Looking for a media player

[DodgyTech]

Hi Guys

I'm looking to find a media player that will play a whole host of file formats. I want it to be of good quality and want it so that it's upgradeable.

So far I've found this: 1080p HDMI HD Network DTS MKV Blue Ray ISO Media Player on eBay (end time 02-Nov-10 12:52:12 GMT)

It's good because I can make it wireless and I can install a hard drive in it. I don't have HDTV just yet, but if I get one, then this gizmo will be ready for it.

Have you got any views on this device or can you recommend a better one?

Money is a big deciding factor. The cheaper the better but at the same time I want good quality so I'm willing to stretch the budget just a little

 

[oneman]

The most flexiable player out there is the Asus Revo R3610. There is not a file format it can't support. You can pick up a used for around £150 or less on ebay.

It can do a lot more then just media streaming, the list is endless.

However it is only HDMI or VGA connection.

 

[biffo1]

1 Here also Here

 

[DodgyTech]

Thanks guys. Checking them out now.

Was thinking, I wonder if a TM500S could play files if I attached an external USB drive?

 

[oneman]

1 Here also Here

I think your first link just points back to this thread ?

 

[hawkish]

The most flexiable player out there is the Asus Revo R3610. There is not a file format it can't support. You can pick up a used for around £150 or less on ebay.

It can do a lot more then just media streaming, the list is endless.

However it is only HDMI or VGA connection.

+1 for the revo if you are into tinkering, I have xbmc on mine and it is a dream to use

 

[zad]

The cyclone wont play .mkv so its a no no for HD rips.

I have an old pc in a case that i use XBMC and it works great..

Get a revo or wait a little longer and i'm sure the £100 apple tv will be using plex/xbmc with 720p support

 

[jaffa]

Hawkish won't agree with this...pmsl.

Xtreamer pro is a great piece of kit and getting better all the time. Plays everything I throw at it, my wife even thinks its great and easy to use.

btw..xmbc is the yardstick which NO other player will ever reach so if you want xmbc you have to go for the better processors.

 

[hawkish]

Hawkish won't agree with this...pmsl.

Xtreamer pro is a great piece of kit and getting better all the time. Plays everything I throw at it, my wife even thinks its great and easy to use.

btw..xmbc is the yardstick which NO other player will ever reach so if you want xmbc you have to go for the better processors.

quite :thumbsup:

me and xtreamer have had issues in the past but that was purely politics. Xtreamer pro is now tried and proven as a top media player that is easy to use and gives advanced features to the masses. If you are looking for plug and play then look no further

 

[rawsy]

my vote goes to the xtreamer. i havent tried the pro version but am happy with the normal version. i have only ever had bother with 2 mkv files which as it turned out were muxed incorrectly and was an easy fix.

 

[DodgyTech]

I had a look out for the Asus Revo R3610 - is that just a PC?

The xtreamer pro looks good but way out of my budget.

Would a linux sat receiver be any good for playing video files from a USB device? That wasy I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone

 

[oneman]

I had a look out for the Asus Revo R3610 - is that just a PC?

The revo is a netbook without the screen but with nvideo ION chipset to allow flawless HD playback. Many users use linux but it just at home running windows 7.

I will say, being a PC there is extra effort in maintaining it compared to stb like xtremer.

But on the flip side its a PC so you can do pretty much anything a regular PC can do, play back just about any media file, stream or store local, internet access, run office, play games (even some basic 3D games), hook up anything you want like ipods, card readers, usb tv tuner (turn it in a PVR), optical drives. the list is pretty much endless.

And its small, very small, quiet, low power usage and even comes with a bracket so you can mount it behind the TV if you want.

 

[hawkish]

dont forget the LG hack if you have one or are thinking of getting a new tv

 

[DodgyTech]

oneman - How would I get it to work so that when I power it up, it goes straight to remote control operation media centre rather than having to wait for it to boot up, then run a media centre program by using my mouse?

hawkish - thanks mate. Interesting find

 

[DodgyTech]

Thanks for the responses guyg.

I think I have made up my mind. I'm going to get this one: CYCLONE SUMVISION HDMI RECORDER ENCLOSURE MEDIA PLAYER on eBay (end time 12-Dec-10 11:09:43 GMT)

Here are a few alternatives for those looking:

Sumvision Cyclone HDMI 1080p USB SD Micro Media Player on eBay (end time 03-Dec-10 17:20:05 GMT)

CYCLONE HDMI LAN RECORDER MEDIA PLAYER 1TB HARD DRIVE on eBay (end time 26-Nov-10 15:43:54 GMT)

I tried using a PC with Geexbox Linux installed, but I couldn't get my head around it and the PC was an eyesore. Besides, it wasn't producing output on the TV and it wasn't allowing me to play multiple files, at the end of a video file, it would return to the menu screen and I would have to go down to the next file.

I guess the customiser app would have allowed me to configure how I wanted it, but that was just too much for me to go through as I'm too busy for that.

Hope the links above help anyone looking for one.

Peace

 

[oneman]

oneman - How would I get it to work so that when I power it up, it goes straight to remote control operation media centre rather than having to wait for it to boot up, then run a media centre program by using my mouse?

hawkish - thanks mate. Interesting find

You can set the PC to autologon (non-admin account) and put Windows Media Centre or XBMC (better in my opinion) into the startup folder.

 

[glic83]

Ac ryan for me plays everything i have,seems to be stable now had issues with the earlier firmwares

 

[wiiman]

+1 for the xbmc approach. I have an er1402 (similar to a revo), I dual boot windows 7 and xbmcfreak live and its fantastic.
Boot into windows download films reboot into xbmcfreak and watch said films in stunning 1080p. I love it, as hawkish said it requires a bit of tinkering, but once set up you can't beat it

 

[hawkish]

+1 for the xbmc approach. I have an er1402 (similar to a revo), I dual boot windows 7 and xbmcfreak live and its fantastic.
Boot into windows download films reboot into xbmcfreak and watch said films in stunning 1080p. I love it, as hawkish said it requires a bit of tinkering, but once set up you can't beat it

it is as satisfying as getting your first cable box to clear channels back in the day.

wiiman, you know you can use xbmcfreaks built in sabnzbd server to download stuff directly in its automated glory to the xbmc folder? I use an android app to que the nzbs

 

[DodgyTech]

thanks hawkish and wiiman. the seller hasn't replied to me yet so I haven't committed myself to anything. with the xbmcfreaks, does it play via the "video out" connection straight out of the box or does it require extensive tinkering?

I take it it has playlist functionality (i.e. highlight and play multiple files / move forward and back between files in a folder without exiting playback)