I know there was another thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=773709&highlight=avc) with a similar topic was asking whether there are any media streamers that can actually play high bit rate (20mbps+) H.264/AVC files and the answer seems to be no - and that thread had it as h.246 so probably didn't get the search traffic it deserved.

I'd like to bring it back the question: is there any way to play high bit rate H.264 without a PC? I know media streamers are mini linux boxes, so is there one yet powerful enough to get the job done? If it's a hard drive case with NDAS capabilities all the better. Sorry if this is a redundant thread, please direct me if this question has been solved elsewhere.

I'm not totally sure but I guess the Pioneer Blu-Ray player's "Home Gallery" network feature might be able to do it. Also the PS3 may sooner or later do it. Finally, the Xbox 360 with the latest firmware adds support for h264, but only in MP4 containers, IIRC.

Thanks it makes sense to repurpose next-gen disc players as we know they have the hardware to pull this off. I know it's only a matter of time until one of the many companies get the right hardware together to put out a product that'll make us mostly happy. I also wonder what the magical price point is here. I paid $135 for my MG-35, now it's $170 (only CE product that I can think of that's gone UP in price in the last year). I'd pay $250ish for the same thing but faster NDAS functionality and the horsepower for H.264.

I suppose the follow-up question here (presuming that there is no non-PC-based front-end solution powerful enough to pull this off) is what's the cheapest/most convenient PC based solution... as a Mac user naturally I lean towards the Mini...

See the LimHD thread....tests posted.

Kevin