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What is the best inexpensive device to stream 1080p .mkv files from a Mac (or PC) to TV?
I'm looking at various devices AppleTV2 + XBMC, Roku (apparently doesn't do local streaming), Boxee box etc... I'd rather not just do USB attached storage, I want to stream over ethernet or 802.11n
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The Boxee Box is a little expensive but if you want to stream 1080p files to a TV there's simply nothing better. Plus, if the media you're playing is the type I assume it is, there's no better device at displaying it in a nice, clean manner with all the data about it. As another user said, AppleTV is simply incapable of 1080p, and it can't do MKV natively without messing with it. Roku doesn't do local streaming yet, and even when it does, MKV won't be a supported format.
Oh, and Boxee Box can play content from attached USB storage.
What's nice is that if you go download the Boxee software for your Mac or PC, you'll get a very good idea of what the Boxee Box will be like. The software is different, but it functions similarly. Trust me, you won't go wrong with the Boxee Box (and you can always return it if you don't like it :) ).
Oh, and Boxee Box can play content from attached USB storage.
What's nice is that if you go download the Boxee software for your Mac or PC, you'll get a very good idea of what the Boxee Box will be like. The software is different, but it functions similarly. Trust me, you won't go wrong with the Boxee Box (and you can always return it if you don't like it :) ).
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Well the apple TV 2 wont do 1080p without a but of stuttering, only usable at 720p. Roku doesn't do local like you said.
I have a boxee box and so far it is great, but if i had the choice i think i would wait till the boxee iomega media player. It has a few advantages such as local storage and better form factor. but the boxee firmware itself has been great, a little frustration with the developers trying to dumb it down too much and not listening to users, but i give them slack for being such a small development team and having to deal with DRM (netflix, etc.). As far as local goes, i have been able to play back allot of different video types form many different sources. The only (ONLY) one i had a problem with was an ogv, and i suspect it was just something to do with the way it was encoded because it acted weird in other players also.
iomega.com/iomegatv-media-center/
I have a boxee box and so far it is great, but if i had the choice i think i would wait till the boxee iomega media player. It has a few advantages such as local storage and better form factor. but the boxee firmware itself has been great, a little frustration with the developers trying to dumb it down too much and not listening to users, but i give them slack for being such a small development team and having to deal with DRM (netflix, etc.). As far as local goes, i have been able to play back allot of different video types form many different sources. The only (ONLY) one i had a problem with was an ogv, and i suspect it was just something to do with the way it was encoded because it acted weird in other players also.
iomega.com/iomegatv-media-center/
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Did you look into the WDTVLive, they're fairly reasonable in price and support MKV natively.
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I have the Briteview CinemaTube that works pretty well and is around $100.
www.brite-view.com/cinematube.php
I have a Windows fileshare that it can connect to and then just stream whatever files are present. Using wired ethernet it works very well and I never see any buffering issues. Has support for surround sound too.
www.brite-view.com/cinematube.php
I have a Windows fileshare that it can connect to and then just stream whatever files are present. Using wired ethernet it works very well and I never see any buffering issues. Has support for surround sound too.
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I am basically a disciple for Jailbreaking the ATV2 and installing XBMC at this point.it's easy, should only take about 40 minutes of your time, and allows you to stream anything on your network. The ATV2 is especially attractive if you have another iOS device with which to control it, and send videos to the TV via AirPlay.
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I own the Patriot Memory Box Office , and I'm pretty happy with the device. it retails for about $70 dollars. I installed an internal 320GB but it also has the ability to stream via ethernet or WiFi. Note you must purchase the WIFI USB dongle separate.
tinyurl.com/yemqp6e
tinyurl.com/yemqp6e
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Perhaps using a PS3 and an app like Medialink or Playback (which can transcode on the fly) to send your HD content to the PS3?
I find the video streaming on the PS3 from my Mac to actually be quite good (its the music streaming that seems to be a real pain on the PS3).
I find the video streaming on the PS3 from my Mac to actually be quite good (its the music streaming that seems to be a real pain on the PS3).
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The following will introduce a step by step guide on how to convert AVI to Apple TV supported format on Mac or Windows with the help of Bigasoft Total Video Converter. Then it is just easy to stream and play AVI on Apple TV 2 or Apple TV.
www.bigasoft.com/articles/stream-and-play-mkv-on-a...
www.bigasoft.com/articles/stream-and-play-mkv-on-a...
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