Use of Android based Media Players !!!

[gsajal]

Am in the process of finalising a Media Player, the obvious choice between a WD Live Plus / WD Live Hub or a Hi Media 600 B as suggested by many readers here. Of late i have read about the new android based media players.

As a noob, i am just curious and wanna know what is the functionality of Android in a Media Player.

And if someone could suggest which one is better of the two WD Live Hub or Hi Media 600B, i am terribly confused.

 

[GeorgeO]

I have a WD TV Live which is pretty good. It doesnt have the form factor to have an internal HDD though.

 

[Kannan]

If you have used an android mobile phone, you would understand its impact.

You can convert your TV into the android display unit. Download apps from market, play games, network online and so on and so forth.

But most of the android based players still need better software and hardware implementation, upgrade support and so on.

Also none of the android media players yet support gyroscope remotes which is an essential for enjoying android based apps else it becomes very cumbersome to manage with mouse and keyboard.

I own a android based media player called Measy, though i have not used it in a while for lack of time.

I would advice, if your primary interest is movies and music, stick to media players which offer a wide codec support, DLNA and other network sharing support like samba etc.
Stay far away from android based media players.

You can always buy a tablet like apple ipad or any other android based tablets for the android media experience as most of these can be directly plugged into to your HDTV.
Another advantage of tablet based android device is its portability.

 

[gsajal]

If you have used an android mobile phone, you would understand its impact.

You can convert your TV into the android display unit. Download apps from market, play games, network online and so on and so forth.

But most of the android based players still need better software and hardware implementation, upgrade support and so on.

Also none of the android media players yet support gyroscope remotes which is an essential for enjoying android based apps else it becomes very cumbersome to manage with mouse and keyboard.

I own a android based media player called Measy, though i have not used it in a while for lack of time.

I would advice, if your primary interest is movies and music, stick to media players which offer a wide codec support, DLNA and other network sharing support like samba etc.
Stay far away from android based media players.

You can always buy a tablet like apple ipad or any other android based tablets for the android media experience as most of these can be directly plugged into to your HDTV.
Another advantage of tablet based android device is its portability.

Thank you so much for the advice kannan. I would really really appreciate if you could help me choose between wd live hub, hi media 600B or Asus O Play Air HDP -R3. Please note that all three are within the budget. What i am looking for is a player to help me play the various movies i have downloaded from the net including some HD movies and various other movies in all possible formats. Also what i am looking for is wireless connectivity with my laptop. I already own a Sony 46" LCD and am planning to buy a 5.1 channel home theatre soon.

Thanx in advance.

 

[venkatcr]

I have a Samsung Y (GTS5360) using an Android 2.3.6. I installed a free version of PowerAmp, inserted a FLAC version of Chris De Burgh's Footsteps 2 and listened.

Using some cheap Sony headphones, I was surprised at the clarity of the sound. I know Chris's voice very intimately and this did play it quite well.

Cheers

 

[frnd08]

i have been using the paid version of poweramp for over a year now. i have also used playerpro (the second most popular android media player) and i have to say, poweramp is the better of the two. i was initially very disappointed with the default one in samsung phones, so i went for poweramp, and the equalizer (10 band) is just fantastic! my suggestion would be to try both playerpro and poweramp and then decide between the two. player pro has better looks, poweramp is the better media player.

 

[Kannan]

I will link you to a product which is used by a friend of mine. Though Chinese made, it is very good and plays quite a few formats including mkv. It has ethernet port for connecting to your network router. It can access media files on your network including laptops. So you can stream music/movie files downloaded in your laptop/desktop through it and watch on your TV.

It has HDMI/analogue/optical and coaxial outputs.

It has an in built enclosure for hard disk, a USb port for connecting a pen drive and the best feature it offers is its software has built-in drivers for DVDROM's.
HD Media Player HDD upto 2TB Full HD 1080p MKV H264 | eBay

However most media players that I know of including the ones you have mentioned struggle to stream hi resolution direct bluray rips in mkv format. The only one that I have seen that functions without a jitter is the Dune HD series of media players but these are quite expensive.

 

[gsajal]

Thanx for the info kannan, actually i am not looking forward to stream hi resolution direct bluray rips in mkv format.

My needs are simple as i described them earlier, i should be able to play the downloaded movies from my portable hard drives which include several HD movies. Also i want wireless connectivity with my laptop to enable me to play movies from the laptop wirelessly.

 

[jpmlore]

hi,
i have bought egreat r300 in bangalore. the specs are really good and i am totally impressed by the player. i paid 12900/- in bangalore

http://egreat.in/store/egreat_r300

 

[Kannan]

Thanx for the info kannan, actually i am not looking forward to stream hi resolution direct bluray rips in mkv format.

My needs are simple as i described them earlier, i should be able to play the downloaded movies from my portable hard drives which include several HD movies. Also i want wireless connectivity with my laptop to enable me to play movies from the laptop wirelessly.

It also supports wifi through a USB dongle which you can buy separately. However I will not advice wifi for streaming hiresolution files as there could be speed and jitter issues, wired network is the best way.

 

[rejeeb]

@jpmlore

From which shop you bought egreat r300?

 

[jpmlore]

i bought it from a contact in this forum (Mr. Kittu). he gave me Mr. sathish's number (PM me or mr.kittu if you want the number) from whom i bough the player. android is not the main OS. it is just an add-on. my guess is it is a linux based player. android is booted only if required. anyway few applications force close and is just fancy. it had angry birds but when i updated it with the latest FW, it got erased.
i have tested torrents direct download too..and works superbly. network share and play works good. it has handled all the formats thrown at it. i have used the slave feature also.the only small issue is: it take 5-7 seconds to fully load when you have a HDD, a wireless connection and a USB disk connected to it.

 

[venkataramani]

What about Amkette EVO Tv , which is android based and wholly indigenous ? i wonder whether anyone has tried this and if so what is the feedback ?
venkataramani

 

[mrigesh]

Just have a look at this video Geniatech Enjoy TV
Geniatech Enjoy TV (Android TV Box) Android4.0 (ICS) Firmware Preview - YouTube

 

[venkataramani]

Hi Mrigesh

How does Genia Tech Android Tv Box compare with Amkette EVO Tv? Do you have any feed back ? I will be thankful if you can share this information .