I've searched around, read about most of the newest Dune/PCH/Mede8er/Pivos/RaspberryPi stuff, and haven't found a solution that works for me.
I currently have a couple of WDTV Lives. One is a Plus, one is the regular Live. Both use WDLXTV firmware. I've been slightly displeased with both because 1) they don't do DTS-MA HD, and 2) the WDLXTV firmware is no longer really being actively developed. Plus, they tend to overheat and lock up when torrenting, lose USB-connected drives when the WDTV locks up , and NZB support has been terribly spotty, at best.
So, my question is, should I go with a HTPC or a different network media player? My considerations, in order of importance, are:
I'd be OK with a WDTV if it could do all of these things with WDLXTV, but there is no such option currently available.
Given these requirements, what are some good options? Is there something right around the corner that should address all of these needs and be relatively inexpensive?
I currently have a couple of WDTV Lives. One is a Plus, one is the regular Live. Both use WDLXTV firmware. I've been slightly displeased with both because 1) they don't do DTS-MA HD, and 2) the WDLXTV firmware is no longer really being actively developed. Plus, they tend to overheat and lock up when torrenting, lose USB-connected drives when the WDTV locks up , and NZB support has been terribly spotty, at best.
So, my question is, should I go with a HTPC or a different network media player? My considerations, in order of importance, are:
- Ability to pass all the HD codecs to my receiver via HDMI.
- Price. The lower the better. I spent $50 on each of these WDTVs, + $10 for USB wifi dongles.
- Power consumption. As an always-on device, I want low, Low, LOW power consumption.
- Must handle Blu-Ray & DVD menus from ISO files. This also implies the ability to do high bitrate, but primarily from USB-connected storage. MKV chapter support would also be in here, I think.
- Torrent & newsgroup apps support.
- Fanless. I don't want to hear it.
- Netflix HD + 5.1 surround. Amazon VOD streaming!
- Delicious Jukebox UI with movie sheets, and/or the ability to modify the UI to suit my tastes and display preferences.
- Built-in wifi and USB Hub support. Everything I have is either on an external drive or NAS.
- Ability to handle most lossless music codecs, setup playlists on the fly, etc.
I'd be OK with a WDTV if it could do all of these things with WDLXTV, but there is no such option currently available.
Given these requirements, what are some good options? Is there something right around the corner that should address all of these needs and be relatively inexpensive?