When Apple TV 3.0 come out , we were unimpressed . reader asked what else they could use to bet their many videos . Here are five nice ones for your need — virtually all cost less , and do more , than ATV . UPDATED
https://gizmodo.com/12-things-you-need-to-know-about-apple-tv-3-0-5393023
The goal here is simple : dally all the video that I have ripped from DVD , download from the web , shoot with my own television camera or obtained in some other way , no matter what the format . It sounds dewy-eyed , but Apple TV ca n’t do it . Neither can the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 . Video codecs and container area nightmare to keep trail of , and even more of a incubus to exchange .
https://gizmodo.com/giz-explains-every-video-format-you-need-to-know-5093670
This is n’t about pic and medicine . Apple TV is good at both of those than any of this poppycock . It ’s also not about renting movies or buying motion-picture show , or even streaming movies from Netflix . Roku has a nice cheap box seat for that , and Apple TV is suitable if you just want to live inside Steve Jobs ’ media store . This is about playing non - DRM movies , pure and bare .
The names might be intimate to you : The Popcorn Hour C-200 by Syabas is quickly gaining cult status ( and has its ownhacker wiki ) , while the other four smaller boxful come from brands you in all likelihood have experience with , let in WD , Seagate , Netgear and Patriot . None have built - in wireless , but they all have Ethernet ports .
My two primary tests were wide-eyed — I loaded PC and Mac formatted external intemperate ride with a diverseness of files range from H.264 MP4s to WMVs of several vintages , from peeled AVCHD data file in MTS wrappers to the hot unexampled DivX 7 MKV . Then I browsed through my local connection to a NAS that had a stash of similar single file . Could I see them ? Could I play them ? These should n’t be issues , but they ’re big issues .
Here ’s a summation of each machine , and how they fared in testing :
As you’re able to see , there were clear leaders afford my standard above , but what walk out me was how each one differ . the true is , depend on who you are , any one of these might be the best burst . Here ’s what really part them :
WD TV Live – $150
I would have sacrifice this thing the solo situation at the top if it were n’t for a few dings that might very well be fixed in a microcode update : It wo n’t show you DVD menus on rip DVD images , and when you play file cabinet with the suffix .m4v , it wo n’t fast forrard or rewind . Weird germ , and can be deposit if you just alter .m4v to .mp4 , but since that ’s the nonpayment file naming for Handbrake ’s “ Apple TV ” visibility , it could be a problem for the great unwashed , like me , who spent months ripping their entire DVD collection that way .
WD ’s military posture admit a friendly user interface with handy video preview , some promising other online services ( admit Pandora ) , and the most reasonable exposure and euphony handling I ’ve seen in this cluster of contrivance .
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ – $150
I make love this when I essay it a few weeks ago , despite its fugly port , and it holds up under testing . It does well with ripped .ISO data file than WD , doing both DVD menu and chapters ( and it does n’t have that eldritch .m4v bug either ) . Video was better , especially when running 1080p content . And when it add up to browsing my Linksys NAS in hunting of movies , it could reach more and read more than the WD .
The trade-off is that the interface is bad , and there ’s almost nothing in the way of on-line services . It experience head for making an attempt at sorting music , and displaying photos , but if that ’s a priority , WD is the good call .
Popcorn Hour C-200 – $300
Hardcore AV nerds love this thing , and I understand why . There are more ways to get at video content than in any other readiness - top corner I ’ve ever see , and if you really know how to cut , there ’s really not much it ca n’t do .
It ’s a big ole thing — they call it a “ connection tank , ” and despite remind me of the far cooler one in Tron , I get it . It has an intimate BitTorrent customer and you may secure in a Blu - ray driving force , for God ’s rice beer . I found very few video formats that it would n’t support ( FLV was one ) but I had to take major degree off because for being so big , it has a halting interface , and it do with an RF remote that only worked when I stand within 3 foot . They even mention that there might be problem with preventive , and that if mass receive that , they can buy the IR remote control . smashing , thanks .
My only question — and , commenters , it ’s not rhetorical — is why drop $ 300 on this ( plus redundant for the optional internal HDD and the IR remote control ) when you may just buy a base - dramatic art PC ?
Patriot Box Office – $130
This was the dark horse of the grouping , being a late debut by a companionship known only for computer memory . I was surprised at how well it hold up . It actually could decrypt more test format than any other machine in this card — it did Flash video ( FLV ) , which the three above ca n’t try . Only the WD and the Patriot show you video previews , too . As small as it is , there ’s a space for a 2.5″ SATA drive in there , and even a BitTorrent client . you’re able to imitate files to and from dissimilar drive and the internet , and it ’s the cheapest of the lot , at $ 130 .
So why did it come in a distant 3rd ? Unlike the three above , it ca n’t read Mac formatted hard drives , and its television quality was noticeably the worst of the batch . That said , if you are a hacker sort and want something to dally with that does n’t be as much as Popcorn , set your sights on this .
Netgear Digital Entertainer Live
As you could probably severalise by now , Netgear had the most disappointing box of the lineup , despite its Apple TV ripoff of a look and feel . Lack of Mac media financial support and the unfitness to read primal Indian file formats , like DivX 7 and AVCHD , meant it could n’t fleet muster with real video recording fanatics . Its biggest level of woefulness was the fact that it did n’t patronise any file over 720p in resolution — whether that ’s a software program thing or a hardware thing , it ’s sure not future - proof , and probably best to bide away .
I also did n’t wish the fact that its interface is laid out all for retail , like an Apple TV without the style , or a Roku box that costs more and does n’t do Netflix . Local files were not a priority , and despite the favorable user interface , it does n’t even make an attempt to tell photos and music . I did give it a gold star for on-line services , but only because it had the most in this group — if online services are what you love , buy a Roku , or a TiVo , or an Xbox , or a friggin ’ Apple TV .
Still not trusted what you ’re looking for , match the spec comparison here :
Update : At the urging of many readers , I recently tested the Asus O!Play and found that it does all of the thing the Seagate can do ( except fit Seagate - branded FreeAgent crusade inside ) , but at a grim cost—$100 vs $ 130 in today ’s pricing . If you have narrowed your options down to the Seagate , decamp over to myAsus O!Play reviewbefore clear your final decision .
https://gizmodo.com/asus-o-play-review-best-priced-hd-video-player-is-the-5415699
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