of data, and XBMC is my tool of choice because it is the only thing that can play everything.

The only limitation is the hardware of the FireTV- it has trouble with MPEG2 (which is rare nowadays) on hardware but otherwise it should play every file just fine. Oh and it can't decode stuff that needs a real CPU like 10 bit Anime or h265 files.

If you really want a device that you can throw ANY media file and have it work, well then you are talking about a Chromebox hacked to run XBMC for twice the price. I don't think that will be worth it for you unless you absolutely LOVE hi10p Anime (in which case NOTHING cheaper than the Chromebox will work).

 

[poofyhairguy]

A Roku 3 running Plex on both ends will do the same thing. Also it will read local media off a external harddrive plugged into the USB port. Its easy to set up on both ends without jumping through any hoops of using the android developer mode to get XBMC/Kodi installed on FireTV.

Yeah, you can hook a HD to a Roku, but then he is locked into the files/codecs/containers the Roku supports for local playback which is a fraction of what XBMC supports.

Plex is always a great option for streaming, but not so great for local playback.

This is one time where XBMC/Kodi is a clear winner.

EDIT: I just read this on one site, are you sure it supports stuff connected to USB?

XBMC installed on there basically pushes the hardware well beyond what was originally intended. It will work, I have seen it work.

 

[Fallengod]

Alright. Thanks for the input. Sounds like maybe ill go towards FireTV then. At least ive narrowed it down to FireTV and WD TV live.

My main issue is, I just dont want to rely on streaming content necessarily and having to always have my computer upstairs turned on. Id prefer to just load stuff onto a nice external and leave it connected to my home theater downstairs.

 

[tential]

Alright. Thanks for the input. Sounds like maybe ill go towards FireTV then. At least ive narrowed it down to FireTV and WD TV live.

My main issue is, I just dont want to rely on streaming content necessarily and having to always have my computer upstairs turned on. Id prefer to just load stuff onto a nice external and leave it connected to my home theater downstairs.

Rooting the device + stickmount seems to work.
I've always used streaming though since it means any pc in the house can access content.
Considering pcs can use less power than a light bulb depending on the pc you have it doesn't bother me.

Like I said, you may just prefer to use wdtv given your requirements for its ease of setup

 

[poofyhairguy]

My main issue is, I just dont want to rely on streaming content necessarily and having to always have my computer upstairs turned on. Id prefer to just load stuff onto a nice external and leave it connected to my home theater downstairs.

Here is a guide to do what you want:

http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-play-media-files-from-external-usb-storage-on-amazon-fire-tv/

WDTV would be the best option if that intimidates you at all (otherwise the end solution for the FireTV is way better).

 

[Fallengod]

Yeah I saw that guide. Thanks.

Im trying to figure it out. I may just go with WDTV for my needs. Trying to decide.

 

[smitbret]

Yeah I saw that guide. Thanks.

Im trying to figure it out. I may just go with WDTV for my needs. Trying to decide.

Just to throw in more food for thought, I prefer my overclocked Raspberry Pi running XBMC to the WDTV Live Hub that I had for 2 years.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Just to throw in more food for thought, I prefer my overclocked Raspberry Pi running XBMC to the WDTV Live Hub that I had for 2 years.

Great point. Poor Pi, I always forget about like the coolest computer ever.

 

[Fallengod]

Not really familiar with Raspberry Pi but thanks.

Theres so many options out now its crazy. Im just trying to decide how much streaming from other services I want to have. But honestly im just looking to play different file types locally to my home theater.

 

[smitbret]

Not really familiar with Raspberry Pi but thanks.

Theres so many options out now its crazy. Im just trying to decide how much streaming from other services I want to have. But honestly im just looking to play different file types locally to my home theater.

I'm local file playback is all you will ever need than the WDTV Live will be fine. Just don't get the "Play" version. If you think that you may ever want more than just local playback, then spring for the Chromebox, even if it's just a small chance. The RaspPi will be a great second device in the home but it's not prime time ready. I did mine just to see how much I liked XBMC before I invested in something to replace my WDTV Live Hub. I liked it so much to that I kept it as an HTC in the bedroom.