[Q]Media centre suggestions? - Off-topic

I'm looking for something to connect to my tv via hdmi which will allow me to play 1080p videos and also play files off an external device - it doesn't necessarily have to be android , but needs to be from a respectable UK retailer and have good reviews. Thanks in advance.

Moved to Off-topic.

Raspberry pi (with raspbmc) is what I use. Cheap and plays 1080p too!
Sent from my 3VO

Related

Where do you my mobile movies?

I bought the acer m900 with its 3.8 vga and then bought coreplayer....... im itching to see a movie on this device,,,,,,,,
Where do I buy a movie?
No wonder apple is kicking but in mobile entertainment. I have been searching for hours and still cant find an easy way to get a movie onto my device.
I have found that you can read a dozen threads for hours and download multiple files to rip a DVD and then convert it.
I just want to go to a site and pay a one time 15 dollar fee and download a movie.
I think its possible in itunes and will coreplayer play the movie?
$15 buy the movie on DVD and convert with one of the many free tools available, worth it just for a hard-copy
You have some choices
WM is not as simple to set up as Apple, but it's not locked down the way Apple is either, and I'm fine with that. With that out of the way, there are a few ways you can get movies onto your device:
If you want to go the rip and convert route AudialsOne is a great program to use. You can check it our here :
http://audials.com/en/free_music_videos_downloads/index.html
I have my cable connected to my PC tuner card and use Windows Media Center to capture movies and TV, which can then be synched with my Tilt and watched wherever.
You can also of course DL movies from torrents or Usenet, which will play on your device.
I wish MS would add movies to the Zune Marketplace, because that media is also playable on our phones, but so far it is only TV.
I hope that helps
well the best way would be converting the movies of ur choice through a converter..dont waste ur money buyin movies from sites..which u dont even know will play perfectly on ur device..n u end up wasting money on a converter..
I guess I was barking up the wrong tree. Thanks for the tun around. Ive never ripped a dvd or converted but I went to download.com and downloaded WinX DVD Ripper and its converting Superman right now.
I've got the Touch HD and I love to watch movies on it. WVGA screens are making it truly possible on mobile phones, although FWVGA would be better, due to the extra 54 pixels in width (854x480), which is the more native 16:9 aspect.
Even though it's easier getting movies on an iphone, I don't think it's screen is anywhere near as suitable for movies. Too low-res (below SD resolution), too square. 2:3 is troublesome even for youtube, lol.
jamespaulritter said:
I guess I was barking up the wrong tree. Thanks for the tun around. Ive never ripped a dvd or converted but I went to download.com and downloaded WinX DVD Ripper and its converting Superman right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you getting there
The software i use:
Magic DVD Ripper : Awesome quality DVD Rips
A-One FLV to AVI : Very easy converter for compressing to Mobile format don't be fooled by the name as it will convert anything to .mp4 etc
Just a couple of hints.
Encode to resolution of device
Keep the Audio quality down as no phones are great and will keep overall file size down.
Same framerate as sorce you can find source framerate via right click properties on sorce .avi etc "otherwise you will get the classic 2-1 pulldown effect jittery on pans etc"
Hope that helps.
PocketDivx Encoder (google it) will convert anything your PC has codecs for. Works a treat and despite its name, it will convert to just about any device going including a full 1080p TV
Monty Burns said:
PocketDivx Encoder (google it) will convert anything your PC has codecs for. Works a treat and despite its name, it will convert to just about any device going including a full 1080p TV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Monty,
That s a funny coincidence. Thats the one I downloaded. I'm on my 3rd attempt to place a movie on the device. The first time I couldn't find the file when it was finished. The second time the movie had subtitles because I forgot to uncheck the option. And now this 3rd time it is running with setting recomendations I got in another thread and it is taking forever. I started it it at 5am and now its 12:30 and its 3/4ths done on a 150 minute movie.
WinX DVD Ripper video format H264
With PocketDivx Encoder i was real confused by the aspect settings. I t has 2 boxes that are adjustable and I couldn't get either to read 800X480.
Everything new has a learning curve. The more flexibility the more you have to learn. There is always dumbed down options available and these are for people who have money and are too lazy to learn and have to pay somebody to do it for them; people like this are held hostage forever more.
When people opt for learning they keep their brains working till old age but young people don't ever think they will ever get old. I've got a history of Alzheimer's in the family so I am aware of keeping my brain cells ticking by learning new tricks every day.
I've used to use pocketdivX but the small screens are too tiring for me now and I've stopped encoding (until I get one of those video-goggles that make video BIG!!!). Never had a problem to encode for the HTC Universal. Great screen.
crissg said:
WM is not as simple to set up as Apple, but it's not locked down the way Apple is either, and I'm fine with that. With that out of the way, there are a few ways you can get movies onto your device:
If you want to go the rip and convert route AudialsOne is a great program to use. You can check it our here :
http://audials.com/en/free_music_videos_downloads/index.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Was wondering if u use that app u were talking about.Is it reliable?
I've used it for over a year with no issues.
Converts music and movies, can captures internet streams as well. Very useful.
Great, thanks a lot for the info about that Audials One app.This is definitely worth checking out, going to try it myself.
movieload.in its a free site to download mobile movies and a file will be abt 60 mb which downloads in abt few mins
The only reliable tool to convert video I've found so far is Adobe Premiere, which is a bit pricey. Most freely available tools suck, unless you use ffmpeg on Linux (with a decent GUI).

Request: Can we get a guide for Transferring out DVD movies onto the Gtab

Hi,
I know some people use hand break, i downloaded it tonight but without a proper guide, i cant make head or tells of the settings. I am posting here instead of on hand break to request specific step by step directions on getting DVD video onto the GTAB!.
One of the reasons i specificially bought this thing for was as a multi-media device so that i can watch from air planes, air ports, etc without using a lap top.
I am not asking for any illegal hacking/copying advice.
I specifically just want to load 2 or 3 movies a week that i LEGALLY RENTED AND PAID FOR from netflix onto the device to watch once and then delete to make room for the next batch.
A guide specifically for Vegan 5.1 would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
Allen
Search the forum for handbrake (one word and not break) and you will find info of encoding profiles that are recommended. Good luck!
Lots of ways and the method depends on the quality you are wanting.
Take a look here for some info..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=860833&highlight=handbrake
Yea it seems i just need a quality DVD ripper. I dont mind paying for one, something with an easy to use, user interface and a boat load of output formats. I have downloaded several "trial versions" in the last few hours and testing them out.. currently testing out cucusoft ultimate...i like how its going so far...
I travel Mon-Fri so i may actually have a few more practical uses for a tablet than most....
Edit: Update, cucusoft ultimate worked perfectly in 720 mode, using the trial version. (it puts a water mark on the screen that reads "trial version") so will have to buy a key if i like this thing.
It has a very nice feature where once you set it up..it pretty much just auto runs when you insert a cd, then its just drag and drop onto the gtab via usb once its done encoding.
Trying the HD H.264 mode now.
PS. Sound is AMAZING with a nice pair of bluetooth wireless head phones! (Thumbs up)
Have you tried the DivX Plus Converter? The installer is included with the standard download, but the DVD Plug-in is $10. And to unlock some of the more mobile-friendly profiles, I'm pretty sure you need to upgrade to the Pro version ($20) which has a 15 day trial.
It's kind of pricey for a converter, but it has a simple to use interface and it's by DivX themselves. I haven't used it in a long time, but even the versions from a few years ago were pretty decent, so I have to imagine the latest versions are pretty good.
There's also a great site called VideoHelp.com which has some great articles on DVD backup and/or video conversion.
I would suggest if you have an nvidia graphics card get an app called Badaboom. It will use cuda to encode video's to a number of different formats. And it does it really fast. then just load the avi or mpeg and play in your media player.
http://www.badaboomit.com/
DVD shrink (easiest) or DVD decrypter to "rip" the movie files. Both are free, but don't always work with the newest movies.
handbrake is a pretty good one to use to convert. The best answer is to just try something shorter, like a tv episode, and convert them a few different ways. Then load it up and test it out. I know for the psp you could make the movies super small and they still looked good. WIth a 10in screen i'm sure you'd notice the lack of quality, but it would depend on your expectations.
For what you are wanting to do, I wouldn't spend a ton of time thinking about it. You can go crazy with all those settings. Start off with one of the profiles and see if it works. If they have an ipad one that would be the best. Or perhaps the iphone 4. The higher resolutions are going to take longer to convert, and also are more intensive for the gtab to play.
I would guess most movies would be around 400-800mb with decent quality on the gtab. I thought the gtab liked .mp4 better than .mkv, but can't remember where i've read that. I haven't put much video on mine yet.
Look into the DVDFab products. Worth the $$ and they keep getting better. And, the new version strips region encoding and protection. It'll also do all kinds of nice stuff, like you can pick what type of output you want and if you want full DVD or just the movie itself.
If you have already ripped the movie, Freemake video converter is super duper easy, and free download.
However, keep in mind that it's technically just as illegal to rip a rented DVD as it is to download.
I haven't had any issues with MP4, AVI or MKV files so far (MKV is by far my preference)
Oh, and get a 16 or 32G memory card. It's enough to make it to Asia and back
Is there any technical reason that a ripped DVD (.VOB files) couldn't be played back on the gTab? Or is it simply there's no product (yet) that has been created to do it? I'm waiting for video lan (VLC) player to be released, which will probably do it, but I'm surprised there's not something out there already that plays DVD format files.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=890096&page=4&highlight=handbrake
this thread contain handbrake profiles that you can download and import. Should work for you.
I did what this link said to do just this weekend and easily ripped a dvd down. It came out at 1.7G and seems to play just fine. It was an older foreign dvd though, so might not have had the protections of a newer dvd. I have used dvdshrink succesfully in the past and would go to that first if handbrake itself failed.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=949101&highlight=handbrake

Miracast set top box!!

Hey,
I've just seen a Miracast set top box from Netgear. This could be the solution to the missing HDMI out of the Nexus 7!
http://www.netgear.de/products/home/hometheater/media-players/PTV3000.aspx
Can anyone remember nVidias demo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b52zqNIeQso
Let's hope it will work SOON!!!
towlie288 said:
Hey,
I've just seen a Miracast set top box from Netgear. This could be the solution to the missing HDMI out of the Nexus 7!
http://www.netgear.de/products/home/hometheater/media-players/PTV3000.aspx
Can anyone remember nVidias demo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b52zqNIeQso
Let's hope it will work SOON!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sais you need aNotebook, Smartphone or Tablet with Intel® WiDi oder Miracast™,
does our Nexus 7 has Inel WiDi or Miracast?
Is it just Software or do you need special Hardware Support for that?
It would be nice if i could stream from my Laptop or my Galaxy SII as well.
fryroyal said:
It sais you need aNotebook, Smartphone or Tablet with Intel® WiDi oder Miracast™,
does our Nexus 7 has Inel WiDi or Miracast?
Is it just Software or do you need special Hardware Support for that?
It would be nice if i could stream from my Laptop or my Galaxy SII as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you watch the Video? The Tegra 3 can do it. I don't know more... but I hope there will be a software update to do it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
i do know the tegra 3 is miracast capable i dont think i can post a link so ill just post what i found, this is dated july 27 2012.
Nvidia, a member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, announced that it's supporting the new Miracast WiFi-Direct based protocol which is expected to launch by the Wi-Fi Alliance within the next few months.
For the uninitiated, Miracast will be an open standard, so any mobile device or display manufacturer will be able to implement the technology. It will also be a direct competitor to closed eco-systems like Intel's WiDi and Apple's AirPlay which enable users to wirelessly stream videos and games to external displays.
There are also other open standards for streaming media such as DLNA, but these are plagued with interoperability issues that have limited their traction in the market place. To address the limitations of these solutions, the Wi-Fi Alliance created its upcoming open wireless display standard called Miracast.
"Underpinning the Miracast specification is Wi-Fi Direct – a specification defined for peer-to-peer, direct wireless connectivity between devices," Nvidia said on Thursday in its whitepaper. "Miracast Certified devices will be able to connect with each other directly, without the mediation of a wireless access point, by leveraging the functionality introduced by Wi-Fi Direct. When two devices connect with each other directly, one assumes the role of the source (transmitting device) and the other becomes a sink (the devices receiving and rendering the content to the user)."
Nvidia said that it has developed a Miracast wireless display stack that is Tegra 3 optimized and can be integrated into the Tegra mobile platform. This source-side solution enables tablet and phone OEMs to implement a Miracast certifiable product by combining the Tegra application processor and compatible Tegra Android BSP package just as they do today.
"The Tegra optimized Miracast solution is comprised of two major components – the multimedia (video/audio) processing block and the industry compliant wireless display networking stack," Nvidia explained. "The multimedia processing block takes advantage of Tegra’s multi-core graphics engine and dedicated hardware video/audio codecs to accelerate the decoding of video content, render graphics surfaces and perform the final compositing operations before encoding into a H.264 bit stream to be wirelessly transmitted."
We are miracast certified, however there needs to be an app to activate this tech for us, I believe, but if they have the set top box, chances are there's an app for it, too.
All I can say is, yay! Step in the right direction. -Ara
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Hopefully it isn't $99. Maybe $49. I'm not paying a ton of money just to get video to my TV. $50 tops.
How is the 3000 compared to the PTV2000 that is already available at Best Buy and stuff?
http://www.netgear.com/home/products/hometheater/media-players/PTV2000.aspx
I don't see the PTV3000 on the US site.
The PTV2000 is $99 at Best Buy. eff that.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/NETGEAR...309756217&skuId=2103213&st=netgear&cp=1&lp=22
Is this to mirror the display? Like HDMI?
Or is it just a file viewer? Like DLNA?
Cl8rs said:
Is this to mirror the display? Like HDMI?
Or is it just a file viewer? Like DLNA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Miracast is a new standard for wireless display. So basically a mirrored image or maybe a second screen. I'm hoping I could widi a video and control it all with my tablet/phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd6PkRqNxs0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
That's how you play full hd shows/movies/music with no dramas its been around for ages. Best part is wd keep updating the firmware so it plays anything I throw at it.
Gaming well you can't do that but if you can't see the 7" screen right in front of you well you'd probably find it more beneficial to invest in glasses.
It also has some other benefits too, bubble upnp is one of the best things I have come across.
Wdtvlive and Bubble upnp a match made in Sofia Vergara's underpants.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
player911 said:
Hopefully it isn't $99. Maybe $49. I'm not paying a ton of money just to get video to my TV. $50 tops.
How is the 3000 compared to the PTV2000 that is already available at Best Buy and stuff?
http://www.netgear.com/home/products/hometheater/media-players/PTV2000.aspx
I don't see the PTV3000 on the US site.
The PTV2000 is $99 at Best Buy. eff that.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/NETGEAR...309756217&skuId=2103213&st=netgear&cp=1&lp=22
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference is that only the ptv3000 is miracast capable. At least that's what the product page says. I've already written an email to net gear Germany to ask them about this box. As soon as I have an answer I will post it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Cl8rs said:
Is this to mirror the display? Like HDMI?
Or is it just a file viewer? Like DLNA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you watch the YouTube video in the first post?
There you see what you can do with tegra 3 and miracast.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
towlie288 said:
Did you watch the YouTube video in the first post?
There you see what you can do with tegra 3 and miracast.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it. I didn't see the video.
So I am assuming this is the first TV Box(similar to like a Roku or something) that allows us to wirelessly display our Nexus to our HDTV? That's what I am seeing. Also it's only in Germany at the moment.
But the question is, do our Nexus 7's natively support something like this? I am assuming this needs development, like an app or software update.
Any news on this?
Not sure I see the point of this. I already have a WD Live that can stream all my video from my PC to my TV. Why would I put video on my N7, then send to my TV when I can just send it directly to my TV? Even the 16 GB N7 can maybe just barely hold a decently encoded movie at full 1080p. I just don't think I have any content on my N7 that cannot be sent to my TV in an easier, higher quality way.
Edit: Been thinking about this. Seriously, what do you use it for? The only thing I could come up with is letting your friends watch you play a game on the tablet or something. Every other scenario I can think of has a better solution.
brizey said:
Not sure I see the point of this. I already have a WD Live that can stream all my video from my PC to my TV. Why would I put video on my N7, then send to my TV when I can just send it directly to my TV? Even the 16 GB N7 can maybe just barely hold a decently encoded movie at full 1080p. I just don't think I have any content on my N7 that cannot be sent to my TV in an easier, higher quality way.
Edit: Been thinking about this. Seriously, what do you use it for? The only thing I could come up with is letting your friends watch you play a game on the tablet or something. Every other scenario I can think of has a better solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not only for videos. I have a tf101 transformer and used it to give presentations at the university with HDMI out. The point is to mirror the screen content of your device and not only play back media.
And it looks promising with the low latency.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
towlie288 said:
It's not only for videos. I have a tf101 transformer and used it to give presentations at the university with HDMI out. The point is to mirror the screen content of your device and not only play back media.
And it looks promising with the low latency.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts too, I am looking forward to be able to mirror my N7 screen to my 46" TV.
brizey said:
Not sure I see the point of this. I already have a WD Live that can stream all my video from my PC to my TV. Why would I put video on my N7, then send to my TV when I can just send it directly to my TV? Even the 16 GB N7 can maybe just barely hold a decently encoded movie at full 1080p. I just don't think I have any content on my N7 that cannot be sent to my TV in an easier, higher quality way.
Edit: Been thinking about this. Seriously, what do you use it for? The only thing I could come up with is letting your friends watch you play a game on the tablet or something. Every other scenario I can think of has a better solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Emulation Gaming. Plug your tablet up to the TV and use a PS3 gamepad for true retro couch gaming.
I don't stream movies and such, as I'd rather just watch them off the device.
I'm curious about this as well.
Here's some more info about it that I dug up from arstechnica.
In most cases, Miracast can be implemented in software alone, Robinson said. It has a head start, because Android already supports WiFi Direct since version 4.0 . But hardware modifications will help optimize devices for the type of compression, decoding, and encoding Miracast equipment will have to perform, he said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://arstechnica.com/information-...-promises-video-streaming-without-the-router/
It would be cool if there was a software update that could enable this for the Nexus 7! The Netgear box looks small and portable too.
towlie288 said:
Hey,
I've just seen a Miracast set top box from Netgear. This could be the solution to the missing HDMI out of the Nexus 7!
http://www.netgear.de/products/home/hometheater/media-players/PTV3000.aspx
Can anyone remember nVidias demo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b52zqNIeQso
Let's hope it will work SOON!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been watching for (complete) Miracast solutions for a while now. This capability is already starting to play a big role in education on the iPad courtesy of AirPlay mirroring. I have no idea why other vendors are sitting on this.
Anyway, the NTV200S is supposed to be compatible with a firmware update. Some more info here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5957/...otv-pro-ntv200s-widi-and-media-streamer-combo
Another big feature that miracast will add is the ability to display your phone's display on your tablet. This way you could always be on your tablet, but at anytime access all the features of your phone.
terminal addict said:
I've been watching for (complete) Miracast solutions for a while now. This capability is already starting to play a big role in education on the iPad courtesy of AirPlay mirroring. I have no idea why other vendors are sitting on this.
Anyway, the NTV200S is supposed to be compatible with a firmware update. Some more info here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5957/...otv-pro-ntv200s-widi-and-media-streamer-combo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, I really hope they bring something working soon !

[Q] Is there a way to cast a DVD movie from PC?

Hey Guys,
I have been reading a lot and noticed that there are hacks to play local files.
This sound old school but do you think there is a way to play/cast a dvd disc from my PC?
Thanks!
Your video would be transcended and look horrible. The hacks that you speak of are not available to the mass yet. Well at least the apps that will not transcode your video. Waiting on Google to approve SDK. Basically if the cool apps that may even stream your DVDs was released now,
... It wouldn't work on your device.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
keplenk said:
Hey Guys,
I have been reading a lot and noticed that there are hacks to play local files.
This sound old school but do you think there is a way to play/cast a dvd disc from my PC?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory yes, you can stream the PC screen while you are playing a DVD on screen to Chromecast, but its a beta feature and its not as smooth as casting from the chrome browser.
I can say that I have streamed the desktop screen and it works, but can be jumpy depending on what's being displayed. Results will vary depending on your router / LAN/ Wifi / PC speed.
How do you cast your screen? I thought you could only cast you're Chrome browser tabs..?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

YouTube Purchases stuck at 480p!

Hi all,
I have just started using the Xperia 1 ii and I am really enjoying it so far! Unfortunately though I am having an issue with all the films I have bought on YouTube & Google Play Movies where for some reason the highest resolution I can select is 480p. Obviously one of the main features of this phone is its gorgeous 4K 21:9 screen, but having to watch all my films in 480p makes that sort of redundant.
I have tried watching videos on Netflix and Disney+ and had no problems (the display is mind-blowing in fact!). Non purchased videos in YouTube are fine and let me select whatever resolution I want & even downloading the films in HD from Google Play Movies doesn't fix the resolution issue either...
Has anyone else had this problem on this (or any other) phone? Is it a glitch? If so, any ideas for a possible work around would be greatly appreciated!!
Maybe it doesn't come from the phone but Google.
As you bought them with 480P resolution, they're maybe locked by Google.
Did you try to buy a new one from your Xperia 1 II?
Thank you for the reply ?
All of my films were purchased before I got my Xperia 1 ii. They still work in 1080p resolution or higher in all my other devices. So yeah it's something to do with this device, I've just got no idea what!
Have you tried to use any YouTube purchases yourself?
T-RexSpecs97 said:
Thank you for the reply
All of my films were purchased before I got my Xperia 1 ii. They still work in 1080p resolution or higher in all my other devices. So yeah it's something to do with this device, I've just got no idea what!
Have you tried to use any YouTube purchases yourself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I haven't tried. I don't buy anything from YouTube.
Yes I got the same issue and also found it when using Play Movie. But it happens when the movies are from the US. Asian movies are okay and allow me to choose 1080p. Maybe the issue comes from Motion Blur Reduction.

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