VideoStreamer
Novice Member
I am about to start on a new home cinema installation and need to purchase a 4k UHD Blu-ray player. There is a lot of good choice about but the clincher will be with the network streaming capabilities of the box. I already have a large HD and UHD content library stored on my home server, delivered entirely over gigabit ethernet.
In the past I have played this content over various media players, Android boxes, smart TV apps and my Humax Freesat box. However with the progressive introduction of newer standards, UHD and better codecs (like H265) the various players have all become progressively outdated. Now the only device that will play anything and everything I have is a re-purposed PC running LibreELEC and Kodi. Whilst this will deliver any/all content I throw at it, right up to higher bitrate 2160p, it is physically too large and noisy for a smart new installation.
So when it comes to choosing a 4k UHD Blu-ray player I see many of them will stream content over ethernet from a home server... but will they all deliver 4k? Not all boxes appear to be DLNA compliant but many claim to deliver content from home servers. My experience to date has taught me that manufacturers are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to specifying a box's streaming capability. In a perfect world I would hope to find H264/H265/DivX .mp4 + .mkv capability up to 4k.
I don't think we can ever hope to have a truly future-proof system but I would like to view my varied content in the best possible way and make a good choice of Blu-ray player now for the future.
Any recommendations for a streaming 4k UHD Blu-ray player that fits the bill will be gratefully received!
In the past I have played this content over various media players, Android boxes, smart TV apps and my Humax Freesat box. However with the progressive introduction of newer standards, UHD and better codecs (like H265) the various players have all become progressively outdated. Now the only device that will play anything and everything I have is a re-purposed PC running LibreELEC and Kodi. Whilst this will deliver any/all content I throw at it, right up to higher bitrate 2160p, it is physically too large and noisy for a smart new installation.
So when it comes to choosing a 4k UHD Blu-ray player I see many of them will stream content over ethernet from a home server... but will they all deliver 4k? Not all boxes appear to be DLNA compliant but many claim to deliver content from home servers. My experience to date has taught me that manufacturers are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to specifying a box's streaming capability. In a perfect world I would hope to find H264/H265/DivX .mp4 + .mkv capability up to 4k.
I don't think we can ever hope to have a truly future-proof system but I would like to view my varied content in the best possible way and make a good choice of Blu-ray player now for the future.
Any recommendations for a streaming 4k UHD Blu-ray player that fits the bill will be gratefully received!