Hey guys, I myself feel confused which HD player should I buy and I believe the rest or future buyer have the same thought. Which player so far could satisfy your need and worth of $$$. Let's vote and give some feedback on your vote as well. Thanks!

Get the dune and u will never regret

This post has been edited by diamaidah: Oct 31 2010, 11:07 PM

you miss out on yangxi's (Diyomate) K3. it is value for money and it's a HD player.

Yeah..Yangxi will be furious his champion HDPro+ is not in the list.

K3 owner here

Support Yangxi HDPro. So far no problem with the unit. Only thing is I cannot play my Transformer 1 with HD audio. Other than that, it works fabulous.

I can't afford to buy more than 1, or to buy-sell-buy more than 0 time (so far only buy 1, but haven't buy-sell-buy).. so, cannot rank.

Research for those with good firmware support and you will not regret.

Only own a couple of the HD players... Can't say anything that I have never used...

My take as follow:
Dune Prime 3 > HiMedia 300D > Yangxi S7T > Yangxi E3 and some of the small flies need not mentioning here...

This post has been edited by geforce1999: Nov 1 2010, 03:12 PM

Used a Mede8er once.. pretty darn good.
Used a WDTV Mini once.. thought it wasn't as good as the Mede8er.

why no mede8er thread here?

Maybe too many for him to list it out...

no i meant in this forum

got.. I started one quite some time ago.. use search bro

obviously got buried somewhere so meaning less people use it

Xtreamer owner here.....
Good features supports almost all codecs for video and audio.....
Godd FIRMWARE support by community and mods......

Never regret buying it.....
Only RM450 in lowyat plaza (cycom sdn bhd)
http://forum.xtreamer.net/

Although I am PCH user, I do help my cousins to buy 2 units of Xtreamer Pro... no complain from them so far. Streaming of online channels not bad - plenty.

Plus, I bought the smaller Sidewinder one for my dad...

If you want nice interface, go for the one I just helped my colleague to buy,... - TViX HD N1.

Mede8er is not bad, almost bought for my dad but that time was too pricy.

All depends on what you prefer on the following criterias:-
- The outlook built quality like aluminium or plastic
- The chipset (Realtek or Sigma)
- The GUI / interface
- Firmware support
- Streaming channels
- Movie Jukebox function
- HD audio support (bitstreaming)
- Play mostly RMVB or MKV extensions
- The outlook of the remote (full buttons, glowing, glossy)
- Internal HDD capable (2.5/3.5 inch)

I am not promoting any brand but just to let TS know that most of the popular brands out there are almost equally good.

End of the day, it's personal preference or your usage.

This post has been edited by RayKazansky: Nov 1 2010, 06:56 PM

I'm using BlueAngel H10R 1073DD player. So far so good.
If I have more money, I'd get the Dune.

Question, if I get one of these players which does not include a built in internal storage. Which external storage can I use? 2.5" or 3.5"? The external storage will be a medium for me to transfer from my desktop to play on the player.

Btw, if anyone familiar with this product ACRYAN PLAY ON HDMI PLAYER sold in IT stores in Lowyat, may I know if this model includes built in storage?

You can use both 2.5 and 3.5 external storage....but 2.5 is double the price of 3.5.

Most of us use naked 3.5 with a docker...ahhh..yes...let me intro you what is docker:

Fits 3.5 as well as 2.5inch HDD


Docker in action

hi, thank's for the advice
but wow that's really some huge devices there. nice player btw is that Dune?

actually, i prefer to keep things portable. yes the price was one factor which I'm considering. like you said 2.5" is double the price of 3.5". but then if I get a 3.5" do I have to get the docker also? there are 3.5" with a casing and power supply adapter right?

do you know any other reliable players with an affordable price? my main concern is the GUI. most importantly the GUI is user friendly and easy for old people who has minimal knowledge about electronics to use


another alternative would be wireless usb stick, directly stream from my network. do you think that's reliable? coz I heard some people say it lags while watching.

FYI, Mede8er forum is not active here as they have their own forum at http://www.mede8erforum.com/.
So does Tvix which has their site and forum at http://www.tvix.co.kr/eng/

In terms of features and firmware, none of the Realtek based players can match Tvix Slim S1
No problem on HD / DMA audio passtru, screwless HDD slot for easy replacement of HDD (HDD Docker is not required), BD ISO menu (where other Realtek based players are still trying hard to resolve this), clipart / thumb screen, etc. For RM7XX, you are paying premium but enjoying the BMW of HDD palyer ie. Tvix is in the market for more than 6 years and their firmwares release are consistent and unmatched by ANY competitors.

I have both Mede8er and S1. Mede8er has yet to resolve their V4 Beta firmware even after 1 month announcement.
For comparison, months ago, Tvix already have firmware which features Mede8er is currently working / updating on.

tvix slim s1 huh? thanks for the info

So guess TVIX Slim and DUNE Prime is the most shouted among forummer..Could consider to purchase one by end of this year.

Why get 1 dockers?...I've a few types at home...not only melah...most regulars here also same..
Infact, most regulars here are into NAS and 4 in 1 dockers!!

I wouldn't invest on 2.5 HDD..although I've a few...limited space and very expensive...dun worry, I started like youlah..its good to have 1 or 2 lying around.
Think about it, are you really kaki movie or not?...cos first is a 2.5HDD 500GB will cost easy RM260..what you can fill up only 60 Full HD movies.
I'm sure you didn't invest a lot of money for only 60 movies! Then you have to spend RM260 to fill up another 60 movies...not so cost effective bro.

Consider also USB3.0...seriously...Copy - Paste GB of movies takes a looong time, and you need all the speed you can get. but if you decide to get USB3.0, its best that you Mobo matches it.

If you want FullHD with high bitrates movies...forget abt Wireless..many ppl buy it only to sell it off a month later.

Which player?...well dun ask me...I also couldn't decide...cannot tahanlah....like dog eat dog world...everyone says theirs is the best...so end of the day i got myself a Dune...Rocks..

This post has been edited by azbro: Nov 2 2010, 07:00 AM

Undeniable, Dune is a good choice for Sigma based player; better still if your Dune come with Bluray Tray which is retailing something like RM1,499. You pay premium, you get a Benz.

Unlike Tvix S1 which cost RM759 (Lowyat Plaza price), it does not come with Bluray tray but can play Hong Kong RMVB dramas.

End of the day, a premium / good player make sense; as long as you have the bullets (soft copies of FHD movies) to fill it.

aiya, copy and paste speed doesn't really matter. if you can wait downloading full HD movie with streamyx 1mbps. then you won't really concern about the copying speed already lol.

dune
budget only rm500 including storage. my average file size per movie/episode is only around 1.5gb. Altho avatar is 15gb, I find it kinda difficult to get full HD movies especially for new releases. So I'm looking at 500gb-1tb storage which I think would be sufficient. Coz I'll use desktop to archive the movies once the storage is full.

This post has been edited by Alvinix: Nov 2 2010, 09:14 AM

Dune is really a capable player. But not many can afford.... (some even selling @ RM1999 from Hi-Fi shops)

How much is the TViX Slim S1 average market price now? Anybody?

Hope this TViX brand will be running on Sigma again...soon

I think if you need your HD media player to be portable, maybe the best best choice you have was HDX Bone although it can't pass thru the HD Audio. It can have 2.5" HDD. Try to ask for it from bro kbteh.

I've 'played' with a few so call portable or mini media player..they are meant for portability. Limited buffering, limited audio, video audio file compatibility issues (even if the specs say all), gets very hot, limited in/out connection options etc. Portable players are great to bring along if you usually go outstation or overseas. If you at home, better buy a 'proper' one.

This post has been edited by azbro: Nov 3 2010, 08:43 AM

Bro,

I am currently scouting for a media player.

How many online channels are there for this Xtremer Pro ? English or Chinese ?

can anyone give a different between xtreamer and dune player.?

I just noticed that Dune players do not support RM/RMVB files? is that true?

which player can support all rm/rmvb, avi, mkv and mp4?

This post has been edited by Alvinix: Nov 3 2010, 09:50 AM

Since HD media players now come with a wide range of prices, it is difficult (and unfair) to compare them without considering the price. You would not expect a RM200 player to perform or has features like a RM1,000 player. General you can dvide them into 3 price categories, the low range costing under RM200, the mid-range costing under RM400 and the high end costing above that. Or even a super high end above RM1,000. Again in general, you'll find that players within the same price range will have very similar features and performance (especially if they are using the same chipset). The difference will then be in their appearance/construction, output ports and the firmware support. In this respect I find the Yangxi HDPro and his other players generally good value for money within their price range. Other brands may be equally good and will also have their own supporters but they may cost a little bit more.

You should decide on the features that you want and the money you are willing to spend. But there is no need to spend more thean necessary for the same features.

BTW, I am not associated with yangxi in any way, just a satisfied customer.

what I used to do was...

Mede8er with a 1TB HDD but that ran out of space. I went out to buy myself a 2TB (naked) HDD and a docker. I also wanted a new PC turned on for torrent 24/7 so I went out and got myself a Mac Mini with super low power consumption. The Mac Mini kinda replaced my Mede8er as I rarely travel outstation with a Mede8er anyway so I passed it to my bro. Now hand itchy and thinking of getting a Tvix Slim S1 since I bought myself a new 42" LED tv for the living room and my old 32" might be going into the bedroom.

wondering if I should leave the Mac Mini in the hall and get myself a cheap ass Media Player in the room and do the NAS thingy but then I gotta buy a new wifi router as well.. also, I wonder how many would get DTS-HD ready media files to play on players like Tvix Slim S1 since those files are huge! 8GB files are already a pain to get.

Anyway TS... if budget permits, getting something like a Mede8er or ACRyan or any other with a 1TB or 2TB HDD inside would be nice and neat.

a friend of mine brought up this issue yesterday
he asked me if I would buy a player with built in storage...then whenever I want to transfer files I need to unplug my player and bring to the desktop back and forth? lol. how to overcome this???

what I did previously when I was using my PC was... my mede8er is hooked up via network and transfer files via NAS.. a bit slow but sometimes I do this when I'm bathing and out eating...
what I did after I got my Mac Mini was plug in via USB since it was kinda next to each other... then I thought why not just use the Mac Mini

the reason to get Tvix Slim S1 (for the room) is because from what I see, I can remove the drive easily and plug it into my docker.

NAS is the network storage right? means the steps would be from pc > NAS > media player?
anyway I'm dropping out all network solutions. I wonder how long it will take to transfer a 1080p through wireless network. besides, I don't like to keep my pc switched on while I'm at work.

looks like docker or portable ext hdds are my only options.

and it's really difficult to pick which media player to buy LOL.

This post has been edited by Alvinix: Nov 3 2010, 10:37 AM

If you are looking for external HDD..for 3.5inch I recommend Sammy G3 (cheap and reliable), for 2.5inch is Buffalo ministation, good component parts in a heavy duty case.

Dockers I prefer Vantec....easy to detect drives and more solid built than others same price range.

Funny thing is, even when I have a China brand 'All in 1' USB3.0 docker, I still use the Vantec (USB2.0 connected to USB3.0 port).

This post has been edited by azbro: Nov 3 2010, 11:00 AM

I use a Hornetek / Phantom ... so far ok ... havent really tested with 1080p files but since my projector is only 720p...why bother i guess...720p also takes so long to download duh...can't imagine me downloading 1080p

and for my other display i use a notebook...connected via vga or hdmi to my lcd ... plays every format so far using vlc media player ....upgradeabale too to some extent... and the bonus feature is that can play FB or Twitter or do Excel work with it on a larger screen... something to think about eh?... and it's better than HTPC since u can bring this entire unit to Starbucks

If not mistaken, the list is inside the "Live.zip" file. You may download and view the channel list. You may also configure your own preferred channels.
Xtreamer Live!

Please do not use the live channel when small kids around... got "prawn" channels inside. With the latest firmware, this can be unlocked with four digit codes to protect children from watching them.

If the info above is wrong, I gotta say sorry as I bought it for my Dad for usage @ hometown. I only use it when I go back there.



This post has been edited by RayKazansky: Nov 3 2010, 11:52 AM

Sammy 2GB HDD was selling like RM295 recently and at 5,400rpm, it is perfect for movies as it makes less noise.
Idealtools docker was selling at the same price as Vantec USB2 (RM95) but it comes with e-sata and more solid than Vantec.
Previously, I have both; Vantec connected to my player while Idealtools docker connected to my PC via e-sata + power cable.
After getting my Tvix S1 which HDD is easily swappable, I am not using either of them.
I copy files via sata + power cable pull out from my PC via a metal slot at the back of the PC.

Unrelated to azbro:
I am no Tvix promoter but if you have test driven a BMW/Benz, you would not want to go back to Proton.
I constantly visit Tvix web-site and hardly see anything that these Koreans cannot resolved e.g. Bluray Menu on Realtek chip, HD / Digital audio passthru, 23.xx frames, etc., RMVB files, movie sheet, etc.
FYI, before S1, non of the Tvix HDD based players are selling below RM1,000.

Hi, can you gimme links to Idealtool's Docker. I did a search in google and also Lowyat garage sale cannot find...wanna check it out too..Thanks..

The Idealtools "Toaster" (USB2 + e-sata) is no longer available in the market.
I understand the new Toaster now come with USB3 support (USB2 as well) but without e-sata anymore; same price ~RM100.
I bought my Toaster from one of those small shops at 2nd floor IT Mall PJ (Super IT???) but I saw C-Zone is selling them too (but not listed in their price list). Still, old ginger is hotter i.e. the Toaster with e-sata but too bad, no longer available.

Ah.. I think I bought one of these (USB2 + e-sata) some time ago.. went back a few months after that and it's all USB3 only now
Now... if only I can get one with Firewire

ohh..I see..I don't use esata..only use USB2.0 and USB3.0 (express card) for my lappy
So far the USB3.0 China brand mari ones are not so good. I prefer banded..but the current Vantec USB3.0 not available. If got also price gonna be expensive

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Added on November 3, 2010, 4:12 pmWhat brand for USB3.0?...I'm using the Yangxi one (hehe..no offense) but not so easy to detect the HDD..
But when I use Vantec USB2.0 in the USB3.0 port, sure can detect HDD.

This post has been edited by azbro: Nov 3 2010, 04:12 PM

If you're a hardcore HD guy (which I think you are), you would quickly outgrow your storage space needs. The NAS route is the way to go.

Oh, don't go with the wifi router. Get a proper Gigabit switch (or a Gigabit / Wifi combo switch) if you're gonna stream HD files. Else, go with the homeplug thingy but you would still invest in a switch.

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Added on November 3, 2010, 4:18 pmHow to overcome? Get a switch (if you don't have one) and get a localised network storage area (NAS) for file storage. Transfer your files over the network. Stream your files over the network. No unplug / plug of hard disk.

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Added on November 3, 2010, 4:20 pmHow fast does a 1080p file transfer over a Gigabit network? An 8GB file would take less than 1.5 minutes. That's assuming your NAS and the hardisk in your PC is able to handle more than 100MB/s transfer. I've tried transferring large files over wireless. Before you know it, your wireless will drop connection and you have to start all over again.

I download straight to NAS and then automatically unrar the files. If you don't store a lot of HD files, then perhaps the NAS solution is overkill. But if you have a media player, I assume you'll be playing a lot of movie files?

This post has been edited by jchue73: Nov 3 2010, 04:20 PM

Just my opinion.
I think no HD player can fight with an desktop + decent display card.
Am I right?

oh.. I can't remember the brand name I thought all of these stuff come from China anyway

Yea.. I've already got two 2TB and four 1 TB HDDs and they're starting to fill up fast

I did think about going with a gigabit switch once but then I didn't want to have all my HDDs turned on.. thinking of getting a bunch of naked HDDs and use the toaster
I also saw that Belkin has a Wifi router with 3 bandwidth.. 2.x Ghz up to 5 Ghz which they say is quite fast for wifi... but thanks for the heads up on wifi problems though!

I need to check up on the gigabit network a bit more.. any good source of reading materials?

Its more complex than that. Setting up the display card to be consistent in the output at proper video levels is still not straightforward.

The media players are better at that.

lol. I'm using a radeon 5770 and Sharp LCD 32" full hd(extended display). Usually I will drag my VLC or MPC to the TV display, but still not so satisfied with the quality, tested with avatar 1080p.

I think there are some tweakings to be made on the GPU, but yet to research on it.

Hmmm....but I'm very happy with my desktop output to my Sony 32" LCDTV (HD ready). My display cards are ASUS EAH 4850 XFire. Unfortunately not try on a 42" Panasonic Full HD plasma simply because the HDMI is not long enough :-p

Any comments?

No wonder... my boss is struggling with his HTPC now

Why popcorn hour not listed i the poll

Ask your boss to buy a Mac Mini.
Why?
- Low Power Consumption
- HDMI out
- Optical Out (need to get an adapter)
- Small (really small) Form Factor

i'm looking for a media player that can support multi format and online streaming of english and chinese channels.

from the threads, it seems like xstreamer pro with Live! download file can support many english channels but maybe little or none chinese channels.

any other recommendation of media player?

PS: the intention is to replace astro since i only watch limited channels, even though have to bundle with other useless channels.

This post has been edited by jutamind: Nov 4 2010, 11:49 AM

Try http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

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Added on November 4, 2010, 12:01 pmThat's correct. I myself am still learning and the amount of info out there is too much that it's very confusing. Anyway, because of the myrid of ways media files are encoded, you would be able to tweak the PC while you would need a firmware update from the manufacturer of the media player if they ever get to updating firmwares.

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Added on November 4, 2010, 12:02 pmI'm just using an old ATI 2600XT. With the latest drivers, I'm quite satisfied with the DVI / HDMI output. I'm just using analogue audio. Nothing fancy at the moment. What problems are you facing? Judder?

If it's choppy, perhaps the player is not configured to use DXVA. It's probably using pure CPU power to decode and the problem would be made worse if you have a weak CPU. You can check via Task Manager to see what is the percentage of CPU usage during playback.

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Added on November 4, 2010, 12:03 pmI always think it's way overpriced. RM 2400 can buy you a lot PC related stuff.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Nov 4 2010, 12:03 PM

Yeah, HTPC is the best media player. (if u are patient person and know how to configure it).

thanks for the link..!

yea, the Mac Mini is kinda pricey but it's also kinda hard to get a HTPC that small, has that low power consumption (even the Dell Zino HD can't be as efficient as it yet). I had some issues with HDD with FAT32 and NTFS format getting corrupted once where I lost 1 whole TB worth of data... I make sure all my HDDs are HFS+ after that and never had any problems (so far lah.. heheh) eventhough it can be a bit trouble some when it comes to sharing with Windows based PCs

His HTPC is packed with ATi 56xx series and Xonar... still cannot perform. Sigh...

I dun think he likes the apple thingy... maybe i can suggest.

get dune

hmm... RAM enough? Processor Speed? HDD space? A lot of things can affect performance.. btw.. what does your boss mean by 'cannot perform'?

He cannot tune the GPU right... so cannot perform lo... LOL

He ask me also I cant help him because I really dunno how perfect is his PQ/colour requirements. When I look at his screen, it seems to be quite okay.

oh..? tune the GPU right? you mean... colour calibration isit? Windows should have it's own colour calibration tool right ? I'm not too sure but I know Macs have built-in colour calibration tools.
I think the TV itself needs a bit of tuning as well

um, when watching 720p american tv series I can see some noise on the video. 1080p movies are only so so or maybe my eye benchmark is too high LOL. but then the chinese dramas (rm/rmvb) are damn clear. I'm only using VLC and MPC.

so what if it's using the cpu power to decode, how do i configure to utilise the gpu instead?




btw, what are the differences between a rm150 and a rm30 hdmi cable of the same length? I was looking for one today and the salesman told me the cheap one sold out. He said the rm150 one got better picture quality...really ah?

got my 2nd unit of Dvico 6600

couldn't be happier

guys I'm selling my Xtreamer Pro just I just bought it 1 month ago please check out my thread

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1627779

You need a lot of CPU power if it's solely using CPU to decode If you use a weak CPU like AMD or even lower end Intel ones, you would not have enough horsepower. Trick is to configure the player to use DXVA acceleration.

Concerning quality of 720p and 1080p files, it depends on how they are encoded and more importantly how good the source is.

On HDMI cables, if you don't have a more than RM 20k TV or TV with 3D support or if you're only using not more than 1.5m cable length, you will be hard pressed to see any difference between the cheap and expensive HDMI cable. My advise? Stick with what is comfortable with your wallet.

what about acryan , u can see they got the highest vote.

oh ... my HDPRO/mini not in the list ^^

they vote because they have it not bcoz they like it

Is TViX Slim S1 is a good choice?

nope.

Bro, thanks for the link, but I'm kinda lost as to where to look for a switch - the gigabit network.
Locally what switch do you recommend? make and model?

one of my choices but at the price given, just add a bit more and get dune.

Dune Base 3.0 now getting cheaper

liddat also can???!!

so if I like dune and I bought it because I think it's good, also cannot vote it ar?

can la bro. no harm one

but i do like my playon

No Seagate?

my whole house has Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD (own 4 of them)

you should test my brand. better than..