Topic: Stick w/ HTPC? or should I buy a new Blu-Ray standalone player?

[Slaveknight]

I asked this question cause seriously I'm planning to buy a blu-ray standalone player. But what I'm using right on watching Hi-Def movies is i have a gaming pc / Home theater w/ a media center and blu-ray writer which really it satisfied me in terms of playback using audio enhancements, software players ( currently using mpc, arcsoft media, and xbmc for playing blu-ray ) via drivers.

And I connect my HTPC to my 42" plasma and it is just amazing and beautiful HDMI - HDMI connection.

Does the standalone player withstand the HTPC in terms of video quality and sound quality?

Will the blu-ray player can play mkv files smoothly in 1080p?
Thanks and Hoping for any response Smiley

[HD_Afficionado]

Sir Slaveknight,

I do not see any major advantage of having a stand-alone blu-ray player since you already have a blu-ray writer installed in your HTPC. However, key advantages of a stand-alone player are 1) convenience of having a remote 2) lower power consumption 3) emits less heat compared to HTPC. However, blu ray disks are also expensive so you may want to reconsider the thought.

As an alternative, there are Networked Media Tanks (NMTs) that can seamlessly play HD contents (MKVs) up to 1080p. It can even complement your set-up if you connect it to your HTPC thru LAN since you can transfer files to and from the device.

There are various brands and models available like egreat, AC Ryan, Med8er, popcorn hour, wd tv live and Kaiboer.  Aside from Popcorn Hour, I already tried all these brands in various models, and my conclusion is that for various brands with same chipset, they are all comparable except for the varying interfaces. Picture quality and content basically comes down to the chipset installed. Unlike HTPCs, which are software decoded, NMT video decoders are built-in to the processor.

For your purpose, since you are coming from HTPC, I think you should consider getting a Sigma based NMT. So far, Kaiboer K730i with Sigma 8643 chipset is the only NMT we tested that offer slightly better picture quality than HTPC.

In case you are interested, am selling various high quality Realtek and Sigma based NMTs at the most competitive price in the market. Just send me a PM if you need additional info.

For the latest product available, please refer to this link:
http://www.pinoydvd.com/index.php/topic,152353.0.html

From,
Dennis
Your HD_afficionado

If you cannot see it live, watch it in HD. - HD_afficionado

[Stagea]

What sets the K730i apart from other media players using the Sigma 8643 chipset? Have you tested it against the Popcorn Hour models utilizing the same chipset?

HTPC PQ varies widely depending on the codecs used, driver config, and the actual hardware. A well-equipped and properly-configured HTPC is quite a formidable video source. I've yet to encounter a CE media player that does better in terms of video processing.

I agree that good stand-alone and networked media players are far more convenient to use (and cheaper to run and buy), on the other hand. Startup and shutdown is simpler, navigation is more intuitive, and they are generally more reliable (less parts to break).

[HD_Afficionado]

Sir Stagea,

As mentioned in my post, IMHO, I consider NMTs with same chipsets to be comparable. I cannot claim one is better than another since I have not tried other Sigma 8643 chipsets including Popcorn Hour.

And totally agree with you, that HTPC can be fine tuned to provide users best PQ and user interface. I think my friend may have to update his HTPC hardware already (unfortunately at a cost) since he is actually the one who made the comment when he tried the K730i. He basically played the same file simultaneously and toggled back and forth between HTPC and the K730i, which confirmed his initial thought that the Sigma 8643 based player is slightly better than his HTPC setup.

Wasn't expecting this comment since he was an HTPC fan for the longest time.

Cheers!

[nerveblocker]

Stick with your HTPC with Bluray.  I seldom use my PS3 to play BDs specially if I have an All-in-One HTPC setup.