What's the best NAS-to-TV box?
I have a Western Digital MyBook network drive on which I keep videos, music and documents that are linked into iTunes and Windows Media Player on the handful of machines I, my partner and our kids have here.
Even the Linux netbook can access it and play back content.
But now I want to do make the next step and access it through my TV. What do Reg readers recommend?
The Apple TV box seems a nice, slimline way of doing it, especially since I can control its library using iTunes. I'd only want the 40GB version because I'd just pull the content as and when off the NAS, presumably.
But are there any other options? My music files are all MP3s, my videos a mix of .mp4 files and .avi files. ®
COMMENTS
thumbs up for qnap
I use a qnap 209 pro II nas for storing the media, then access it via xbmc on multiple xboxes (standard definition) or xbox 360s (high definition) throughout the house. Totally painless.
HDX1000
Also very similar to the PCH A100, check out www.networkedmediatank.com for more info on these devices.
I have a HDX and couldn't recommend it more!
Take note there are some media formats that devices like a PS3 and Xbox360 won't / don't support, and many with serious geekwork involved.
Popcorn Hour A110
you can pick one up on ebay from £150-£200 and be guaranteed that it'll play all of your media, in high def as well
BLOBbox: DVB-T + PVR + torrent + internet
If you need a box with DVB-T and HDD PVR + all the features of a popcorn hour + free SDK with a developers community, take a look at the BLOBbox.
http://www.tvblobbox.com/ataglance.php
An all in one solution
There are several TVs now that will stream from DLNA devices. Take the new Samsung LED 7000 series for example. It can be CAT5ed into a router or through optional wireless adaptor. It will play a whole host of formats too, divx SD and HD, .mkv and mp4s.
Of course this does require the purchase of a new Kate Moss-ingly slim TV though...
