Best streaming box out now?

[KDOG]

Apple TV? Roku 3? Been considering getting one. The only edge the Apple TV has for me is the fact that I have an iPad4.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I think it depends on what you want to do. I run Plex Media Server and it serves my video to my Roku boxes, Xboxes, PS3, and Sony BD player. I also have an iPad 4 but have not yet downloaded the Plex client for it.

 

[Face2Face]

Apple TV = Netflix, Hulu +, iTunes and Airplay
Roku 3 = Netflix, Hulu +, Vudu, Amazon, Blockbuster, Plex and Ton more content.

 

[smitbret]

http://dune-hd.com/eng

End of story.

 

[SAWYER]

Jailbroke Apple Tv 2

 

[Anteaus]

I've heard good things about WD-Live

 

[Eug]

Jailbroken Apple TV 2 is nice with slick interface. Limited to 720p though.
WD TV Live Streaming Media Player is similarly sized and plays everything I've thrown at it but the interface is more clunky and of course doesn't support iTunes DRM or AirPlay. It does have full 1080p Netflix with SuperHD support though.

Boxee is dead as a platform and its Netflix app is 720p without possibility of an update.
Roku has no optical/coax audio which is a deal killer for me. Roku 3 doesn't have optical either. Also, I don't to run Plex for streaming support.
Pivos has no official Netflix app and that's also a deal killer for me.
WD TV Play doesn't support DTS making it very much inferior to the Live SMP.

 

[smitbret]

http://dune-hd.com/eng

End of story.

Or an Oppo BR Player.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Without Plex, the Roku is pointless. Plex is what makes Roku, otherwise, you may as well get something else. It does do 1080p and has the best Netflix interface you'll find.

 

[Gintaras]

I like my Argosy HV335T Mobile Video HDD Media Player

Plays almost any video/audio file...1080p, hdmi out, 5.1, dts...
Never tried internet stuff that has this player.
Can watch anything from any of my PCs with wireless adapter...

Mostly I watch video, music video from external HDDs hooked to Argosy USB...

I regret I didn't buy 2 players at once when I bought this one...just in case one goes bad....nothing happened so far for 3-4 years...

 

[rmd2001]

http://dune-hd.com/eng

End of story.

+1 on Dune. But they are on expensive side.

 

[lagokc]

Nothing in this thread has anything on a real HTPC.

 

[smitbret]

Nothing in this thread has anything on a real HTPC.

It is if you just want a remote control friendly setup that allows you to access online content with as few buttons and little maintenance as possible.

 

[facetime]

WD Live TV! Play everything, every media plus etc. I saw earlier list $59 at Gadgetar. You cannot beat that player.

 

[lagokc]

It is if you just want a remote control friendly setup that allows you to access online content with as few buttons and little maintenance as possible.

But my HTPC has a remote control and a wireless mouse

 

[poofyhairguy]

It is if you just want a remote control friendly setup that allows you to access online content with as few buttons and little maintenance as possible.

LOL

My Windows HTPC with XBMC's plugins has more streaming options than any box sold on the market, completely controlled by my Harmony One. The plugins auto-update (so no maintenance) and underneath it is the power of the world's most widely supported computer platform (so for example I can use my remote to watch stuff on regular free hulu while all the streaming boxes require you to pay for Hulu Plus).

Oh and my Aeon Nox i5-powered interface makes the GUI on any of these boxes look like a pile of steaming crap.

Oh and it can play any single file in my huge local library with ease (Hi10P? 3D? Sure).

Oh and I can also pull up on demand almost any console game that was released on this planet up until about 1999 via another beautiful remote-driven XBMC plugin for emulators and play it with my 360 controller.


Streaming boxes are great. I buy them as gifts for family so that way they can cut the cable without having to invest in a real HTPC. For the money they often work really well.

But the best streaming box on the planet is so-so compared to a midrange HTPC that is properly set up.

 

[Druidx]

I've been happy with my WD Live, it can play files of my linux box and WHS, plus every format I've tried.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

I gave up on HTPC because getting files to play perfect 23.976 with no dropped frames was basically impossible. I tried about five different video cards with no luck. I find my WDTV Streaming player gives a much more satisfactory video playback experience, even though it has its flaws too.

 

[mmntech]

Nothing in this thread has anything on a real HTPC.

I'd agree with this if Netflix released an official app for XBMC, or even supported Linux. Windows is everything, when all you need is a media centre.

My parents have an Apple TV 3. For VOD, it's a very good system. It's also one of the few media boxes that offers rentals for new releases. Haven't used any of the others.

 

[dookulooku]

The OP didn't really clarify what he meant by a streaming box. Does he want something for legal, Internet-streaming based video, or the (il)legal movies/tv shows that he downloaded from the Internet (or ripped from stuff he presumably owns)?

AppleTV and Roku are the former, Dune HD is for the latter

 

[Kaido]

I have a Roku and a WDTV Live Streaming. I use the WDTV most of the time, primarily for locally streamed movies & Netflix. The Roku does have a better Netflix interface though, plus it does Amazon Prime (and Plex). However, I don't care for transcoding, which is why I use the WDTV more.

I just use Plex in my basement HTPC with wireless controllers (remote control, a pair of Xbox 360 wireless gamepads, a Logitech K400 wireless keyboard with touchpad, and a Logitech M515 "Couch Mouse" for when I want to do some PC gaming).

 

[Kaido]

Without Plex, the Roku is pointless. Plex is what makes Roku, otherwise, you may as well get something else. It does do 1080p and has the best Netflix interface you'll find.

Over the holidays, I setup my in-laws with a couple of Roku boxes & Plex, and ripped all of their movies to their computer using Handbrake & MakeMKV. It works incredibly well over wireless. They have SDTV's (a giant RPTV & a smaller tube) and even transcoded stuff looks great, although I think the Roku does MKV & MP4 files natively, so you don't have the quality loss. I'm the only one that transcoding bothers (and only on HDTV) so no one else really cared

 

[Face2Face]

Over the holidays, I setup my in-laws with a couple of Roku boxes & Plex, and ripped all of their movies to their computer using Handbrake & MakeMKV. It works incredibly well over wireless. They have SDTV's (a giant RPTV & a smaller tube) and even transcoded stuff looks great, although I think the Roku does MKV & MP4 files natively, so you don't have the quality loss. I'm the only one that transcoding bothers (and only on HDTV) so no one else really cared

You can really see a quality difference when content transcodes

 

[smitbret]

You can really see a quality difference when content transcodes

Depends on the transcode settings and also size of TV vs. Viewing distance.

 

[Kaido]

You can really see a quality difference when content transcodes

Yeah, but I'm also picky about picture quality. So I notice posterization, blockiness, faded colors, etc. Sometimes transcoding ends up looking like a cruddy Youtube compressed & converted video, especially when blown up on a large HDTV that has great picture quality.

It's much less visible on SDTV's, and depending on the movie, not really bad at all. The compression algorithms have improved quite a bit, but I still prefer getting the maximum quality possible, within reason. For example, when using MakeMKV to compress a 25gb Bluray disc to an 8gb MKV file, I can't tell much of a difference, but going to say a 700mb MP4 starts to create those decreased quality effects as mentioned above.