Best Media Player under 10k

j147

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Friends.....I need help and xpert advice in zeroing down a good HD media player (budget is around 10k but can stretch based on VFM).

Folks here hv been quite helpful with prompt responses and I hope all the geeks and think tanks will pitch in this time around as well and help me close this.

Some of the features that I am looking at:

1.The player should be able to play/upscale multiple audio/video/HD formats.
2.Read external HDD (fat/ntfs/multiple partitions if possible) quickly.
3.Support/FW updates availability in India
4. I am ready to forego streaming features like Netflix, Hulu, etc....as I am not sure whether I should be paying for services that are yet not available. Basically my focus is more on offline capabilities of the player and converting my lcd to smart tv.

Hv short-listed few while going through the reviews from owners......

AC Ryan POHD1 (Rs.7800/-)
AC Ryan POHD2 (Rs.9500/-)
WD TV live (Rs.7900/-)
Iomega ScreenPlay - Rs.8000/-
Asus O!Play Mini - 3500/-
Amkette Flash TV HD - 3900/-
Roku2 XS - $99
Apple TV 3rd gen - $99
Popcorn A-200 - $150
Dune HD TV 301 - $180
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Plz suggest!!
 
I'm using WDTV and I'm pretty happy with it. Though in the upscaling department it is not an exceptional performer like Oppo.
 
my vote goes for wd........

but one point also...if you want to increase budget little more...can go for a blu ray player.as it will be future ready if anyday you plan to own or rent a blu ray disk.

and as of now for your usb use modern blu ray players can read files from a 1 tb hard disk very smoothly .best is if you can demo the them for upscaling capabilities.
 
but one point also...if you want to increase budget little more...can go for a blu ray player.as it will be future ready if anyday you plan to own or rent a blu ray disk.

and as of now for your usb use modern blu ray players can read files from a 1 tb hard disk very smoothly .best is if you can demo the them for upscaling capabilities.

Actually, many budget Blu-ray players that play multiple formats cost less than WDTV and others. Flipkart has a few from Philips, LG, Sony, & Samsung etc. @ Video Players - Buy TVs & Video Players Online at Best Prices in India Only at Flipkart.com
 
Media players are good. But I think , humbly enough - that the product is now outdated and End of life is near.
Raspberry PI and MK508, which are small android computers and hackable to install Ubuntu will now take over. For 6-7 k these products offer better value.
 
Blu Ray like sony will not play all the formats, so better to go for media player. Where it can play any type of files. I am using WD TV, If you are planning to buy in india WD provides replacement warranty. It costs around 6500/- in ebay.
 
HiMedia 910A, when imported :5.6k
3d,2d all there

if you need pclike convenience and dont want to waste 5k extra
Android TV interface with good media playback.

musicbee,
BDPs are worst candidates ,to waste money, as BDP most are region limited,

HDD playback is format limited to very few formats,and dont support many filesystems

No loading of apps and easy UI for movie playbacks.

Avoid at all cost.
 
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musicbee,
BDPs are worst candidates ,to waste money, as BDP most are region limited,

HDD playback is format limited to very few formats,and dont support many filesystems

No loading of apps and easy UI for movie playbacks.

Avoid at all cost.

Actually my recommendation for OP was for WDTV.

Coming to region limitations I don't see the OP playing any Blu-ray discs... only rips with media players and those will play just as fine with any Blu-ray player provided the format (like MKV) is supported which most players do today.

PS - I've been moving to DVD rips and a Blu-ray player after using PS3 and WDTV for a couple of years now... because its getting harder to buy and maintain external HDDs. I have more than 10 external HDDs and its a task finding a movie on them. I am finding it easier to go with Blu-ray rips around 1 DVD 4.37 GB or 8 GB dual layer... they are easier to catalog, easier to store and easier to backup too. Try collecting a few serials and you'll agree with me.
 
In 10K one can assemble an HTPC and nothing can beat the XBMC interface in terms of usability and features.
 
Yes ofcourse assuming you already have an hdd for Windows 7 installation. Even a pendrive is enough if you are using openelec which is based on xbmc. I assembled my first htpc for just around 11.5K only. You can get AMD E350 fusion mobo+cpu combo for around 4K. 1.2K for a 4GB DDR3 RAM, 1K for a remote control. Rest for a cabinet.
 
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In 10K one can assemble an HTPC and nothing can beat the XBMC interface in terms of usability and features.

+1. My HTPC outperforms pretty much every player other than the Oppo which is still the gold standard for a universal player that plays every format with excellent quality.

My problem though is with storage and backup. I've crossed 8TB and don't want to buy anymore external HDDs. Don't want to get into NAS for the same reasons as I'm sure I will run out of storage space quickly there too. I am finding it easier to backup and store on DVDs and Blu-ray media and for watching too the PQ is the best with the Oppo.

Of course most people will not have so much data that needs to be stored and backed up and for them a HTPC or a media player will serve the purpose.
 
Friends......thnx a ton for providing valuable inputs, however some of the conflicting views have left me confused. Basically there are 3 schools of thoughts floating around i.e. BDP / Media player / HTPC.

As a next step, I have short listed the following options per availability in Delhi -

1. BDP - Panasonic BDT220 (11k) / Sony BDP S-490 (10k)
2. Media Player - WD TV live (7.5k @ Croma)
3. HTPC - Hvnt built a PC for quite a while...little out of touch hence ruling out this option

Now, which one to go for....is the big confusion. Please suggest??
 
pana 220 is my choice as it can be made region free by another 2.5k extra.....making sony region free is vebry diffficult.
and it can smoothly read from a hdd
 
if you guys still scared to try himedia importa "WD TV LIVE HUB 1TB"
is one good item this goes in 9.5k-10k in side 1tb HDD takes care of basic storage.


musicbee ,i also have discs but till 1Tb my most fav media can be managed,remaining DVD .

as i go little more optimized ,the well made 1.5gb rips even go well in 100inch projector

will vary person to person
---------bdp as media player is useless ,well in most cases----

Bdp is fancy but BD discs are impractical as a device ,

One Bluray->at700Rs(provided the viewer dont like to do the monkey work for cheap BDR like import, roaming in gray market always)

It dont play all regions even in Bluray.(Old mode+ cracking is another pain)
As media player via USB HDD it is useless:it is will play few format,how long will you spend converting all media for the bdp,not at all feasible(4gb movie will take full night or more)
 
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AC Ryan POHD1 (Rs.7800/-)
AC Ryan POHD2 (Rs.9500/-)
WD TV live (Rs.7900/-)
Iomega ScreenPlay - Rs.8000/-
Asus O!Play Mini - 3500/-
Amkette Flash TV HD - 3900/-
Roku2 XS - $99
Apple TV 3rd gen - $99
Popcorn A-200 - $150
Dune HD TV 301 - $180
-----------------------

Can you inform, where did you get the quote for those AC Ryan Players?
 
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