[colin72]

Hi

I really don't know anything about TV/technology and what you can and can't do.

I want to buy a TV (probably 42") to watch .avi files (other formats would be great too). I thought I would have to connect my desktop or laptop to do this but then read about "Digital Media Players For USB Drives"... I didn't know there was such a thing.

Can anyone suggest a good media player for a TV's USB? I'm not looking to spend a lot. I just want something that gets the job done. I don't know if there are things I need to take into consideration when buying a media player or if there are other things I don't know.

Thanks!
Colin

 

[dragonbud0]

I had tried a few, Roku's, WD Media Live, Chromecast, Fire Stick, KDLinks, CinemaTube, etc.

For the money, Fire TV can be sideloaded with KODI/XMBC if you are adventurous, otherwise the WD Media Live or TV Live would work. I did not like Roku since some of my media files could not play, and it can not be hacked. The CinemaTube from Brite-view is discontinued, otherwise I like the time search feature that is not available in WD.

Apple TV just dropped the price to $69 but I did not care for their closed system. However, it is pretty much dummy proof.

Have fun shopping.

 

[LexInVA]

Many TVs have built-in media player hardware and software for use with their USB ports. A compact media PC is the best way to go though, as it gives you guaranteed playback compatibility because the decoder hardware built into TV's only supports a narrow range of A/V Codecs and cannot play all files you download.