if you play hi-res audio tracks (FLAC, AIFF, WAV, etc) with 88.1/96/192 kHz sampling rates, then it'd be wise to get something else like the Dune/Oppo. The WDTV Live resamples it internally to 48 kHz, regardless analog/optical/hdmi out

if your MKV has Dolby TrueHD audio tracks, you will get static or no sound. You would have to manually extract the AC3 core and remux your MKV.
if your MKV has DTSMA audio tracks, you will get sound, whether it is decoding DTSMA or the DTS-core, I have no idea since I use analog outs...

if the above applies to you, best get the Dune or something else

This post has been edited by ADJ: May 24 2011, 08:26 PM

I streamed an MKV to my WDTV Live over 100Mbps LAN from PC and Synology NAS. It was remux'd from Bluray rip that I did with H.264 video and TrueHD audio..works fine

well, 100mbps (as well as other rated network speeds) is only a theoretical transfer rate, subject to network protocols, overheads and other factors. It's really a matter of the kind of network setup you have, and whether it supports your needs well enough. For me, 100mbps works fine for my media streaming, but I'll be upgrading my equipment to Cat6 Gigabit anyway as it's too slow to transfer files between PC/NAS over 100mbps. Sorry for the OT.

I use a Synology NAS as a download manager as well so that I don't have to keep my PC on 24/7, reduces my electricity bill by a large margin.

I'm not so familiar with the Dune, but I understand you can access content on the Synology via NFS or SMB shared folders, as well as the builtin DLNA media server on the Synology. You can also install Twonky on the Synology as well. I use SMB shares with my WDTV Live for all my content - works well, including streaming BD remux titles over 100Mbps LAN.

yes and no - the expansion units only work with selected NAS models:
http://www.synology.com/support/faq_show.p...ng=enu&q_id=408

suggest taking Synology/NAS discussion to another/new thread to avoid derailing this dune thread?

htkaki, here's a quick overview about using a NAS.

if you use a sharkoon/hotway 4 bay storage device, and connect it via USB to your media player, you will see a list of folders, files etc. you will then navigate it via our media player, and then play your files accordingly.

a NAS is similar, but it is like a mini PC. It has a processor, memory, and runs on it's own OS. You will need a PC to access the web UI of the NAS to configure/manage it. Since it has an OS, there are also applications like media servers, web servers, download managers etc. It is also more energy efficient than using a PC to do all this on a 24/7 basis.

using a NAS is similar to the external USB storage, only that it is connected via networking instead, usually wired. Instead of it being local files, it would then be on a network shared folder. There are 2 kinds of network shared folders, SMB and NFS. NFS offers better performance, but you will need to enable it on your NAS, and your media player needs to support it. I believe the Dune supports NFS (WDTV Live does not). Once you have connected to the folder, you just browse and play the content, no problem.

you can also access the NAS content if it has a DLNA media server application on it, and if your media player is also a DLNA media renderer, which I believe the Dune is capable of doing so. There are advantages to this, such as creating a media library, tags, etc. Synology has a simple DLNA server app, but you can also install 3rd party DLNA server apps like Twonky. I believe bro terranova is more knowledgeable in this.

one cool thing I can do with my NAS and WDTV Live is using an iPhone app called ZappoTV. I can use my iPhone to browse my DLNA media library, and then select the movie/song I wish to play, and "ask" the WDTV to start playing it. Quite cool

hope this helps ya

if you are coming from a music perspective and intend to use a DAC, and onwards to your pre/power, the upcoming w4s music server might be good - https://audiofest.net/2011/downloads/Special/WyredR.pdf

unless you are in a high traffic office/enterprise environment, you won't need a very high powered processor based system. The only time when my NAS slows down is when I run multiple simultaneous password-RAR extractions, and that is also with my ancient 2007 Synology NAS.

Newer NAS like the DS411j should be enough for normal media streaming, if not then go straight to DS1511+ for expandability. A friend of mine has a DS1511+ and DX510 setup for his many-many-many seasons of HD English and TVB dramas, BD-ISO rips and WAV/FLACs

good point too! I run mine in RAID 1 mirror since mine is only a 2 bay NAS. Reason I didn't mention this earlier was because some external USB/eSATA boxes also have RAID, like this 5-bay Sharkoon unit which you can get from lowyat, so I thought it wasn't a feature exclusive to NAS boxes

http://www.sharkoon.com/?q=en/node/1809

Got this mail from Dune for their upcoming booth at CES. Kinda disappointing as there is no news on midrange products, and no more news on the "upgrades" for the Max, Duo, Smart series either:

CES Invitation and Best Wishes for 2012



This post has been edited by ADJ: Dec 13 2011, 11:54 AM