Networked Media Players - Play External HDD Content on TV

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Handbrake does one file at a time. That is a real pain when I have 500+ titles to convert.

You can select all files to be converted at once.

Go to Source->Folder, select folder that has mkv files and then

Add to Queue -> Add All

That would convert all files at once.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

That would convert all files at once.

Thanks, that is working. Now I need to see whether subtitles get transferred properly.

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

I am in the process of buying a decent amp in the next month or so, hopefully it will have HDMI as standard....

One minor point to be kept in mind here.
When picking up your HDMI cable be aware of the different releases, do not pick up a HDMI 1.1 cable, which might be put on clearance sale.

HDMI 1.1 does not support 7.1 HD audio , only 1.3 does.

For accurate information you can ref : HDMI :: Resources :: FAQ

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

One minor point to be kept in mind here.
When picking up your HDMI cable be aware of the different releases, do not pick up a HDMI 1.1 cable, which might be put on clearance sale.

Or you can buy no-name cables from any electronics parts store. That would cost just 500 Rs for a 5 meter cable or 200 for 5 feet.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

You can select all files to be converted at once.

There is one trouble with select all. The default audio is always set to AAC (faac) Dolby Prologic II, that is 2 channel stereo. How can I set AC3 passthru as the default? I don't want to lose 5.1 audio from the MKV. Right now I have to change this in each file before adding to the queue.

I tried saving AC3 passthru in the preset, it didn't work. Looks like I have to use High profile setting, which means bigger file size. I am still fiddling with it.

[AvinashV]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

You can select all files to be converted at once.

Go to Source->Folder, select folder that has mkv files and then

Add to Queue -> Add All

That would convert all files at once.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Thanks, that is working. Now I need to see whether subtitles get transferred properly.

Is there a major drop in quality when converting the large 720p, around 4~5 Gb files to h.264(smaller files)? Can one make out the difference on a 40 inch? Cause my hard drive is fast filling up

[Samurai]

Ok, the high profile retains 5.1 audio tracks with only 10% increase in size. I guess I will go with that.

Originally Posted by AvinashV

Is there a major drop in quality when converting the large 720p, around 4~5 Gb files to h.264(smaller files)? Can one make out the difference on a 40 inch? Cause my hard drive is fast filling up

That's not true. H.264 is a very superior encoding technique. Even Blu-ray uses H.264 format.

The subtitle is getting transferred. But Media Player Classic is unable to display it, while VLC can. I just hope WDTV can show it.

[AvinashV]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Ok, the high profile retains 5.1 audio tracks with only 10% increase in size. I guess I will go with that.

That's not true. H.264 is a very superior encoding technique. Even Blu-ray uses H.264 format.

Ok i guess noob question time then - is there a reduction in file size when converting? As in huge difference? & coz of the superior encoding technique that you mentioned is the quality just as good?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Ok, the high profile retains 5.1 audio tracks with only 10% increase in size. I guess I will go with that.

Naaah, it is ridiculously slow to convert.

Anyway, I was able to take the normal profile, change the audio setting to AC3 passthru and then save it as a new profile. Now I am able to load the entire directory with the right audio track.

Originally Posted by AvinashV

Ok i guess noob question time then - is there a reduction in file size when converting? As in huge difference? & coz of the superior encoding technique that you mentioned is the quality just as good?

H.264 format has lots of parameters to fine tune the quality. If you pick low quality, file will be very small. If you choose high quality, the file will be big. But normal profile is good enough for most of our viewing requirement. After all, I am dealing with DVD files, that is 480p or less.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Samurai

That's not true. H.264 is a very superior encoding technique. Even Blu-ray uses H.264 format.

H.264 is pretty good, but that is not the only variable affecting "Quality". Major factor that affects quality (with same codec) is bit-rate.

There are recent articles in that compares recent movies like Harry Potter from Blu Ray and from Online videos like iTunes.

Both used same codec and same resolution (1080p) but resulting picture was different due to bitrate differences.

[mayankjha1806]

I have a question, not sure if someone has solved this mystery

Here is the setup

• Plasma TV
• WD Live Media Player connected to TV with HDMI
• 6TB Hard Drive Connected to WD Media Player through Ehternet Wifi Router
• Onkyo Home Theater connected to WD Live Media player through Optical Audio Out.

Now when i want to play Movies/Video i switch on the TV and WD Media Player and select the movie to play and it plays on TV with Audio on Home Theater. No problem here

When i want to play Music, i have to UN-necessarily switch the TV on to select songs that i intend to play. How can i avoid doing this.

I have tried using some WD iPad apps that let me control the WD Media player connected to it through Wifi but they do not work.

Is there a solution that shows me audio on my 6tb HDD through WD media player on my android phone (or iPad) and when i select the song it plays on the Onkyo Home theater.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

When i want to play Music, i have to UN-necessarily switch the TV on to select songs that i intend to play. How can i avoid doing this.

Search for WD TV live on Play store. There are "remote" apps through which you can browse / select music to be played.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by vcash

Hi Folks,
In the coming few months, I will be seeking advice on two AV setups. I currently have a pair of standalone 32” and 40” 720p LCDs in two rooms that I plan to upgrade to a 1080p 46” LED and 1080p 50” Plasma along with a 2.1 & 5.1 HTIB setup. In the meantime, I have the opportunity in the next few days to get atleast one if not two media players from the US. I would want to pick up both the players right now from there as the cost savings are considerable and it is easy to carry these devices as they have a small footprint.

These are my requirements for the players:


Thanks!
V

P.S. When I do buy a media player from the US, do I need to be mindful of NTSC VS. PAL support for my future TVs (Probably a Panasonic Plasma and a Samsung LED) or are these redundant when it comes to HDMI inputs, etc. (Sorry if this is a dumb question, *but I am a complete rookie when it comes to AV!)

VC, what was your final choice and any feedback on it, I am considering buying one but too many options are available.

Anyone any recommendations for a streaming smart TV media box with content for India.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by dadu

treaming smart TV media box with content for India.

At the moment only device that can do it is Apple TV. iTunes now supplies content in India.

Otherwise, you need to get a US centric device and use a US IP adress with VPN. THat opens up lots of content sources like Amazon prime/Netflix/Roku et.el.

[acurafan]

Originally Posted by vcash

These are my requirements for the players:

1. Ability to stream a wide variety of video files either on a network or locally from an inbuilt hard drive.

2. Decent codec support (Regular firmware updates will be much appreciated) - xvid, divx, mov, avi, mkv, H.264, etc.

3. User Interface – This is my most important criteria – Must be simple, lag-free and fast to use especially while browsing between files.

4. Ease of setup – I do not want anything very complicated so HTPC’s and the like are out – Plug & Play functionality is what I am looking at.

5. Metadata and Subtitle support – Extremely important that the player can connect to IMDB and extract metadata (Is this what is meant by Scraping?) as well ability to read attached sub files.

6. Price: Willing to spend up to $200 on a HDD based model and $100 on a non HDD model.

7. What I don’t particularly care for – 3D \ Blu-Ray ISO \ 7.1 – I will not need support for any of these (Maybe 3D, but once in a blue moon and that too if I buy a 3D TV when upgrading the TV’s)

I have read about a myriad of options but remain confused as ever. My consideration set started out with a pair of Roku 2 XD’s but I believe that these are only good for Internet streaming and not very good for local content.

I then read about Boxee’s fantastic codec support but was a little disappointed with the negative reviews on the user interface and the fact that it’s pretty expensive for a non HDD player.

Also from what I have read, video’s don’t stutter as much if stored on a local HD in the player (Though I may be wrong) – This lead me to the WD TV Live hub 1TB* and the WD TV Live combination – everything seemed great and marked a lot of the tick marks for me but then I began to read several negative reviews including very slow UI and skipping and stuttering in files.

I know that Popcorn Hour, Lacie LaCinema, AC Ryan, Hi Media 600 & 900, Asus O! play are all available, but frankly I can’t seem to decide on the one that is most suitable for my needs?

As of now I am leaning towards the WDTV Live Hub and WDTV Live combination but that is probably because I am overwhelmed with the options out there and these seem the simplest of the bunch. Should I pull the trigger on these or are there better options available?

Thanks!
V

I guess you don't need the answer but for others who may want some information.
Well I was in a similar situation. I have a 47" 1080p in Living room and a 37" 720p in bedroom. I had decided for a Smart TV for the living room. I bought LG 47LW5600 which has a Plex client and for the 37" which is 7 years old I use a Roku box that has a Plex app.
So my Macbook pro runs the Plex Server, the data base sits in a NAS. Whenever a new file is added the Plex server searches for the Meta data and creates a very elegant interface with Film Information, Poster etc. I can then play the content directly using the Plex client or the Roku app. Roku is a 4 year old box that supports only 720p but the newer Roku supports 1080p playback. Plex also supports 5.1 Dolby/DTS audio, which I bring it back to the AV receiver using HDMI Audio Return Channel.

So if we draw a diagram then it will be some thing like this

NAS (Content) ---> Macbook/PC (Plex Server) --> Wifi ---> LGTV --> AVR
|-------> Wifi ---> Roku --> Sharp

This is something I found to be decently optimal solution with least cost. Let me know if you have any questions as I have tried lot of other options which have their own pros/cons