I know these are pretty different products from a price point standpoint.
I'd like to know from a features standpoint what I would be missing out on by not going with one product or the other.

I primarily want an easy to use media server. Wireless would be ideal, but from all I ready may not be ready for prime time.

What are the key differentiators between these products?

I know PS3 can do games and BD. However, it can't stream the new lossless HD audio streams. Also, I've heard of some media format compatibility issues.

Popcorn hour can't do BD or games, but seems to be a good media steamer, and it handles many codecs.

WD MY HD is similar to popcorn hour, but lacks ability to stream HULU and Netflix. Also it's unable to stream 5.1 audio.

I'd really like to know how the interfaces stack up since having lots of content, 1000's of mp3s and 1000's of pictures would be difficult to manage with with a bad interface.

Also level of media compatibility is important to keep from having to reencode
stuff.

Any input would be appreciated.

Mike

i have the ps3 and the popcorn hour.

i use the ps3 only for bd movies

the popcorn hour for anything off the internet.

i think the popcorn hour is the best product i have bought in a long time. its able to do all the codecs and its near flawless.

i used to use the ps3 for streaming but not anymore(got tired of tversity and lack of mkv support)

will a ps3 play a dvd shrink, ISO, file? or do you have to have something like the popcorn hour or wdtv thing?

trying to get my DVD collection onto a HD, already have a ps3. Not sure if I should expand its HD to hold these files or just get a bunch of EHD's and one of these Media players?

I know these are pretty different products from a price point standpoint.
I'd like to know from a features standpoint what I would be missing out on by not going with one product or the other.

I primarily want an easy to use media server. Wireless would be ideal, but from all I ready may not be ready for prime time.

What are the key differentiators between these products?

I know PS3 can do games and BD. However, it can't stream the new lossless HD audio streams. Also, I've heard of some media format compatibility issues.

Popcorn hour can't do BD or games, but seems to be a good media steamer, and it handles many codecs.

WD MY HD is similar to popcorn hour, but lacks ability to stream HULU and Netflix. Also it's unable to stream 5.1 audio.

I'd really like to know how the interfaces stack up since having lots of content, 1000's of mp3s and 1000's of pictures would be difficult to manage with with a bad interface.

Also level of media compatibility is important to keep from having to reencode
stuff.

Any input would be appreciated.

Mike

Mike, you've sort of made my case...which is that there is no ONE complete solution yet...by pointing out the pros and cons of each. My opinion and approach is that the PS3 is the best value of these, or any, boxes; CD, SACD (in some cases), DVD, BD...it streams, audio, sd, and hd, although it's not quite where you'd like it to be just yet...it's incredibly upgradeable, so you're hopefully protected as far as future-proofing...and, oh yeah, it plays these game things as well (if that's something you have even a passing interest in at all).

The problem is when you look at the PS3 as only a streamer. Yes, there are better media players out there right now; the question, to me, is are you willing to maybe give a little in the media player department, for right now...with the hope that the PS3 will become what you need it to be in the (hopefully) near future...because of everything else the PS3 brings to the table, or not?

Take my situation: I bought a PS3 solely for BD, at the time when it was hands-down the best BD player on the market (some say, in some ways, it still is, even though I also have a bdp-s550 now in my dedicated HT). And it does a great job with BDs...it does a great job upscaling SD DVDs. I got into a couple of games, which are great fun (though I'm not a hard-core gamer...ok, I can play GH with the best of 'em), and I am now in the process of trying to stream BD to it (I use, and love, XBMC for SD). Now, I've run into some snags, and it's clear that right now PCH would beat the pants off of PS3 for BD streaming; it handles vc-1 encoding, and lossless audio...better GUI, etc. But for me, I don't want to go to 2 boxes, and just getting PCH means giving up everything else the PS3 does. For me, I'd rather live with the PS3s shortcomings, again, for now, and hope that it'll someday be the streaming box that PCH is, if not better.

OTOH, if streaming was 90% of my concern, and I didn't really care about the PS3s ability to play this disc, that disc, games, or the other...then yes, there are better streamers out there for less money.

.02
CD

will a ps3 play a dvd shrink, ISO, file? or do you have to have something like the popcorn hour or wdtv thing?

trying to get my DVD collection onto a HD, already have a ps3. Not sure if I should expand its HD to hold these files or just get a bunch of EHD's and one of these Media players?

No, PS3 will not stream .iso...at least not over a network. I think it will from its own hdd, or an external hdd (I don't use PS3 for SD).

CD

I'm confused by so many of these Popcorn Hour-type devices. I just want one that can play & stream (over a wireless home network) hi-def files (MPEG2, MPEG4AVC & MKV). Which unit should I get?

I have the PS3 & although it can do some of what these Popcorn Hour-type devices appear to do, it's not as easy.

so what do we need for the ps3 to become a better streamer? a new firmware update that addresses those issues or a different ps3 altogether?

I know these are pretty different products from a price point standpoint.
I'd like to know from a features standpoint what I would be missing out on by not going with one product or the other.

I primarily want an easy to use media server. Wireless would be ideal, but from all I ready may not be ready for prime time.

What are the key differentiators between these products?

I know PS3 can do games and BD. However, it can't stream the new lossless HD audio streams. Also, I've heard of some media format compatibility issues.

Popcorn hour can't do BD or games, but seems to be a good media steamer, and it handles many codecs.

WD MY HD is similar to popcorn hour, but lacks ability to stream HULU and Netflix. Also it's unable to stream 5.1 audio.

I'd really like to know how the interfaces stack up since having lots of content, 1000's of mp3s and 1000's of pictures would be difficult to manage with with a bad interface.

Also level of media compatibility is important to keep from having to reencode
stuff.

Any input would be appreciated.

Mike

I think it depends on what you plan on using it for.

1. If you want to play games or you need something to play your bluray disc, then obviously PS3 is the only solution. If you don't play games or you don't own any Bluray discs, then PS3 is just going to be an expensive media streamer that does less than the competition.

2. If you have a home server and plan on putting all your data in a central location, then maybe you want to consider PCH. Then you can create a home network and stream all your content to your television. You can also get content from the internet if you have a fast broadband connection. PCH has the most features of all the media streamers, but it may be overkill for some.

3. If you just want to put your content on a drive and watch it on your television, then WDTV is the solution. It's by far the easiest to set up and use. In terms of playing media, it is very similar to PCH minus the DTS downmixing. It will pass the DTS to your surround sound but it doesn't downmix it yet, maybe in a firmware upgrade.

PCH and WDTV have major advantages over the PS3 when it comes to playing media.

-PCH/WDTV both will play ISOs even though WDTV does not officially support ISOs yet. Hopefully they will officially support it in the future and enhance their current feature set and include ISO menus. This is not so a huge advantage because PS3 has an optical drive.
-Probably the biggest advantage is PCH/WDTV can play MKV files. HD content (1080p and 720p) found online is usually in the form of MKV. If you have a PS3 you will not be able to play this content without conversion. If you don't download your videos, then this is not a concern.

In my opinion, if you only need something that can play pictures and mp3s, then go with WDTV. It's the cheapest and easiest to use. You probably aren't adding files everyday so network streaming is not that useful. But it all depends on how you plan on using the device.

I think it depends on what you plan on using it for.

1. If you want to play games or you need something to play your bluray disc, then obviously PS3 is the only solution. If you don't play games or you don't own any Bluray discs, then PS3 is just going to be an expensive media streamer that does less than the competition.

2. If you have a home server and plan on putting all your data in a central location, then maybe you want to consider PCH. Then you can create a home network and stream all your content to your television. You can also get content from the internet if you have a fast broadband connection. PCH has the most features of all the media streamers, but it may be overkill for some.

3. If you just want to put your content on a drive and watch it on your television, then WDTV is the solution. It's by far the easiest to set up and use. In terms of playing media, it is very similar to PCH minus the DTS downmixing. It will pass the DTS to your surround sound but it doesn't downmix it yet, maybe in a firmware upgrade.

PCH and WDTV have major advantages over the PS3 when it comes to playing media.

-PCH/WDTV both will play ISOs even though WDTV does not officially support ISOs yet. Hopefully they will officially support it in the future and enhance their current feature set and include ISO menus. This is not so a huge advantage because PS3 has an optical drive.
-Probably the biggest advantage is PCH/WDTV can play MKV files. HD content (1080p and 720p) found online is usually in the form of MKV. If you have a PS3 you will not be able to play this content without conversion. If you don't download your videos, then this is not a concern.

In my opinion, if you only need something that can play pictures and mp3s, then go with WDTV. It's the cheapest and easiest to use. You probably aren't adding files everyday so network streaming is not that useful. But it all depends on how you plan on using the device.

I think your logic is good. Pretty much what I arrived to.
Thing is, I might go for broke and just build an HTPC, but in the mean time, might just get the WD to start playing with the concept.

Mike

Mike,

Check out this post: (go to the bottom of the page and see my post)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1082575

I own multiple devices and the short story is use the PS3 for BD and upscaling SD. Use the Popcorn Hour A-110 for all your streaming!

Mike

I own multiple devices and the short story is use the PS3 for BD and upscaling SD. Use the Popcorn Hour A-110 for all your streaming!

Mike

Mike, in all due respect, that's a pretty simple answer. Life would be pretty easy if we just through money at the best solution for any job. But I think the OP was trying to find the best solution, or compromise, in one unit. Anything else he should get while he's at it?

CD

so what do we need for the ps3 to become a better streamer? a new firmware update that addresses those issues or a different ps3 altogether?

That's the magic question. For now, transcoders like TWonky or TVersity seem to help a great deal. I stream from an HP MSS, and I can tell you that when WHS updated its media server from Windows Media Connect to PVConnect (which is an offshoot of TWonky for servers), my PS3 gained a lot of capabilities. That's one of the reasons that I don't think the PS3 is going to stay "stuck" as a streamer for very long.

CD

so what do we need for the ps3 to become a better streamer? a new firmware update that addresses those issues or a different ps3 altogether?

This! :)

http://code.google.com/p/ps3mediaserver/

the ps3 has bad scaling on movies. if picture quality matters to you don't use it (won't notice much if you have an SD tv).

if they fixed the scaling it would be decent for divx/avi and some HD rips (using mkv2vob), however it's also missing features like subtitles on vob (only divx cooked into a file with the divx container has subtitles)

HD movies don't look too horrible when they are 1280x720 or 1920x1080 because little or minimal scaling occurs (in the former force 1280x720 before viewing) but the thing will sometimes decide to cut off part of the image to make it fill more of the screen... which leads to some scaling and less image quality

I don't know why they use the same bad scaling that is used on games because there's surely enough CPU to do a bicubic or better scaling

I think it depends on what you plan on using it for.

1. If you want to play games or you need something to play your bluray disc, then obviously PS3 is the only solution. If you don't play games or you don't own any Bluray discs, then PS3 is just going to be an expensive media streamer that does less than the competition.

2. If you have a home server and plan on putting all your data in a central location, then maybe you want to consider PCH. Then you can create a home network and stream all your content to your television. You can also get content from the internet if you have a fast broadband connection. PCH has the most features of all the media streamers, but it may be overkill for some.

3. If you just want to put your content on a drive and watch it on your television, then WDTV is the solution. It's by far the easiest to set up and use. In terms of playing media, it is very similar to PCH minus the DTS downmixing. It will pass the DTS to your surround sound but it doesn't downmix it yet, maybe in a firmware upgrade.

PCH and WDTV have major advantages over the PS3 when it comes to playing media.

-PCH/WDTV both will play ISOs even though WDTV does not officially support ISOs yet. Hopefully they will officially support it in the future and enhance their current feature set and include ISO menus. This is not so a huge advantage because PS3 has an optical drive.
-Probably the biggest advantage is PCH/WDTV can play MKV files. HD content (1080p and 720p) found online is usually in the form of MKV. If you have a PS3 you will not be able to play this content without conversion. If you don't download your videos, then this is not a concern.

In my opinion, if you only need something that can play pictures and mp3s, then go with WDTV. It's the cheapest and easiest to use. You probably aren't adding files everyday so network streaming is not that useful. But it all depends on how you plan on using the device.

Sorry but a lot of that info simply isn't correct. The PS3 will play ISOs and .mkv files using PS3 media server (linked to just above). It will play most 1080p .mkv files and pretty much all 720p files with no problem (720p can use tsmuxer which doesn't need a very powerful PC). The PS3 as a media player has improved enormously with that PS3 media streamer software and I urge anyone with a PS3 to try it out!

Sorry but a lot of that info simply isn't correct. The PS3 will play ISOs and .mkv files using PS3 media server (linked to just above). It will play most 1080p .mkv files and pretty much all 720p files with no problem (720p can use tsmuxer which doesn't need a very powerful PC). The PS3 as a media player has improved enormously with that PS3 media streamer software and I urge anyone with a PS3 to try it out!

If the new PS3 firmware will play MKV and ISO, then I stand corrected. But it still doesn't change the fact that it's 4 times the price. If you need a bluray player and games, then PS3 is the solution. If you don't need bluray player and games, then there is no reason to pay $399. It's still based on how you plan on using it.

IMHO, not to many people on this board are renting or purchasing Bluray disc. They are getting free content online. Which means really we are only talking about a difference whether you are a gamer or not.

If the new PS3 firmware will play MKV and ISO, then I stand corrected. But it still doesn't change the fact that it's 4 times the price. If you need a bluray player and games, then PS3 is the solution. If you don't need bluray player and games, then there is no reason to pay $399. It's still based on how you plan on using it.

IMHO, not to many people on this board are renting or purchasing Bluray disc. They are getting free content online. Which means really we are only talking about a difference whether you are a gamer or not.

NO, he's not talking about a firmware update, or PS3 supporting those formats natively; he's talking about a media server that will transcode what PS3 won't handle. Which, while I agree it's worth looking into, isn't the same as saying PS3 alone will do this.

CD

Mike, in all due respect, that's a pretty simple answer. Life would be pretty easy if we just through money at the best solution for any job. But I think the OP was trying to find the best solution, or compromise, in one unit. Anything else he should get while he's at it?

CD

CDLehner - I like simple! Don't know why you wouldn't? Anyway, IF you had read my link, I describe multiple options and did not demand that the OP do anything. I recommended what had worked for me. Also in my link there is reference the the Dune BD Prime with is a NWT with a BD built in it.

Actually you can purchase a standalone BD for $150 and the PCH for $225 for a total of $375 and accomplish all you movie needs, just no gaming. Thus the OP can decided what is important.

As far as the transcoding with Tversity, Twonky this takes a LOT of machine to do it and will use the entire machine while doing it. The newer PS3MediaServer looks like it takes a bit less to transcode but still a Core2Duo and it will use all of that machine when transcoding.

I have WHS and do not want it consumed during transcoding, for just streaming it is not a problem for about any machine. So to purchase a quad core machine to make your $400 PS3 handle the streaming seems like a huge waste of money. Use an old machine for file sharing and get a PCH if you need to stream or get a WD HDTV if you just want a local drive connected.

Mike

CDLehner - I like simple! Don't know why you wouldn't?

Maybe simple was the wrong word; what I meant is simplistic, or maybe assuming is more accurate? In other words, I don't think the OP was really looking for advice like "buy this for this, and that for that" (use the PS3 and PCH).

I have WHS and do not want it consumed during transcoding, for just streaming it is not a problem for about any machine. So to purchase a quad core machine to make your $400 PS3 handle the streaming seems like a huge waste of money.

Now who's not reading who's post? I never suggested transcoding or another PC, server, etc; I'm with you on that (although I probably will give the PS3 mediaserver a try). What I said was I think the PS3 is the best all-around machine, because of how much it can do (I don't know where that one guy is coming from...it's a fine upscaling SD player, and has been reported, reviewed, and measured to be so), and that I was hopeful its streaming capabilities would be enhanced with time. That if the OP was really looking for an all-in-one-box, PS3 was the way to go, and hopefully the streaming will catch up. If he couldn't care less about SD, BD, CD, or games, and just wants to stream...then a PCH might be the way to go. Of course he could just buy both, but I don't think if that was an option he'd be on the boards asking which is best.

Btw, if you're going to try and slam me with a quote from Stripes, best to use a spell-check; I didn't even get it at first :D

CD

CD - OK I can not spell! At least you knew the movie reference (showing my age) I agree with you about the scaling, I believe the PS3 does a great job of this with SD content.

My point is that I have a PS3 and love it. I was transcoding all .MKV content to .mpg for the PS3 to then stream via TVersity. This works great. However, depending on the .MKV file the transcoding can take a long time, which was frustrating. I found the PCH and purchased one and love this little box. It paired with YAMJ is a great interface and can play about anything I throw at it.

So the long winded way to say this is that I do like the PS3 (and I do not use it for any games) as a BD player and a streamer, however with a lot of content in .MKV format the PS3 could not handle it strait up.

Others in this post talked about transcoding on the fly with a media server and in my experience this just consumed the transcoding machine.

Mike

how about no transcoding and it plays everything... popcorn hour works... listen... get a ps3 for its blu ray capabilities... i have the same setup


as a matter of fact, here's my setup:

Gaming: XBOX 360
Blu Ray: PS3
Fun games: WII
Watching any movies i download: Popcorn hour.

Popcorn hour is great by itself...you dont have to redo formats and transcode this and that. It plays it the way it is

how about no transcoding and it plays everything... popcorn hour works... listen... get a ps3 for its blu ray capabilities... i have the same setup


as a matter of fact, here's my setup:

Gaming: XBOX 360
Blu Ray: PS3
Fun games: WII
Watching any movies i download: Popcorn hour.

Popcorn hour is great by itself...you dont have to redo formats and transcode this and that. It plays it the way it is

There ya go OP; you wanted to know which was best between WDTV, PCH, and PS3...Raven suggests you get these four boxes...and a rack for them all. Actually, I would go for five, as a Squeezebox Duet blows all of them away for streaming audio.

CD

I was on the same dilemma as PanamaMike, but after reading this thread I'm buying a Popcorn Hour. Now I have to explain my wife why do we need an ethernet cable in our room (another cable? she wil say).

I have a PS3 and iStar HD.


I generally use the iStar for video content (unless it's something I directly d/l to the PS3). Certainly for ISO's, and generally for d/l stuff.

For most music and and photos, I generally prefer the PS3 due to the faster interface (I have TVersity running, pretty much just for music and photos at this point - if PS3mediaServer proves to be comparable in that regard, and also uses less resources, I'll switch to that on my server). Obviously, it's also used for BD.

I am seeing a lot more posts complaining about hardware failing and other quality issues in PCH-A110. I havent really come across such a case with WDTV. I have a WDTV now but I really want a PCH-A110.

Should I have to be reasonably lucky to get a good PCH hardware or the % of failures are really low to worry about?

WD TV for me. Very happy with it.

Sorry but a lot of that info simply isn't correct. The PS3 will play ISOs and .mkv files using PS3 media server (linked to just above). It will play most 1080p .mkv files and pretty much all 720p files with no problem (720p can use tsmuxer which doesn't need a very powerful PC). The PS3 as a media player has improved enormously with that PS3 media streamer software and I urge anyone with a PS3 to try it out!

Can the PS3 read NTFS with the PS3mediaserver?

You can stream off an NTFS formatted HDD yes

I have a PS3, watching movies on it sucks
You have to burn to a DL DVD(MT2S movies) because it does only tak FAT32 HDD
I never liked streaming so I don't like that either the fact having to leave my computer on is so stupid since then I could connect my computer to my TV just as much hassle
The best solution is WDTV jus because PCH and WDTV are just as good but PCH looks horrible from outside and the menu where WDTV is Small looks good and has a beautiful menu

I'm starting to think playing hd from anything other than the original blu ray disc is futile. I'm actually fine with watching sd but when I go hd I want the total experience and not some poopy rip.

Funny; that's exactly what I thought (as a PS3 owner) until I got the PCH. Don't get me wrong, BD rips take a little bit of figuring out; not exactly hard, but you need to know your way around the old PC and be patient until you figure your shite out. But once you get it dialed-in, the PQ of the PCH is outstanding; and my standards are HIGH! Watched a rip of Wall-E last night; AMAZING!

Now I know everyone has a different approach to streaming, and each of these products has their strengths...so different strokes for different folks. But as far as I'm concerned, PCH beats WDTV because it does so much more, like takes an internal drive and is networkable (that's big!). And I love my PS3, and it does a lot of other things well, but right now it is not ready as a big-time streamer, so the PCH beats that in this regard as well.

CD

I would like to order a popcorn hour but I've decided to wait. As I mentioned earlier I just don't trust hard drives to hold all my media. They are still not reliable or big enough to store a large hd collection. There are actually some projects going on for being able to store 3-4 full quality movies on one disc or bluray to dvd-5. I think ripbot was one of the programs that can downsize to dvd right now but it takes a long time.

I was also hoping that it would be a quality mp3 streamer for easy navigation. Seems a squeezebox or ipod touch + airport is good for this. I'm just going to stay with ipod>stereo. When there really is a all in one box thats affordable then i might reconsider.

I'm still convinced that dvd is the most practical solution for storage of standard video discs, avi, or whatever thats compatible with ps3 and re-encoded blu's. I could pluck a movie out of a disc wallet almost as fast as you can find it from a media server.

Edit: Just found this interesting article http://ps3mediaserver.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=428&start=0
Looks like mkv support may be on the way for the ps3

I would like to order a popcorn hour but I've decided to wait. As I mentioned earlier I just don't trust hard drives to hold all my media. They are still not reliable or big enough to store a large hd collection. There are actually some projects going on for being able to store 3-4 full quality movies on one disc or bluray to dvd-5. I think ripbot was one of the programs that can downsize to dvd right now but it takes a long time.

I was also hoping that it would be a quality mp3 streamer for easy navigation. Seems a squeezebox or ipod touch + airport is good for this. I'm just going to stay with ipod>stereo. When there really is a all in one box thats affordable then i might reconsider.

I'm still convinced that dvd is the most practical solution for storage of standard video discs, avi, or whatever thats compatible with ps3 and re-encoded blu's. I could pluck a movie out of a disc wallet almost as fast as you can find it from a media server.

Edit: Just found this interesting article http://ps3mediaserver.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=428&start=0
Looks like mkv support may be on the way for the ps3

Discs are so 2007...lol :D

CD

The PS3 has huge limitations for playing video files. It has the stupid 4gb limit(fat32) for files. It can't play .mkv files, which are a pain to convert sometimes and has problems with some other video files.

The WD HD is cool, but its has many limitations also. The biggest one for me is that it can't pass lossless audio. So those blu-ray rips with TrueHD etc., must be downconverted. PCH will bitstream those lossless audio tracks.

If you want to play blu-rays and some smaller video files, the PS3 will be fine for you. If you want a device that can play MKV files and most other files, and are fine with not having lossless audio from blu-ray rips, then the WD HD media is great. If you are into playing all video files, lossless blu-ray rips, streaming etc., then the PCH is the way to go.

PS3 for playing dvds/blu-rays/rock band :) + PCH for playing all your dvd/blu-ray rips and video files.

I'm still convinced that dvd is the most practical solution for storage of standard video discs, avi, or whatever thats compatible with ps3 and re-encoded blu's. I could pluck a movie out of a disc wallet almost as fast as you can find it from a media server.
Consider that quality media will cost ~$80/200 and a 1TB HD will hold the same for ~$20 more. Also, the benefit of a HD is when a 2TB drive is the price of the 1TB you can sell it off to recoup some costs when upgrading. You'll never be able to resell used media. Further, if the drive fails you have a backup in the original, right? I still use a standard DVD player for the kids room with backup DVDs. Everything else is going on the HD.

Discs are so 2007...lol
Maybe so, but what happens when your hard drive full of movies fails? For me, putting movies on hard drives is for short-term uses only, definitely not long-term archiving, unless you have another hard drive w/mirror back-ups.

I have a question about streaming HDMI audio/video...

Right now I have a WD TV Media Player hooked up to my 32" HD TV via HDMI cable, I don't have any separate receivers or amps. I have a couple .mkv movies downloaded and I notice a slight delay in lip sync, meaning the video is actually on screen before the audio.
These MKV files are x264 1080p with AC3 audio.

I used the same .mkv files and I play them on my computer and no audio delays. So I know it's not the .mkv file itself.

So that means it's either the WD TV Media Player or my TV (ouch) causing the audio delay. Now my TV is a 32" 1080p Samsung. I have a Brighthouse cable box with HDMI out to my TV, and there's no audio delay with my digital HD cable. I tried swapping HDMI cables from my WD TV Media Player and cable box, since my cable box is working fine. Still tho, my WD TV has occasional lip sync delays.

I'm very tempted to purchase the Popcorn Hour A-110, but I wanted to ask you guys if it plays x264 1080p files smoother? Perhaps any suggestions to try first?

WDTV is P.O.S.


PCH can play 1080p, Blu-ray rips with FULL HD sound formats, play tons of video files, xvid, .mkv ect., has subtitle support, zoom, tons of other features, and has all the custom homebrew apps.

Plus you can upload your files by FTP, or stream from a computer.

Aaahhh, not entirely true, D-I-G-I-T-A-L,
The WDTV has only been out a couple of months and the code monkeys have already ported it on there networks, file transfer and streaming! Don't forget, this thing has the same chip in it as the PCH. I'll admit, they haven't yet conquered the the higher end of the audio limits yet, but then they've been concentrating on the networking first and foremost. The PCH has the advantage of being out longer, and therefore a hundred monkeys tinkering with the firmware longer, but calling the WD a P.O.S. serves no one, least of all you! WD is a high profile company with excellent support and a reputation to uphold. The PCH may do more right out of the box, but it's got no monopoly on "Homebrew" hackers. I've been following the developments daily and studied the internal components myself and am convinced that before long the PCH won't have much to crow about.
I've had a WDTV for a while now, and it does everything it claims on the box. Since the first firmware upgrade, it now does more! And all without any hiccups.
It's a pretty straightforward decision. If you want it all NOW, and don't mind buying from an unfamiliar manufacturer, get the PCH. If you like the idea of big name backing and can handle living with all it does out of the box, for now, (which is nothing to sneeze at, mind you!) go with the WD.
Oh, and then there's the price thing....

Aaahhh, not entirely true, D-I-G-I-T-A-L,
The WDTV has only been out a couple of months and the code monkeys have already ported it on there networks, file transfer and streaming! Don't forget, this thing has the same chip in it as the PCH. I'll admit, they haven't yet conquered the the higher end of the audio limits yet, but then they've been concentrating on the networking first and foremost. The PCH has the advantage of being out longer, and therefore a hundred monkeys tinkering with the firmware longer, but calling the WD a P.O.S. serves no one, least of all you! WD is a high profile company with excellent support and a reputation to uphold. The PCH may do more right out of the box, but it's got no monopoly on "Homebrew" hackers. I've been following the developments daily and studied the internal components myself and am convinced that before long the PCH won't have much to crow about.
I've had a WDTV for a while now, and it does everything it claims on the box. Since the first firmware upgrade, it now does more! And all without any hiccups.
It's a pretty straightforward decision. If you want it all NOW, and don't mind buying from an unfamiliar manufacturer, get the PCH. If you like the idea of big name backing and can handle living with all it does out of the box, for now, (which is nothing to sneeze at, mind you!) go with the WD.
Oh, and then there's the price thing....

OK, I'll bite, and open my mouth and risk ignorance: how do you network the WD without an ethernet port?

CD

OK, I'll bite, and open my mouth and risk ignorance: how do you network the WD without an ethernet port?

CD

With knowledge neither you or I have :).

It is great that so many people are trying to unlock new features. The box itself is great. I use it at home with my KLD32V4000 - HDMI. When I go to my fathers or girlfriends they always ask me to bring it so we have the option of watching a movie. Composite cables are always at theirs so I just need the WD box, portable seagate 320 with 300+ movies on and the remote :).

Now I just need to invest in a 1TB external but I can't decide on which yet.

Everyone should own a WD HD TV Media player!

What formats do you guys rip your HD content in for the PCH?

OK, I'll bite, and open my mouth and risk ignorance: how do you network the WD without an ethernet port?


By adding a USB-Ethernet dongle. Lots of them in the market. Only thing not in the WDTV are the drivers. Might be forthcoming by WD, might be hacked in by users.

By adding a USB-Ethernet dongle. Lots of them in the market. Only thing not in the WDTV are the drivers. Might be forthcoming by WD, might be hacked in by users.

Duh. :o Hmm, that would be awfully cool for WDTV users. (not that I am one...PCH for me baby!)

CD

Yes, the USB-ethernet adapter is the starting point. Unfortunately you'll also need some code hacking skills to boot at this point. Stay tuned on the WDTV wiki for the eventual non-unix user installware.

I am mostly interested in streaming lossless audio. I have a PS3 but does not stream lossless. For the price the PH seems like a great deal but how does it sound streaming lossless audio?

By adding a USB-Ethernet dongle. Lots of them in the market. Only thing not in the WDTV are the drivers. Might be forthcoming by WD, might be hacked in by users.

AFAIK, WD is still using Sigma SDK which is stuck at kernel 2.6.15. That is biggest roadblock even for the NMTs (PCH, HDX1000, etc.)

Now getting stable wireless over USB on 2.6.15 is gonna be fun. Even on the NMTs, most ppls do wireless using an AP via the RJ-45 port.

I've been using PS3 Media Server (http://code.google.com/p/ps3mediaserver/) to stream MKV and DVD ISOs to my Ps3. FF and RR don't work so good, but if you can watch it all the way through, it does a good job. Not sure how well it will handle BD rips as I can't do that yet!

EDIT - just noticed that someone else also mentioned this. Works as advertised!

WDTV is still crap, it freezes a lot, cant support subtiltes, and lots of audio glitches plus Popcorn Hour Firmware is lightyears ahead of the WDTV crap.

what happened to Tvix? I have a few of them and they work just fine for my needs. DVD iso streaming no problem. h.264 with AC3 DD in an mkv container, no problem. HD capture from the hauppauge PVR in .TS format streams just fine (still no FF or RW), but you can use the "GOTO" button for that.

Just wondering why out of all these post in this thread, nobody has thrown Tvix on the table as a solution?

With knowledge neither you or I have :).

It is great that so many people are trying to unlock new features. The box itself is great. I use it at home with my KLD32V4000 - HDMI. When I go to my fathers or girlfriends they always ask me to bring it so we have the option of watching a movie. Composite cables are always at theirs so I just need the WD box, portable seagate 320 with 300+ movies on and the remote :).

Now I just need to invest in a 1TB external but I can't decide on which yet.

Everyone should own a WD HD TV Media player!

I'm interested in how you can fit 300+ movies on a 320gb drive and have them look good thats about 700meg a movie no?

Maybe so, but what happens when your hard drive full of movies fails? For me, putting movies on hard drives is for short-term uses only, definitely not long-term archiving, unless you have another hard drive w/mirror back-ups.

RAID is the way to go.

As a frequent flyer of the downloadable standard definition (SD) stuff that you can get from ********** - for example a 700 MB .AVI of a public domain movie...

At $100 USD the WD TV is absolutley fantastic for SD content. Of the SD stuff that I have, I can't think of one file that it has let me down on. They ALL play. Audio and video are totally adequate and completely remove the need for the HTPC that I was thinking of buying (at $1,000+ USD.)

However...

Better subtitle support would be better to have but I am a native English speaker and I hear fairly well so I don't lose any sleep over subtitles.

High definition content (HD) support could use some work. I have a few HD sample files that play VERY well (OMG!) but most (around 65%) of what I've grabbed have audio issues that need to be remuxed or reframing issues blahblahblah. I don't have time or the inclination to do all this heavy-lifting. (I've got a day job in front of a PC and don't want to sit in front of one at night.)

I would love USB-to-Ethernet support (go hack team go!) but for now I can deal with sneaker-netting the content via large, relatively cheap hard drives.

The PS3 has huge limitations for playing video files. It has the stupid 4gb limit(fat32) for files.
For its internal hard drive, yes. But, no limitation if you use a tool like SwissKnife (freeware) (http://www.compuapps.com/Download/swissknife/swissknife.htm) to create whatever size Fat32 partition your USB hard drive is that you've got attached to your PS3.

RAID is the way to go.
How does RAID work? I currently have multiple USB drives w/different media files. I keep backups of files I don't want to lose on my computer's local hard drive as well.

Sorry, I know this isn't directly related to the topic of this thread.

Ps3, WDTV, Popcorn & TViX ... I've now tried them all. I like each for different reasons. Would be nice to have a unit that combined everything into one device :).

PS3
- Almost great all-in-one Blu-ray, gaming, media, networked player
- PS3MediaServer freeware allows for streaming media PS3 won't play, but computer must be on
- Can use PlayOn to stream Netflix, Hulu, etc., but computer must be on

WDTV
- Small, nicely designed device
- Very easy to use; simple, clean interface
- Now networkable w/hacked firmware

Popcorn A110
- Clunky looking device; clunky default interface & text type
- Plays back just about every media, including DVD ISO
- Networkable for sharing, streaming, etc.
- Has web services like YouTube, CNN, etc.
- Can use PlayOn to stream Netflix, Hulu, etc., but computer must be on
- Community apps, skins, etc., but need to do lots of reading on NMT forum

TViX 7000A (or 6500A)
- Like Popcorn, but w/o web services (only Internet radio)
- Clunky default interface & text type
- Networkable for sharing, streaming, etc.
- Optional HDTV tuner to record OTA programs
- Has LED, so you don't need to turn TV on to play mp3 files

So far, I'm keeping all 4, but will likely keep the PS3 & TViX in my main home theater and the Popcorn in my living room; then, sell the WD.

I use an HTPC with XBMC on it mainly for movies.
I have a copy of the movies on another PC (still no RAID, but thinking about a Drorbo - will have to see towards the end of this year).

I have TVersity installed on my PC that I use to stream to the PS3. Using TVersity the PS3 plays any kind of media, granted some encoding options have to be changed for certain types of files but not a huge deal since I just have this setup for the cool factor :)

I will install PS3 Media Server this weekend and see if I like it more than TVersity.

Only have the one TV for now but if I get more then prolly a WDHD will get connected to the other TV (bed room-basement or something)

Looking more and more like I will not stream any media and simply require a stand alone media player.

May go up to 1080p but generally will be playing 720p, mkv H.264 files...Subtitled rips of same and avi's

Is WD TV a good way to go or is NMT the more solid choice?

Looking more and more like I will not stream any media and simply require a stand alone media player.

May go up to 1080p but generally will be playing 720p, mkv H.264 files...Subtitled rips of same and avi's

Is WD TV a good way to go or is NMT the more solid choice?


In that case, the WD TV is fine for your needs. I picked one up for my father as he was not looking to have a dedicated PC for streaming. He's very happy with it, no tweaking needed and playing back mostly 720p mkv with no problems.

Do any of those three players support MKV videos with lossless, multi-channel FLAC audio?

Do any of those three players support MKV videos with lossless, multi-channel FLAC audio?

Don't know. I've never run into one, but if you'd want me to try a sample file I'm willing to try it on my HDX 1000 NMT.

Well I pulled the plug and ordered one (WD TV) yesterday but I should have done some more research. I read .ISO worked so I figured all would be good but now I find out it can't do DVD menu's which is a issue for me (my fault, should have done some more research). I will test it out later tonight and over the weekend but if its to much of a hassle I might just return it and spend a little more money on a PCH a-110 which does fully work with .ISO files. I really don't need all the streaming stuff but I hope WD adds full .ISO support sometime soon or this might be going back to Amazon.

So I have two older TVIX boxes and have a Popcorn Hour A-110. The Popcorn Hour really is a pretty cool deal overall. Plays almost all fomats, and as noted earlier can pass through hi def audio (well at least the A-110 can). But...unless you put some special drivers in your pc, you can't write directly to it via USB from an XP or Vista computer. And for me, at least, it is fairly slow in terms of network access.

Of course you can load it via the usb port through a kind of clunky file transfer from an external usb drive.

The TVIX can have a native NFS interface, not EXT3, so you can fill it easily from a PC. But it costs a ton more. I guess the high end now can read BD file stuctures (read menus) natively.

Can anybody summarize the whole UPNP, DLNA, SMB, NFS relationship for the A-110. I'm about 75% ready to pop for one. I have a Synology 209+ that seems to support UPnP, SMB, NFS, and FTP/BT but I don't understand enough about any of them to really make sense of it. I know they will interface.... I'm just trying to contingency plan.

Makelegs;

I can't guarantee that the supported services on the 110 will work with your synology. Too many unknowns; the synology itself, the speed of your network, et.

The PCH does have a 2 week return period; less a 15% restock fee if I recall (you will want to verify this, I take no responsibility if wrong). Best is just to try it all out yourself. Odds are you will be happy.

So I’m about 50% finished with the basement theater and I am in the process of researching media components for it. I currently have a Sage Server and Clients/Extenders running for the TVs upstairs. Getting a Sage HD200 extender would be a no-brainer for the basement, but to my understanding it does not currently stream or decode any of the advanced audio formats, which is a snag for being able to play BR rips.

A few questions about the PCH, just for clarity.

Will it play the main movie (don’t care about menus, etc.) from a BR rip (ripped straight out with AnyDVD HD) with support for *all* the new audio formats (bitstream via HDMI to the receiver is fine) straight out of the box? What I mean is, is the thing setup to handle this without problems and does not require endless tinkering/setup/consultation to yet another forum? Although I used to enjoy tinkering, demuxing, stripping timestamps, etc. etc. back in the day, now that I have a child and another one in the planning, I just want to be able to rip the disc to the server and have a media player that will play it with full support for all audio formats like I do today with DVDs. Can the PCH do this?

Also, I assume the PCH can easily handle the playback of ATSC HD broadcast recordings, but how polished is the interface for accessing them? The WAF for accessing her shows is pretty high running a Sage server with an extender as she can easily navigate and get all the info for the shows on the server (date broadcast, name of the episode, synopsis of the episode, etc.) I realize that a PCH will not have the ability to schedule recordings like a Sage Extender can, this is not a big deal. I am fine doing scheduling maintenance upstairs or using the laptop for Sage maintenance if I want to do it in the basement.

How is the WAF for accessing these files on a PCH? Does it just show the actual file name as it is saved in the network computer?

Does it at least show the date recorded/created so you can pick the oldest TV show recording to watch first (in the case of having multiple episodes of the same show?)

Can you delete files stored on the server PC from the PCH after you have watched them?

Are there any pictures available online that show what the PCH interface actually looks like?

Sorry if this seems a little OT, but after a couple of days reading up on the limitations of streaming for the PS3, and trying to make heads or tails of the actual PCH capabilities, this thread seems to be the most common sense comparison of the options out there.

-Suntan

I have a PCH A110 for the last 4 weeks. It has been a battle between love and hate. In the end hate won. If you want it to play movies its great. If you like the glow-in-the-dark remote buttons its great. However if you want to use the Network Media Tank functions of bittórrent, NAS, FTP etc its a complete disaster - unfortunately that was the reason I bought it. You will need a degree in computing for all the required tinkering. Tech support are good and quick (which is handy coz you will probably need them for something or other). There is a reset button on the front of the box - they put it there because you will be pressing it quite a bit . . . There are just too many bugs and idiosyncrasies to mention. Its not so much a multi-functional media player, more of a programmers toy

Only certain HDD models can be used internally - and the list shrinks daily. Unfortunately the disk I bought became "desupported" some time after as there were a lot of complaints with issues. Every time I tred to use usb-slave to populate the internal HDD, it became corrupt (need to install software on pc if it doesn't nativly support ext3) - spotting a corruption is not that easy as all sorts of strange things can start happening. I'm a veteran software engineer and used a lot of my skills to try get this thing going. Transferring over wireless is soooooooooo slow. It took me many days for 300Gb. In the end I had to hook it straight up to the wireless router via Lan cable.

Basically my advice would be forget about all the extra things they say this thing can do. If you want to watch movies on it, use a portable HDD or stream from a computer (via cable). Don't bother getting the Wireless N dongle - due to limitations with the device, it doesn't have the speed of Wireless B (let alone say G). It can't do what I want it to, so I'm sending it back. If you really want to get one, just get the A100 version as its cheaper and it plays the same.

To answer your questions:

How is the WAF for accessing these files on a PCH? Does it just show the actual file name as it is saved in the network computer?
yep just a text list of file names to choose. You can install jukebox skins but I think you need the internal HDD. There is a CSI installer that will do it automatically for some add-ons, otherwise you will need to know the internals of linux :( Installing add-ons usually either don't work or cause more problems than they are worth as most of them are BETA, just like the PCH and cause all sorts of issues.

Does it at least show the date recorded/created so you can pick the oldest TV show recording to watch first (in the case of having multiple episodes of the same show?) No - You can install an add on but you need to have an internal disk and all your movies on it - Oversight is one add on app that will give some filtering by date etc and have pictures to represent the movies - luckily this one can be put on by the CSI. It takes about 12 hours to scan the disk however (with 300 movies) to build up the list and the device pretty much locks up for that time - also needs an internet connection when building list.

Can you delete files stored on the server PC from the PCH after you have watched them? No if windows - there are problems with NTFS. Possibly not either if the server pc is formatted with ext3. There is yet another addon that is supposed to fix NTFS issue but didn't for me. You will spend you precious spare time sifting through the forum on tips to hack the box. It may be theoretically possible but is it really worth the effort?

Are there any pictures available online that show what the PCH interface actually looks like?
Yeah just do a search for popcorn hour a110 . . . . be warned though, all of the reviews were done by professionals that were given freebies and only streamed from other devices as opposed to using internal hdd - so comments may be more favorable than reality . .

Unhappy PCH owner . . .