Topic: WDTV or better saveup for a better NMT Player (PCH/E-great) ???

[doughn]

Should buy the wdtv or wait and save a litttle more for a better nmt player such as Popcorn Hour or Egreat


i really need a FullHD media player...TIA

[RastaSega]

here's the thing : you get what you pay for.

the WD HD you'll be able to watch mkv files among others... but that's it.

spotty upgrade options for that... connectivity is kinda limited but it will get the job done (as far as the ability to watch mkv's are concerned)

Now for the regular NMT's you have so much more flexibility and capabilities.

Eventually  magiging mainstream din yan and the prices will be reduced dramatically. Pero that may be 1 to 2 years from now. You never know.

Just list down the things you want to do with the hardware you'll be buying.

Remember the wd hd isn't cheap either kasi you'll need an external HD din e.

[Clondalkin]

Based on user's reports, I wouldnt even bother about the other functions of an NMT.  My opinion is based solely on the playback capability of the devices.  So here's what I think.

Mura ba yung 5 or 6K sa yo in case pagkabili mo you find out na hindi kayang mapanood lahat ng 720p or 1080p encoded files that you acquire - (the files can be TOTALLY overwhelming you know), and you feel like upgrading so soon?   What do you think?    A lot of members here don't seem to mind buying and upgrading again and again and again but what about you?

You'd most likely spend more on HDD so would you like to have the cheapest, but allegedly buggy, alternative at the moment or a more expensive but proven device?    Firmware update - of course they should come out eventually but when?

I dont have an NMT because I use the PC,  but I feel very frustrated if any of my PCs cant handle the files well - buti nalang I have other PCs to turn to in such situation. 

This feels like buying a Shuffle or a Nano to me.     

[Alfie]

This feels like buying a Shuffle or a Nano to me.   

Ha-Ha....Well said.

Let me just add, if not for the MKV function, the ones being sold by Garfield (HDD Media player/Recorder) seems to be a lot better.

[ivannn]

the WDTV is still relatively new so hindi pa siya ganun ka tested. actually iniisip ko rin yan before. i mean mahirap din kasi mag invest in something new na hindi pa ganun ka tested kasi 50/50 eh, it could be that you end up with a very good item or something that you will regret buying.

sa akin ang naging basis ng decision ko is dun na muna ako sa tested na items na since i wont be able to move around alot this xmas season kasi i scheduled my surgery this december para mahaba ang pahinga and kaunti lang mamis ko na time sa office ko. so at the end of the day i bought the egreat from gren.

[raptor]

Even the Egreat's and PCH are still works in progress - still plenty of bugs and feature deficiencies ... I used to own a PCH and had to replace it with a more expensive NMT - the DVICO TViX M6500 ...the TViX is a lot better in terms of stability and features, except for Internet connectivity (which you wouldn't likely use if you have a PC)

The drawback of the TViX is that it is quite expensive - almost 20k without the HDD yet, but it's what an NMT should be.  

I would recommend the TViX or an HTPC rather than getting a cheap media player or NMT if you're targeting to watch HD movies.  Otherwise it will be a more expensive investment in the future, since you will have to replace and upgrade it anyway when you start experiencing the issues (which will definitely happen)....same as what happened with me.

[eksi]

better save up

[pooch]

i really need a FullHD media player...TIA

the answer is in your question 

i believe the WD will not cut it out for you

[iiinas]

for me, the wdtv is a good second unit, to take out during weekends and stuff like that. so that you dont have to take out your htpc or primary nmt with you. just the movies you want to watch in your portable hdd and the wdtv. perfect! 

[raptor]

for me, the wdtv is a good second unit, to take out during weekends and stuff like that. so that you dont have to take out your htpc or primary nmt with you. just the movies you want to watch in your portable hdd and the wdtv. perfect! 

For this purpose, I totally agree with Iinas ... if it will be in the centerpiece of your HT system however, I would suggest an HTPC or the TViX

[RastaSega]

i guess the question has been answered

[iiinas]

For this purpose, I totally agree with Iinas ... if it will be in the centerpiece of your HT system however, I would suggest an HTPC or the TViX

sir raptor, you have a great media player in tvix, saw this in singapore, but was still too pricey for me, i was really waiting for this unit to go down in price when the popcorn hit the market. in terms of looks and ease of use, tvix wins hands down but at double the price.... nag popcorn na ako, i could live with the short comings ng pch. 

i guess the question has been answered

i guess so. 

but looking at my argument above. some people might not afford/justify a popcorn or egreat just like i felt i cant afford/justify a tvix. and in the end may end up buying a wdtv since its 1/4 the price of a tvix and 1/2 the price of an nmt.

kaya kung saan kayo masaya, supportahan namin kayo! 

[pooch]

i bought the WD HD for the following reasons:

1. i download torrents from the office (good way to use company resources  ) so i rely heavily on my external HD
2. my pc is downstairs, my bedroom is upstairs.


i agree with the ipod analogy. if you want music, get an ipod. if you want it with a touchscreen, get an ipod touch 

[praktikal]

me too, esep esep pa and ito ang pananaw ko dyan...

- kung may budget ka na, get an NMT
- if limitado lang pera mo at player lang ang hanap, get wdtv
- if di ka naman kating-kati, wait til dumating ang bagong version ng wdtv (palagay ko naman meron)
- kung bitin ka sa features ng wdtv, ipon pa konti at NMT na kunin mo

bottom line is masaya ka at walang naisasakripisyong ibang mas mahalagang bagay na pagkakagastusan lalo na kung involve ang pamilya.

ito madalas kong sinasabi, "kung mabubusog din naman ako sa banana q, bakit pa ako bibili ng burger?" gets ba, gets?

well, it really works for me being... praktikal. 

[barrister]

I say it will depend on your requirements.

If you're interested in MKV 1080p, then the WD media player is not for you.  You'll be happier with a Popcorn/Egreat.

But if you're OK with AVI files with aXXo specs, then a WD would be just right.  Cheap, simple, portable.

If you have a grandma who doesn't even have a DVD player in her house, you can even bring it along, hook it up to her TV, and show her some home videos and pics of the kids the next time you visit.   

[doughn]

thanks for the inputs guys.....

my next question should be.... popcorn hour or egreat....

TIA

[iiinas]

thanks for the inputs guys.....

my next question should be.... popcorn hour or egreat....

TIA

hahaha, tough question yan. i suggest you read the other threads here in the nmt section and it will shed some light in which path to take. 

[raptor]

thanks for the inputs guys.....

my next question should be.... popcorn hour or egreat....

TIA

halos pareho lang yung dalawa ... just want to share my opinion being an owner of PCH for almost 6 months then replaced it with TViX - save up for an HTPC or TViX para wala ng upgrade ~ additional HDD na lang in the future

[doughn]

halos pareho lang yung dalawa ... just want to share my opinion being an owner of PCH for almost 6 months then replaced it with TViX - save up for an HTPC or TViX para wala ng upgrade ~ additional HDD na lang in the future

also been thinking ACER ASPIRE 3200 (htpc) but i need a remote control and virus-free machine....

[Alfie]

Acer Aspire has Vista as OS and as long as the Windows Defender is always on,augmented by another Anti-virus, has proven to be very effective in thwarting any viral attack. 

But of course, it's not a guaranty,and at times, despite our defenses, we get victimized by loosing our guard or installing something foolish.  :'(

[doughn]

Acer Aspire has Vista as OS and as long as the Windows Defender is always on,augmented by another Anti-virus, has proven to be very effective in thwarting any viral attack. 

But of course, it's not a guaranty,and at times, despite our defenses, we get victimized by loosing our guard or installing something foolish.  :'(

@Alfie

does the 3200 acer performed well (playing mkv) out of the box? or do i need to upgrade some more (ram and vid card and etc)  ??  do u use a wireless remote control?

TIA

[Clondalkin]

does the 3200 acer performed well (playing mkv) out of the box? or do i need to upgrade some more (ram and vid card and etc) 

I know a member who's currently enjoying his 3200 Acer even with a very heavy high bitrate 1080p content that I provided specifically for testing purpose.  It seems to be working very well with MKV when set-up properly (software/codec).

Yeah kung mahal ang Tvix, and ok lang sa yo to set-up a PC, and you're not a hardcore gamer, this is a nice option it seems.

[Alfie]

The only MKV that I have before I upgraded my Video card was the Olympics Opening which I belive is a 720p, but since I upgraded my HDD, reformatted and installed a 8400 GT Videocard, everything seems to play flawlessly including the Call Of Duty World At War, which the Data Blitz personnel claimed can only be played with a 8600GT video card. 

I have not tried the 1080p 30 gig The Dark Knight which was posted by Clondalkin,however, if his friend was able to enjoy that then maybe the X3200 is more than adeequate. 

[jackryan]

OT: Alfie, it works... let's see how this baby works on the 8500 instead :-)

[Alfie]

jackRyan- I did some research, it said that the 8500 does not have any significant improvement over the 8400.  ....however, the site I got into was for gamers,and how they failed to make the X3200 a gaming PC....my take is why on earth did they even try??

[jepoi]

is there a thread here about Acer Aspire 3200?  I've been seeing that PC (?) pop up every now and again on a bunch of threads here and it got me curious.  hehe.  and just when i am almost 100% sold with getting a WD HD player.

please direct me to the thread so i don't go OT any more than i already am. 

[Alfie]

Here it is, join the club;

http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=86163.0

[raptor]

jackRyan- I did some research, it said that the 8500 does not have any significant improvement over the 8400.  ....however, the site I got into was for gamers,and how they failed to make the X3200 a gaming PC....my take is why on earth did they even try??

Sirs, for our HTPC requirements, the more important thing is the video processors support for hardware acceleration for HD videos (h.264 formats) ... some of the most expensive high-end video cards that were released early last year does not have such feature, and most of the newly released integrated graphics cards on motherboards have the hardware acceleration for HD videos ... hence, an upgrade to a discrete video card will not necessarily mean an improvement on watching HD movies - improvement would just likely be on 3D performance.

What happens if the video card does not support hardware acceleration for HD video is that the encoding/ddecoding process is mostly handled by the CPU and not the graphics processor, hence if you have an old or low powered processor, you may experience issues (freezing, chopiness, pixelization, etc.) ... if you have a graphics processor with HD acceleration however, you do not really need a powerful CPU for HTPC purposes.

The best integrated graphics processor available are the Radeons built-in on AMD 780G-based motherboards ... these are usually paired with single-core AMD Sempron (LE series) for HTPC usage - this makes for a cheap, low-power consumption, and low-noise HTPC system ... there are a lot of positive reviews for such HTPC setups on popular computer tech sites (such as Anandtech and Toms Hardware).

I would recommend upgrading the memory of the X3200 rather than adding discrete video card if the purpose is primarily HT.

[doughn]

I would recommend upgrading the memory of the X3200 rather than adding discrete video card if the purpose is primarily HT.

dapat ilan gb? yung ram.... TIA

[Clondalkin]

dapat ilan gb? yung ram.... TIA

Max it out.  As much as your OS can recognize.  3.25GB in case of Vista.  Hindi ka naman pedeng bumili ng "tingi" so just insert 4GB of RAM.