Streaming device similar to WDTV?

Jez

Jez

Jez

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,073
Hello,

I would like to install a TV with a streaming device into what will be a playroom in my house.

I have toyed with multiroom sky, and a WDTV combo, which would do everything, but it will also require a largely pointless multiroom subscription.

In an ideal world I would like a device which has the following features, but is there such a device available?

1) Ability to stream files from a samba share, ala WDTV. MKV, AVI, MP4, etc.
2) All main 4 streaming sources, ITV, BBC, CH4, CH5

The WDTV live is almost there, but only has iPlayer support :(
 
What about purchasing a windows based HTPC with a TV Card?
I'm sure someone else will be able to expand on whether this is a good idea
 
No chance I want to get involved with a PC, definitely wants to be a nice device like a WDTV (which I use for my main HDMI distribution system for the rest of the house, and it is wonderful, but is also complimented with a sky box hence the lack of a need for streaming services on it, as sky has all that). :)
 
If you don't already have a TV, consider getting a Smart TV. They usually have all of the catchup services but you'll have to run a DLNA server on your storage device.

There isn't one thing that does it all unfortunately.

I use a Youview box for recording and catchup and DLNA built into dumb LG TV streaming from a Plex server on my NAS.
 
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Roku does 4OD, 5 demand and iPlayer. Although these are not live broadcast.

With Plex you can stream your media too from a Nas/server.
 
The youview seems like the wrong device, I don't have an aerial at all (I have always used satellite) nor do I plan to erect one.

This would leave that box as an on demand device I guess, but it doesn't do NAS streaming.

Why on earth hasn't someone built a device which does all of these things!? :)
 
Raymond Lin said:
Roku does 4OD, 5 demand and iPlayer. Although these are not live broadcast.

With Plex you can stream your media too from a Nas/server.
Click to expand...

ooo tell me more.

I don't want/need live broadcasts, just the on demand stuff.

So this device can do 4od, demand 5, and iplayer, AND NAS streaming? :)
 
TheLegendOfMart said:
If you don't already have a TV, consider getting a Smart TV. They usually have all of the catchup services but you'll have to run a DLNA server on your storage device.
Click to expand...

This is an option I guess, ideally though I had an old 42 plasma which I wanted to use which I have been hanging on to. I don't mind that getting crayon on it etc :D
 
Jez said:
ooo tell me more.

I don't want/need live broadcasts, just the on demand stuff.

So this device can do 4od, demand 5, and iplayer, AND NAS streaming? :)
Click to expand...

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Yup, Roku 3, £99. I got one on Saturday.

It has channels that you can watch, which by Channels, it is another word for Apps. You can install Now TV app if you have Sky so can watch the Sky movies. (which I have)

It comes with iPlayer pre-installed, Netflix, 5 Demand and Sky news too.

4oD is not pre-installed but if you got to the Channel Store, it is right there. You can also can install CNBC news, Fox News, a lot of food channels, all sorts.

To watch your media, you need to install Plex. But you will need a Nas or a server running Plex. This is a little more fiddly but once set up, the picture is a peach.

The box comes in default at 720p/stereo. But if you go into the settings you can change it to 1080p and 5.1 surround sound. Which is what I have done. Honestly the picture quality when with the right files is right up there with Bluray. The Roku 3 is 5x faster than the Roku 2XS before it but they can both do 1080p. The Roku 2XS is cheaper so for the sake of £30 difference, I would (and did) get the Roku 3.

The negative of the Roku:-

No Youtube.
No Apple Trailers (but you can install another app inside Plex that allow you to watch trailers).

http://www.roku.com/meet-roku (beware that some content are US only, we get less choices in the UK)
 
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Lets boil down each point so that I understand that this will fit with what I require. It sounds like it might be ideal :)

- I don't want any other channels other than iplayer, demand 5, and 4od. I don't need Sky on there or any other food type channels. I guess I can ignore this extra content.

- Plex, I don't know what this is nor do I understand the requirement for it. I have a fileserver, this is a standard Wintel fileserver running an i5 Vpro 2.5ghz. What is involved in getting this to work? Does the server side app run a silent service, how does it manifest itself on the fileserver?

- I only require 720p/stereo output, it will be connected to an old 720p plasma screen via HDMI. However I would definitely want the ability to play 1080 resolution files, as I have no way to control the resolution which content is available in. I therefore have a large mix of both 720 and 1080 MKV.

- I don't care about youtube (why would anyone want that? :D)
- I don't care about apple or any other trailers.
 
Jez said:
Lets boil down each point so that I understand that this will fit with what I require. It sounds like it might be ideal :)

- I don't want any other channels other than iplayer, demand 5, and 4od. I don't need Sky on there or any other food type channels. I guess I can ignore this extra content.

- Plex, I don't know what this is nor do I understand the requirement for it. I have a fileserver, this is a standard Wintel fileserver running an i5 Vpro 2.5ghz. What is involved in getting this to work? Does the server side app run a silent service, how does it manifest itself on the fileserver?

- I only require 720p/stereo output, it will be connected to an old 720p plasma screen via HDMI. However I would definitely want the ability to play 1080 resolution files, as I have no way to control the resolution which content is available in. I therefore have a large mix of both 720 and 1080 MKV.

- I don't care about youtube (why would anyone want that? :D)
- I don't care about apple or any other trailers.
Click to expand...

It should do everything you wanted there.

4oD and 5 Demand are SD, iPlayer is HD (when avalaible), I watched Dr Who and the picture was really good.

It has 1 HDMI slot which does both picture and sound.

You can connect it to the network wired or wireless.

http://www.plexapp.com/

The above link for all you need to know about plex, your i5 seems to have more than enough grunt to run it. Just leave it in the background, can set it up to update its library every hour/day etc.

You will need install the server program on your server, the Roku will find it on the network.

The Roku basically is just a client (receiving end) of the whole thing. Which is the beauty of Plex. You can have Plex installed on your phone/tablet, and watch the same media on your phone anywhere in the world as long as you leave the server running and have enough upload bandwidth.
 
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I am not massively keen on the idea of plex, I don't see the point or need for it.

However, that device does look as though it is the only device which does both internet on demand streaming and NAS streaming, so I guess plex is something I can live with. Thanks for the write-up Raymond :)

Unless anyone has a suggestion for installing the other on demand services onto a nice WDTV? :D
 
Jez said:
I am not massively keen on the idea of plex, I don't see the point or need for it.

However, that device does look as though it is the only device which does both internet on demand streaming and NAS streaming, so I guess plex is something I can live with. Thanks for the write-up Raymond :)

Unless anyone has a suggestion for installing the other on demand services onto a nice WDTV? :D
Click to expand...

Ideally, I would rather have XBMC as it has a nicer UI and don't require a centralised server, although that is less of a problem if you already have a server.

The alternative is Apple TV 2 with XBMC installed, and then inside XBMC you can install iPlayer app, and even TV Catchup. No 5 Demand though but I think 4oD is possible. Although all these requires a little computer knowledge and set up time, and to be honest, setting up Plex was easier than jailbreaking a ATV 2.

The downside is ATV 2 is expensive to buy, it requires jailbreaking, it also is a bit slow when running XBMC and crashes if you so much as scroll the menu a bit too fast.
 
The ATV2 sounds appalling the way you describe it, I certainly wouldn't be interested in that solution!

I do already have a server, so I think the Roku seems the way forward (even if I must endure plex). :)
 
I had an ATV 2 already so I jailbreaked it myself. So to me, for about 18 months, I had a streaming device for free (Since it just sat there previously for like a year doing nothing).

But I had to restore it last month because it bricked itself, so now it is on the latest firmware and I can't be bothered to jailbreak it again. Plus it is only 720p.

So I pondered for about a month what to get to stream my files. Ended up getting the Roku. I looked at all the alternative.

1 - HTPC, too big, too expensive. Need windows licence, need keyboard and mouse.
2 - Intel NUC - too expensive, need SSD and Ram on top.
3 - Mac Mini - too expensive, and XBMC doesn't work on Maverick at the moment.
4 - Acer Revo - still too expensive, was going to run Openelec.
5 - WDTV - apparently the scribbing for files is not the best.
6 - Littleblackbox - doesn't do HD Audio pass through.

7 - Roku - does eveyrthing I want, but like you said, just have the endure Plex. Which is a minor annoyance. An annoyance I can live with since once I press play, with the picture quality and sound that comes out of it, all is forgiven.
 
That is the problem with ATV2, because it is old so the hardware struggles a little for XBMC, it won't run certain skins for example and will crash it. You can't get ATV3 for XBMC because it is locked down and no one has figured out a way to jailbreak it yet.

You can get Plex on ATV 3 but it is not an official release so that requires some hacking too so you might as well just get a Roku as that is actually an official release.
 
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