Quote:
Originally Posted by
dan24678 
Hello,
I am finally upgrading my home theater setup to HD and wanted to get some opinions on whether I should purchase a PS3 or a Samsung BD-P3600 to play Blu-Ray DVDs and HD-encoded Divx. First, some background on what I'm looking for.
I currently watch A LOT of divx and xvid avi's and mkv files. I have a network-attached hard-drive and a first-gen Xbox running XBMC. If anyone has ever used XBMC, then you know how amazing it is and how it has set the bar extremely high for all other media players. I will be retaining my first-gen Xbox to watch standard-def video files and have an Xbox 360 for gaming. Where XBMC on the first-gen Xbox falls short is that it cannot play 720p divx files. So I am looking at either the PS3 or the Samsung BD-P3600 for this purpose, as well as to play Blu-Ray DVDs themselves.
I already have a BD-P3600 in my bedroom and know that its media player is pretty flawed. It does not have a resume function (nor does it seem to have a resume for playing DVDs). Even worse, although it can stream standard def Divx files over my network, it chokes when you try to play a 720p file over the network if the file size exceeds 1 gig. So basically, if I have a 1.2 gig hi-def Divx file I want to watch on the BD-P3600, I need to put it on a DVD-R or thumb drive first.
Which brings us to the PS3. I have read that its support for mkv files is limited, but I'm not sure how well or how poorly it plays them over a network. It would be cool to have a PS3 for gaming, but my main reason for getting one, if I do choose a PS3, would be because it is a viable replacement for XBMC on the first-gen Xbox that can handle streaming 720p Divx/Xvid files (although this may not currently be the case).
Does anyone have firsthand experience with both of these units and can give me some advice? Again, my main considerations are Blu-Ray player quality and ability to stream multiple formats of Hi-Def video files seamlessly over my wireless (or wired) network. Price and the PS3's gaming functions don't really factor in that much.
Thanks,
Dan
I would like to "second" Dan's request for info and recommendations for a newer-model BD player that will stream multiple PC formats such as AVI and MKV (4-8gb in size) and that might have reliable uPNP support. Given the location, I am stuck w/ a wireless N connection - wired is not an option. And for me, BD playback is actually secondary to the streaming.
Okay, worst case, I
am willing to load a 250Gb external USB drive with all my media and plug it into the back of the box, if that's the only reliable way to get it to the BD player, but I at least want native MKV, DIVX, etc. support so I don't have to reencode, remux, etc.
Thanks much!
