[BlueDevil]

I've been running Plex on a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV as an HTPC, but moving into a new house I'm thinking about buying 1 or 2 of these devices to access my growing library of movies (some HD).



I can't decide if I want to keep my video/audio files on the Mac Mini and stream from there or if I want to get a new HDD and attach it to a Dune/PCH or something like that. I'm running cat5e in the walls and have a gigabit switch so bandwith in the house shouldn't be an issue, but I've never used a network like this and it seems like many of you have had good results.


On the HT TV, I will definitely want a STB that can play 1080p, and while I would like the same ability in a bedroom TV, price is a consideration.


Any suggestions or thoughts?


EDIT: I do have a 360 on the HT TV as well.

 

[sean_w_smith]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueDevil /forum/post/20791301


I've been running Plex on a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV as an HTPC, but moving into a new house I'm thinking about buying 1 or 2 of these devices to access my growing library of movies (some HD).



I can't decide if I want to keep my video/audio files on the Mac Mini and stream from there or if I want to get a new HDD and attach it to a Dune/PCH or something like that. I'm running cat5e in the walls and have a gigabit switch so bandwith in the house shouldn't be an issue, but I've never used a network like this and it seems like many of you have had good results.


On the HT TV, I will definitely want a STB that can play 1080p, and while I would like the same ability in a bedroom TV, price is a consideration.


Any suggestions or thoughts?


EDIT: I do have a 360 on the HT TV as well.

Well it depends as always...


do you want HD support for DTS-MA and TrueHD which you can't get on a plex?


do want an more inexpensive solution?


are you willing to live with a much simpler but still functional GUI for movies?


Are you willing to live without all the other features of plex. PCH and Dune are not notoriously great at music or pictures or as general media players. What they do is play videos very very well.


How important seamless audio support is makes a difference?


Whats the goal of a solution other than the plex solution you already have other than cost which I'm sure is a consideration.


Those are questions that you should answer in your quest.

 

[BlueDevil]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sean_w_smith /forum/post/20791475


Well it depends as always...


do you want HD support for DTS-MA and TrueHD which you can't get on a plex?


do want an more inexpensive solution?


are you willing to live with a much simpler but still functional GUI for movies?


Are you willing to live without all the other features of plex. PCH and Dune are not notoriously great at music or pictures or as general media players. What they do is play videos very very well.


How important seamless audio support is makes a difference?


Whats the goal of a solution other than the plex solution you already have other than cost which I'm sure is a consideration.


Those are questions that you should answer in your quest.

My best shot at these answers...


I don't know if I need True HD or DTS_MA support. I have a BD player, but since I've been running Plex I haven't explored other options or formats. My hope would be that I can download or back up movies from HD sources and replay them so that I can see them in as high a res as is reasonable given a paltry budget.


The GUI doesn't need to be outstanding, but easy enough that my non-technologically inclined wife could pick up and start a movie for one of the kids.


Pictures aren't a big deal to me at all. Music is very important, but I'm not sure the easiest way to access these files. It may be that my new receiver (PIO 1021, Onkyo 609, or Denon 1912) can play these files over the network, but I'm not sure and my sense is that these players are better set up to handle that sort of use.


I suppose the goal of moving away from Plex is to get the Mac Mini out of the HT directly, and use a box in the HT that is better set up for a consumer use as opposed to some of the hitches that occur from time to time using an HTPC.


I suppose reliability is as important as any other feature.

 

[sean_w_smith]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueDevil /forum/post/20793527


My best shot at these answers...


I don't know if I need True HD or DTS_MA support. I have a BD player, but since I've been running Plex I haven't explored other options or formats. My hope would be that I can download or back up movies from HD sources and replay them so that I can see them in as high a res as is reasonable given a paltry budget.


The GUI doesn't need to be outstanding, but easy enough that my non-technologically inclined wife could pick up and start a movie for one of the kids.


Pictures aren't a big deal to me at all. Music is very important, but I'm not sure the easiest way to access these files. It may be that my new receiver (PIO 1021, Onkyo 609, or Denon 1912) can play these files over the network, but I'm not sure and my sense is that these players are better set up to handle that sort of use.


I suppose the goal of moving away from Plex is to get the Mac Mini out of the HT directly, and use a box in the HT that is better set up for a consumer use as opposed to some of the hitches that occur from time to time using an HTPC.


I suppose reliability is as important as any other feature.

short and sweet because I have to get going this morning is two box solution:


1. $99 ATV2 for the living room. Move you mac mini somehwere else in the house and use it as your itunes and/or plex server. My mini currently is our main family and guest home computer that sits in our family room at its own desk with its own 28" LCD. It also serves as my plex server, iTunes server and SubSonic server. Then your $99 ATV2 is your music endpoint + netflix + apple VOD + hacking can enable Plex Client + XBMC and tons of tinkering. Alternatives here are Logitech and Sonos but the primary focus of the ATV2 is as a music source. you can easily add more ATV's or airport expresses to create more zones. you can select content and adjust the volume in each zone from an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch,using iTunes on the mac mini itself, or from the ATV2 GUI. WAF on the ATV2 is very very high in my house.



2. get a Dune or PCH for HD video and BD ISO playback. Its what they do best. Music is just not a priority on these boxes and they do play more HD audio sources than the appe setup will but there is no GUI per se without UPNP or the jukeboxes. The video jukeboxes they have are functional and exceptional stable. you used to have to buy the C-200 on the PCH family to get full BD ISO but now you get it on the A-210 and A-200 as well. All the dune smarts are pretty similar in the features and reputation for playing content very very well. These boxes are $200-$300, they boot fast and are easier to setup and maintain IMO than HTPC (which I own a few of too)


SEan

 

[BlueDevil]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sean_w_smith /forum/post/20794271


short and sweet because I have to get going this morning is two box solution:


1. $99 ATV2 for the living room. Move you mac mini somehwere else in the house and use it as your itunes and/or plex server. My mini currently is our main family and guest home computer that sits in our family room at its own desk with its own 28" LCD. It also serves as my plex server, iTunes server and SubSonic server. Then your $99 ATV2 is your music endpoint + netflix + apple VOD + hacking can enable Plex Client + XBMC and tons of tinkering. Alternatives here are Logitech and Sonos but the primary focus of the ATV2 is as a music source. you can easily add more ATV's or airport expresses to create more zones. you can select content and adjust the volume in each zone from an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch,using iTunes on the mac mini itself, or from the ATV2 GUI. WAF on the ATV2 is very very high in my house.



2. get a Dune or PCH for HD video and BD ISO playback. Its what they do best. Music is just not a priority on these boxes and they do play more HD audio sources than the appe setup will but there is no GUI per se without UPNP or the jukeboxes. The video jukeboxes they have are functional and exceptional stable. you used to have to buy the C-200 on the PCH family to get full BD ISO but now you get it on the A-210 and A-200 as well. All the dune smarts are pretty similar in the features and reputation for playing content very very well. These boxes are $200-$300, they boot fast and are easier to setup and maintain IMO than HTPC (which I own a few of too)


SEan

Thanks Sean. If I had more confidence in my future receiver's ability to access these audio files, I wouldn't put so much emphasis on that end of things but I'm not excited with what I've read thus far.


If an ATV2 could be hacked to serve as a Plex client, that would likely be the best of all worlds in the short term as I have little to no BD ISO content though that is a direction I'd like to move in.

 

[sean_w_smith]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueDevil /forum/post/20796540


Thanks Sean. If I had more confidence in my future receiver's ability to access these audio files, I wouldn't put so much emphasis on that end of things but I'm not excited with what I've read thus far.


If an ATV2 could be hacked to serve as a Plex client, that would likely be the best of all worlds in the short term as I have little to no BD ISO content though that is a direction I'd like to move in.

key words are hack and beta. dont get too excited yet. other devices like the roku seem to have plex client too and LG tv's.


you said reliability is important. hack and beta dont equal reliable. the solution I recommend is reliable but gives you some option to tweak. The ATV2 is no replacement for a PCH or Dune as a movie player.


I have yet to see a receiver network audio player I would use. I understand.


Sean