Cheapest Media player with wireless network capabilities?

Jar-man

Jar-man

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Hi Guys,

As the title says, I'm looking to buy a Media Player with wireless network capabilities, what's the cheapest one I can get?

I have a 32 inch LCD (no LAN ports or USB) I want to mount in my bedroom and I want to be able to stream media from my Media server. I would use an old pc, but I want something small.

What are my options?
 
I use an old laptop (it's a celeron with an old radeon chipset), bonus is it survives power failures, running XBMC and I use the Microsoft MCE remote. I was using wireless to my NAS but it just could not keep up with anything decent and can't play HD (you really need 150mbit's of REAL throughput for HD). Your going to pick up a second hand laptop for about the same price (if not cheaper, really cheap if you find one with broken screen) as a decent media player with wireless and you will never have codec issues.

The other advantage is since you want to go wireless you can use a 300mbit N router and adapter, which will give you 100mbit cable speeds. 54mbps barely cuts it for anything.
 
encrypted said:
I use an old laptop (it's a celeron with an old radeon chipset), bonus is it survives power failures, running XBMC and I use the Microsoft MCE remote. I was using wireless to my NAS but it just could not keep up with anything decent and can't play HD (you really need 150mbit's of REAL throughput for HD). Your going to pick up a second hand laptop for about the same price (if not cheaper, really cheap if you find one with broken screen) as a decent media player with wireless and you will never have codec issues.

The other advantage is since you want to go wireless you can use a 300mbit N router and adapter, which will give you 100mbit cable speeds. 54mbps barely cuts it for anything.
Click to expand...

+1 you can go even cheaper and smaller if you look for a net book, I using an old asus eepc for this, it has like only a 4 Gig HDD so streaming or connecting a usb HDD is the only way to go.
 
Is that the only options I have? Looking for something under R1000, and small, that comes with a remote.
 
For wireless on these devices don't you need to pay a large sum for the adapter?
Don't think they come with built in wireless and even if they did it would not be Wireless N.
 
Xtreamer DVD isn't looking that bad, it has WIFI and comes with the antenna. Anyone got one?
 
jarrodr said:
Xtreamer DVD isn't looking that bad, it has WIFI and comes with the antenna. Anyone got one?
Click to expand...

Xtreamer is a Korean company and mede8er a South African one. The support from mede8er is apparently better while the pricing of Xtreamer is better. This is what I could establish so far.
 
Does anyone get decent throughput on wireless though? I've cabled every room in my house because the video lag on high quality movies was killing me.
 
I'm streaming HD movies from my Media Server to my PS3 currently, works like a charm - wireless. And my server is downstairs and my PS3 is upstairs.
 
I'm streaming HD movies from my Media Server to my PS3 currently, works like a charm - wireless. And my server is downstairs and my PS3 is upstairs.
Click to expand...

I did the same but with an Xb0x360 as an extender to my HTPC, was working fine until I added 2TB of movies now it's typical Microsoft slowwwwwwwwwww.
 
I got especially bad video performance on my PS3. What wireless router are you using?
 
Hemps said:
For wireless on these devices don't you need to pay a large sum for the adapter?
Don't think they come with built in wireless and even if they did it would not be Wireless N.
Click to expand...

Mede8er adaptor is Wireless N, but you have to buy it as an extra for around R300. Would suggest N router, as G just doesn't cut it.
 
Mede8er adaptor is Wireless N
Click to expand...

So that's 2k+ for the Mede8er 500x2 + +-R300 for wireless N - and the HDD has not bee factored in yet.
 
I have a TP-Link ADSL Router ( TP-Link W8950ND 150Mbps Wireless Lite-N ADSL2+ Router ), the server is link through a lan cable for now... I'm awaiting my USB Nano wifi (150Mbps).

I'm running Ubuntu 11.04 on my server the using MediaTomb for now.
 
I'm using a jailbroken apple tv running XBMC in the Main bedroom, pc running XBMC connected to my tv in the lounge. MySQL database on the pc for a common shared library. I can watch a movie downstairs, pause it, and resume it in bed. Content is currently stored on my pc. I can also pop a DVD in the pc and watch upstairs.

Wildtwig sells them for $160 IIRC


Sent from the MyBroadband iPhone App
 
I think if you go with a cheap media player you'll come across issues in the future and wish you had gone with something more pricey.

Building up my new HTPC as I type.......................
 
Hemps said:
I think if you go with a cheap media player you'll come across issues in the future and wish you had gone with something more pricey.

Building up my new HTPC as I type.......................
Click to expand...

Exactly what happened to me. I paid R3700 for the MVIX PVR back then, no hard drive. And was I disappointed in that. Eventually sold it for 1200, major loss. And that was not even a cheapie. So be careful what you buy, rather do proper research, decide what you want and invest a little more. It will be worth it in the end.


Sent from the MyBroadband iPhone App
 
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