[JesseBlue]

WDTV, WDTV Live, Asus, Patriot box office, Popcorn Hour...sure add the htpc if you want...

Which ones do you have?

which one is the best for its interface, price, support, connectivity?

Anyone waiting for the Boxee box? I know i'm interested but dunno about how much it'll be here...

[StylinRed]

we're sort of mentioning it in that blu-ray or dvd player thread ill just quote my message (its in reply to the Olevia media streamer)

the problem with media players is the limitation on audio decoding/bitstreaming and handling of video bitrates or fps etc

the spec sheet of that unit u linked says it only supports files up to 720p@30fps

it will upscale to 720p or 1080p tho but that's not the same

and say u download those blu-ray mkv files... well the audio on that is usually DTS audio, and i don't see anything about that unit or the western digital player being able to decode DTS or bitstream it
and if you want something representative of blu-ray u'll download the 1080p file and that player doesn't support it... etc etc


+ those units are a $100+ if u get an external blu-ray drive.... thats hella expensive


personally ur best bet, is to get a PS3... supposedly its going to get MKV support sometime this year as other players are offering it and media players are somewhat successful
or just use your laptop.... especially with netbooks taking off they really defeat the purpose of media streamers

[underscore]

PS3 + PS3MS on my laptop is the best for me, the PS3 upconverts stuff so much better than just watching off my laptop which is an added bonus for regular dvd stuff.

[Manic!]

WDTV and it works great.

[StylinRed]

oh btw the Patriot one (which is on sale at ncix) is quite nice as it decodes dolby and dts and plays 1080p files, except i dont think it upscales content like that Olevia one (which doesnt play 1080p files)

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=44928&vpn=PCMPBO25&manufacture=Patriot&promoid=1061

ps3 still ftw though

[[jsx] sky]

I'm waiting for boxee...excited.

[mos_skeeto]

wdtv here. with the stuff i download off typical torrent sites i would say it has a 95% success rate. top gear looks very pretty on my tv. very happy with it. the interface is alright. I do the video thumbnails so the movies all show up with covers. however moving around is a bit stiff.

[laureate]

I have a WDTV Live hooked up to my home network and it works great. It can play all of the HD and SD formats I've thrown at it so far and has a great interface.

My only problems with it is that it lacks a gigabit connection (only 10/100mbps) and occasionally it has some trouble accessing the network.

Also if you install b-rad's custom firmware, you can use torrent, nzb, and ftp with the box (and more) :thumbsup:

[SlySi]

XBMC because of the great looking screen covers and descriptions.

[JesseBlue]

i don't really have a need to the ps3 because it does cost a whole lot more than the other media streamers plus i probably won't play games (i only like sports games like hockey and football but those games cost dinero...hehe)

i've always wanted to get a mac mini and install plex on it as i love how it looks on my imac plus the plugins..but i can't justify paying anything close to $300 for it... plus you gotta have a receiver to get audio (or buy computer speakers)...
i was leaning towards the original wdtv since i won't really be streaming from the network but i hate how they don't price it correctly (hehe)...it should be around $69 or less and the live should be just like how the original was priced before $99..with all the dropouts that i hear and the lack of nice interface, lack of menus for a ripped dvd (i know i know, better to just rip the title set), i'd probably pass for the time being...

popbox seems to be good but i have to just wait and see...

i love the boxee box because of the interface but i hope that they won't price it like how they said..around 200 bux because everyone else seems to be wanting to sell theirs for $99-$140 ...at the moment they are leading though...

has anyone used a paid proxy to try to get hulu to stream to their boxes? this would essentially make you get rid of cable if the quality is great...

[JesseBlue]

bringing this back from the dead....

boxee box can be bought in FS or bb for 199...i know i mentioned i wouldn't get it at that price but i'm so tempted and most likely will get it...

Anyone else?

[FatalCloud]

i bought my dad the patriot box office, we're having trouble with wireless though, it keeps asking for net user id and password??? we entered any id and password we could think of...doesn't work... anyone can help please?

[mos_skeeto]

fatal, sounds like you don't have the right password for your wifi. i would borrow a laptop or someone's iphone and try plugging in the username/password there to get the right one. if not you may have to factory reset the router.

[FatalCloud]

^ thanks but i got it working. had to turn off windows firewall.

[JesseBlue]

i caved a month and a half ago and got the boxee box...

boxee box + navi-x = gold!

[JesseBlue]

still on the 'beta' firmware and am loving it...

[willystyle]

Why would you need a gigabit connection for a media server? unless it had a built-in HD, it's absolutely useless.

A 100Mbps is more than enough to stream 1080p content.

[Narayan]

I have Apple TV hooked up to my media center and I love it... and yes I'm streaming from a PC not a MAC...

[woob]

Once the PS3 gets mkv support, my life will be complete.

[rice cooker]

seagate media player, works great