Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Sara's Audio-Visual Import-Overflow Retail => Topic started by: Menorah Jams, Pham on October 17, 2012, 07:04:23 PM
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Okay, I'm basically at the end of my rope here. As fansubbers move to hi10p (don't tell me about Crunchyroll - I'll elaborate in a sec) I'm stuck with few if any alternatives to watch anime in my living room.
Here's the deal: in our nerd room we have the home desktop server PC thing with a NAS box attached. The NAS stores all anime and other media. It's visible over our network; on our PCs it's mapped as a network drive and it's visible over its own IP address.
In our living room we have a wireless network bridge - a router running DD-WRT - that works just fine and dandy. It and our main wireless router are both wireless-N, operating on the 2.4ghz band. We have a WDTV Live Plus hooked up to the TV in the living room which we use for Netflix and streaming media off the NAS box.
The problem is that with so many releases coming out in 10-bit/hi10p, I'm forced to resort to whichever sub group (usually Horriblesubs and now I'm told Deadfish) still does 8-bit releases. I'd rather have more accurate translations/less translation liberties taken (this is just by my preference and opinion, no arguements over translation accuracy/literacy please) and the WDTV box doesn't support app installs, so we can't use any kind of streaming app that Crunchyroll, Funimation, etc. uses.
So what I'm looking for is a budget-friendly option - as in under no circumstances will I spend more than $150 - that will play Netflix in HD and hi10p MKVs. As far as I know now, there is no such device possible.
I don't care about OS. I tried with a small form factor Atom PC, which played the anime fine but didn't do Netflix HD content - which is an issue with the Atom CPU and Silverlight, and as such I don't have a PC in there.
The criteria I'm looking for are:
-Absolute maximum budget of $150
-Quiet - silent if possible, but shouldn't be audible in a quiet room from 10 feet away
-Standard remote control (an Android app is all nice but triangles doesn't have a smartphone to use it)
-Only output needed is HDMI
-Either a gigabit Ethernet jack or 802.11n built in is fine
If you can point me at a product that fits all those, and it works, I will pay you $10 via Paypal for your time and for finally solving this problem for me.
I'm not paying more than $150 so don't tell me to buy a computer. The quiet thing is also important, and to be honest, I'd rather just have something with a standard remote, not another computer which can just have a million issues. I do IT for a living and want to not have to work when I come home and relax.
So can you guys help me out? 4chan of course is not helpful at all, their solution is to get a computer. I want to watch in the living room because it's where we hang out and have a decent sound system already.
Anyone wanna step up and make a buck or two?
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I don't want your STEENKING MONEY, but have you considered a PS3? As far as I can tell it fits all of your criteria outside of the price (and you may be able to find a used one for 150). PS3 Media Server, a great Windows application, acts as a streaming solution and is configurable to support 10-bit streaming. It also has apps for all major streaming services.
If you're looking for an internalized solution to store and play fansubs and support netflix, I can already tell you you're out of luck unless you go the PC route. My roommates and I have attempted similar searches in the past and we keep coming back to the PS3.
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Just as a player? I really don't want to have to do much other than plug in a device and play videos to the living room TV.
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Yeah, once it's set up properly the effort required on your part is make sure PS3 Media Server is running on the host PC and pulling up the file on the PS3.
The PS3 is vastly underrated as a media center. We run everything in our living room through it.
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I don't want your STEENKING MONEY, but have you considered a PS3? As far as I can tell it fits all of your criteria outside of the price (and you may be able to find a used one for 150).
Ebay usually delivers (http://www.ebay.com/sch/Video-Game-Consoles-/139971/i.html?_udlo=69&_dcat=139971&Platform=Sony%2520PlayStation%25203&_from=R40&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udhi=149&_nkw=PlayStation+3&LH_BIN=1), but you'd have to accept a used one. Personally wouldn't recommend that, since you never know what junk you might get. But you know, if it helps OP...
I do second the PS3 recommendation though. Works wonders for us.
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Probably safer to Craigslist one where he lives. Able to test it on-site too.
IT ALSO PLAYS GAMES!
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Probably safer to Craigslist one where he lives. Able to test it on-site too.
IT ALSO PLAYS GAMES!
But PS3 has no games :V
What if there's multiple text overlays/fonts and stuff? Our WDTV does weird flickering of text for signs, TL notes, etc. with the normal sub track. Will it preserve what the media server app sends forth?
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PS3 Media Server used to have some issues with MKV subtitles as I recall, but later versions have fixed them.
If you want me to test a recent release for you I'd be glad to. Something 10bit with funky subtitles early in the episode would be fine. Does Chuu2 have something like that?
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Just build an HTPC. It's not worth the effort trying to fight different media servers and transcoders and stuff to make a setup for a dedicated box only to find out fandumbers have chosen yet a new format that is completely incompatible with everything.
For the amount of money you're gonna spend on streaming gear (and mind you if you go the PS3 Media Server route this means you have to leave a machine on 24/7 or at least whenever you stream), you can build a silent HTPC, install XBMC on it, and play everything now and in the future.
I gave up trying to fight to get some obscure encode working on all my stuff and just bit the bullet and took an old Core 2 Duo 7200 I had laying around and stuck it in a cube case with an HD6670 and slapped Win7 and and XBMC on it. It plays everything and anything I can throw at. And I do absolutely nothing to maintain it. I have it setup to automatically login and start XBMC and I just grab my phone or tablet or anything with a browser and control it. I haven't had to do anything on it except recently to add drivers for my new HDHomeRun.
Seriously, for $150 trying to go the set top box route is just going to be frustrating as hell. Any and all processors that aren't Atoms or the Zacate E-350 are more than capable of SOFTWARE decoding anything you can throw at it. The only reason I stuck a dedicated card in my box is so I could get audio over HDMI (the old G965 board I had only supported DVI not HDMI) and play games if I cared. With modern processors like Ivy Bridge or the new Trinity processors, that's all built in to the CPU now, so literally all you have to do is buy a board, a processor, ram, and you can use something like OpenELEC off a thumbdrive if you want or just stick Win7 on an old hard drive like I did (I needed bluray playback).
An i3-3550 box or one of the new Trinity A8/A10 boxes should be about 150-200 for motherboard/processor/ram. Case can be scrounged up pretty cheaply, and you just need a thumbdrive or an old hard drive depending on the route you want to take. It may cost a bit more at first but in the long run it will pay off.
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I'm now going to have to agree with TSO here. First I figured that you would be just fine without having to get a computer for it (not that I could recommend any), but when you consider what might pop up in the future it might be best to hook up something you can actually mess with and then not have to buy a new device if you have to switch encodes eventually.
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Any HTPC would run over the hard and non-negotiable $150 maximum for everything unless I find some massive bargain on an old C2D box. Which isn't impossible, but the thing is also that I really don't want to have to deal with PC issues. I don't want to deal with drivers, I don't want to have to configure media players, I don't want to update software, I don't want to worry about antivirus or antimalware, I don't want to have to futz with things. The objective is "plug in and go" and so far a PS3 does that.
The good news at least is that the urgency to this is nonexistent; it's for when I have the dosh to let go and then I can sell my WDTV. I was hoping that maybe I'd missed a miracle device that was pretty cheap that I could just sell the WDTV and other things to fund.
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PS3 Media Server used to have some issues with MKV subtitles as I recall, but later versions have fixed them.
If you want me to test a recent release for you I'd be glad to. Something 10bit with funky subtitles early in the episode would be fine. Does Chuu2 have something like that?
I already mentioned this to MJP elsewhere but as an update for any other interested parties:
Current version of PS3 Media Server handles MKVs perfectly, including hi10p encoding.
Edit: It does both of these with zero config, as well. I tried it on a fresh install.
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I've never gotten PS3 Media Server to work right when everyone claims it works fine :|
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Any HTPC would run over the hard and non-negotiable $150 maximum for everything unless I find some massive bargain on an old C2D box. Which isn't impossible, but the thing is also that I really don't want to have to deal with PC issues. I don't want to deal with drivers, I don't want to have to configure media players, I don't want to update software, I don't want to worry about antivirus or antimalware, I don't want to have to futz with things. The objective is "plug in and go" and so far a PS3 does that.
I don't worry about any of that. XBMC is preconfigured, the machine patches itself and if you REALLY want zero config there's distros like OpenELEC that are designed to be completely self contained. XBMC has plugins for Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc, so you don't ever have to install anything else. You know me, if I'm saying it's literally no maintenance I mean it. I don't want to fuck with my boxes either, I deal with enough broken machines at work :b. Plus I'm not the only person who uses it, it needs to be simple enough so the other people in the house can utilize it.
I'm just trying to tell you that if you want something that you won't be replacing down the line an HTPC has been and is still the really only futureproof device. PS3 (with PS3 Media Server), or anything with a Plex client like a Google TV device or Roku, is a distant second. Local playback you're not going to get hi10p support, there are no hardware decoders for it, so you're gonna have to have a second PC with some sort of streaming server.
I understand though if the budget is a problem, but just be forewarned you're gonna have to give up something then. It sucks, I revisit the media player box scene regularly hoping for a breakthrough of some kind and each time I find no reason whatsoever to replace my HTPC or recommend anyone go any other route. I've never had any luck with any combination of UPnP servers/media players. If anything, the scene is regressing towards simply supporting services like Netflix or Hulu and completely eschewing local or network playback of your content.
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I've never gotten PS3 Media Server to work right when everyone claims it works fine :|
I just installed a fresh copy of 1.70.1 and everything was peachy, only setting I had to make was adding a media folder. Give it a shot when you have a minute
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I don't have a PS3 anymore, the brief time I had a PS3 I also had a HTPC so I never used it. When I tried to use it I was trying to get it to work with a 360 and it never worked despite reports to the contrary.
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I make no promises with the 360, it's bad at pretty much everything <_<;
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I know, which is why I wasn't trying to stress I had that much experience with it. I'm just relaying my attempts to get a 360 and a Seagate HDTheater and a WDTV working and I never had any luck with any of the various UPnP servers.
Anyways so I'm not totally useless
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/17/2997361/buying-set-top-box-buying-guide
This doesn't go over the local playback features and focuses mostly on the streaming services but it's still something useful to look at.
Honestly if you're dead set on a set top box, you can always see if you can find a used Apple TV2 (don't get a 3) and put XBMC or Plex on it. You won't get 1080p but that's up to you if that's not that big of a loss.
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XBMC native won't run Netflix, though. It requires a bunch of Linux tweaking - and there's the T word that's the bane of this project.
To be honest, I don't even need something I can expand later - if it's five years down the line I'm sure that there'll be some new fansubber controversy or supplementary streaming media. It's a glorious unitask situation.
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? I have a native plugin for Netflix on my XBMC. I use Netflix so infrequently tho :V
e: o wait it's broken nevermind
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OK for shits and grins I've installed Plex on my file server and will see how things turn out. If it works well I'll eat my hat :derp:
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Ok Plex actually sort of works. I fed it a 1080p hi10p video with a sub and it transcoded it properly to play on my phone. On the Android app I can't find where to turn subs on and off tho so I have to force them globally on at the server.
Dunno if that's just a limitation of the Android client or if all the Plex clients are like that.