Best solution for media streaming

[Pezmc]

On my computer I back up all my dvd's to avi. I then have these files on the network and UPnP so all the people in the house can watch any of the films from their computer or Xbox. I just got a brand new Sony Bravia 42" and now want to be able to do the same for it (it takes HDMI & VGA). What would you suggest is the best (and cheapest) solution? Ones I have come up with.

Build a pc to just sit next to it with media centre on
Buy a media server of some sort
Buy an xbox/ps3.

Many Thanks,
Pez.

EDIT: I already have a blueray player
EDIT 2: I am looking for HDTV

 

[JE78]

PS3, then you get a blu-ray player plus the option to play some kick ass games. I bought a PS3 a few months ago and its primary use lately has been a blu-ray player and something to stream media to my TV. Its a waste to build a new PC to just sit there. I went though the same debate and went with the PS3.

 

[Rio Rebel]

An xbox with XBMC (Xbox Media Center) installed is probably the best and cheapest solution.

The PS3 is a great choice for the reasons mentioned above. I use it with Tversity as the media streaming service from my computer.

 

[skriefal]

An old XBOX with XBMC will work nicely, as long as you don't care about hi-definition content. The OP's purchase sounds like an HDTV, however, so he probably does want to view hi-def content. The options with the best flexibility are a standalone hi-def streaming player (Popcorn Hour, iStar HD, etc) or a PC running playback software (Mediaportal, the Linux or Windows port of XBMC, etc). Yes, you could use XP Media Center Edition 2005 or Vista Media Center, but those options are almost as inflexible (codec support) as using a PS3.

The PS3 does have the nice side benefit of built-in Blu-ray playback, of course...

 

[erwos]

Probably the Popcorn Hour. Definitely not the PS3. Maybe the 360, if you're gonna do the Media Center Extender thing for live TV.

 

[Rio Rebel]

Not sure why you think the PS3 is a bad idea but the 360 is a good one. The PS3 will play his avi files and play Blu-Rays to boot.

 

[Schadenfroh]

I use a PS3 (for Blu-Ray) and a HTPC. The PS3 lacks Netflix, Hulu, Fancast (and basically everything that requires the newer versions of Flash)... hence the HTPC is required. If I had it to do all over again, I would have just bought a BRD drive for the HTPC along with an HDCP compatible video card. But, my PS3 recently died (out for repair)... so I may just be bitter on this last part. If something in my HTPC died, I could fix it myself and not have to wait for Sony to repair it.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
Not sure why you think the PS3 is a bad idea but the 360 is a good one. The PS3 will play his avi files and play Blu-Rays to boot.

Because the Popcorn hour does everything that the PS3 does, and then some. At least the 360 has the sole virtue of being a Media Center Extender - note that the OP wasn't asking about optical disc playback, just streaming.

 

[Kaido]

Vista Media Center is nice because you can install ALL codecs, plus play discs
Popcorn Hour is nice, but doesn't play discs and the GUI isn't as nice as VMC
Avoid Tvix (like Popcorn Hour but buggy)
XBMC is nice, but you're limited to 720p non-MKV files at best
Plex is a good option (XBMC for OS X), but it's not out of beta (well, RC) yet (you can do a nice HTPC with Hackintosh)
PS3 is nice because you can game too, but you need some streaming software setup
360 is nice, but no Bluray player like the PS3 has, and you also need some streaming software setup

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Vista Media Center is nice because you can install ALL codecs, plus play discs

VMC is, for sure, my personal favorite. If Microsoft had native BR-D playback working from the DVD Library section, it'd be pretty much perfect.

 

[Rio Rebel]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Vista Media Center is nice because you can install ALL codecs, plus play discs
Popcorn Hour is nice, but doesn't play discs and the GUI isn't as nice as VMC
Avoid Tvix (like Popcorn Hour but buggy)
XBMC is nice, but you're limited to 720p non-MKV files at best
Plex is a good option (XBMC for OS X), but it's not out of beta (well, RC) yet (you can do a nice HTPC with Hackintosh)
PS3 is nice because you can game too, but you need some streaming software setup
360 is nice, but no Bluray player like the PS3 has, and you also need some streaming software setup

Good analysis. I would add that although I have never owned an original XBOX, the interface of XBMC is outstanding - clearly the best out there. If I'm not mistaken, it will also play .iso files (which is a huge advantage to me).

Popcorn hour is an interesting solution. I have a similar, albeit inferior, product myself - the Tvisto from Galaxy, which holds a 700mb hard drive and provides an interface to play movies, music, and photos from the unit directly to a tv. It even plays .iso files...but the interface is horrible and there are no updates.

Erwos, I'm still not sure why the 360 would be better than the PS3, and the fact that the popcorn hour is out there doesn't answer that question for me. Do you mean it's cheaper? Or does it do something the PS3 doesn't?

I think the main question is what exactly you want/need this device to do, and what other features matter to you? If you care nothing about gaming or Blu-Ray playback at all, then the popcorn hour is a more robust solution in terms of its ability to play back all types of files and you can add storage to it and make it somewhat portable. If gaming matters to you, then the XBox 360 becomes a better value proposition, and if you want Blu-Ray, then the PS3 is the all round choice.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
Erwos, I'm still not sure why the 360 would be better than the PS3, and the fact that the popcorn hour is out there doesn't answer that question for me. Do you mean it's cheaper? Or does it do something the PS3 doesn't?

Here's what you do to understand what I wrote: FORGET ABOUT BLU-RAY. THE OP DID NOT ASK ABOUT BLU-RAY. Sorry for the caps, but some people seem to like to answer questions that people didn't ask.

If you're going to buy a streaming box and don't care about streaming live TV, the Popcorn Hour is the best choice (because it handles the most formats), and, IMHO, the PS3 would be next on the list (MPEG-4+AAC-5.1 support giving it a slight edge over the 360). If you're going to buy a streaming box and care about streaming live TV (via Media Center, which any Vista Home Premium user has), the 360 is the best choice, with the Popcorn Hour next (it can use GB-PVR for this).

The PS3 comes in second place both times, which is why it never gets a recommendation from me. Is that clear? I've personally used all three of these exact boxes for streaming, FYI, so I speak from first-hand experience. Do you?

 

[Rio Rebel]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
Erwos, I'm still not sure why the 360 would be better than the PS3, and the fact that the popcorn hour is out there doesn't answer that question for me. Do you mean it's cheaper? Or does it do something the PS3 doesn't?

Here's what you do to understand what I wrote: FORGET ABOUT BLU-RAY. THE OP DID NOT ASK ABOUT BLU-RAY. Sorry for the caps, but some people seem to like to answer questions that people didn't ask.

If you're going to buy a streaming box and don't care about streaming live TV, the Popcorn Hour is the best choice (because it handles the most formats), and, IMHO, the PS3 would be next on the list (MPEG-4+AAC-5.1 support giving it a slight edge over the 360). If you're going to buy a streaming box and care about streaming live TV (via Media Center, which any Vista Home Premium user has), the 360 is the best choice, with the Popcorn Hour next (it can use GB-PVR for this).

The PS3 comes in second place both times, which is why it never gets a recommendation from me. Is that clear? I've personally used all three of these exact boxes for streaming, FYI, so I speak from first-hand experience. Do you?

I got the answer to my question, thanks. I didn't realize that the Xbox could simply act as an extender to Vista Media Center, allowing you to use the computer as a dvr and stream time-delayed television (which the user didn't ask about, but apparently it's okay to point out advantages that weren't asked about when you do it.)

So if that is important to you - even though it was never mentioned by the OP - right, erwos? - , then the Xbox would be a better choice.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
So if that is important to you - even though it was never mentioned by the OP - right, erwos? - , then the Xbox would be a better choice.

The OP asked about media streaming. Live TV streaming is media streaming. So, yes, he did ask about it, albeit implicitly. I was just kind enough to realize not everyone needs it, and so broke out the choices on those lines.

Nice try, though.

 

[Rio Rebel]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
So if that is important to you - even though it was never mentioned by the OP - right, erwos? - , then the Xbox would be a better choice.

The OP asked about media streaming. Live TV streaming is media streaming. So, yes, he did ask about it, albeit implicitly. I was just kind enough to realize not everyone needs it, and so broke out the choices on those lines.

Nice try, though.

Edited. This argument has derailed the thread. I think it is ridiculous to call the original post "implicitly" asking about tv streaming, but I don't want to continue this.

 

[erwos]

Anyways, enough with the flamebait. If we're going to go all the way down to "cheapest, best solution for doing exactly what the OP needs", which appears to be streaming "AVIs" (I'm going to assume this means DivX), Popcorn Hour or the 360 make good choices. The PS3 has some known wonkiness with handling certain DivX / XviD files, and the 360 is generally regarded as more compatible with them than it. I still think the Popcorn Hour is the best choice for it, though.

EDIT: if Rio wants to be more mature than me, I'll accommodate. Good for you.

 

[Pezmc]

WOW.
Thanks for the massive response. I already have a blue ray player so the added advantage of the PS3 is rather irrelevant to me.
Loving the sub argument.

I found all the information very help full. I will post when I make a descision on what product to get.

Pez,

 

[Green Man]

You could also get a TiVO

https://www3.tivo.com/store/bo...urtivohd&boxsku=R65216

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pezmc
WOW.
Thanks for the massive response. I already have a blue ray player so the added advantage of the PS3 is rather irrelevant to me.
Loving the sub argument.

I found all the information very help full. I will post when I make a descision on what product to get.

Pez,

Basically it boils down to (1) what kind of files you want to stream and (2) how you want the interface to be. XBMC has the best interface; you can run it on a Mac using Plex (OS X port), which also gives you HD. You can build a nice Hackintosh in a media center case for that. Vista Media Center is excellent (and I'm no Microsoft fan), plus you get DVR (SD Cable + HD OTA). The Popcorn Hour is nice, but the interface bugs me so I'm selling mine. Right now I have a combination of Vista Media Center (VMC), XBMC, and Tivo. Ideally I'd like an all-in-one machine, but VMC lacks (1) CableCard for consumers (HD cable recorders for DIY builders) and (2) integrated HD playback (has to launch PowerDVD, which is a tad messy), plus (3) no native ISO playback.

So what kind of stuff do you want to stream?

 

[heymrdj]

One setup we worked on that was fancy as hell is a media center PC with dual displays. It connected to gigabit network to the file server for files, connected to a tv via HDMI, and as the topping, a mod was done to the living room chair with a 14" touch panel monitor mounted to it so that he could control the media player PC via touch screen. It was like command center. It was a very enjoyable system to use.