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Netgear NeoTV 550 - Page 8

post #211 of 6184
9/21/10 at 1:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OnlyMe View Post

Correct. Or, possibly, that the firmware has been optimised for USB streaming and not for network streaming.

If people stop and think about it. If the Neo needed gigabit in order to be able to stream high bitrate content properly don't you think netgear would have added a gigabit NIC? It would make no sense to "cripple" a streamer by taking shortcuts and only going with a 100 meg NIC.

You need to account for the bit rate of the content you're streaming. AFAIK, the highest bit rate of blu-ray movie is in the range 50-70 mbps. So for streaming movie, 100 mbps fast ethernet is more than enough for the player. On the other hand, your NAS server will require gigabit bandwidth if you want to stream to multiple players same time.
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post #212 of 6184
9/21/10 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 720p View Post

I respectfully disagree. I don't want internal storage but I want GbE for various reasons which I won't go into. The best analogy I can think of at the moment is: If only you drive at 70mph at most but you don't buy a car with a top speed of 100mph. You choose to buy a car that has a top speed of 150mph. As an added bonus you get better quality/equipment/features etc. with the faster car. Remember both cars will do 70mph.
Same with GbE and yes I have several cat7 runs at home with a separate dedicated switch for my 100mbps devices, don't ask why. If any of you are using wifi and can't make sense of what I'm on about lets just say 100mbps wired will be insanely fast to what you're used to so GbE doesn't and shouldn't matter.

I didn't say it wasn't valuable for other potential applications, just overkill for streaming. I believe the Blu-ray spec tops out at 50mbs. Which in theory, should be capable of being streamed over wireless N.
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post #213 of 6184
9/21/10 at 1:52pm
Thanks all, I've learned a lot in this thread. I only wish I knew WHAT kind of bandwidth I was getting with my Seagate, as I'm connected to the network through the RJ-45 in the back of my Uverse box, which is plugged into the wall via coax cable. It handles all the content I have without issues. (I don't presently have any BD rips or anything like that.)
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post #214 of 6184
9/21/10 at 1:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OnlyMe View Post

Correct. Or, possibly, that the firmware has been optimised for USB streaming and not for network streaming.

If people stop and think about it. If the Neo needed gigabit in order to be able to stream high bitrate content properly don't you think netgear would have added a gigabit NIC? It would make no sense to "cripple" a streamer by taking shortcuts and only going with a 100 meg NIC.

It would probably be more cost effective, since the NIC is actually a part of the Sigma chip, to use a newer Sigma chip with GbE than to add a GbE NIC.
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post #215 of 6184
9/21/10 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Irishdoom View Post

So are you saying that Gigabit Ethernet is actually overkill for streaming? Do you mean it's the processing power of the media streamers that determine whether or not it can handle higher bitrate rips and NOT a networking bottleneck? I'm still kinda new to all this, so I may be confused.

As far as the Netgear, it appears it will have a prettier, "XBMC-like" interface with coverart, correct? It's the only thing I miss with my Seagate FAT+. (I don't honestly care about audio - I don't have a surround system anyhow.)

Don't feel bad. I'm learning more and more everyday.

The processor can definitly be the bottleneck. Depends on the protocol. Steaming protocols seem to have less overhead, and require less cpu horsepower. But for example, SMB transfers to the internal hard drive of the EVA9150 run at 3-5mbs because the cpu simply can't handle much more. So it can take a good hour or two to copy a DVD iso over your network to the internal drive of the 9150.
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post #216 of 6184
9/21/10 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by spark666 View Post

Can you tell me if the Neo can output audio to the HDMI/Optical and analog connections simultaneously?

Yes it can.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sleepybill View Post

Just to add to that, I'd like to know if it can output video over component and hdmi simultaneously?

Yes it can.
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post #217 of 6184
9/21/10 at 2:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by robkwil61 View Post

It would probably be more cost effective, since the NIC is actually a part of the Sigma chip, to use a newer Sigma chip with GbE than to add a GbE NIC.

True, although my point was more that it's not required at all than how it was implemented.
IF it were required then netgear would have included it. full stop
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post #218 of 6184
9/21/10 at 2:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 720p View Post

I respectfully disagree. I don't want internal storage but I want GbE for various reasons which I won't go into. The best analogy I can think of at the moment is: If only you drive at 70mph at most but you don't buy a car with a top speed of 100mph. You choose to buy a car that has a top speed of 150mph. As an added bonus you get better quality/equipment/features etc. with the faster car. Remember both cars will do 70mph.

I think a better analogy is there's no point putting Y rated tyres (suitable for speeds of up to 180mph) on a car that is only capable of reaching a top speed of 70mph.

EDIT:. Forgot to ask. I'd love to know why you want gigabit on a streamer. I honestly can't think of why you would so am genuinely curious.
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post #219 of 6184
9/21/10 at 4:09pm
What does "TV Mode" on the remote do?
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post #220 of 6184
9/21/10 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cstroman View Post

What does "TV Mode" on the remote do?

Allows you to change the resolution and/or refresh rate during video playback. See the screenshots here: NeoTV TV Mode the 6 in the middle of the page (the top middle screenshot in that bunch is the TV mode options)
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post #221 of 6184
9/21/10 at 5:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ple View Post

You need to account for the bit rate of the content you're streaming. AFAIK, the highest bit rate of blu-ray movie is in the range 50-70 mbps.

Quote:
Originally Posted by robkwil61 View Post

I believe the Blu-ray spec tops out at 50mbs.

From Wiki:
"BD Video movies have a maximum data transfer rate of 54 Mbit/s, a maximum AV bitrate of 48 Mbit/s (for both audio and video data), and a maximum video bit rate of 40 Mbit/s."
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post #222 of 6184
9/21/10 at 6:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OnlyMe View Post

I think a better analogy is there's no point putting Y rated tyres (suitable for speeds of up to 180mph) on a car that is only capable of reaching a top speed of 70mph.

EDIT:. Forgot to ask. I'd love to know why you want gigabit on a streamer. I honestly can't think of why you would so am genuinely curious.

I don't mean to speak on his behalf but some people connect external harddrives to their streamers and copy their ripped movies from their streamers to such drives, GBE is very beneficial in these instances, otherwise such transfers take an eon. I used to do this but I moved on to a WHS so its no longer an issue for me but I can see where for some GBE on a streamer is a big benefit.
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post #223 of 6184
9/21/10 at 10:04pm
Robkwil61, can you check the following if you have a chance?

1. if .srt/.idx/.sub subtitles stay on the screen during fast forward such as 2x, 3x, or 4x for AVIs and MKVs

2. how the unit handles videos with Quarter Pixel (QPEL)

3. how the unit handles videos with Global Motion Compensation (GMC) w/ 3 war points

I have files for the QPEL and GMC if you don't have any.
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post #224 of 6184
9/21/10 at 11:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EVT View Post

I don't mean to speak on his behalf but some people connect external harddrives to their streamers and copy their ripped movies from their streamers to such drives, GBE is very beneficial in these instances, otherwise such transfers take an eon. I used to do this but I moved on to a WHS so its no longer an issue for me but I can see where for some GBE on a streamer is a big benefit.

Ah well, in that scenario I agree gigabit can be beneficial, assuming of course that the firmware on the streamer is optimised for file transfers. The EVA9150 for example was not, file transfer operations were deliberately throttled and precedence was given to streaming so a gigabit NIC on it would not have helped. The processor was not powerful enough to cope with doing both things at the same time.
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post #225 of 6184
9/22/10 at 2:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mather View Post

Robkwil61, can you check the following if you have a chance?

1. if .srt/.idx/.sub subtitles stay on the screen during fast forward such as 2x, 3x, or 4x for AVIs and MKVs

2. how the unit handles videos with Quarter Pixel (QPEL)

3. how the unit handles videos with Global Motion Compensation (GMC) w/ 3 war points

I have files for the QPEL and GMC if you don't have any.

If you can PM me with a location where I can download samples of 1,2 & 3 I will give them a try.
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post #226 of 6184
9/22/10 at 6:49am
formats I do with blu ray.
I usually rip the entire disk with anydvdhd.
Then when I get a chance I convert it to mkv.
Will this unit recognize both types and show in library?
It does full blu ray menu playback doesn't it?
Best blu ray I have seen lately for timeline was Prince of Persia.
Hit pause and time, chapter, and full info displayed on the line
Why haven't they done this before?
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post #227 of 6184
9/22/10 at 5:13pm
They should have named it the Neo Pill and have them available in red & blue.
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post #228 of 6184
9/22/10 at 5:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perpendicular View Post

They should have named it the Neo Pill and have them available in red & blue.

You've watched The Matrix one too many times.
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post #229 of 6184
9/22/10 at 6:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by robkwil61 View Post

You've watched The Matrix one too many times.

Actually, I only seen it once.
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post #230 of 6184
9/24/10 at 5:49pm
Are there plans to offer Netflix for the 550?
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post #231 of 6184
9/26/10 at 6:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerome8283 View Post

Are there plays to offer Netflix for the 550?

Nothing official so far. We're hoping. A new firmware came out Friday that finally enabled BBC Radio but of course, doesn't work if you are in the US.
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post #232 of 6184
9/29/10 at 12:59pm
Not that this will shock anyone, but per this link (found on the Netgear forums), they list Netflix as supported for the NTV550.

It is a nice comparison of the Netgear media players.

ftp://ftp.netgear.de/download/NTV550/NTV350_vs_550.pdf
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post #233 of 6184
9/29/10 at 2:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skro View Post

Not that this will shock anyone, but per this link (found on the Netgear forums), they list Netflix as supported for the NTV550.

It is a nice comparison of the Netgear media players.

ftp://ftp.netgear.de/download/NTV550/NTV350_vs_550.pdf

If true, this is fairly significant news. Most streamers either do not support Netflix or merely have "plans" to do so in the future. It's a pretty big consideration for many people and I think it would help vault the NeoTV to the top of the heap if it delivers on other promises (BD ISO playback, etc.).

I personally can't decide if I care or not. I use my PS3 to stream Netflix now because I won't pay for XBOX Live and the interface via my Samsung plasma is slow. If the NeoTV's interface is better than the PS3's (and obviously disk-less, cmon' Netflix!) it would be a nice bonus. I'm still deciding between this, a Boxee or a new Dune Smart and this doesn't make it any easier.
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post #234 of 6184
9/29/10 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skro View Post

Not that this will shock anyone, but per this link (found on the Netgear forums), they list Netflix as supported for the NTV550.

It is a nice comparison of the Netgear media players.

ftp://ftp.netgear.de/download/NTV550/NTV350_vs_550.pdf

Theres's nothing on their site about supporting Netflix.
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post #235 of 6184
9/29/10 at 6:13pm
Thread Starter 
Sure there is. It's under Internet content and video on demand. Besides it supports DLNA which means in the worst case you can use PlayOn which works adequately for me.

Alan
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post #236 of 6184
9/29/10 at 7:37pm
Netflix will be a nice added feature once it comes around mainstream I think.
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post #237 of 6184
9/30/10 at 1:27pm
robkwil61,
I don't believe I've seen this question addressed here for the Neo550 and I didn't see any mention of it in the review or any of the spec sheets floating around. I'm assuming local storage is not limited to a USB thumb drive, but rather one could attach an external HDD to either USB or eSATA ports. For attached local HDD storage, can that HDD be accessed over the network through the Neo550 from a PC for loading and file management? I guess some would call that "NAS" capability.

thanks for any reply

P.S. Is NetGear still issuing you new firmware revisions, or have they locked it for manufacturing.
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post #238 of 6184
10/1/10 at 5:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelson View Post

robkwil61,
I don't believe I've seen this question addressed here for the Neo550 and I didn't see any mention of it in the review or any of the spec sheets floating around. I'm assuming local storage is not limited to a USB thumb drive, but rather one could attach an external HDD to either USB or eSATA ports. For attached local HDD storage, can that HDD be accessed over the network through the Neo550 from a PC for loading and file management? I guess some would call that "NAS" capability.

thanks for any reply

P.S. Is NetGear still issuing you new firmware revisions, or have they locked it for manufacturing.

External storage is supported by two usb ports, the eSata port, and an SD card slot. Media attached to any of these ports will work. However accessing these devices across your network is not supported. I don't see this changing as we found with the 9150 that had an internal hard drive, SMB transfers to the drive were pathetically slow. But I'm sure many will request this feature, and as we have seen in the past, Netgear is fairly good about listening to it's users and implementing feature requests. Although sometimes it takes a while.
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post #239 of 6184
10/1/10 at 7:58am
Any plans/possibility of a Webkit based browser support as in Boxee Box?
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post #240 of 6184
10/1/10 at 11:19am
Wondering if someone in the know can confirm wether or not the NTV550 can be controlled over an IP network, in the same way the EVA 8000 and EVA 9150 can ? And if so, is the same command set used to control the player ?

Thanks.
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