Need suggestions on best player that supports playing all video formats

andy78

Active Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Messages
644
Points
28
Location
Hyderabad India
Recently we purchased LG TV to replace our Samsung TV. The earlier Samsung TV effortlessly played all kind of video formats that we thrown at it. However this LG model doesn't support.


What are the best options for me which will help me play all types of video formats?
 
Hi

Since you already got the TV you cant return the same,,,,so solution is to go for a media player like Amkette, IOmega etc. based on your budget and enjoy playback....

The other alternate is get a Blu Ray player.
 
A PC.

Honestly it will take a bit of work, but nothing comes close.

1. Setup a file server or NAS.
2. Install Kodi.
3. Go high end HTPC with a powerful GPU and madVR.
4. Plus endless customization.

In a nutshell you'll have a machine that will play everything and stream everything. Done right you can even dispense with DTH. Stream IPTV, music, movies, TV shows, YouTube, and your own local collection of movies, music, pictures, etc.

You don't even need to have the PC next to the TV. Use a casting device like Chromecast, Roku, etc. or even a Pi.

I've an i7, but you can get by with an i3... but honestly no media player comes close and there is never the issue of any format not being played. Besides local content, online streaming is a huge win win. You can DIY or go with Kodi and pretty much have everything on hand.

Give PC a thought... will give your TV media playback and content unlike anything.
 
Hi

Since you already got the TV you cant return the same,,,,so solution is to go for a media player like Amkette, IOmega etc. based on your budget and enjoy playback....

The other alternate is get a Blu Ray player.

I was not going to return the player anyways.
I didn't like amkette.
Will a Blu Ray player support playing various formats of movies via its USB port?
 
A PC.

Honestly it will take a bit of work, but nothing comes close.

1. Setup a file server or NAS.
2. Install Kodi.
3. Go high end HTPC with a powerful GPU and madVR.
4. Plus endless customization.

In a nutshell you'll have a machine that will play everything and stream everything. Done right you can even dispense with DTH. Stream IPTV, music, movies, TV shows, YouTube, and your own local collection of movies, music, pictures, etc.

You don't even need to have the PC next to the TV. Use a casting device like Chromecast, Roku, etc. or even a Pi.

I've an i7, but you can get by with an i3... but honestly no media player comes close and there is never the issue of any format not being played. Besides local content, online streaming is a huge win win. You can DIY or go with Kodi and pretty much have everything on hand.

Give PC a thought... will give your TV media playback and content unlike anything.
A PC will last you at-least 5 to 8 years maybe more depending if you maintain it properly and upgrade components as and if, when required. That itself is a major selling point. Codecs, Players are pretty much designed /tested on a PC than some media player.You can plug virtually any device to supplement your audio/video experience.Disks can be added replaced without much of a hitch and the fun continues.
drawbacks on media player? With most they become outdated in the first year or so. You are at the mercy of the manufacturer to update bios/codecs whatever is needed.Most do not bother with it. The UI's are at best clumsy and irritating (same goes some smart TV's.)
I have a 4 years old i7 with GTX 650(Now upgraded to GTX 960) ,and 24 GB of RAM, running on WIndows7. This machine is as fast as I will ever need to use it as a multimedia device.In fact i am typing this on the same machine. Sure it did cost me more than 60 thousand when i bought it, but the deal is most media players would crap out in that time or become outdated.
You may not need a i7 or 24 gig's of RAM but an i3/i5 with 8 gigs of RAM will last you at least 7 to 8 years without a sweat. You can use Foobar to play music and have a plethora of video players to play with,supporting every codec.
 
A PC.

Honestly it will take a bit of work, but nothing comes close.

1. Setup a file server or NAS.
2. Install Kodi.
3. Go high end HTPC with a powerful GPU and madVR.
4. Plus endless customization.

In a nutshell you'll have a machine that will play everything and stream everything. Done right you can even dispense with DTH. Stream IPTV, music, movies, TV shows, YouTube, and your own local collection of movies, music, pictures, etc.

You don't even need to have the PC next to the TV. Use a casting device like Chromecast, Roku, etc. or even a Pi.

I've an i7, but you can get by with an i3... but honestly no media player comes close and there is never the issue of any format not being played. Besides local content, online streaming is a huge win win. You can DIY or go with Kodi and pretty much have everything on hand.

Give PC a thought... will give your TV media playback and content unlike anything.

Thanks regeHA. That truly is a great way to go ahead. Can you please let me know the power consumption of your HTPC when compared to other media players like WDTV live or Roku?
 
Last edited:
Thanks egeHA. That truly is a great way to go ahead. Can you please let me know the power consumption of your HTPC when compared to other media players like WDTV live or Roku?

Never counted, but I'm sure its more. For starters I've a 4K monitor and a 650W PSU. I'm sure that's going to be a lot higher than the 10 watts (max) the Pi is rated for. Most media players are typically rated at 10 to 25 watts at max performance.
 
For a regular layman user who just wants to play the usual casual ripped MKVs, do not want to go into the hassles of assembling, configuring, upgrading and just want an out of the box, ready to play solution .... an HTPC is definitely an over kill.

@andu78, for you just go for something like ASUS O Play mini for 3500.(http://www.hifivision.com/media-str...-dolbythd-decoding-dts-hd-ma-just-3500-a.html) or something else in the same league, and be done with it, its not going to be some top of the line, rocking player, but will play 90% of the regular file formats that we usually download and view on our TVs.

If you have a more stringent requirement, spill it and I shall see what else can be recommended in the budget you have
 
Hi

Blu Ray players plays most of the content available over the internet, didn't have any challenges so far with my Pioneer LX 55 (Region A) player.
 
Any specific Blu Ray Player that I can think of which is
1. Available in US
2. Plays most of the formats
3. Plays all regions or most of the regions
To be Used in India
 
Any specific Blu Ray Player that I can think of which is
1. Available in US
2. Plays most of the formats
3. Plays all regions or most of the regions
To be Used in India

For 1 & 3 look up
bombayelectronics.com
220-electronics.com
 
For a regular layman user who just wants to play the usual casual ripped MKVs, do not want to go into the hassles of assembling, configuring, upgrading and just want an out of the box, ready to play solution .... an HTPC is definitely an over kill.

@andu78, for you just go for something like ASUS O Play mini for 3500.(http://www.hifivision.com/media-str...-dolbythd-decoding-dts-hd-ma-just-3500-a.html) or something else in the same league, and be done with it, its not going to be some top of the line, rocking player, but will play 90% of the regular file formats that we usually download and view on our TVs.

If you have a more stringent requirement, spill it and I shall see what else can be recommended in the budget you have



Samrat as of now no plans on HTPC. This is needed for home & I'm currently not there. Im thinking of budget around 5k


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Samrat as of now no plans on HTPC. This is needed for home & I'm currently not there. Im thinking of budget around 5k


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Call me sammy (where did you get samrat from.. :) ?) ...Anyway give a try to this ... Amazon.in: Buy Amkette Flash TV High Definition Multimedia Player Online at Low Prices in India | Amkette Reviews & Ratings

Another one is a little bit better but slightly out of your budget, but it more recomended..

http://www.amazon.in/Amkette-Stream...scsubtag=b3698375-955c-4668-89cc-7d052057eace

If asus oplay mini is not available for some reason ...
 
Last edited:
Recently we purchased LG TV to replace our Samsung TV. The earlier Samsung TV effortlessly played all kind of video formats that we thrown at it. However this LG model doesn't support.


What are the best options for me which will help me play all types of video formats?

If you are the type who likes to tinker around a bit, you might consider the Raspberry Pi. I use it along with my Network Attached Storage - WD Live (2TB).

It has sufficed my needs for more than 3 years now.
It is fast enough for streaming 1080p movies.
(The limitation for me is that the sound is only 2.1 channel via the 3.5 mm audio out.)
So, if you have an existing home theater speaker set, then you need AV receiver for full 5.1 channel output (via HDMI).
 
If you are the type who likes to tinker around a bit, you might consider the Raspberry Pi. I use it along with my Network Attached Storage - WD Live (2TB).

It has sufficed my needs for more than 3 years now.
It is fast enough for streaming 1080p movies.
(The limitation for me is that the sound is only 2.1 channel via the 3.5 mm audio out.)
So, if you have an existing home theater speaker set, then you need AV receiver for full 5.1 channel output (via HDMI).

+1 for the Pi.

The Pi 3 running Kodi handles 1080p with ease - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2z5UHCeu6o.

Though with HEVC being the new frontier for content... the Android TV boxes and sticks might just end up winning this round.

Love my Pis though.
 
Get the Wharfedale EVO 4.2 3-Way Standmount Speakers at a Special Offer Price.
Back
Top