Please suggest a cheap media player to play MKV/AVI/XVID from HDD

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Please suggest a cheap media player to play MKV/AVI/XVID from HDD

bodysoda

95 posts

Master Geek

#94824 19-Dec-2011 21:12

Hi Guys,

Since Boxing days is nearing, I am looking forward to buy a media player for my new Sony KDL40CX520. Since I have spend quite a bit of money, I am very tight budget; as this TV doesn't take NTFS HDD (sadly need to be exFAT)

Features looking for
1. Price should be around $130 NZ
2. HDMI output
3. Should play HDD formatted NTFS (happy to format to other format)
4. MKV, AVI, WMV, MOV, RMVB I am not really worried about the 1080p)

I believe lot of you have seen or read about it. I would appreciate if you guys can point me to a direction.

Many Thanks in advance

1 | 2

1440 posts

Uber Geek

#559794 19-Dec-2011 23:30

http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/product/GM1000/philips-hd-media-player

bodysoda

95 posts

Master Geek

#560116 20-Dec-2011 23:17

Thank you.

drajk

202 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#560141 21-Dec-2011 08:59

Be careful that whatever you buy recognises all resolutions - I have had a couple of cheap ones which for example while they state they will play a certain file type won't play files which are in certain resolutions.

bodysoda

95 posts

Master Geek

#560383 21-Dec-2011 18:33

Any thought on Brand: DiyoMate K5 ?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/electronics-photography/home-audio/home-theatre/auction-432689694.htm

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#560790 22-Dec-2011 19:16

WDTV Live - can be had for $129. Ugly menus but plays all the material you are interested in very well, plus networkable.

ilovemusic

1440 posts

Uber Geek

#560829 22-Dec-2011 22:05

Save a bit more (~$170) for the latest WD TV Live - a much better unit

http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=330

bodysoda

95 posts

Master Geek

#560843 22-Dec-2011 23:37

Does it have to be purchased from overseas or nz? will there be any difference on the WD TV Live?

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ilovemusic

1440 posts

Uber Geek

#560970 23-Dec-2011 13:45

Latest WD HD TV Live available in NZ shops now.

cgreenwood

201 posts

Master Geek

#560991 23-Dec-2011 15:09

Save a bit more (~$170) for the latest WD TV Live - a much better unit

Just had a look at the specs on this, it lists AAC as a supported audio format, do you think it will play HE-AAC? I am trying to find a Media Player that will support .TS files recorded from Freeview|HD. Many Freview|HD channels are broadcast with only an HE-AAC audio track and it has been my experience that this is a not wodely supported and troublesome format.

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#561042 23-Dec-2011 19:46

cgreenwood:
Save a bit more (~$170) for the latest WD TV Live - a much better unit

Just had a look at the specs on this, it lists AAC as a supported audio format, do you think it will play HE-AAC? I am trying to find a Media Player that will support .TS files recorded from Freeview|HD. Many Freview|HD channels are broadcast with only an HE-AAC audio track and it has been my experience that this is a not wodely supported and troublesome format.

Yes, HE-AAC is royal pain in the backside to work with. Even most software that claims to support it doesn't, as we use the less common HE-AACv2 version of the spec.

I eventually did manage to get the files that my Freeview UHF box was recording to an external drive converted to something a tad more user friendly. I think I posted the details in another thread for someone else who wanted to do it. However, it was such a tedious and time-consuming multi-step process that after the satisfaction of cracking the problem (which took ages) I haven't actually done it again.

It's so painful that a hardware based solution (feed the audio & HD video into a Hauppauge HD PVR and capture it in a more user friendly & editable format) is probably the way I will eventually go - I have all the needed hardware but the sheer lack of content on Freeview means I haven't got round to it yet. Am planning to re-wire the AV setup as a Christmas project as it is not a bit of a cabling birds nest, and have bought all the bits I need for the job, so may do it then.

mattwnz

20182 posts

Uber Geek

#561044 23-Dec-2011 20:00

Just be careful with the older WD one that was around $130, as it has a problem fast forwarding HD video, as when you stop fast forwarding it often jumps to a totally different place in the video. Also fugly and clunky menu system. I returned mine. The newest version maybe better. That philips one looks interesting, but it's doesn't look like it is networkable to download movies through the interent. Yet is says that you can watch internet movies using divx on the DSE specs.

cgreenwood

201 posts

Master Geek

#561119 24-Dec-2011 08:25

Had a bit of a google search about my own question RE: HE-AAC and found this on the WD forums.

I've done some more tests.A ts file with one HE-AAC audio stream and one h.264 video stream, audio and video is played ok.

A ts file with three audio streams where one is AC3 and 2 are HE-AAC, only the AC3 streams give audio ouptut, the HE-AAC ones can be choosen but results in silence. Video is ok.

The HE-AAC streams in the two cases are identical, only a remux has been done, not any reencoding.

So it seems promising that it might do it, I have remembered I have a firend with one of these so will give him a test recording to try out.