INTERACT FORUM

More => Old Versions => Media Center 14 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: tjobbins on May 03, 2010, 12:53:25 pm

Title: Recommendation for set-top-box with network media / DLNA support?
Post by: tjobbins on May 03, 2010, 12:53:25 pm

Hi all

I am looking for a recommendation for a hardware media player that can:

* Connect to a TV, preferably via HDMI
* Connect to a network, preferably via ethernet
* Play video files in varying formats including xvid, divx, mpeg2, h264/mkv.  I don't mind if this is native support, or via DLNA format conversion, as long as the end result is that it plays them.
* Strongly preferably, is able to play HD material at up to 1080p.
* Strongly preferably, work well with Media Center's DLNA Server so that it shows tagged media in proper categories/trees etc.

Basically I want to give media playback to a HDTV using my network fileshares as source.  Ideally I'd like to use MC's DLNA server, but the most important thing is just that it works, so a media player that can play directly from Windows fileshares would be fine too, as long as it supported at least xvid and divx and preferably h264 also.

I'm looking for a set-top-box type device to avoid having to put another PC in place, due to cost, size and noise constraints.

Any suggestions much appreciated!


Tom

Title: Re: Recommendation for set-top-box with network media / DLNA support?
Post by: JimH on May 03, 2010, 01:56:13 pm

Here's a link to our article on DLNA:
http://wiki.jrmediacenter.com/index.php/DLNA

There are two links there, to DLNA Boxes, and DLNA TV's.

If you're trying to play to the device, it must be a DLNA Renderer.  The WD HD TV Live, for example.  Not all renderers are controllable by a DLNA Controller.

Samsung and LG Blu-ray players also do DLNA and work with MC15.