Networked Media Players - Play External HDD Content on TV

jassi · 18th June 2009, 16:44

I agree that wdtv or any other media players are worth it. I did use archos as a media player and dvr for quite a few years, before i jumped to PS3. However if cheaper options are available and gaming isn't your need i wouldn't recommend the PS3.
I game 10-20% of the time on my PS3 and most of the times use it as a media player. It plays a lot of file formats vob, avi, divx, mpg-ts.
What i mostly do with mkv is convert them to PS3 playable using mkv2vob utility.
Also if the file is less than 4gb, i just dump it on the PS3 using a usb hdd. However for larger files, I dump them on the PS3 over wireless using Tversity on my laptop. Overall if one already has the PS3, there is no need to get any other players to watch good hd video with dolby 5.1 sound

Edit - as far as universal remotes, I use the logitech harmony 1000 http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/re...s/373&cl=US,EN
and I think there is a better looking harmony 1100 also available http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/re.../4708&cl=us,en
The good thing about logitech is you don't need to program any keys, just mention your devices and activities and you are ready to go!

Rehaan · 18th June 2009, 16:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by SumitB

Samurai, why don't you just copy the whole dvd onto the hard drive and then try playing the same on the WDTV. You will have 2 folders, Audio_TS and Video_TS. The WDTV should be able to play it without issues. You then won't have to convert them to mkv!

Thats what i was wondering too. It would be easier and quicker since its a direct copy (if WDTV supports it).

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrishig

But then It will be 4+ GB or 8GB if dual layer. if we are ok with this space then better to convert DVD in single ISO file and use..

Samurai has mentioned earlier that WDTV is having issues playing ISOs.

-------------------------------

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It seems to be able to do EVERYTHING, its very affordable, and seems to have a good enthusiastic bunch of developers working on it, as well as future updates.

No official reviews are out as yet....

cya
R

PS - and to answer my earlier question, yes it can also function as a NAS device.

nishantgandhi · 18th June 2009, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrishig

But then It will be 4+ GB or 8GB if dual layer. if we are ok with this space then better to convert DVD in single ISO file and use.

nishantgandhi->
WDHDTV for 7k+Logitech z5500 for 17k = Rs ~25k

for PS3 it will be
PS3+ Logitech z5500 + remotes + games = Rs40k Min.

Comparison is WDHDTV vs PS3 do not bring speakers here.

Earlier Ps3 was the cheapest blurray option but now it is no more.

For gaming PS3 ( 20 k)

For A/V WDTV ( 6+k)

It is as simple as that.

Sorry to say, but you didnt get my point.

I never intended to bring speakers. You brought in the topic of z5500 in a thread which is intended to discuss "How to play External HDD content on TV"

My plain simple question was - how is the avi/mpeg playback from a PS3? And does it accept an external HDD of 320 gb or more?

If answers to the above are positive, I will buy PS3, since by putting ~10-11k, I am getting gaming capability also. I am a newbie to gaming world and have been pushing my PS3 purchase only because I am still unclear on the above two aspects.

If the answers to the above are in negative, I will buy WDHDTV.

Thats why I said I am ok with using my LCD TV speakers for the time being. Its about video here boss, not audio!

Simple question. Simple answer.

jassi · 18th June 2009, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

My plain simple question was - how is the avi/mpeg playback from a PS3? And does it accept an external HDD of 320 gb or more?

PS3 does a very good job for most avi files i throw at it including divx formats. However 1 in 10 times it may not play a file, in which case I just convert the file to divx using dr.divx and it plays on PS3 then. The PS3 also plays most other formats like vob,mpeg.mpg-ts, mp4 containers, etc. The video in these containers can be h.264, avi or mpg1/2/4 or any of the other supported formats.Overall pretty good. Only lacking support is mkv, but that is well handled with mkv2vob converter Download mkv2vob Here
As far as connecting hdd goes, it only connects to fat 32 hdd (32gb max and max file size of 4gb). For anything larger, dump the file onto PS3 using tversity TVersity - Download
tversity can also be used to stream/dump unsupported formats by converting them for PS3- so there is a very low possibility of something not working on the PS3.
Plus you get a bluray/dvd player as well as a really good gaming console

drvhplyevraftr · 18th June 2009, 17:34

Guys,

Sorry might be little bit off topic. I think quite a few on this forum own a WD HDTV player.
I own a 3 years old Sony HD projection TV which does not have HDMI inputs. The newer
DVD players do upscaling only when HDMI inputs are used, hence regular DVD players
are of not much use. Does any one here who own a WD HDTV can confirm if it can send
1080p signals via component or HDMI to component cable to the TV?.
Has anyone tried it here?.

Thank you for your reply.

Samurai · 18th June 2009, 17:46

WDTV only has HDMI & Composite video output. On the audio front, it has toslink and stereo output.

nishantgandhi · 18th June 2009, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by jassi

PS3 does a very good job for most avi files i throw at it including divx formats. However 1 in 10 times it may not play a file, in which case I just convert the file to divx using dr.divx and it plays on PS3 then. The PS3 also plays most other formats like vob,mpeg.mpg-ts, mp4 containers, etc. The video in these containers can be h.264, avi or mpg1/2/4 or any of the other supported formats.Overall pretty good. Only lacking support is mkv, but that is well handled with mkv2vob converter Download mkv2vob Here
As far as connecting hdd goes, it only connects to fat 32 hdd (32gb max and max file size of 4gb). For anything larger, dump the file onto PS3 using tversity TVersity - Download
tversity can also be used to stream/dump unsupported formats by converting them for PS3- so there is a very low possibility of something not working on the PS3.
Plus you get a bluray/dvd player as well as a really good gaming console

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for!

However, why is the size of an external HDD limited to 32 gb? I know that you can format HDDs of upto 32 gb into FAT32 using WinXP, so were you referring to that size restriction?

Anyways, I have already formatted by 40 and 160 GB hard disks into FAT32, so just wanted to know if it can be a direct plug-and-play in a PS3.

drvhplyevraftr · 18th June 2009, 18:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

WDTV only has HDMI & Composite video output. On the audio front, it has toslink and stereo output.

OK. Can it then send 1080p signals via HDMI to component cable (instead of the HDMI to HDMI cable?.). If someone can confirm this, it would be great. Thank you.

SumitB · 18th June 2009, 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by drvhplyevraftr

OK. Can it then send 1080p signals via HDMI to component cable (instead of the HDMI to HDMI cable?.). If someone can confirm this, it would be great. Thank you.

There should not be any issues with that. You should have the video using a HDMI to Component cable.

vivekiny2k · 18th June 2009, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by drvhplyevraftr

OK. Can it then send 1080p signals via HDMI to component cable (instead of the HDMI to HDMI cable?.). If someone can confirm this, it would be great. Thank you.

it has component O/P (three for video, two for audio). you can just use a composite cable. why are you looking for HDMI-component?

Samurai · 18th June 2009, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

it has component O/P (three for video, two for audio).

It doesn't, has only composite video.

Networked Media Players - Play External HDD Content on TV-wdfwdtv.jpg

vivekiny2k · 18th June 2009, 18:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

It doesn't, has only composite video.
Attachment 149388

my bad, I thought you said component.

jassi · 18th June 2009, 20:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for!

However, why is the size of an external HDD limited to 32 gb? I know that you can format HDDs of upto 32 gb into FAT32 using WinXP, so were you referring to that size restriction?

Anyways, I have already formatted by 40 and 160 GB hard disks into FAT32, so just wanted to know if it can be a direct plug-and-play in a PS3.

well i guess my 32gb limitation claim was related to fat32 formatting in windows - i haven't tried bigger sized hdds with my PS3, as all my 3TB of hdds are ntfs- I have a usb powered 500gb hdd with a 32gb fat32 partition - i just dump the files on that and put it on PS3. my 3tb stack lies next to my laptop and i connect and dump/stream larger files (4gb+) to PS3 from my laptop - so never needed to connect anything more than 32gb to my ps3.
The PS3 site does not mention any limits on external HDDs and from googling around I figured lots of people format larger than 32gb hdds with fat32 and connect em to PS3 successfully

whatcanthisbe · 18th June 2009, 21:32

popcorn hour or WD form Singapore ? I will be off to singapore in a few days, any one know where I can pickup the popcorn hour or WDTV (other than Mustafa) and what it will cost

Looks like you cant network the WD .... so only popcorn hour for me .. any place where I can pick it up in Sing and what would be cost?

kalpeshc · 19th June 2009, 09:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

In the near future, Blu-Ray player and Blu-ray discs can't be mentioned along with the word economy. You can get WDTV for the price of 3-4 Blu-ray discs in India. Also, there is the question of convenience, I can probably store all my DVD collection into couple of 2TB USB drives. That is my current plan.

Currently the price difference between DVDs and Blu-rays on amazon is not much. I am a big fan of convenience more than anything else.

Now that I think about it, as you had said earlier, an A/V receiver + WDTV + Blu-ray player set can pretty much take care of everything isn't it? The only sad part is, it can only be a phase wise upgrade for me instead of a one time investment.

:( It'd be a really long time before I enjoy FullHD with lossless audio on a to-be-bought LCD.

18th June 2009, 16:44	#106
jassi BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Melbourne Posts: 980 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	I agree that wdtv or any other media players are worth it. I did use archos as a media player and dvr for quite a few years, before i jumped to PS3. However if cheaper options are available and gaming isn't your need i wouldn't recommend the PS3. I game 10-20% of the time on my PS3 and most of the times use it as a media player. It plays a lot of file formats vob, avi, divx, mpg-ts. What i mostly do with mkv is convert them to PS3 playable using mkv2vob utility. Also if the file is less than 4gb, i just dump it on the PS3 using a usb hdd. However for larger files, I dump them on the PS3 over wireless using Tversity on my laptop. Overall if one already has the PS3, there is no need to get any other players to watch good hd video with dolby 5.1 sound Edit - as far as universal remotes, I use the logitech harmony 1000 http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/re...s/373&cl=US,EN and I think there is a better looking harmony 1100 also available http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/re.../4708&cl=us,en The good thing about logitech is you don't need to program any keys, just mention your devices and activities and you are ready to go! Last edited by jassi : 18th June 2009 at 16:57.
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 17:34	#110
drvhplyevraftr BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 331 Thanked: 57 Times	Guys, Sorry might be little bit off topic. I think quite a few on this forum own a WD HDTV player. I own a 3 years old Sony HD projection TV which does not have HDMI inputs. The newer DVD players do upscaling only when HDMI inputs are used, hence regular DVD players are of not much use. Does any one here who own a WD HDTV can confirm if it can send 1080p signals via component or HDMI to component cable to the TV?. Has anyone tried it here?. Thank you for your reply.
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 17:46	#111
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,832 Thanked: 45,638 Times View My Garage	WDTV only has HDMI & Composite video output. On the audio front, it has toslink and stereo output.
	() Thanks

18th June 2009, 21:32	#119
whatcanthisbe BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: http://www.wandering-online.com Posts: 499 Thanked: 6 Times	popcorn hour or WD form Singapore ? I will be off to singapore in a few days, any one know where I can pickup the popcorn hour or WDTV (other than Mustafa) and what it will cost Looks like you cant network the WD .... so only popcorn hour for me .. any place where I can pick it up in Sing and what would be cost? Last edited by Rehaan : 19th June 2009 at 19:07. Reason: Posts merged. Please use the EDIT button.
	() Thanks