Help needed for a new Media Player

[shobhitk]

Hi everyone,
1stly this forum rocks! last time a visited this forum, people gave me very useful suggestions and i finally bought an onkyo s3400.
this time also i look forward to ppl's guidance regarding a good media player. here are my 'must haves' for a media player:

1) should be able to bitstream/passthrough BOTH DolbyTrueHD and DTS-HD MA.
2) should be able to read Blu-Ray files in every format like ISO,BD folders etc.
3) should NOT have any stutter and jagged frames.

i have narrowed down my choice to xstreamer sidewinder 2. is 256 MB ram on this player enough for smooth play of 1080p files?.
guys please tell me whether it meets the above imp. criteria. is it safe and future proof or should i go for some other player?

Thanks

 

[Kittu]

Media players are not future proof. Only HTPC with few add-ons and upgrades.

But for your requirements you can try Himedia 900B or Popcornhour A210/300.


HIMEDIA HD900B 3D Full HD Media Player

 

[saj2001ind]

From where will u buy xstreamer sidewinder 2 in india ?

Its looks good if you main req is not 3d

 

[shobhitk]

900B looks good...has a built in wifi and comes with latest 1186 chipset. but then how does it compare to the latest xtreamer prodigy?

@saj maybe from their official site...they ship it worldwide.

 

[shobhitk]

guys please let me know whether xtreamer sidewinder2 and prodigy are able to bitstream/passthrough dolbytruehd AND dtshd-ma flawlessly?

 

[gurucahaithanya]

From where will u buy xstreamer sidewinder 2 in india ?

Its looks good if you main req is not 3d

You can buy Sidewinder 2 from htstore.in, the MRP is 9999Rs.

 

[Kittu]

You can buy Sidewinder 2 from htstore.in, the MRP is 9999Rs.

The sidewinder 2 in htstore is with 1185 chipset.

 

[shobhitk]

as suggested by kittu i am thinking about going for 900b...looks promising. have read a lot of good comments about this player. better than prodigy i think.

 

[Kittu]

as suggested by kittu i am thinking about going for 900b...looks promising. have read a lot of good comments about this player. better than prodigy i think.

Xtreamer is lousy in releasing firmwares , basically you need to look at the chipset and features that you need . You can flash any firmware belongs to other brand with same chipset.

 

[shobhitk]

oh thanks for this info...this is a great news...have u tested it before?...then i'll also want to know which brand's firmware is the best for realtek 1186dd chipset?

but tell me one thing...some 1186 players might be with and some without the fans...how will other brand's firmware handle the situation then??

 

[saj2001ind]

oh thanks for this info...this is a great news...have u tested it before?...then i'll also want to know which brand's firmware is the best for realtek 1186dd chipset?

but tell me one thing...some 1186 players might be with and some without the fans...how will other brand's firmware handle the situation then??

ok a lill advice, first make a list of stuffs u want from a player and stick to it...there is no end to firmware discussion/updates etc, but choose among the better one who provides frequest updates,

nowadays player with 3D is unique, if you have a 3D HD TV then look for this feature it will make you future proof upto some extent

of course HD audio stream for DTS HD MA and Dolby True HD is must nowadays if you have a good AVR

and lastly which matters me the most, refrain yourself from importing stuffs if you getting something equally good in india.

hope that helps..

 

[shobhitk]

thanks for the advice. i agree that stuff brought from india is a better choice...but tell me, is there any player available in india which is at par with the prodigy or the hd900b at this cost?...previously i wanted the wd live but it does not even support hd audio bitstreaming...they have said that they dont have the license and so the status is 'unplanned'.
so ppl here are forced to go for players such as himedia and all...what to do... :S

 

[srinisundar]

U buy in India or abroad, the backup service is poor including xtreamer.. So go for anything which is latest and cheaper + frequently updating firmware or already established one.

My advice for media player look for USB 3.0 which is latest + HDD slot + 3D comaptiablilty and + BD Rom slot ( future proof) + to your requirements listed.

 

[shobhitk]

thats true...so i think hd900b meets almost all of those criteria...plus firmware updates are frequent.

 

[saj2001ind]

thanks for the advice. i agree that stuff brought from india is a better choice...but tell me, is there any player available in india which is at par with the prodigy or the hd900b at this cost?...previously i wanted the wd live but it does not even support hd audio bitstreaming...they have said that they dont have the license and so the status is 'unplanned'.
so ppl here are forced to go for players such as himedia and all...what to do... :S

I am not saying buy a player made in india or something, but something which is available in india like 900B

I am an owner of 900B myself got it from detna rather than importing from abroad

 

[shobhitk]

got ur point...

 

[TheCoolestOne]

thats true...so i think hd900b meets almost all of those criteria...plus firmware updates are frequent.

Hey Shobhitk,

I am using the 900B and am happy with it. It has all the features listed in your requirements and also includes wifi, USB 3 and 3D and has very regular firmware updates. It seems future proof for some time atleast

 

[shobhitk]

happy to know i only wish that these players also had usb 3.0 as hosts...and not only as slave ports.