What is an Android or Windows Media Streaming Player? - article discussion

As well as considering Smart TV vs Media Streamer you might also want to add Smart Blu-Ray Disc Player vs Media Streamer.

I have a relative who recently asked me how she could get Netflix, iPlayer, etc, on her TV. She has non-smart (or very limited smarts) HD TV and a DVD player. She wanted to avoid more remote controls and boxes if possible. A £60 BDP will give her the streaming capability she needs, and will replace the existing DVD. It will also probably play stored media, access a media server, etc. That's cheaper than some of the streaming devices and a fair bit of the functionality.
 
As well as considering Smart TV vs Media Streamer you might also want to add Smart Blu-Ray Disc Player vs Media Streamer.

I have a relative who recently asked me how she could get Netflix, iPlayer, etc, on her TV. She has non-smart (or very limited smarts) HD TV and a DVD player. She wanted to avoid more remote controls and boxes if possible. A £60 BDP will give her the streaming capability she needs, and will replace the existing DVD. It will also probably play stored media, access a media server, etc. That's cheaper than some of the streaming devices and a fair bit of the functionality.

That is a good point and one I've made in the past. I'll get that added later once I've cross-checked exactly which services each of the platforms has.
 
I would snap up the Nvidia one if it could do Amazon as well. I've heard mention of an unofficial side loaded app but if that happens will it be as solid as an official one?
 
I have a relative who recently asked me how she could get Netflix, iPlayer, etc, on her TV. She has non-smart (or very limited smarts) HD TV and a DVD player. She wanted to avoid more remote controls and boxes if possible.
A Chromecast would get you most of that, I think...?
 
if you want a box with any combination of 3D ISO, HD audio pass-through and 4K playback you will need to check closely that you can do so with your chosen device.
Which devices offer all three, then?
 
It's interesting that you say the Raspberry Pi takes more setting up than an out of the box option. Funnily, I have just got a RP 2 a couple of month ago and it was dead easy to set up. Plug in SD card, plug in HDMI & power lead and away I went. Best thing I ever purchased for a smidge over £30. I have now just ordered a Qnap 212P NAS to connect to my network and intend to utilise that with the RP 2 running Kodi.

I did look into the one box solutions that are all over the internet and eBay but there seems to be a lot of Chinese junk out there with no or very little support, whereas the Raspberry Pi has superb support and the OpenElec community is a great source of information and resources.
 
pi's are great if your a savvy ( i know its easy but as soon as you add that you need to mess peole get frightened) the shield is immense and well worth the cash for people with wives who are useless (IE me)
 
I was quite surprised to see no mention of the Chromecast in the article, even just as a comparison
 
I was quite surprised to see no mention of the Chromecast in the article, even just as a comparison
I've come to the conclusion that the main fault with a Chromecast is that they are too cheap. Obtainable for £30, or sometimes less on offer, customers think they are not going to be comparable with boxed devices at twice the price. As far as I am concerned their only downside is the lack of Amazon services.

The same logic probably applies to Chromecast Audio which uses the same DAC as Apple Airplay and since its recent upgrade offers multiroom facilities. Instead of upgrading existing devices in the home customers are investing in expensive streaming amps.
 
Totally agree with you.

I was not surprised to see the lack of support from amazon, given they are going to be pushing their fire stick instead.

What has surprised me is the lack of chromecast for sale on the amazon website. Last time I liked there was 1 offer of chromecast for £39 on there!
 
Amazon deliberately pulled selling Chromecasts in order to boost sales of their own product. An unfair practice in my book. Let the customer decide.
 
Amazon deliberately pulled selling Chromecasts in order to boost sales of their own product. An unfair practice in my book. Let the customer decide.
Nothing "unfair" about it. All the customer has to do is decide to take their business to somewhere other than Amazon.
 
Advice please. I'm hoping to send a late Christmas present to someone who would like to turn his fairly standard TV into a slightly smart one. Specifically he would like to be able to get Netflix, YouTube, iPlayer and (for preference) Amazon Prime without tying up one of the computing devices. This in the hope that it will keep the kids quiet just long enough for him and his wife to do the dishes or sort out some business.

They have BT Infinity (though only at 38MB) and the TV sits almost next to the router, so he would like to have a device (box, dongle etc) which can be connected by Ethernet. They aren't expecting fancy Ultra HD quality (see YouTube!) because the TV isn't that posh, but do want something which will stream fluently enough so that the kids don't start yelling for Dad. They do have a USB connection and a spare HDMI port on the TV.

I had thought of suggesting a Raspberry Pi, but I think he wants a maximally simple solution. I'd looked at the Kindle stick, but that doesn't have Ethernet and at Roku 3, but there seems to be some doubt as to which of the services listed above are actually available on Roku and I read elsewhere that Roku is ad-strewn. After that I'm having problems disentangling the technological details to find out what does what.

I can't even work out where the Chromecast fits into all this.

Comments?
 
Nothing "unfair" about it. All the customer has to do is decide to take their business to somewhere other than Amazon.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't that long ago Tesco were in trouble unfairly pushing their own brands over the other brands, pretty much the same situation really.
A large retailer leveraging their size/reach to push their own brand device.
 
Advice please. I'm hoping to send a late Christmas present to someone who would like to turn his fairly standard TV into a slightly smart one. Specifically he would like to be able to get Netflix, YouTube, iPlayer and (for preference) Amazon Prime without tying up one of the computing devices. This in the hope that it will keep the kids quiet just long enough for him and his wife to do the dishes or sort out some business.

They have BT Infinity (though only at 38MB) and the TV sits almost next to the router, so he would like to have a device (box, dongle etc) which can be connected by Ethernet. They aren't expecting fancy Ultra HD quality (see YouTube!) because the TV isn't that posh, but do want something which will stream fluently enough so that the kids don't start yelling for Dad. They do have a USB connection and a spare HDMI port on the TV.

I had thought of suggesting a Raspberry Pi, but I think he wants a maximally simple solution. I'd looked at the Kindle stick, but that doesn't have Ethernet and at Roku 3, but there seems to be some doubt as to which of the services listed above are actually available on Roku and I read elsewhere that Roku is ad-strewn. After that I'm having problems disentangling the technological details to find out what does what.

I can't even work out where the Chromecast fits into all this.

Comments?

I'd suggest chromecast, no Ethernet but mine is on the reaches of my wifi (tested at 7meg with chromecast speed app) with no issues.

Chromecast will play all you mentioned above, you need to innitiate the stream with an Android or apple device playing the app for prime/YouTube then can carry on using the device as normal once the stream is established, the chromecast speaks directly to the prime/youtube/etc server directly after it starts.

My son watches YouTube in his bed, we set up a queue of vids after doing his story and it plays through them leaving our devices free to use.

They are so good I have one in the livingroom (easier that using the smart apps on the Sony tv), bedroom and kids bedroom.
I got one for the father in law for Christmas, the MIL liked it so much she bought two more for their house lol

The apps I regularly use are YouTube, plex, iplayer, prime, deezer and I did use netflix on trial.
 
Thanks. That sounds like it's just what he's after - including the list of vids on YouTube. Can the kids change the volume without a phone/tablet?

BTW it also sounds like it might be useful to me if it would simplify wrestling with Samsung's menus on my smart TV. It works OK with iplayer when what you want is easily visible, but the "search" facility is a real pain.
 
And I would go for the roku, as it does all you asked (the chromecast does not do amazon prime) and you dont need another device (smart phone, pc, etc) to use it.
 
I have recently found a product called "The Rho Board". It is pretty new, you can find it on facebook, or on the webpage with the same name.
It is a 4K HEVC Android TV Mediaplayer wich gives you a lot of freedom. The powerful hardware of the Rho Board supports hardware decoding and output of video up to 4k HEVC. It comes with a digital TV tuner that handles any DVB cable or terrestrial TV signal
smile.gif
The interesting part about it is that you can buy a customized package. The full package, which includes the board, 12V AC/DC PSU, plastic case, air mouse remote and a TV tuner is priced at 79 USD.
 
I have recently found a product called "The Rho Board". It is pretty new, you can find it on facebook, or on the webpage with the same name.
It is a 4K HEVC Android TV Mediaplayer wich gives you a lot of freedom. The powerful hardware of the Rho Board supports hardware decoding and output of video up to 4k HEVC. It comes with a digital TV tuner that handles any DVB cable or terrestrial TV signal
smile.gif
The interesting part about it is that you can buy a customized package. The full package, which includes the board, 12V AC/DC PSU, plastic case, air mouse remote and a TV tuner is priced at 79 USD.


But it is not available, it is a kickstarter, which means they are trying to get funding and have not started manufacturing yet, they may not even have a working prototype
 
Hi,
I'm part of the Rho Board team. I can assure you we do have a working prototype - 80 of the latest version, in fact.

The reason we are running this as a Kickstarter campaign is partly to measure interest in the product and partly to justify ordering tooling for plastic casing etc. If you have any questions, please fire away.
 
The problem with any kickstarter there is no guarentee as to whether you will actually get the product let alone when this will be as you are not actually purchasing an item rather you are investing in the company - please correct me if I am wrong.

Therefore if someone is looking for a device to use now there are other alternatives that are in production all ready.

To be honest unless the product is going to be truly unique I dont see the kicksatarter modle working
 
You are somewhat correct. A Kickstarter backing is not a purchase, but a monetary pledge, usually with a reward of some kind - physical or digital. It is not an investment, as you do not get any shares in the company. If everything goes well, you get the reward(s) you pledged for - no more, no less.

That being said, I have backed around 15 projects and I've never been let down. As for the feasibility of crowdfunding for this kind of product, there are many examples of successful projects, which are somewhat similar, but not identical.

The unique thing about the Rho Board is that it combines the digital TV tuner with a Raspberry Pi connector for expansion and integration into hobbyist electronics projects. Additionally it comes preinstalled with Android and does not need a separate SD card to boot or any extra work for the user. It also(optionally) comes with remote control and casing - everything required for it to work as a media player.

Of course the uniqueness depends on what you compare it to. It may or may not be precisely what you need - no product can be ideal for every purpose.
 
None of that is unique is it is exactly what the wetek play is. Sure its a lot more expensive at £105 but it is available now
 

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