Which Media Player is the Best

[sam9s]

Hi Sam9s,
Been reading a lot of your views and expert comments on the forum.
Taking lead from your comments, how would you rate this system for HTPC usage, in terms of (CPU) processing power and graphics capability.

ZOTAC - It's time to play! - ZBOX HD-ID41 PLUS
Thanks
Gaurav

I would not bet on NVIDIA ION ans ATOM...

Wow, Sam!! That is one neat device for sure . What is the pricing like?

Cheers

Its slightly on the higher side, reason being it very small factor and hence using 2.5" Notebook HDD and RAM. Around 15+ is what I know.

 

[007india]

I would not bet on NVIDIA ION ans ATOM...

Its slightly on the higher side, reason being it very small factor and hence using 2.5" Notebook HDD and RAM. Around 15+ is what I know.

For media player users, what will happen if a new popular format is released and thats not available in your media player today. The only options are you have to update your media player software to include these formats (Audio or video). The other option being, you have to buy a new media player as the existing one will be obsolete.

is it right, why can't you buy a netbook with a HDMI port and connect it to AVR or TV? the netbook is cheaper.

 

[EthenHunt]

is there any media player that gives 5.1 analog output?

 

[drkavint]

no, i strongly disagree.. media player is the best option than even htpc,
1. u get dual audio out(optical+ coax+ hdmi),u can select as raw/ pcm individually. this is not possible in case of pc, unless got extra audio card.
2. u got hdmi + av output can be connected to any tv.
3.wow the most of all u get REMOTE with all functions, fast forward/ pause/skip/ select songs in order/ group , all in hand than storing as play list/ opening different player for some file
4. yet not least players support iso files.. no need to extract/ mount like in pc, just select it opens up..
4. unlike some pc players, u can adjust. color, contrast, brightness, easy change of aspect ratio, zoom... all in REMOTE..
i would strongly recommend media player..
just to add note.. most of the media players are updated frequently, supporting newer formats, so need not bother about it..
i own asus hd2, enjoying it, media player is the choice for
1. slide show( pictures)
2. you tube
3. internet radio
4. movies (480, 720,1080)
how ever recommend pc for
1. movies where u want to load ur own/ downloaded subtitles
2.3d playback
3. watch dvd
4.open corrupted files
5. movies with multiple audio tracks.
i got 11 tb full of movies... i prefer connecting to media player than pc.. speed wise i feel no difference, but as a matter of user interface and quick changes of audio/ video control media player is best...

 

[mrunalrane]

v.v good post

 

[arindamcc]

Asus O!Play BDS-700 or O!Play BDS-500.

 

[sam9s]

For media player users, what will happen if a new popular format is released and thats not available in your media player today. The only options are you have to update your media player software to include these formats (Audio or video). The other option being, you have to buy a new media player as the existing one will be obsolete.

is it right, why can't you buy a netbook with a HDMI port and connect it to AVR or TV? the netbook is cheaper.

Do check the kind of GPU netbook has, and if HD audio is of some concern, also check if it supports Bitstreaming, other then that yes a netbook can be used as a media player/HTPC

is there any media player that gives 5.1 analog output?

mmmm I seriously doubt.

no, i strongly disagree.. media player is the best option than even htpc,

Here are my counter points .....

1. u get dual audio out(optical+ coax+ hdmi),u can select as raw/ pcm individually. this is not possible in case of pc, unless got extra audio card.

Wrong!! ...You get that in a PC as well. In an as inexpensive board as 5K you can get all audio out options. You can also do RAW/PCM. Bitstreaming is RAW. And you dont need an audio card, a GPU does all this these days.

2. u got hdmi + av output can be connected to any tv.

same with PC, all you need is a HDMI to RCA cable.

3.wow the most of all u get REMOTE with all functions, fast forward/ pause/skip/ select songs in order/ group , all in hand than storing as play list/ opening different player for some file

every single thing can be done with PC as well. with an assembled one its not out of the box, but you can easily achieve this by buying any IR kit. With branded products like Zotac ZeeBox Nano you get the remote with it.

4. yet not least players support iso files.. no need to extract/ mount like in pc, just select it opens up..

no need to extract????? .... how are you gonna play an ISO on a media player without extracting/ripping a BD to ISO ...?????. Infact there are two big disadvantage with media players (an actual disadvantage),

1. If you dont own a PC you cannot rip a BD/DVD to ISO, so you basically are stuck with only a Disc in hand with only a media player with you and no PC ..!

2. No media player supports Full BD ISO Menu Playback,(DVD yes) where else with HTPC you get that full control over BD ISOs ..... (and that is the reason we have to mount) and mounting is not a 10 steps herculean task. Its just a matter of right clicking an ISO file and select Mount to "x" drive ....... thats it ...


4. unlike some pc players, u can adjust. color, contrast, brightness, easy change of aspect ratio, zoom... all in REMOTE..
i would strongly recommend media player..
just to add note.. most of the media players are updated frequently, supporting newer formats, so need not bother about it..
i own asus hd2, enjoying it, media player is the choice for
1. slide show( pictures)
2. you tube
3. internet radio
4. movies (480, 720,1080)

The above so called advantages are a piece of cake for an HTPC....... Just install XBMC and you have all your slide shows, you tube videos, internet radio, and movies in one single quality interface.

HTPC wins hands down when it comes to quality playback, media support, polished interface (YAMJ) and versitality.

And I have used WD TV, WD LIVE, AC Ryan POHD, sold every media player except WD TV (for my kid) and moved to an HTPC.

 

[sam9s]

v.v good post

you have to have a comparison ....

 

[haisaikat]

sam, HDMI+av you get in a pc but at additional cost of cable. remote, again at additional cost.

Regarding ISO File support, I have ASUS O Play Air which is 2 yrs old and I can play ISO files, Like I own a Titanic movie rip in ISO extension and it can gives me menu options to select language before the start of the playback.

I am also on research for HTPC and have full respect of its capabilities but in my opinion given that media player in its starting price bracket of around 4K INR is more VFM for the feature, power consumption and compactness as compared to HTPC (all that we get in HTPC at much higher blow to the pocket).

If you have a higher budget and require more customizable capability alongwith future upgradability then HTPC should be your way to go and that does not mean we will need to declare a war or a crusade on each and every Media Player lover.

 

[sam9s]

sam, HDMI+av you get in a pc but at additional cost of cable. remote, again at additional cost.

Regarding ISO File support, I have ASUS O Play Air which is 2 yrs old and I can play ISO files, Like I own a Titanic movie rip in ISO extension and it can gives me menu options to select language before the start of the playback.

I am also on research for HTPC and have full respect of its capabilities but in my opinion given that media player in its starting price bracket of around 4K INR is more VFM for the feature, power consumption and compactness as compared to HTPC (all that we get in HTPC at much higher blow to the pocket).

If you have a higher budget and require more customizable capability alongwith future upgradability then HTPC should be your way to go and that does not mean we will need to declare a war or a crusade on each and every Media Player lover.

You can not compare an entry level media player with an HTPC. An entry level media player starts around 3000--3500, with that cash you simply can not built an HTPC, and in that respect, Media Players are the one to go for.

Coming to Asus O Play AIR. I think you are taking about DVD ISO playback. I am talking about Bluray ISOs. Very few media player supports Full BD ISO Menus, like DUNE BD Prime or HDX-B1), others few support basic menu navigation, but thats it, infact HDX BD1 is also said to support basic menu navigation and not the original BD Menus.....

The comparision starts with high end media players ... 8-9K above, thats when HTPC stats to look better. No doubt HTPC will always land a couple of grands expensive, but the level of A/V quality, level of customization, upgradability, choice of front end, quality and polished interface, that a basic HTPC offers, surpasses even the top end of Media Players.

Finally its not war, I understand, just want to clear that media players are not the only or the best option available ......

 

[matbhuvi]

Is there any player that can play BD rips in mkv format (made using makeMKV) with HD audio? Initially, i saved some blurays as ISOs and then preferred mkv to ISOs. So far my HTPC is able to handle them perfectly. I am thinking about going for a media player just to reduce the clutter.

 

[baijuxavior]

^^ Almost all media players support mkv playback. What is your budget for the player?

 

[Shivam]

A better method to choose the media player will be to list the features required and features not required.

I opted for Seagate Home Theater Plus

My requirements were-
Music formats - flac
Video formats - mkv, mp4, flv, avi (in the same order)
Ability to play ISO.
Media player should not have a fan (passive cooling)
Connections needed were - HDMI and digital for audio

Things which I did not require -
Music formats - Apple lossless, ape

 

[parora]

A better method to choose the media player will be to list the features required and features not required.

I opted for Seagate Home Theater Plus

My requirements were-
Music formats - flac
Video formats - mkv, mp4, flv, avi (in the same order)
Ability to play ISO.
Media player should not have a fan (passive cooling)
Connections needed were - HDMI and digital for audio

Things which I did not require -
Music formats - Apple lossless, ape

and what is the price?

 

[sushantjapan]

Do check the kind of GPU netbook has, and if HD audio is of some concern, also check if it supports Bitstreaming, other then that yes a netbook can be used as a media player/HTPC



mmmm I seriously doubt.



Here are my counter points .....

1. u get dual audio out(optical+ coax+ hdmi),u can select as raw/ pcm individually. this is not possible in case of pc, unless got extra audio card.

Wrong!! ...You get that in a PC as well. In an as inexpensive board as 5K you can get all audio out options. You can also do RAW/PCM. Bitstreaming is RAW. And you dont need an audio card, a GPU does all this these days.

2. u got hdmi + av output can be connected to any tv.

same with PC, all you need is a HDMI to RCA cable.

3.wow the most of all u get REMOTE with all functions, fast forward/ pause/skip/ select songs in order/ group , all in hand than storing as play list/ opening different player for some file

every single thing can be done with PC as well. with an assembled one its not out of the box, but you can easily achieve this by buying any IR kit. With branded products like Zotac ZeeBox Nano you get the remote with it.

4. yet not least players support iso files.. no need to extract/ mount like in pc, just select it opens up..

no need to extract????? .... how are you gonna play an ISO on a media player without extracting/ripping a BD to ISO ...?????. Infact there are two big disadvantage with media players (an actual disadvantage),

1. If you dont own a PC you cannot rip a BD/DVD to ISO, so you basically are stuck with only a Disc in hand with only a media player with you and no PC ..!

2. No media player supports Full BD ISO Menu Playback,(DVD yes) where else with HTPC you get that full control over BD ISOs ..... (and that is the reason we have to mount) and mounting is not a 10 steps herculean task. Its just a matter of right clicking an ISO file and select Mount to "x" drive ....... thats it ...


4. unlike some pc players, u can adjust. color, contrast, brightness, easy change of aspect ratio, zoom... all in REMOTE..
i would strongly recommend media player..
just to add note.. most of the media players are updated frequently, supporting newer formats, so need not bother about it..
i own asus hd2, enjoying it, media player is the choice for
1. slide show( pictures)
2. you tube
3. internet radio
4. movies (480, 720,1080)

The above so called advantages are a piece of cake for an HTPC....... Just install XBMC and you have all your slide shows, you tube videos, internet radio, and movies in one single quality interface.

HTPC wins hands down when it comes to quality playback, media support, polished interface (YAMJ) and versitality.

And I have used WD TV, WD LIVE, AC Ryan POHD, sold every media player except WD TV (for my kid) and moved to an HTPC.

Just tell me which HTPC will be able to play my collections of 47GB BDISO movie files? My workstation which is meant to use high end CAE simulation softwares, starts stuttering!! & Yes, I want size also as small as the HD players!!

 

[EthenHunt]

Your workstation that runs CAE simulation softwares have high CPU power. But all it needs is a Mid range GPU to run a BD ISO file. Even AMD Fusion will be able to run this movie smoothly.

 

[sam9s]

Just tell me which HTPC will be able to play my collections of 47GB BDISO movie files? My workstation which is meant to use high end CAE simulation softwares, starts stuttering!! & Yes, I want size also as small as the HD players!!

simulation is processor bound activity, playing BD files/games is more of a GPU bound activity. Check out my HTPC (in my sig) as a reference, it has a very basic level hardware with a low end GPU and it plays all BD ISO absolutely smoothly, with full audio bit streaming support.......

To make it really small you have to spend some cash, no denying. Either you can go for something like Zotac ZeeBox Nano, that I mentioned somewhere in the previous pages, or assemble an ITX based PC with 2.5" HDD and a slim ODD under a slim case like CM ELITE 100.

 

[baijuxavior]

An AMD fusion based HTPC can be assembled for around 12.5K excluding HDD and OS.

 

[sam9s]

^^ Yes thats another route, and it also plays every format with full bit-streaming support.......

 

[matbhuvi]

^^ Almost all media players support mkv playback. What is your budget for the player?

That's true...but how about bitstreaming DTS-HD MA & Dolby True HD? Having a good video processor like HQV will be a plus.