Home audio & video forum: Roku XDS or cheap Blu-Ray?

It does play from USB sticks but after the hoopla I don't it as much as my PC.

If the Roku isn't the way to go is there a Blu Ray player you would recommend? I've seen a couple like the LG BD550 or Samsung BD-C6500. Although for samsung I just read that article about the poor reliability that CNET users have...

would agree with Doh_1 and go for the Roku. It's seem to that Roku have lot more supports for other online services that a blu-ray player might not have or at least user friendly.

If I were you, I'd just get the Roku box, and wait to get the Blu-Ray player until you need it. This kind of technology gets better as time goes on, so I'd take advantage of that...by the time that you "need" a Blu-Ray player, they will be better.

I still don't have a Blu-Ray player, but with a 37" LCD TV, I really don't need it. Regular DVD's are beautiful and crystal clear on my TV. I do have a Roku box on my list, though, so that I can play Netflix movies through my TV. What's kept me from getting one so far is that I have a really nice 24" monitor that looks great with streaming video, so I haven't felt driven to get a Roku box.

-Roger

would be the Apple TV. For 99 bucks you get Netflix, You Tube, flickr, rentals and purchases of TV shows and movies, as well as access to medial stored on your computer. It is very simple to set up and use.

So I just picked up the TV Live Plus and realized one big feature that I can't believe I overlooked. IT IS ONLY WI-FI READY. You have to also get a wi-fi adapter for the usb port to connect it to your network.

I realize that is a big feature, especially when the Roku does not require a usb adapter. However, the Roku does not support media streaming from a NAS if you chose to do so and hard drives connected via the usb are not visible on the network as shared drives, so you would have to disconnect your drive each time and plug it into your computer to transfer files.

I completely agree about the incovenience of the the wifi adapter. That is a huge drawback. But if you compare the costs, $109 for the tv live plus, and about $30 for a usb adapter, put you at $139-140 vs $100 for the apple tv with a few added options. But, the apple tv only supports up to 720p, has no usb port for an external drive, only streams media via itunes, and has an limited file format support.

First, the 720p vs 1080p is a big deal for a lot of people that have nice displays, myself included.
Second, the usb port is nice if you want to connect a drive directly, not have to turn on your computer, already have a drive for backing up home movies, music, pictures, etc. A USB port also adds portability if you want to take the media player with you somewhere, i.e. vacation and have to back up hd movies from a hd camcorder because memory card prices add up fast.
Third, the "streaming" feature on apple tv requires that you get your computer, turn it on, have files saved in a particular way, etc. The original poster mentioned somewhere not wanting to have to get out his/her computer every time. The WD TV Live allows you to purchase a NAS, the WD MyBook Live happens to be very affordable at 2tb, and stream directly to the media player. SO, if you have NAS with a built in media server that you are already using to back up your home computer, now you can also use it to stream media.
Fourth, the limited file format support is a big deal for me because I have an HD camcorder. My understanding from the apple message boards is that despite apple tv listing a lot of formats, there are unclear issues.

I COMPLETELY AGREE about the ease of use for Apple TV, but having just purchased the WD TV live plus, it is really not that hard to set up. I plugged it in, plugged in my hard drive, and was done.

Tried the WD TV Live Plus, and worthless for playing HD Home Movies (HD Home camcorders, exported in iMovies as .mov files, very high quality clips, and h.264 compression). I backed up my MacBook onto a new 2TB My Book Essential and whenever I played the movies via the USB, it was always choppy.

Luckily the WD TV Live Plus was a gift and I upgraded to the WD TV Live Hub and transferred the movies to the 1TB drive and they played perfectly. I realized it was the lack of appropriate transfer from the drive because I ran to a store, tried a ASUS O!Play and the had the same problem. Even had the problem with the same movie on a portable drive I had laying around. Clearly the USB port on the TV Live plus can't handle the transfer rates needed for HD Video.

I did learn some negative features of the Roku along the way as well. Once connected to your network it is not seen on your network as a shared drive, nor are any drives connected to the USB port.

I still think the Apple TV blows because files have to be streamed through iTunes, therefore have to be compatible with iTunes, and you also do not have a USB port so streaming video is your only way to play movies you have/downloaded.

I have been pretty happy with the WD TV Live Hub
Pros:
1. 1TB drive built inis great so you don't have to worry about transfer rates for a usb drive or network streaming
2. easy user interface
3. easy set up
4. serves as a shared drive on your network so you can drag and drop files to it or the usb drive (very slow though)
5. detects by drives despite being mac os extended (HFS) formatted

Cons:
1. have to get a usb wireless adapter (this is a bit of a gamble bec they can't guarantee that all adapters will work and you're adding another $50 to the price)
2. very slow to detect my 2TB USB drive each time you power it up

I did learn quickly that you also need to make sure that if you get a device for USB expansion, you should check the file format systems is supports. Most Blu Ray players do not support mac formatted drives which are nice if you like Time Machine.

There is also not a single Blu Ray Player that will play .mov files.

I agree that converting from .mov to another format is probably in my best interest. files are generally smaller as well. i've tried exporting files in iMovie as .avi, but regardles of the settings, they turn out horrible. the new issue with the hub is that the wireless usb adapter i purchased because it was very small does not consistently detect by home network and limits streaming capabilities. i'll be replacing it but i am very concerned that there is an intrinsic problem with the hub and how it allocated resources between the two usb ports. i feel like the wifi adapter was fine until i plugged in the external drive and the external drive was better until i plugged in the wifi adapter.

the hub also has compatibility issues with my hdmi switch. it is an auto-switch that does not need to be plugged in. based on the signal from the input (hub, blu ray player, cable box, etc) it can supposedly automatically change inputs. unfortunately the cable works most of the time, blu ray all the time, and hub almost never. not sure if i can blame this on the hub. from what i have read, compatibility with switches and hdmi sources is based completely on luck.

@onemoremile: you need to relax on the anti-apple concerns. I think i mentioned earlier that i have been an apple user for about the pat 8 years and i truly appreciate their seamless integration of products. BUT, you also have to understand that if somebody wants to pay $100 for device that only stream internet content and files that are actively being played on their computer, then the Apple TV is a good option. HOWEVER, my goals are to be able to sit down, turn on my television and home entertainment system and if I feel like watching a home movie, look at digital photos, or listen to music and to be able to do so without having to get my computer, open a file, play it in iTunes, and then watch it (only if I have enough storage space on my computer and the format is iTunes compatible).

Until the Apple TV puts a simple USB port on the back, it's not going to take off. It's popularity is because it is competing against a ton of inferior products by companies like ASUS, Seagate, etc, and the only real competitor is the Roku.

I'm not naive and I realize that the WD products have their flaws as well, but a true media player for your home entertainment system should not be that heavily dependent on your computer.

No worries. I was told that to use the Apple TV, you had to play the file in iTunes and it would use the Apple TV to basically display the video/music/etc on your tv. It is possible the person was wrong and that Apple TV just sees what is in your iTunes library and can play those files. That still means that the files need to be on your computer, it has a large enough drive to store all of your files, the files are iTunes compatible, and that you computer is up an running iTunes. To me, that seems a very inefficient way to play digital media.

To be completely honest, the best way to do this is to connect a pc with an hdmi output to your television. that is what several friends have done with the biggest limitations being

1. often lack of remote control depending on the pc
2. poor range on wireless keyboards and mice
3. limited output to 720p, not 1080
4. smaller, nice looking computers, i.e. mac mini have very limited storage capacity and you have to connect an external drive.

The WD TV Live Hub has by far been the most user friendly and convenient device so far. It also streams itself to DLNA devices, i.e blu ray players, so if you have a player in another room you can still access that media, assuming the file formats are supported.

I also am connecting a computer to my receiver via HDMI at the moment. This is less than ideal because I need to disconnect the second monitor from my computer, run a cable and play the video, photos, etc. from the computer. A device like AppleTV would allow me to do all of this wirelessly from my chair, without touching my computer or any cables.

I have tried out the ATV in the Apple Store. The computer that hosts local files, such as home movies or your own music, must be on the network and running. The ATV can access content on your computer that is managed by iTunes, iPhoto, etc. The AppleTV also streams files directly from the iTunes Store, Netflix, You Tube, etc., without the need for a computer. You are limited to the online streaming sources that are supported by the device, so you will want to make sure that you can access the material that you want, if streaming is important. On the other hand, the ATV can play copy protected files that you have purchased from the iTunes Store, while other devices may not.

Just to provide some food for thought, you can easily find a $20 remote compatible with a Vista or W7 enabled PC/laptop that will also control iTunes. I often peruse newegg.com for such items. Often technically inclined buyers have left comments on what has worked and what has not in their setups. Ditto for finding a good wireless keyboard/mouse that has adquate range for one's needs. There's also a crazy notion of buying an inexpensive repeater .

For me #3 is sort of moot, since before you even start this process you should have a relatively up-to-date laptop/PC with decent graphics/HDMI output or capabilities. Luckily the prices are quite reasonable for a very basic desktop/laptop that does this out of the box, especially if someone isn't comfortable building their own for the most control over the components.