Hello all, I'm hoping that you can help me find the right multimedia player. Heres what it needs to have:

-I am not going to stream anything from the computer; I would rather the device have a hard drive - size...around 200-300GB
-Needs to be able to play:
Music: mp3, wma
Video: mpeg, avi, divx, iso, ...basically anything I may throw at it
Pictures: jpeg, png, etc. (standard pic formats)
-good GUI
-support for custom icons...what I mean by this is I want to be able to have a picture of the dvd for each movie...not just a generic movie icon. also support for custom icons for albums of my music
-hdtv support + optical audio output
-16x9 aspect ratio support
-affordable

Please give me some good advice as to what multimedia players are out there that can fit this criteria.

Thanks alot!

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You might want to start here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=585212


R~

I've looked through that...basically I'm looking for actual feedback from a real person regarding a good system to get, rather than staring at a spreadsheet and basing my decision off that.

Does the Mediagate MG-35 support custom icons for movies/music? How is the GUI?

You will likely have to compromise on some of your requirements if you plan to purchase something that is currently available. I have yet to find a unit that does everything that it should. Steer clear of the dsm-520 unless you plan on connecting it to a wired LAN. It couldn't play the most simple files over wireless. The GUI on it also felt clunky and slow. That is the only unit I have direct experience with. Good luck.

Well.. I was thinking more along the lines you look at the spread sheet,, find what you are looking for, then ask about the unit(s) you are looking at....

Just an idea, instead of just asking a blanket question of "Help me pick a......" There is plenty of into on this site if you just do a couple of searches..

Good luck

R~

OK, I am interested in the Mediagate MG-35 and the Mediagate MG350HD. Anyone have any experience with these? How are they in terms of compatibility with music/video/picture files? Is the GUI good looking or sloppy? Do they support the ability to use custom icons for movies/music?

Thank You

OK, I am interested in the Mediagate MG-35 and the Mediagate MG350HD. Anyone have any experience with these? How are they in terms of compatibility with music/video/picture files? Is the GUI good looking or sloppy? Do they support the ability to use custom icons for movies/music?

Thank You

you cant do custom icons or gui with the 350HD (not sure about the 35)

are there any media players out there that support the use of icons to display movies, music, etc...?

are there any media players out there that support the use of icons to display movies, music, etc...?

I'm no expert, but I would look into the XBMC solution. I'm pretty sure you can use custom icons for your media, the system plays a wide array of filetypes, and people rave about its GUI. With a little elbow grease I believe you can throw in a sizable HD to store everything.

There's a gigantic thread on here discussing its use, using DVD covers for movies, and everything else in between. It's extremely informative and the original author seems to be very helpful with questions (Ja Phule). It convinced me and I'll be working on setting it up this weekend.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=635294