best way to stream media? £100ish.

utajoker · 28 Jan 2011 at 09:24

so whats the best way to stream .avi/.mkv from my pc.

currently have a 360 that does this perfectly using my movies in media center.

i want the same but in another in the living room and 1080p capable.(i dont think the 360 can do this).

would love apple tv but im not sure if it can play these file formats so ive asked in the apple section, but what else is there on offer?

thanks.

NuclearWinter · 28 Jan 2011 at 11:24

Probably WDTV Live or A.C. Ryan Playon!HD Mini. Both should stream 1080p mkvs (and most other formats) perfectly. ATV struggles with high bitrate files and can't output 1080p.

utajoker · 28 Jan 2011 at 11:41

i have just discovered that atv2 can be jbed and have xbmc on it.

i shall check out the ones you have suggested though.

do they both connect to the network and can stream from a pc or do they need hdds pluged into them?

Yas786 · 28 Jan 2011 at 11:49

utajoker said:
i have just discovered that atv2 can be jbed and have xbmc on it.

i shall check out the ones you have suggested though.

do they both connect to the network and can stream from a pc or do they need hdds pluged into them?

I have the AC Ryan playon mini hd player and yes it plugs directly into your network...the playon mini does have an internal hd but rather you either plug an ext hd or a usb stick into the back and it can play your media files from there....my playon mini is connected into my network and streams mkvs and other files direct from my NAS box over my network...plays beautifully.

Great little media box that can be had for £80 or less.

utajoker · 28 Jan 2011 at 13:09

is it hard to setup?

Yas786 · 28 Jan 2011 at 13:37

utajoker said:
is it hard to setup?

No...connect the playon mini to your router or switch via a cat 5 cable....connect hdmi cable from the streamer to your tv then connect your ext hd to the playon and away you go....really simple tbh.

NuclearWinter · 28 Jan 2011 at 14:49

utajoker said:
i have just discovered that atv2 can be jbed and have xbmc on it.

i shall check out the ones you have suggested though.

do they both connect to the network and can stream from a pc or do they need hdds pluged into them?

Unfortunately the ATV2 still has the problems I mentioned when using XBMC on it.

Both the WDTV Live and Playon can stream over the network and also have external drives plugged in.