HELP: I need BR-Player/HDD-Recorder/Network-Streaming

[ascanio1]

Hi to everyone,

I searched all the forum and I could not find a specific thread which discussed this problem:

I need a good quality device that can preform 3 functions:
1. BR/DVD player that handles lots of different formats,
2. HDD (possibly standalone BitTorrent enabled) for media recording & Sharing with all TV/Projectors/PC in my home,
3. Network enabled for sharing and streaming Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Direct and Vudu (in this order).

I own an Oppo93 (modded BR/DVD Region Free) and does almost everything except HDD Recording and sharing and is not compatible with Hulu and

Thanks in Advance!

 

[next010]

Could be difficult, the premium online content vendors are very fussy about the platforms they support.

You might find 1 and 2 through HDI Dune players but you wont get 3. Likewise you will probably find the big name players with support for 3 can only do 1 and not 2.

Lastly be aware new BD players are coming with Cinavia DRM installed which is not something you want, I dont know if the Oppo's have it but most new players are supposed to support it. Most of Samsungs newest BD devices support it and of course Sony/LG too.

 

[ascanio1]

Since requirement 2 is the easiest add on, then I guess that the Oppo 93 + NAS would be my best bet. Any NAS with specific Home Theater features you might want to recommend? I can live w/out Hulu/Amazon Direct.

PS:
Oppo 93 does not have Cinavia DRM.

 

[ascanio1]

A friend recommended me a Dune HD player that "should" have all 3 functions... what is this forum's take on this manufacturer and models? Are they reliable? On their site it says made in Taiwan...

 

[next010]

Dune's don't do 3 they have no online premium content support unless something has changed very recently. The Dune's will play DVD/BD with full menu support via ISO images, you could get a Roku for the online media access.

Any high speed NAS will do like something from QNAP or Synology, if planning on streaming media to the Oppo 93 then you must use DLNA so no DVD/BD menus, no ISO images, subtitles are also an issue, only standalone videos like mp4, mkv etc. In addition Oppo's are not the best network media players either, I think the newer models have improved but Oppo don't seem to care about sharing that information on what they can play.

 

[graham.myers]

netflix and lovefilm, as well as iplayer is supposedly in the next release of firmware for the Dune models.

Dune machines are built in Taiwan. The software is written in Moscow (The owner of Dune is a Moscovian) and the main distribution centre is in Germany).

The model you would be looking for is the Dune HD Max

 

[MarkE19]

A friend recommended me a Dune HD player that "should" have all 3 functions... what is this forum's take on this manufacturer and models? Are they reliable? On their site it says made in Taiwan...

If you have a look around this section of the forum you will see me and Graham shouting their praises - most of the time at least . They make some of the best network media players available IMO and with some features simply not available on any other players - such as HD audio onboard decoding and an easy to install full region free patch for the players with a BD drive.
I've had my Dune Prime 3.0 for about 3 years now and it has never had any problems with reliability and is still going strong.

Mark.

 

[ascanio1]

If you have a look around this section of the forum you will see me and Graham shouting their praises
Mark.

@ Mark
I see under your post that you own both the DuneHD and the Oppo 93.
Would you care to compare them functions wise, please?

 

[ascanio1]

Dune's don't do 3 ... you could get a Roku for the online media access.

Yes, it's an option which I considered. In this case, any suggestions?

Any high speed NAS will do ... you must use DLNA so no DVD/BD menus, no ISO images, subtitles are also an issue, only standalone videos like mp4, mkv etc.

Hummm... good point, had not thought of this...

netflix and lovefilm, as well as iplayer is supposedly in the next release of firmware for the Dune models.
http://www.my-htpc.co.uk/shop/artic...HYyE2RkCIw8psC9p7Rsw&shop_param=cid=7&aid=66&

Really, this would seal the deal in DuneHD favour... I've searched rumors on google but could not find any! This is really valuable advice! if you have any info, pls share.

I do not watch much BR (1 or 2 a year) but I watch a movie a night from either Netflix, Amazon Direct, or downloaded. With this in mind, you can see that content & downloaded media is my number 1 priority.

Does DuneHD Max be used a BitTorrent client? If so, how is it controlled? OSD or connected to a PC?

Looks like maybe Oppo is not my best option...

Any considerations?

 

[MarkE19]

@ Mark
I see under your post that you own both the DuneHD and the Oppo 93.
Would you care to compare them functions wise, please?

The Oppo is the better disc spinner with faster loading times. It also has bass management on the analogue audio outputs that I use to connect to my AV system for the HD audio formats, the Dune doesn't have this.
However for media streamiing the Dune wins by a mile. It uses SMB or NFS streaming protocoles so I can view coverart, play full disc rips with access to the disc menu and it plays just about every media format I've tried on it. DLNA is very limited in most of these areas.

Mark.

 

[MarkE19]

netflix and lovefilm, as well as iplayer is supposedly in the next release of firmware for the Dune models.

Really, this would seal the deal in DuneHD favour... I've searched rumors on google but could not find any! This is really valuable advice! if you have any info, pls share.

I'm surprised Graham has said this much as he is restricted by an NDA which has so far prevented him saying much about what the new firmware will offer. So the chances are there is not much more he can say until the NDA is lifted.
However I will say that any media player you buy should be bought for what it can do now, not what has been promised in the future. I've seen many owners complaining that a promised feature has never appeared - not just from Dune, but many other makers as well.

Does DuneHD Max be used a BitTorrent client? If so, how is it controlled? OSD or connected to a PC?

Yes it can run a torrent client - http://dune-hd.com/eng/support/additional_features/torrent_client

Mark.

 

[ascanio1]

@ Mark,
Sorry I was not aware that he worked for DuneHD... in any case NDA or not, firmware or not... looks like this is where I'm heading. Last question does it have direct outputs for HDMI (PCM and unconverted video)?

 

[graham.myers]

I'm getting frustrated with the feet dragging at Dune so a little snippet here, a little snippet there to hopefully keep the momentum going until we can say what new features are in the next firmware and the specs of the new models.

 

[graham.myers]

I dont work for Dune. I'm an authorised UK Reseller and have a very good working relationship with the European Sales Director (who owes me a case of beer when I get to Berlin at the end of the month for IFA)

 

[ascanio1]

Well, thanks either way!
When are the new models due out? Any news?

 

[graham.myers]

waiting for the official nod before I can say

 

[MarkE19]

@ Mark,
Sorry I was not aware that he worked for DuneHD... in any case NDA or not, firmware or not... looks like this is where I'm heading. Last question does it have direct outputs for HDMI (PCM and unconverted video)?

As Graham has already mentioned he runs his own company and part of that is as a Dune reseller, but not an actual Dune employee.
Yes the Dune does have an HDMI output, but all video is processed and not source direct. It has been asked for many times but Dune have not given any idea as to when (or even if) this will be added via firmware. So if connected to a full HD display you would normally set the Dune to output at 1080p and therefore a DVD would be upscaled to this resolution by the Dune. This is far from ideal if you have off board video processing, but it is the norm and I'm not aware of any other media players that offer source direct. But the audio can be set to be decoded onboard or sent out over HDMI unprocessed.

Mark.

 

[ascanio1]

... the Dune does have an HDMI output, but all video is processed and not source direct.

Hmmm... I'm buying a JVC X30 or X9. Do they have upscaling? My old Yamaha DPX1200 does have it (720p) and it does a much better job than any other upscaling device I tried so far. Even my DVD Oppo cannot upscale as well as my DPX1200. So, if the JVC lineup also have an upscaling processor then I might want to use that one as I watch tons of DVD quality media downloaded and lots of Netflix which is in 720p.

Does the new Oppo have direct, unprocessed, video out?

 

[MarkE19]

Does the new Oppo have direct, unprocessed, video out?

Yes, the BDP-93 does have source direct. But as I've already mentioned the Oppo as a media streamer is fairly limited in what it can do compared to a dedicated media streamer.

Mark.

 

[ascanio1]

Mark,
and do the JVC X30 and X70 series have an onboard upscaler? I guess that they do and it must be much better... In this case your warning bell was very useful.

 

[MarkE19]

Every single fixed pixel display (ie LCD, plasma etc) will have an upscaler built in - otherwise a lower resolution video would have large black boarders all the way around it as it wouldn't fit the display.

Mark.

 

[ascanio1]

Mark, and others,

So, it looks like I'll have to buy 2 devices anyway. This means a change of plan. help me on a new selection/search. I am now looking for 2 devices (no longer one) which, together, can perform the following:

1. Network enabled for sharing and streaming Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Direct and Vudu (in this order).
2. HDD (possibly standalone BitTorrent enabled) for media recording & Sharing with all TV/Projectors/PC in my home,
3. BR/DVD player that handles lots of different formats and has direct, unprocessed, video out.

Which is the best combination of devices if I want to have the best of all 3?

I watch:
50% of 720p downloaded media,
30% of streamed media (Netflix, etc)
15% Documentaries in HD
3% News
2% BR

Tommaso

 

[MarkE19]

I get the feeling that you are over worried about the scaling in many devices. I find very few issues with the upscaling done by my Dune as it does a very good job. I have it set to output at 1080p as that is the resolution of my plasma. The plasma has overscan turned off so the minimum of additional processing is done by it.
If you are playing 720p media then why worry about what is doing the upscaling? As long as you are not doing anything silly then it should still look fairly good.

As I've previously mentioned I don't believe there are any media players with source direct at the moment, so you are out of luck with this type of device. Yes my Oppo does do a better job of upscaling DVD's than the Dune, but to be fair that does have a separate dedicated video processing stage rather than using the onboard processing of the standard SoC like in the Dune.

So 1 device can be used for 1. & 2. in your list. Something like a Dune media player does act as a NAS for streaming it's media around your network and can be used for torrent downloads. If as hinted by Graham the Dune players do get the internet streaming it will do just about everything you want in the 1 box if you get the Max - except for the source direct.
If you do insist on a separate disc spinner with source direct then it reeally depends on your budget as I'm sure many of them offer this feature.

Mark.