Media centre

Media centres,
Guys, What do they do ? Do you have to plug in ext drives... or what.
Are they worth looking at ?

Do you mean a microsoft operating system with media centre?

It's a small box that sits next to plugs into your TV via leads.
Plug in a HDD or flash drive with movies via USB points.
Basically it's supposed to replace the DVD player.
Hope that makes sense.

AL

It's basically a PC running Windows XP Media Center, Vista Home Premium (or higher), Windows 7 Home Premium (or higher), or some flavor of Linux that you connect to your TV to playback DVD's, video files, internet entertainment.

I use a Western Digital WDTV Live... I don't have a place for a PC in my small corner entertainment center.

SithTracy wrote:It's basically a PC running Windows XP Media Center, Vista Home Premium (or higher), Windows 7 Home Premium (or higher), or some flavor of Linux that you connect to your TV to playback DVD's, video files, internet entertainment.

I use a Western Digital WDTV Live... I don't have a place for a PC in my small corner entertainment center.

Hi all you can also use the xbox360 or the ps3 if you have one connect to your router and network play movies stored on your hard drive

SATRAT wrote:Hi all you can also use the xbox360 or the ps3 if you have one connect to your router and network play movies stored on your hard drive

I have a PS3... No Matroska (mkv) support... Streaming is an option with Media Center or ps3mediaserver, but the WDTV has a small footprint and my wife and kids can manage that better than a PS3.... just no Netflix support with the WDTV Live (yet?!!?, unconfirmed rumors).

I know you can use tsMuxeR to re-encode mkv files to m2ts for direct playback on a PS3, but your lose chapter and subtitles... the Matroska container is cool to contain those and the WDTV has support. I guess so does the Popcorn Hour device.

Hi Sith just chucking in a couple extras for Alby to mull over loads of people with a 360 and ps3 who don't know you can use them to stream movies also you can use a memory stick if you don't want to stream hope it helps

Al

Here is one of the devices listed on Amazon.co.uk.

Don't have one myself (yet) but like the idea of them. Think the idea is you convert your DVD's using one of the tools that most of us probably have on our PC's so can get 100's of movies & music on the box and then play them through your TV.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001PU0DAG/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_i2?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=00328E8Z8HGMB4SXC68K&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467198433&pf_rd_i=468294

I know that some of the Blu-Players are now coming with the ability to play stuff off the web. The one my dad has connects to Youtube and I have heard someone else talking about a player that can access the BBC iPlayer service on the web so effectively you can stream TV shows to your TV through the Blu-Ray player.

Technology ?? - me likes but can't justify these ones at the moment, not since I recently took on BT Vision - which is a Freeview box with a windows driven PC built in. This also access all the online streaming from the major channels in the UK but is all menu driven and nice to use - you don't have to hunt websites for the programs/films you want just work through the menus

Thats what I do to my DVDs now w/ the software you mention and Handbrake... to make x.264 Matroska containers with scenes and subtitle support w/ the Western Digital WDTV... My original DVD's are no longer taking shelf space, they are encoded into files and stored on a 2.5 inch hard disc. I have already got rid of the storage cabinet my DVD's were in and they are stored in plastic bins now in the basement. Matroska containers are about 1/4 the size of all the VOB files combined and the quality is just the same in a single file. I wish I could buy my movies online in that format and download them... or you could walk into a store, pay for the movie, and plug in a USB stick for some automated process to copy it to you.

Thanks guys.
Think I'll wait a bit longer before investing in something like that.
Looks inevitable though doesn't it ?

AL

Had a look in the shops last Friday.
I'll probably have a go at the Western Digital WD TV or Live.
Probably go for the cheaper of the two..
The other couple I looked at weren't good at all.
Will also get a friend to look at upgrading the daughters xbox 360 to do the same.

I think they are discontinuing the non-Ethernet version of the WDTV series... and they do have a known firmware bug when it comes to Matroska playback... I have a few affected files... the voice is out of sync. Seems they cannot fix. You might want to hold out a while longer and see how things play out.

SithTracy wrote:I think they are discontinuing the non-Ethernet version of the WDTV series... and they do have a known firmware bug when it comes to Matroska playback... I have a few affected files... the voice is out of sync. Seems they cannot fix. You might want to hold out a while longer and see how things play out.

OOh ok .
I wasn't in a great hurry for one. Might wait a while.

Thanks heaps mate.

I just purchased this....for $72.93 off fleabay, on GaPonys reccomendation
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Asus-O-Play-Full-HD-1080P-Media-Player-HDMI-MKV-Rmvb-/200554778337?pt=AU_MultiFormatMediaPlayers&hash=item2eb1ff0ee1
Bargain
Works great, all my dvd's are on hard drives in video_ts format, connected my hd docking station to the Asus via eSata cable, then connected to the TV with a HDMI cable.
All I have to do is stick a HD into the dock and I have all of my dvd's in one place.
Filled up 1 500GB hd and have a 1TB hard drive half full.
119 movies on the 500GB Hard Drive. Works a treat..very happy with it.....

Hi
Way to go sanshoe.
You have a lot of adding to library to match GaPony or myself.
I am around 10TB at last count.
Have enough for probably another 10TB..

Thanks Zeb, don't think I'll ever get to you, or Ga's movie capacity any time soon

10 TB ??!!
Whoa !!
I'm at the back of the bus now !!
Bought a 1TB external and the bloke who builds my computers filled it with mostly TV series and a few movies. Getting an internal 1TB HDD as well ($40). So no more complaints from the missus. She's the main computer user.
Kept the daughters happy with complete South Park and Big Bang theory. Heaps of others. Take months to watch...

I will get one soon.
I'll show my stupidity here guys.
I could've bought a WDlive player on special but it didn't have the component sockets (my TV's don't have HDMI inputs) so I didn't buy. While chatting with my computer bloke when picking up my WD HDD, he said yes it does. I said No, it didn't. He said yes it does and jumped on the net and showed me the back of the player. There it was... a socket for a cable supplied with the player. 3.5 plug one end, component plugs other end for my TV.
Some very loud cursing came from yours truly.
I'll have to re save money and wait for it to be on special again.
Bloody idiot !!

I got a WDTV Live Hub for xmas this year and like the interface better than my old WDTV Live. It includes a 1TB internal hard drive and is network accessible to xfer my mkv files to. I don't retain have a collection of movies like GA (from ultimate) or probably zebs, but this little device is very nice and can use standard cables.

How much did that cost ?

Roughly $200 U.S.... But I am sure my wife and kids did not pay that... have friends that get employee discounts

That's not too bad though price -wise.
The WDlive in Aus is normally around $150 but was on special for $100. The 1TB was $120-odd, dropped to $100. I bought it for $75.
USB sticks 8G are between $15 to $20