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Need help choosing a Digital Media Player...

post #1 of 30
1/15/13 at 10:58am
Thread Starter 
I've decided to get with the times and buy a digital media player. I've never bought one before, so I'm not very experienced with this, which is why I'm asking for help. I would like to buy a player that can play a wide range of formats through a USB port, especially MP4, FLV, and DivX. I'm not much into streaming right now, but it wouldn't hurt if the player included one as I may have use for it sometime in the future. Obviously, I want one with an HDMI output, so I can hook it up to my HDTV. I'm hoping to find one that's not too expensive right now since this is only my first unit.

Also, I would like a player that not only plays a lot of formats, but also works FLAWLESSLY, meaning no skips or freezing that you normally find on those cheapo units. I want something that works reliably.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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post #2 of 30
1/15/13 at 11:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

, I would like a player that not only plays a lot of formats, but also works FLAWLESSLY, meaning no skips or freezing that you normally find on those cheapo units. I want something that works reliably.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

If you want flawless, then in my opinion Dune is still the way to go, although it costs alot more than everything else. Second place is the new popcorn hour A400, but it just came out so not sure if all the bugs are worked out. And if you want under $100 I would look at the wd live tv, that's what I'm looking at. For under $50 I would go with the IncrediSonic Ultra Play IMP150.

Edit: also I've found that watching youtube video reviews really gives you a better idea of how each player works, there are some really good ones out there for each of the above players I listed.
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post #3 of 30
1/16/13 at 8:15am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amber Ale View Post

For under $50 I would go with the IncrediSonic Ultra Play IMP150.

Hmm. One person on Amazon said that player freezes occasionally....

What about this?
http://www.amazon.com/Micca-Speck-Full-HD-Portable-Digital/dp/B008NO9RRM/ref=zg_bs_13447451_5

It plays a lot of formats and seems to have good reviews.
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post #4 of 30
1/16/13 at 8:29am
I woud ignore most of Amazon reviwes honetly, and to pick one out of however many is a littel "nuts" ;-) you have no idea if it could be the encode, the HDD, the setup, whatever.......Once you ahve a feew players in mind do a saerch on here and check the threads for those players out....
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post #5 of 30
1/16/13 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
I'm not taking any chances. Every time I take those reviews with a grain of salt, I end up with a piece of garbage. I'm not saying the IncrediSonic is, but I'm just saying that I don't want to take the chance. That Micca player I linked above has much better reviews. I'll do more research and see if that's the right player to buy.
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post #6 of 30
1/16/13 at 12:45pm
Dune is the most reliable, flexible player out there
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post #7 of 30
1/16/13 at 1:15pm
Couple things you mention FLV files? Does Dune support FLV or is it like PCH and just x264 inside FLV? If FLV files are that important you need to research it, You will fine a few people around here just say DUNE without looking at what you are actually playing so be careful.

For FLV you need to find out what FLV files and what is actually contained inside the FLV, Players like the PCH A400 will play FLV but only if they have h264 video and aac audio, anything else inside FLV it wont play.

If you are just doing SD mp4 and xvid files there is no reason to spend the high price of the A400 or any DUNE models, Step down to something a little cheaper be it a popbox8 the dune tv 301 covers it, the mede8er is a bit cheaper as well. If you plan on stepping up to HD video inside MKV again the high price the players you mentioned is not really a factor unless you get into DTS-HD/TRUE_HD, Full menu, or 3d.
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post #8 of 30
1/19/13 at 3:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

I'm not taking any chances. Every time I take those reviews with a grain of salt, I end up with a piece of garbage. I'm not saying the IncrediSonic is, but I'm just saying that I don't want to take the chance. That Micca player I linked above has much better reviews. I'll do more research and see if that's the right player to buy.

Anyone (or company) could write a ton of 5 star reviews, same goes for people writing one star reviews for having problems with some random video file. Amazon is very good at taking things back that have issues or you just don't like. Worst case your out the $40.

Edit: about Micca, you should read this in here.
Edited by Amber Ale - 1/19/13 at 4:04am
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post #9 of 30
1/19/13 at 8:08am
For what its worth this is a handy site that provides details for just about every player out there:
http://www.iboum.com/net-media-players.php
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post #10 of 30
1/28/13 at 7:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amber Ale View Post

Anyone (or company) could write a ton of 5 star reviews, same goes for people writing one star reviews for having problems with some random video file. Amazon is very good at taking things back that have issues or you just don't like. Worst case your out the $40.

Edit: about Micca, you should read this in here.

So are you saying the IncrediSonic player is better than the Micca?
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post #11 of 30
1/28/13 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

So are you saying the IncrediSonic player is better than the Micca?
I think you should pay attention to what you wrote in your original post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

I would like a player that not only plays a lot of formats, but also works FLAWLESSLY, meaning no skips or freezing that you normally find on those cheapo units.
You have to pay for that. I would not expect that on a sub-$100 player, let alone a $50 one.
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post #12 of 30
1/28/13 at 7:40am
+1 for Dune Player
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post #13 of 30
2/11/13 at 10:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelson View Post

I think you should pay attention to what you wrote in your original post.
You have to pay for that. I would not expect that on a sub-$100 player, let alone a $50 one.

People said the same thing when I was looking for a $100 Blu-ray player. 3 years ago, everyone kept telling me that I needed to spend at least $300 for a Blu-ray player that works flawlessly. Well, I went with a $100 Sony player and it indeed worked flawlessly. It's barebones, meaning no streaming, but it did what I wanted.... work flawlessly.

With proper research, I don't think I'm asking for something impossible. I expected some help by starting this thread since I want feedback from actual media player owners, but I guess I need to do this one on my own.
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post #14 of 30
2/11/13 at 12:39pm
Mr HT, the thing is there re a million different vatiables that could cause an otherwise stable player to be unstable and not work "flawlessly"....

You cant compare a Blu-Ray player and a media player they are VERY different...

We've given you a player (Dune) that comes highly recommended and is very stable (you can see for yourself in the Dune thread).....You seem to ahve overlooked this...

Most players will come with some sort of "tradeoff" just the world we live in....Without a pricepoint its hard for anyone to give you an idea of what players you should look at, as Dune is more expensive but highly recommended, yet you seem focused on the low cost players, which in most cases you get what you pay for....
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post #15 of 30
2/11/13 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ph8te View Post

Mr HT, the thing is there re a million different vatiables that could cause an otherwise stable player to be unstable and not work "flawlessly"....

You cant compare a Blu-Ray player and a media player they are VERY different...

We've given you a player (Dune) that comes highly recommended and is very stable (you can see for yourself in the Dune thread).....You seem to ahve overlooked this...

Most players will come with some sort of "tradeoff" just the world we live in....Without a pricepoint its hard for anyone to give you an idea of what players you should look at, as Dune is more expensive but highly recommended, yet you seem focused on the low cost players, which in most cases you get what you pay for....

At that price, I might as well just buy a PS3. For just a little more than the Dune, I get a media/streaming player + gaming console + blu-ray player.
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post #16 of 30
2/11/13 at 3:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

At that price, I might as well just buy a PS3. For just a little more than the Dune, I get a media/streaming player + gaming console + blu-ray player.

Good luck getting HD Audio formats streaming...Alos there is more leg work involved getting the PS3 to play other formats, not to mention it is FAR from flawless....but hey its your decision ;-)
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post #17 of 30
2/11/13 at 3:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

At that price, I might as well just buy a PS3. For just a little more than the Dune, I get a media/streaming player + gaming console + blu-ray player.
No, you get a game console that can play BluRay disks and, as an afterthought, can stream a very limited number of formats, but only via DLNA.
Oh yes, it fully supports Cinavia which means you won't be able to stream anything from Sony Pictures released in the last couple years and spreading to the other studios.

Take a look at the WDTV Live-SMP -- I wouldn't go any lower than that.
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post #18 of 30
2/11/13 at 5:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ph8te View Post

Good luck getting HD Audio formats streaming...Alos there is more leg work involved getting the PS3 to play other formats, not to mention it is FAR from flawless....but hey its your decision ;-)

Then why does everyone keep saying that the PS3 is the greatest machine in the world? Mind you... I'm not saying your wrong; I'm just wondering why there is so much hype about the PS3.
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post #19 of 30
2/11/13 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Then why does everyone keep saying that the PS3 is the greatest machine in the world?

Because they haven't experienced what a Dune can do! The Dune is for the serious streamer who wants everything to play perfectly... without having to fiddle with it.

PS3 can play some files... but forget about flawless... and forget about HD Audio.
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post #20 of 30
2/11/13 at 9:57pm
It all comes down to what people want. PS3 is very specific in what it can and cannot play. Someone that had the PS3 since day one has encoded all there media for playback on the ps3 also watched disc movies in the ps3 and plays games it seems like the holy grail in all in one player. But for most of us that have formats like MKV,ISO,BDMV that like to have multiple audio, subtitles, the PS3 just does not cut it. A standAlone media player like DUNE is very good at playing lots of formats and trying to cover a wide arrange that people at home would have.
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post #21 of 30
2/12/13 at 6:19am
oh and lets not forget about Cinavia on the PS3 as well.....The PS3 might be a a great all around Blu-ray\game system, as far as a media player though Id skip it......
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post #22 of 30
2/12/13 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

Then why does everyone keep saying that the PS3 is the greatest machine in the world? Mind you... I'm not saying your wrong; I'm just wondering why there is so much hype about the PS3.

LOL one bad review on Amazon and you think something may be junk but here several people are telling you PS3 isn't flawless and you won't believe? WTF?

"Hype"? Where is this hype? On game forums.... LOL These people answering you are talking with a focus on Media Players. Listen to them.
Edited by rndthought - 2/12/13 at 3:43pm
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post #23 of 30
2/12/13 at 9:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rndthought View Post

These people answering you are talking with a focus on Media Players. Listen to them.

I wish I could, but everyone is insisting on players that are beyond what I'm looking for and way over my budget.

Simply put.... I'm looking for a media player that's not too expensive and can play MP4, FLV, and DivX files. Streaming is a plus, but not required.

I've narrowed down my choices to the IncrediSonic Ultra Play IMP150 or Micca Speck. I'm leaning more towards Micca, not because of the one bad review on the IncrediSonic, but because it has more positive reviews. However, like you guys said, reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. So, I need someone to let me know which is better. Anyone here tried both players and can attest to which is better?

BTW... People always give me that caveat emptor advice about how I need to do thorough research before buying something, but it's easier said than done. It's extremely hard to buy the right product without actually trying all of them out first. Doing research is not the easiest because like you guys pointed out, reviews can be biased. And in the past, I've bought some cheap products that work well and some expensive products that are junk. And there are some expensive products that works just as well as the cheaper product. So, more money does not always equal better quality. So, that is why I'm a "best bang for the buck" type of person.
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post #24 of 30
2/13/13 at 7:16am
Since you have narrowed down your choices take a look through the threads for those players on this forum...Than will give you an idea of how those players are seen....Most people however start with the WD TV series or even a NEtGear 550 which even though no longer "made" can still be bought.......As far as our recommendations go you never stated a budget so how are we to know what players to suggest for you? You said you want a player that plays a wide range of files flawlessly, we gave you recommendations based of that alone........
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post #25 of 30
2/17/13 at 4:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrHT View Post

I wish I could, but everyone is insisting on players that are beyond what I'm looking for and way over my budget.

Simply put.... I'm looking for a media player that's not too expensive and can play MP4, FLV, and DivX files. Streaming is a plus, but not required.

I've narrowed down my choices to the IncrediSonic Ultra Play IMP150 or Micca Speck. I'm leaning more towards Micca, not because of the one bad review on the IncrediSonic, but because it has more positive reviews. However, like you guys said, reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. So, I need someone to let me know which is better. Anyone here tried both players and can attest to which is better?

BTW... People always give me that caveat emptor advice about how I need to do thorough research before buying something, but it's easier said than done. It's extremely hard to buy the right product without actually trying all of them out first. Doing research is not the easiest because like you guys pointed out, reviews can be biased. And in the past, I've bought some cheap products that work well and some expensive products that are junk. And there are some expensive products that works just as well as the cheaper product. So, more money does not always equal better quality. So, that is why I'm a "best bang for the buck" type of person.

We are on post 25 now and you have yet to state what your budget is. All that I see is that you don't want a "cheapo unit", which is completely subjective. No matter what you do, make sure that you order from somewhere with a good return policy. You can always return it if it doesn't do what you want.
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post #26 of 30
2/23/13 at 2:23pm
I bought a Micca Speck ($39) a few days ago, and for the most part it works good, except the videos look darker than when played on Blu-Ray/USB players or a WDTV, so I have to alter the settings on the TV. I get lip-sync problems (that worsen as the file is playing) with files that I record off-the-air with a HTPC and edit the commercials out, but not noticing the problem so far on the unedited source files. No sync problems noticed on other files. Also, the remote range is rather tight, you have to aim it straight-on directly into the receiver.

I don't see a forum on AVS for this product, so I'm assuming this is the place for it?
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post #27 of 30
2/24/13 at 9:43am
mkpl do a search for Micca this is not the thread you are looking for....
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post #28 of 30
2/25/13 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocks911 View Post

For what its worth this is a handy site that provides details for just about every player out there:
http://www.iboum.com/net-media-players.php

Great link.....and interesting that according to users, these devices are all middle of the road.
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post #29 of 30
3/17/13 at 7:38am
I read through everyone's posts here. My vote goes for the WDTV's i have six of them. I found it easy to use, and has played almost everything I have thrown at it. I would say stay away from the Neo Tv from netgear.
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post #30 of 30
3/18/13 at 8:47am
+1 for the WDTV as well.I ve got the Live hub w/buitl 1 tb hdd.Love it.Some minor workarounds but once you get familiar your good to go.I love that it has all the video playback connections ..Allows to use it in so many palces,Like up at our cabin,On the road camping in the RV..
One thing I did with mine 2 yrs ago was to shut off the automatic firmware updating.Ive been using it with what it came with 2+ yrs ago without a hiccup.I use the PS3 now for bluray,gaming and streaming netflix.Everything else gets thrown at the Hub.
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