[etrin]

These questions are about both wired and wireless for the most part.

Do any of the players support HD over wireless? I am talking about speed of the connection and the ability of the processors on board to do this.


When I first got my Dvix I was very disappointed in the network ability of the unit. The transfer rate of the wired connection was pathetic...

their answer was to use usb its faster. WHAT? well the processor in the unit can't handle that kind of work.


So here I was usbing the files since the network was all but useless.


So can these new units be used network or wireless to do anything ?

Can I play from my nas or computer to the unit SD or HD ?

Is it usable to transfer files to the unit?



thanks big time for any info from a very confused person on upgrading.

 

[etrin]

well 22 views and no replies. Maybe a lot of people are in the same spot i am in.


well I did find this in a mpc review of the xtreamer


HD and SD Video playback

I must start by saying, DVD, HD and Blu-Ray files failed playing miserably over Wireless. This was expected as neither player on the market today I've seen can present a working wireless solution for heavier files.


so by this I can only conclude that none of the present devices can do streaming on N networks.



I also looked at the youtube of the xtreamer and was quite impressed with its features and upnp. I still don't know the thruput of its network connection. I am hoping that newer models will allow you to move files my network and not resort to sneaker work with usb.

 

[candre23]

Have you seen the media player comparison chart ? It lists which devices are wireless-N capable and which aren't.


If the device can do N, then it should be able to stream HD. Whether or not it will do it for you depends on your other hardware and the physical layout of your network.

 

[etrin]

well this falls into what an player can actually do.


Take tvix (piece of junk) they state 10/100 ethernet but they can't do anything near usb speeds, stating that the speed is not needed, then stating that this bandwidth is more than sufficient for DVD playback over the network. What they don't state is that the processor is doing all the work and it can not do it. SO you can state N networking or gigabit lan BUT in the same since if you can not do the processing necessary to handle the thruput the whole thing is just a marketing statement that is nothing about what the units can really handle wired or wireless.

 

[ablevy]

Poke around on smallnetbuilders.com. What you will find is that it's not the server boxes, it's the wireless that limits your streaming. I run wireless N, and can stream DVD very nicely. I can also stream Windows WMV HD (720p). If you want to do better than that you are talking about 10/100 cat 5e or CAT 6, and/or gigabit networking.


The problem with streaming HD is that networks don't run at constant speed. If the wireless network speed drops due to interference, you end up with stuttering, etc. Another possibility is to use powerline connections. But read the reviews on the above link and you will see that that can be problematical also.


As far as the boxes go, most of the current boxes can stream HD on a good network. From the NAS side, the Netgear Pro boxes and other boxes are good candidates at a price. Pair that with one of the newer servers such as the Netgear eva9150 or the new popcorn hour and you should be good to go.


Alan