So i need to buy a cheap media player. I was thinking:
What do people recommend?
I found that there were too many video files that the Raspberry Pi would not play. I replaced it with a WDTV Live.
Aldi's got your back with this media player box.
http://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/29011/25603/aldi15.jpg
59 dollars for quad core with a remote control
cool thanks scrimshaw. $60 is around what i was seeing online, but aldi will be easy to return if there are any problems.
@nodloh, thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't seen the raspberry pi before so i will have to look into them.
Aren't Google rumoured to possibly be releasing 'proper' Google TV imminently? Give it a few weeks as I suspect something may get announced when they do the new Nexus / Android L release.
A 'proper' 'Google TV' device will likely have (Chrome)cast receiving built in amongst other things according to what leaks I've seen. There's no guarantee that a box you buy now based on standard Android would get all the Google TV magic when it comes out so now isn't a great time to buy.
Didn't the first google TV flop really hard? Nobody bought that strange orb-shaped device and it was almost unheard of outside of the States'.
Yes, the Nexus Q I think it was called.
Get a raspberry pi and install OpenElec for XBMC.
This is probably the cheapest way to run a media box since you'll have most the stuff around already.
Cost for rasp pi and case probably sets you back $35.
1 x rasp pi
1 x rasp pi case
1 x micro usb charger
1 x SD card 1GB or above
1 x hdmi cable
That's about it, you download the software on to the SD card and you're pretty much away.
Only issue with OpenElec it is hard to set up wifi. Instead I just use Ethernet cable.
I use this setup daily to stream to my TV from laptop and use my phone with YATSE remote control app to control TV. Once set up it will also download all album art, bio and ratings for movies/TV shows.