Confused!!! ::: Media Player vs. HTPC vs. WiFi Router

[mowgli80]

My NAS is in the bedroom while the HTPC is in the living room. The NAS is connected through gigabit ethernet while the HTPC is wifi 150N. I think the new change is to keep the buffer always full while earlier, an instantaneous surge because of high bitrate would overwhelm the wifi network. It never worked earlier until I read of the new change yesterday on the blog and tried it out . To get countinuous bitrate on xbmc, press 'o' while the video is playing.

 

[baijuxavior]

A bit OT, now XBMC nightly (alpha) versions support basic 3D features like converting GUI and subtitle to 3D automatically, convert SBS/OU to other formats like OU/SBS, anaglyph or 2D. Development is also going on to automatically switch TV to 3D mode (frame packed) for nVidia and intel 3d gpus. Read more here - http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=147285&pid=1463969#pid1463969

 

[tanmayj]

AFA Wifi routers are concerned you should always look for a router that does best what its supposed to do, that is in layman terms home networking. Get a decent Gigabit router with wifi n and good range. Dual Bands are good but the limitations is not all of your home networking devices might support the 5Ghz band, or n protocol. so be cautious over that.
Linksys E series router are a good start, I have Linksys E2000

Yeah you're right. I checked. Both my Onkyo UWF-1 and the in-built WiFi that comes with my Sony W674 comes with only 2.4 GHz Band, so the 5 GHz dual-band routers may not make a whole lot of sense.

However I see that in a single band router you don't have more than 300 Mbps support. Also, you don't really have USB ports or drive sharing etc. So if I want these features, I'm kinda being forced to look at more expensive routers which would otherwise be an overkill!

Lastly, could you tell me if a 300 Mbps router can stream 1080p videos fine? I've read somewhere in this thread that a 1080p movie can go up to 30-40 Mbps...

 

[manoj.p]

To stream 1080p bluray, you need wired, gigabit connection shared through NFS. Samba or windows shared networking cannot keep up with 1080p bluray videos. At the moment, there is no other alternative.

I saw in the first post that you didn't want to rip your dvd collection. If that's the case, then I suggest you look for Pioneer BDP 140/150/62/450 players and flash them with the custom firmware. It will then play all the DVD/BD/3D and stream either from usb drive or network including .iso and .mkv files. Do google search "Pioneer BDP-150 custom firmware"

 

[russo200]

practically all of them do. And as far as accepting a separate blu-ray drive is concerned xtreamer has that capability. I personally feel Dune is way overpriced given the kind of picture quality it has...but given the total cost of adding a blu-ray drive to a xtreamer, i stick by what i said, get a blu-ray player which does the job. I have Oppo 93, which does the job supremely well, I have played full sized blu-ray rips, no compression... most recent being Django unchained, I am connected through a D-Link DIR-655, connected to the Netgear Readynas duo V2 NAS...all through Cat6 cabling.

coming to my earlier comments on things on paper being different in performance i present this live case in my home...the Oppo 93 has only 100 Mbps speed and I have also got a AMD E450 based HTPC in my bedroom which has a gigabit speed, everything else in the network absolutely same, the HTPC being closer in distance in the wired network environment than the Oppo....amazing thing is the Oppo plays all files absolutely without any buffering once it starts even a full BD rip like Django unchained >35 GB size...while I intermittently face choppiness issues with the HTPC, its generally reliable, but it happens...I guess the Oppo being a specialist does the job better...and the quality of the Oppo is unparallel...as far as file support goes, you google Oppo faq wiki, Oppo has an extensive wikipedia page dedicated to these questions, they also give regular firmware upgrades, so that's not gonna be a problem..

is file support in a BD player as universal as a media player? definitely not, e.g. the Oppo doesn't play DVD ISO files over the network (plays locally), doesn't play BD ISOs at all..but I am yet to have a problem with a HD Mkv file in my huge collection...

I don't know your budget whether a Oppo fits in your budget or not...but i remember a Oppo 93 being posted for sale in the for sale section from a fm..at today's USD rate that probably will be the best way to acquire it...

if you want to stick to a media player, best name in a cost effective way that comes in my mind is Popcorn hour, they will always have a model in their collection where a blu-ray player drive can be added..and it uses sigma design chips which is better in picture quality than the realtek ones on which xtreamer is based

I have a new HTPC with i4670k and Asus GTX 760 Direct CU II 2gb
MY AVR is Anthem MRX 710 with Paradigm Monitor 11 v7
My projector is Panasonic pt ae1000u
I like to watch movies that have a very large size mkv like 30-40 gb and also Bluray ISO.
Is it worth buying an Oppo Player? Or could also be ok a Dune Player?
What about the other bluray player? Like Marantz Ud7000?
Or is better to watch movies from HTPC?
I'm so confused and I don't want to spend money for nothing...
I'm not verry much interested to watch 3d movies. But I want the best quality in 2d.
Thank you...

 

[koushikp]

Even the dune is expensive and I don't know how good it is... With the oppo you are set, period. It'll be enough till blu rays go out of fashion... I have always believed in spending money in a way so that there's no regret...

 

[sam9s]

I have a new HTPC with i4670k and Asus GTX 760 Direct CU II 2gb
MY AVR is Anthem MRX 710 with Paradigm Monitor 11 v7
My projector is Panasonic pt ae1000u
I like to watch movies that have a very large size mkv like 30-40 gb and also Bluray ISO.
Is it worth buying an Oppo Player? Or could also be ok a Dune Player?
What about the other bluray player? Like Marantz Ud7000?
Or is better to watch movies from HTPC?
I'm so confused and I don't want to spend money for nothing...
I'm not verry much interested to watch 3d movies. But I want the best quality in 2d.
Thank you...

Thats not an HTPC that seems like a Gaming PC, used as an HTPC ... ... seriously too much power wasted to be used as an HTPC, (why on mother earth did you purchase a 4th Gen proc that too the "K" version and GTX 750 !!!!!!!!!!!!???????????) and now you planning to wast more by purchasing a DUNE or Oppo.

You can very well just buy a BD Drive and shove it in your HTPC. Yes you have to purchase a BD software player as well like Power DVD 13, but combined both will still land up much cheaper than Oppo or DUNE, and you will have a one machine to play at all.

 

[Rockfella]

OP If I were you I would go for a HTPC and find workarounds that. The flexibility of upgrading/tweaking a computer is unparallelled. There are fms here who have used various players and finally settled with HTPC as the PQ is also superior + host of other advantages.

 

[russo200]

Thats not an HTPC that seems like a Gaming PC, used as an HTPC ... ... seriously too much power wasted to be used as an HTPC, (why on mother earth did you purchase a 4th Gen proc that too the "K" version and GTX 750 !!!!!!!!!!!!???????????) and now you planning to wast more by purchasing a DUNE or Oppo.

You can very well just buy a BD Drive and shove it in your HTPC. Yes you have to purchase a BD software player as well like Power DVD 13, but combined both will still land up much cheaper than Oppo or DUNE, and you will have a one machine to play at all.

In 2006 I bought my first gaming Laptop (it was verry expensive) a 17" Clevo m575u (it was a Clevo a Core2duo t7200 with Go GTX 7900 512MB).
For that period it was like a Monster... But on December/2014 when I try to play a mkv file that was bigger than 10gb a see problems with the video.
Where I live it's to hot (especially on summer). It's about 40 degrees. When I keep open the laptop 24/h I had a lot warming problems.
So I decide to buy a new computer (Not a laptop) that can handle all the games (almost) and also be quite and fast.
But in that period I didn't think to purchase an AVR and a projector. So I didn't consider what can the best video quality at home.
When I bought my AVR the first thing that the seller says was...Do not use your computer as a source... (In that moment I was already bought the computer....:sad
When I bought the projector my friend say that (I bought second hand an Panasonic PT ae1000u) use an media player (oppo or maybe also a dune player) for having the best picture and sound quality...
I'm using MPC-HC with madVR (I'm not sure if I'm using in the right way for my hardware).
Is the best program for very large mkv (like 25-30gb) and bluray ISO?

Yesterday on computer mode (with the projector) I see that (especially on white color) there was a trembling of the color (on 1080/60). Today I call my friend and he says that HT Projectors have problems with computers and it's better to use Media Player...
So....
What do you think?

 

[grunthos]

In 2006 I bought my first gaming Laptop (it was verry expensive) a 17" Clevo m575u (it was a Clevo a Core2duo t7200 with Go GTX 7900 512MB).
For that period it was like a Monster... But on December/2014 when I try to play a mkv file that was bigger than 10gb a see problems with the video.
Where I live it's to hot (especially on summer). It's about 40 degrees. When I keep open the laptop 24/h I had a lot warming problems.
So I decide to buy a new computer (Not a laptop) that can handle all the games (almost) and also be quite and fast.
But in that period I didn't think to purchase an AVR and a projector. So I didn't consider what can the best video quality at home.
When I bought my AVR the first thing that the seller says was...Do not use your computer as a source... (In that moment I was already bought the computer....:sad
When I bought the projector my friend say that (I bought second hand an Panasonic PT ae1000u) use an media player (oppo or maybe also a dune player) for having the best picture and sound quality...
I'm using MPC-HC with madVR (I'm not sure if I'm using in the right way for my hardware).
Is the best program for very large mkv (like 25-30gb) and bluray ISO?

Yesterday on computer mode (with the projector) I see that (especially on white color) there was a trembling of the color (on 1080/60). Today I call my friend and he says that HT Projectors have problems with computers and it's better to use Media Player...
So....
What do you think?

I am sorry I have no light to shed on your question, but Izmir Turkey ? I have been there on holiday. Beautiful place !

 

[Rockfella]

You should stop taking advice from ONE friend and read online thoroughly before buying stuff. Every time you ask something new from someone you will get a different answer.

In 2006 I bought my first gaming Laptop (it was verry expensive) a 17" Clevo m575u (it was a Clevo a Core2duo t7200 with Go GTX 7900 512MB).
For that period it was like a Monster... But on December/2014 when I try to play a mkv file that was bigger than 10gb a see problems with the video.
Where I live it's to hot (especially on summer). It's about 40 degrees. When I keep open the laptop 24/h I had a lot warming problems.
So I decide to buy a new computer (Not a laptop) that can handle all the games (almost) and also be quite and fast.
But in that period I didn't think to purchase an AVR and a projector. So I didn't consider what can the best video quality at home.
When I bought my AVR the first thing that the seller says was...Do not use your computer as a source... (In that moment I was already bought the computer....:sad
When I bought the projector my friend say that (I bought second hand an Panasonic PT ae1000u) use an media player (oppo or maybe also a dune player) for having the best picture and sound quality...
I'm using MPC-HC with madVR (I'm not sure if I'm using in the right way for my hardware).
Is the best program for very large mkv (like 25-30gb) and bluray ISO?

Yesterday on computer mode (with the projector) I see that (especially on white color) there was a trembling of the color (on 1080/60). Today I call my friend and he says that HT Projectors have problems with computers and it's better to use Media Player...
So....
What do you think?

 

[sam9s]

In 2006 I bought my first gaming Laptop (it was verry expensive) a 17" Clevo m575u (it was a Clevo a Core2duo t7200 with Go GTX 7900 512MB).
For that period it was like a Monster... But on December/2014 when I try to play a mkv file that was bigger than 10gb a see problems with the video.
Where I live it's to hot (especially on summer). It's about 40 degrees. When I keep open the laptop 24/h I had a lot warming problems.
So I decide to buy a new computer (Not a laptop) that can handle all the games (almost) and also be quite and fast.
But in that period I didn't think to purchase an AVR and a projector. So I didn't consider what can the best video quality at home.
When I bought my AVR the first thing that the seller says was...Do not use your computer as a source... (In that moment I was already bought the computer....:sad
When I bought the projector my friend say that (I bought second hand an Panasonic PT ae1000u) use an media player (oppo or maybe also a dune player) for having the best picture and sound quality...
I'm using MPC-HC with madVR (I'm not sure if I'm using in the right way for my hardware).
Is the best program for very large mkv (like 25-30gb) and bluray ISO?

Yesterday on computer mode (with the projector) I see that (especially on white color) there was a trembling of the color (on 1080/60). Today I call my friend and he says that HT Projectors have problems with computers and it's better to use Media Player...
So....
What do you think?

I dont know from where did you get the impression that AVR or the projector for that matter should not be used with a PC. That is a total myth as far as I am concerned. Loads of people use HTPC with projector and AVR, specially with AVR. I am using my HTPC with my Onkyo AVR for like more than 5 years now, also have used 4 media players with the same AVR (WD TV, ASUS o Play, PLay on HD and currently WD TV Live) and I have always found PQ of my HTPC much better specially with full BD ISO files. With 4-5GB rips its not much evident but as we go higher we can make out the difference. HTPC with a decent GPU (by decent I do not mean decent in terms of gaming, like you have, decent in terms of HTPC, like a GT 440) surpasses the PQ easily in comparison to any Media Player. (specially on a big screen) Rest advantages are clearly posted by me in previous pages quoting OP.

For the software to be used MPC HC is good but XBMC, simply takes the cake, latest version Gothem just works wonders, plays any ISO flawlessly with full HD Audio support.

 

[Rockfella]

Are you sure Gotham supports DTS HD MA and Dolby Trude HD now? HD Audio support was missing in "Frodo"

For the software to be used MPC HC is good but XBMC, simply takes the cake, latest version Gothem just works wonders, plays any ISO flawlessly with full HD Audio support.

 

[sam9s]

HD Audio came in Frodo itself ...

XBMC 12.0 Frodo Released, Adds Support for HD Audio, Live TV, PVR, Android and RPi Techgage

Gothem is in Beta BTW and FEI

The biggest addation in Gothem would be 3D support....:yahoo:

 

[russo200]

(by decent I do not mean decent in terms of gaming, like you have, decent in terms of HTPC, like a GT 440).

Do you mean that GTX 760 is not good for HTPC?

 

[sam9s]

^^^^ Errrr I mean GTX 760 is over load and much powerfull for an HTPC, wast of money, energy and power.

 

[russo200]

I'm not sure of that because yesterday with an old nvdia driver (327.23) I use OpenCL and I NNEDI3. The GPU even in 64 neurons was fully loaded. I couldn't use with 128 n....

 

[sam9s]

What were u trying to play. and why would you use old nvidia drivers.

 

[russo200]

If you want you can have a look at this site...

Video rendering finally caught up with high-end cards - say Hi to NNEDI3!

 

[Rockfella]

Wow! Nice. Thanks for the info. I also use Kmplayer, good pq.

HD Audio came in Frodo itself ...

XBMC 12.0 Frodo Released, Adds Support for HD Audio, Live TV, PVR, Android and RPi Techgage

Gothem is in Beta BTW and FEI

The biggest addation in Gothem would be 3D support....:yahoo: