AVS Discussions
Video Source Devices => Media players => Topic started by: NBPk402 on November 04, 2016, 08:47:32 PM
-
I am using several i3 NUCs, and Android boxes with Kodi on them for all my streaming from my UnRaid NAS. Great graphical interface, and it is free too. :)
-
I have an Amazon Fire Stick which I mostly use for Amazon Prime Music.
-
I have an Amazon Fire Stick which I mostly use for Amazon Prime Music.
Have you tried streaming 1080p movies... I am curious as to whether they have enough cpu to do it too.
-
I have both generations of the Amazon Fire TV and love them... :)
I have Broadband 35 down with 5 up and have no problem with 1080p streams...
-
I have both generations of the Amazon Fire TV and love them... :)
I have Broadband 35 down with 5 up and have no problem with 1080p streams...
That is great news... I had tried a USB stick Media player a while back and it wouldn't stream 1080p. Looks like I might get one next instead of the bigger box Media players since they are now capable of streaming 1080P.
-
I just want to make sure we are on the same page... :)
I have the Fire TV Streaming Media Player and not the Fire TV Stick...
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Fire-TV-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B00U3FPN4U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1478973285&sr=8-3&keywords=firestick
-
Have you tried streaming 1080p movies... I am curious as to whether they have enough cpu to do it too.
Hasn't been an issue. Of course, I recommend a solid wifi connection. I have my Fire Stick on the 802.11n 5GHz band. Using an app on my cell phone, I checked the channel assignment to make sure it did not conflict with neighbors (I live in a high rise condo). My ISP provides 25/25 Mbps (symmetrical).
-
I just want to make sure we are on the same page... :)
I have the Fire TV Streaming Media Player and not the Fire TV Stick...
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Fire-TV-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B00U3FPN4U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1478973285&sr=8-3&keywords=firestick
Gotcha!
-
Roku for me
-
I used my ps3 for the longest time but now I have an Amazon Firestick and mostly use the Xbox One. I stream a lot of stuff from my PC using Universal Media Server.
-
Fire Stick and Fire TV with Kodi side loaded. By far the best thing I have used with Kodi. Everything else has lagged way to much to use.
-
Fire Stick and Fire TV with Kodi side loaded. By far the best thing I have used with Kodi. Everything else has lagged way to much to use.
Does the Firestick accept hardwired LAN, or is it just WiFi? I ask this because my other Kodi players have not been happy streaming 1080P movies via WiFi.
-
Fire TV Stick can only use wifi; no LAN connector. Fire TV Box has both LAN connector and wifi.
-
I've used Popcorn Hour A-100, C-200, A-400 and have an A-500 on the way. I'm also using Fire TV with Kodi as well as Emby Media Server. The A-500 is for my home theater and critical viewing while the Fire TV's (also have one in the home theater) are more for viewing on a smaller screen and lower bitrate. I'm troubleshooting some sound dropouts with high bitrate files (1:1 mkv's with DTS:X or Atmos) and think I have it down to the boxes feeding the stream (hence the A-500). I just don't have the stomach for a full HTPC setup although I'm running dual Xeon's in UnRAID server and it's just begging for more to do!
-
I just picked up another Kodi box. I already had one of these, and i liked that it ran cool, had optical input, WIFI, and LAN, plus came with a little remote. This one will be replacing my i3NUC in the HT.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QHLSKOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-
I just picked up another Kodi box. I already had one of these, and i liked that it ran cool, had optical input, WIFI, and LAN, plus came with a little remote. This one will be replacing my i3NUC in the HT.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QHLSKOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just picked up another Kodi box. I already had one of these, and i liked that it ran cool, had optical input, WIFI, and LAN, plus came with a little remote. This one will be replacing my i3NUC in the HT.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QHLSKOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
What type of media are you feeding this box (i.e. Compressed MKV rips, 1:1 BluRay rips, Bdmv folder structure etc)? How does it handle higher bitrate files? Any issues with audio passthrough (or are you just using Kodi as the front end)?
-
What type of media are you feeding this box (i.e. Compressed MKV rips, 1:1 BluRay rips, Bdmv folder structure etc)? How does it handle higher bitrate files? Any issues with audio passthrough (or are you just using Kodi as the front end)?
I have been using MKV rips set to same as source for audio and video. We are also playing SACDs ripped to FLACs, and they are fine. We are using Kodi as the front end...with it set to passthrough. Does this make sense? I haven't had a chance to try it on my movies yet in the HT though...I was using my other one in our MB, and it is passing the audio via optical to my WIFI headphones. I will let you know how it does in the HT too.
-
I have been using MKV rips set to same as source for audio and video. We are also playing SACDs ripped to FLACs, and they are fine. We are using Kodi as the front end...with it set to passthrough. Does this make sense? I haven't had a chance to try it on my movies yet in the HT though...I was using my other one in our MB, and it is passing the audio via optical to my WIFI headphones. I will let you know how it does in the HT too.
Yeah, makes sense. Interested to hear how your 1:1 rips with HD audio perform? These are the only limitation in my current setup.
-
Yeah, makes sense. Interested to hear how your 1:1 rips with HD audio perform? These are the only limitation in my current setup.
I had thought that the rips were great, but after switching to the new media player... I have my doubts. Last night I noticed my audio didn't quite sound the same while i was giving a demo to others of my setup, so I played the SACD in my Pioneer BDP-80DF... The results were dramatically different! I am going to have to do some more testing before I am certain. What we heard yesterday was at least 6db louder from the SACD than the rip, and somehow more bass, and clearer vocals. I had always thought a HDD would sound better (and in the past was unable to tell the difference).
-
I decided to give Plex a try, and i am now a lifetime member. At first I didn't like the interface, but once I got it all setup I love it. I really like the fact that I can pause a movie, and then start it up from where i left off in another room. I have been having some network problems since I started converting my whole LAN over to Cisco, and I believe the problems are all from the Netgear R7000 that was originally giving me a headache. Strange thing is with Kodi I am getting buffering, but with Plex it plays flawlessly, and appears to be at a louder level like my Pioneer DVD is.
-
I was torn between Plex and Emby but ultimately decided on Emby for the interface and awesome support. You can't really go wrong with Plex though as it's very established.
-
I just came across this one... http://vortexbox.org/about I haven't tried it as Plex is doing fine for me, but someone else might like to try it out.
-
The more I use Plex, the more I like it. It is great to be able to pause and continue in another room. The channels feature is nice too for streaming from the Internet too.
-
I plan on purchasing one of the HD Dunes. They seam to playback most file types including UHD BD rips. One model downloads trailers for playback. I remember the company name from over a decade ago and was surprised and happy to see they are still going strong.
-
Apple TV 4K. have 3 of them. Love em'
-
I use a Minix Neo U9 side loaded with LibreElec for Kodi. It runs super smooth.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/322647536451 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/322647536451)
https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread/5274-index-libreelec-community-builds-for-amlogic/ (https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread/5274-index-libreelec-community-builds-for-amlogic/)
-
I use PLEX on Roku to access my server. Works well, allowing access to my ripped movies on all of my displays, computer and iphone.
-
I use my pair of Oppo 203 players to play HD and UHD Blu-Ray folder backups over my home network. The Oppo outputs Dolby Vision to my LG OLED which is not possible with most players from folder backups.
I do realize this capability may disappear some day if pressure is put on Oppo by the studios, but for now it works great.
-
I use PLEX on Roku to access my server. Works well, allowing access to my ripped movies on all of my displays, computer and iphone.
I do have a Plex server running on my 100TB Nas 24/7. Feeds my shows and Movies while traveling to my phone or tablet, but mostly for my extended family across the US.
I have been Kodi (Xbmc) person for well over 10 years and with the scrappers available, my media shows off nicely.
-
I have been a long-term PlexPass user of Plex, but I found a better Plex solution. There is a Plex add-in for Kodi and I run on the nVidia Shield. It is fantastic. Kodi v18 and above now has "whitelisting" of certain resolutions that you wish not to be upscaled by Kodi or the nVidia Shield. Kodi controls nVidia Shield resolution and refresh rate setting to permit the video passthrough to your display device.
My display is a JVC RS540 (recently acquired), and I want all 1080p and below content to come to the projector at 1080p. 4k content I want to come natively to the projector. The JVC then does it thing with e-shift to enhance the 1080p and process the 4k to the best of its ability.
To achieve this I set nVidia Shield resolution to "1080p 59.9" and Kodi to use "1080p auto". When I play a 4k movie, Kodi will change the nVidia Shield resolution to 4k, and return it to 1080p after the playback ends.
Let me know if you have any questions.
-
I. now have 2 Dune HD PRO 4K media players, and a Roku for streaming. I stream my movies from USB HDDs using Dune or Plex, and stream my music using Roon Rock via my NUCs or using Airplay on my AVP. So far all work great.
-
I am in the process of switching my whole collection to a NAS server using 1:1 MKV files of my discs.
I am using a Nvidia Shield Pro and the Emby server
Just got things kicked off yesterday and it works awesome! so cool having all my media accessible while sitting in the theater and not staring at a bunch of disc cases lol.
Now the not so fun opart begins of putting all 400+ 4k discs onto the server
-
I am in the process of switching my whole collection to a NAS server using 1:1 MKV files of my discs.
I am using a Nvidia Shield Pro and the Emby server
Just got things kicked off yesterday and it works awesome! so cool having all my media accessible while sitting in the theater and not staring at a bunch of disc cases lol.
Now the not so fun opart begins of putting all 400+ 4k discs onto the server
Instead of staring at " a bunch of disc cases ", you can stare at a screen full of cover photos / icons. I would have 746 disc to digitize - and I don't have any time now.
-
Instead of staring at " a bunch of disc cases ", you can stare at a screen full of cover photos / icons. I would have 746 disc to digitize - and I don't have any time now.
and it tells me what its about (great for the kids/wife) what time it will end if i start it now. the rotten tomato score, and if i don't feel like watching it after a few minutes i can easily switch to something else. if i stop a mive in the middle and come back later its guaranteed to pickup where i left off (some discs dont offer this). I can access the files from any room in the house. lots of advantages imho
i have to digitize more than you. (425 4K and 500+ bluray)..but its a few clicks then go away for a while to come back. not like im staring at the progress bar lmao..
but to each his own :)
I find it very cool
-
and it tells me what its about (great for the kids/wife) what time it will end if i start it now. the rotten tomato score, and if i don't feel like watching it after a few minutes i can easily switch to something else. if i stop a mive in the middle and come back later its guaranteed to pickup where i left off (some discs dont offer this). I can access the files from any room in the house. lots of advantages imho
i have to digitize more than you. (425 4K and 500+ bluray)..but its a few clicks then go away for a while to come back. not like im staring at the progress bar lmao..
but to each his own :)
I find it very cool
Do you need to buy a watch ? ;D
-
why do math if i dont need to lol
-
why do math if i dont need to lol
You still need to look at your watch ! ;D
-
My watch is pleasurable
To look
At
-
I use Shield Pro in HT and Roku Ultra in family room. I use hard disc in HT, but have the digital copy on Vudu. So if traveling, I can access movies on Vudu.
-
My "Go To" Media file player is the Zidoo z9x. It loads faster than my Zappiti 4K/HDR Mini, and (to my eyes) images look a bit sharper. Also, the Zidoo "file manager" is faster to load than the Zappiti version. I was very loyal to the Zappiti and it still does some things better, but overall ease of use and image quality pushed me to the Zidoo Z9x. The one area where the Zappiti beats the Zidoo hands down is in file scraping/identifying tv shows. Both boxes are 'live' in my system and both draw from files on a Synology DS-418 NAS.
For "streaming" purposes, I use the Roku Ultimate. It's also very good at what it does.
-
So now after a month of using a NAS. I can say it easily is much better than discs. In addition to being able browse from your couch. Every movie starts where you leave off (some discs don’t allow that) but the biggest thing is you press play and it loads immediately.
No waiting for Warnings. Or FF through trailers. Or menus. Just play.
So great.
-
I use a 4K Ruku for the Xfinity app and a Apple TV 4K for all other apps.
-
My "Go To" Media file player is the Zidoo z9x. It loads faster than my Zappiti 4K/HDR Mini, and (to my eyes) images look a bit sharper. Also, the Zidoo "file manager" is faster to load than the Zappiti version. I was very loyal to the Zappiti and it still does some things better, but overall ease of use and image quality pushed me to the Zidoo Z9x. The one area where the Zappiti beats the Zidoo hands down is in file scraping/identifying tv shows. Both boxes are 'live' in my system and both draw from files on a Synology DS-418 NAS.
For "streaming" purposes, I use the Roku Ultimate. It's also very good at what it does.
The new Zappiti players (I have a NEO) are faster than the old players. Love it!
-
So now after a month of using a NAS. I can say it easily is much better than discs. In addition to being able browse from your couch. Every movie starts where you leave off (some discs don’t allow that) but the biggest thing is you press play and it loads immediately.
No waiting for Warnings. Or FF through trailers. Or menus. Just play.
So great.
I'll have to agree. Been using a NAS for 6 months. Love it.
-
I am starting to evaluate this as I'm about to attempt getting going on ripping discs. Not quite as big a collection as many here but still nearly 500 total. I have a Synology NAS that I have recently upgraded with larger drives and plan to rip to that.
Big question for me - I've been using the Panny 820 for discs to help the HDR work better on my JVS RS-500. Do the Zappiti or other players do this? I looked up the spec sheet for the Neo and didn't see any mention of that as a feature.
-
I am starting to evaluate this as I'm about to attempt getting going on ripping discs. Not quite as big a collection as many here but still nearly 500 total. I have a Synology NAS that I have recently upgraded with larger drives and plan to rip to that.
Big question for me - I've been using the Panny 820 for discs to help the HDR work better on my JVS RS-500. Do the Zappiti or other players do this? I looked up the spec sheet for the Neo and didn't see any mention of that as a feature.
No. Not that I know of. I have a Lumagen. You would need MadVR on a HTPC or a Lumagen or a new JVC with DTM built in.
-
I am starting to evaluate this as I'm about to attempt getting going on ripping discs. Not quite as big a collection as many here but still nearly 500 total. I have a Synology NAS that I have recently upgraded with larger drives and plan to rip to that.
Big question for me - I've been using the Panny 820 for discs to help the HDR work better on my JVS RS-500. Do the Zappiti or other players do this? I looked up the spec sheet for the Neo and didn't see any mention of that as a feature.
They do not. You would need an external VP. I was able to change over to a NAS w my rs600 soley because I already had a lumagen in the chain
-
This topic seems to be dormant, but for those of us with large collections of movies, tv shows, et al stored digitally on hard drives (NAS), there are darn good reasons to use a Media Player. I've used Zappiti and enjoyed it, but after kicking the tires on several others (many sourced from the same factory), I settled on the Zidoo. I'm running their Z9x Pro right now, but previously used their z9s. The image produced by the Zappiti is sharper to my eyes than what I see from any other player (on a 136" cinemascope screen). The poster wall works well, but it was more work to set up than the Zidoo. One other thing I like: it does not require an active internet connection to access and play movies from a server. When I last owned a Zappiti, the active internet connection was required. What are you folks using in your systems?
-
This topic seems to be dormant, but for those of us with large collections of movies, tv shows, et al stored digitally on hard drives (NAS), there are darn good reasons to use a Media Player. I've used Zappiti and enjoyed it, but after kicking the tires on several others (many sourced from the same factory), I settled on the Zidoo. I'm running their Z9x Pro right now, but previously used their z9s. The image produced by the Zappiti is sharper to my eyes than what I see from any other player (on a 136" cinemascope screen). The poster wall works well, but it was more work to set up than the Zidoo. One other thing I like: it does not require an active internet connection to access and play movies from a server. When I last owned a Zappiti, the active internet connection was required. What are you folks using in your systems?
After test driving a K-scape for a year on a review agreement, I just couldn't justify the cost of buying it (even with a good discount). While the ecosystem is fantastic, it's definitely for the well-healed among us (of which I aspire to be, but am falling short of flying on private planes and living the country club life). So for the past two months I've been going the MKV route and have close to 500 movies ripped (I tend to do a few each day and more if I'm working from my home office because I can do it in the background).
Currently, I'm using a Synology 518+ NAS with 35TB of storage, but I'm thinking of upgrading one of my 6TB drives to a 22TB one and I'll end up with about 45TB of storage space (500 movies is about 18TB and is a mix of UHDs and BDs). As my player I'm using a Shield Pro and Plex, which has worked out quite well. My only gripe is it loses audio synch when pausing the movie, which means a 5 second delay because of my Trinnov processor. I was at Ralph Potts house last week for a few days and he's using the Zidoo and I liked how it worked and am tempted to get one from Amazon to try out at some point.
Has anyone here gone from Plex to Zidoo? If so, how did that transition go and does it treat the library the same way? I set my library up per the directions from Plex (individual folders for each movie and after the title of the film I put the year it was made. For example, Star Wars - A New Hope (1977)/Star Wars A New Hope (1977).mkv. I'm curious what other's are doing.
-
With any of the media players with a NAS as media server, the key to happiness file naming. The players software is trying to identify and sort the various files on your NAS. Understanding how each player wants files to be named, such as Title.Year.mkv. or Castle 1997.S03EP17.mkv, helps the software to identify your content. Sorry I haven't used Plex or other player, but I have used the Zapitti. It's poster wall is excellent, and the software does a great job of identifying and sorting the titles. I'm running 2 NAS Synology boxes over a LAN and accessing it all with a Zidoo Z9x media player. The poster wall is very good, but like all of them, there a little learning curve. As far as file-naming, since all the content is on my LAN, I can modify the files names easily on a pc. Moving from one player to another is physically a simple matter, but getting the software to play nicely with your file system can take a bit of time. Once it's sorted out, it is an impressive set up.
...haven't posted in a while. A lot of system changes now listed in my sig line.
-
I'm still using my Zappiti NEO with the R_volution firmware and my Zappiti NAS w 80TB of storage. The R_volution firmware works better than the older Zappiti firmware in my experience. No complaints.
-
Regarding moving from Plex (KODI-based) to the Zidoo media players, this tutorial may help: http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/posterwall-ht4-0.87599/ Pay attention to the section that discussed file naming protocols. I hope this helps.
-
I moved on to the Zappiti Reference about a year before they went belly up. Currently I am still using the Reference with R_Video software. I am still debating on moving on to another player. I have been looking at the Zidoo and Dune models on the lower end.