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Recommendations for Media Players

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I'm looking for something that I can connect to my TV and use to play media files of different types (mkv, mpg, mp4, avi, divx, etc).

I have a laptop that I can use for this, but it's really overkill for the job, plus it doesn't give me more than 2.0 sound.

My Blu-Ray player only does MPG and AVI, while my Xbox 360 only likes certain AVIs.

What has everyone here used? Would something like Roku or Popcorn Hour fit my needs?

Thanks!

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

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I have a Seagate FreeAgent Theater Plus, though I think they're called GoFlex Theaters or something like that now.  My buddy has a WDTV Live.

I like his better overall, except for one factor - the Seagate will continue on to the next video when it reaches the end of the one you're watching, which is great for marathoning TV shows; the WDTV goes back to the menu screen at the end of each file.

But the WDTV does have less issues with certain files, and I'll often have to remux MKV files for my Seagate using mkvtoolnix - 99% of the time, the video and/or main audio tracks don't have their default flags set to "yes" or "default," in which case the video and/or audio won't play.  Unfortunately, it also doesn't recognize default or forced subtitle tracks, so for some things I have to remember to turn the subtitles on (usually I'll just burn the forced subs into the video when I rip it in Handbrake in the first place, though).

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Thanks! The WDTV Live does look very promising, and the price is right.

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

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I had a WDTV Live and did not like it much: the menus were basic and it was not as good at handling problematic files as the Playon!HD Mini (version 1), which is better, in my opinion.  The Mede8er is all right.

I would buy one of the Popcorn Hour range.  If you do not mind spending a fair amount of money, look at the Dune media players.

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Here's what I looked for in my media player:

- Can play MKV, MP4, and AVI/DIVX/XVID files
- Can output Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 audio
- Can downconvert DTS 5.1 to 2.0 stereo (when not using a 5.1 setup) - WDTV couldn't do this at the time I bought my Seagate, now it can
- Can read media as it's organized on the hard drive instead of just throwing everything in an alphabetical list (murder on TV show files)
- Can output 480i composite/component, 480p/720p/1080i component/HDMI, and 1080p HDMI (as a bonus, it can output 576i/p and 720p50/1080i50/1080p50, though I can't really use that except on one friend's projector - nice for watching Doctor Who, though)
- Can handle (and easily switch between) multiple audio and subtitle tracks

...And that's pretty much it.  So the WDTV and Seagate players both do pretty much exactly what I want it to do.

Things that mine can't do that I wish it could:

- Play a forced and/or default subtitle track without me having to turn it on

So, for me, except for that last annoyance, the WDTV or Seagate players are just fine.

What added benefit is there to the Popcorn Hour or Playon!HD Mini?  What's better about the menus, and what other/better features than the above do they have?  Can they do Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD?  7.1 output?

Not trying to say "mine's better," I'm genuinely curious because my Seagate's getting a little old and I'd like to replace it in the next year or so, and I want to know if it's worth it to get something more expensive and why it is.

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ChainsawAsh said:

Here's what I looked for in my media player:

- Can play MKV, MP4, and AVI/DIVX/XVID files
- Can output Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 audio
- Can downconvert DTS 5.1 to 2.0 stereo (when not using a 5.1 setup) - WDTV couldn't do this at the time I bought my Seagate, now it can
- Can read media as it's organized on the hard drive instead of just throwing everything in an alphabetical list (murder on TV show files)

Most of the big name media players can do all of those.

- Can output 480i composite/component, 480p/720p/1080i component/HDMI, and 1080p HDMI (as a bonus, it can output 576i/p and 720p50/1080i50/1080p50, though I can't really use that except on one friend's projector - nice for watching Doctor Who, though)

It would not be fair of me to comment on this because all I use is HDMI.  I do not think any of the players that have been released recently would have a problem with those.  (Switching between multiple audio and subtitles tracks has never presented me with any problems.)

What added benefit is there to the Popcorn Hour or Playon!HD Mini? 

The only real benefit is one that I mentioned before.  They play non-standard streams that other media players have problems with.  I do not know why, for example, the Playon!HD Mini should handle streams better than the Mede8er or WDTV Live do, but in my experience it does.  I play many HDTV broadcasts, which are often problematic, so this is a high priority for me.  I have never owned a Popcorn Hour, but from talking to people with similar priorities it seems that the Popcorn Hour is also better at handling HDTV than the others.

Can they do Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD?  7.1 output?

The version 2 of the HD Mini can, and I am almost certain that the version 1 can.  You might have to check this though.  I care only about decoding and outputting LPCM stereo over HDMI lol.  Perhaps the menus on the WDTV have changed, but when I used it they were very basic, whereas the Mini's were far better.  They have become even more elaborate with each firmware update, to the extent that I have stuck with a slightly earlier firmware because it's simpler.

To be clear, I would not recommend that you personally buy a Playon!HD Mini, because it is not really an upgrade on what you currently own.  I do think that it is better than the other entry level players of a similar price, so I would recommend it to someone who does not own a player, if they really do not want to spend money on a Popcorn Hour or Dune player.

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What about forced/default subtitles?  Does it recognize those flags and turn those sub tracks on automatically, or would I have to turn it on myself like I do with the Seagate?

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I do not tend to play streams with forced/default subtitles.  I am almost certain that it played the X9 DVDs I made that have default subtitles without my having to turn them on, but that is not much to go on.

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Buy (or build) a HTPC.

 

I bought a Asrock ION 3D 152B for a damned good price (now it costs more).

It has a BluRay drive, it has good cooling, it's quite and it "eats" less than 40 Watts. And it has a remote control :-)

 

I installed Windows 7 and set it up so that it boots directly into XBMC, which is a player which plays almost everything (except BluRay discs). If I want to watch a BD, I use PowerDVD. I am absolutely satisfied

 

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 (Edited)

I can't stand XBMC's interface.  It forces you to organize things the way it thinks you should, which really pisses me off when it comes to movie and TV series.  If it had the level of customization that iTunes has, where you can tell it exactly how you want it sorted, that would be great - but no, you have to use the "scene" sorting with XBMC.  So I'll never use it until that's fixed.

Besides, HTPCs aren't very portable, which is a big part of why I like both the Seagate and WDTV.  You just unplug it, grab the cables, and take it and your hard drive with you to your buddy's place, no hassles whatsoever.

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Well I don't agree.

XBMC forces you to do NOTHING. Not in the "file mode". In the "library mode" the organization is quite logical, I had never problems with it.

My HTPC is not much bigger than WDTV - WDTV dimensions are

Height: 1.57 in (40 mm)
Depth: 3.94 in. (100mm)
Width: 4.94 in (125 mm)
Weight: 0.73 lb (0.33 kg)

and Asrock ION 3D dimensions are

195mm(W)x70mm(H)x186m(L)

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Some good feedback in here.

The WDTV Live seems to have some issues with streaming content over the network, especially if the files are large. Otherwise, the player seems pretty solid.

Most other players seem to have issues of one kind or another. The best one seems to be the Dune, which is simply out of my price range.

I'm also thinking about upgrading to an Oppo Blu-Ray player. Can anyone comment on the file support for that?

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?