Want to buy my mum a media player for movies and tv shows on her tv
She is almost 70 and a bit technophobe so the more straightforward the better
Doesn't need internet or network streaming as she doesn't have internet
Just needs to play local files from usb hdd and have a good user interface
Ideally I can buy before Xmas
Any suggestion greatly apprciated
Local TV Media Player for a Senior
Noblejoker on 16/12/2014 - 22:31
Comments
Unfortunately set-top boxes are usually rubbish… terrible buggy playback, awful media-playing remote controls, horrible menu systems. If you can name one that works well with very big remote control buttons, large on-screen text and easy to navigate menus, please do because I've set up and tested at least eight different models and brands of set-top box, and so far they've all been garbage when it comes to usability. I'd love to be proven wrong and find a decent one, if anybody has any suggestions!
I was hoping when the government started giving out set-top boxes to pensioners they'd specifically make a good easy-to-use model with huge buttons, huge on-screen text, and rock-solid stability. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and none of the pensioners I know can confidently use the boxes that have been installed for them.
My poor grandmother couldn't watch TV for a week because she'd accidentally pressed the AV button on her set-top box, which meant it had no video output. I was in hospital at the time, and nobody else knew how to get it back to digital TV mode. Even the instruction manual, which she'd gone to great pains to cover in plastic wrap to protect from harm, had no information on how to use it!
I'll definitely check out the Kaiser media player you mentioned, as it's a pretty decent price for a basic media player, and it looks like it might be pretty portable. The interface is my main concern. If my mother and grandmother can't navigate it, it's no use. My grandmother has never even used a computer, and doesn't know what a mouse is despite me attempting to get her onto email.
I'm actually looking for exactly the same thing as the OP for my mother, father, grandmother and three aunties. I also need something that can record digital TV though. They all watch the same TV shows and DVDs, and still record stuff on VHS so they can meet up on Thursdays to watch at each other's house. Yes, they still do that, in 2014 (soon to be 2015.)
They've collectively spent hundreds of dollars on different set-top boxes over the years, yet none of them were usable for their intended purpose of recording to USB or hard disk (that's why I was able to test so many.) The screen controls were too small for their 60-70 year old eyes, the remote controls have awful buttons that you can't read, the menu systems are difficult, frustrating or downright infuriating even for me (an IT guy) to navigate, codec support is woeful. Often if they are set to record TV shows, they randomly forget to record, or the recording is corrupted part way through, or the video loses audio/video sync after a while. Also if you record to a USB stick you can't just write over it like you can with a VHS tape, you have to erase files one by one or erase everything at once, and trying to teach a person who's never even used a computer how to navigate a file system with a remote control with buttons that are too small for their arthritic hands has nearly brought me to tears on occasion, it's just awful.
If you watch half an hour of a movie in the living room then need to go and lie down in bed becaues of a sore back (which many older people have to!) you can hit stop, eject a VHS tape, then pop the tape into your bedroom player and watch it on a different TV where you left off. You can't do that with a USB stick. And a surprising number of set-top boxes won't allow you to easily navigate to a specific place in a recording, or they glitch up so bad during Fast-Forward/Rewind that they sometimes crash. VHS players simply don't suffer from any of these problems, so they are still used heavily in my family!
I'd love to find another solution, but so far everything is too 'techie' and would require some type of maintenance which the person using it can't provide.
I agree with everything you have said here. Cheapest are usually rubbish for usability. Digital isn't always best
The only thing that is easy but costs would be Foxtel.
You can even buy easy to use big button remotes.Or maybe a new TV and plug the hdd straight into the TV usb and it can then record etc. Try Panasonic.
You're definitely right about the Foxtel being easy, my mother can use Foxtel IQ without problems (though I sometimes get a call during the middle of the night after she presses the wrong button by mistake) and the remote control has huge, easy to read buttons. You can tell immediately that it was supposed to be a stand-alone "it just works" box. If it could play back other media via USB or network it would be perfect! I don't think they'll ever enable that functionality though.
I'm really surprised there aren't any set-top boxes specifically made for user-friendliness. It seems to be the last thing on their minds when they make them.
@greenie4242:
Have to say even elcheapo did playersvare shocking to use, interface is the last thing thought of.Like I said, try a tv with a usb port in the stores and see how it is. Our tv you can turn off inputs you don't use so they don't appear in the menu and label the ones you want to mean something (we have our labelled Foxtel and Ps3) no usb to try though.
Upstairs tv we have a simple With, not a Live version, it's just simple box the size of a packet of cigarettes that we plug a usb hdd in. Nice and simple but I don't think they make them any more.A fine point paint pen might help to relabel the remote.
@greenie4242:
I just read my comment, silly auto correct. It's a wonder you could understand it.
First line should be ….DVD players are…
Fifth line is …simple WD player, not the live model….Tell us if you find anything cos it may be great for my elderly parents as well.
@Noblejoker: It's a bit late for you if you bought one from OW already, but somebody just posted this deal:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/175767
Kaiser Baas HD Media Player at Dick Smith for $44.98 - not bad! It's available at my DSE store Click & Collect, so I could even get them to price-match at OfficeWorks, as it's just down the street.
D'oh, I just remembered, this would be no use for my grandmother and auntie, as none of their TVs have HDMI! Hopefully it's useful for somebody else though.
Unfortunately I can't find any decent reviews of the interface on YouTube. Closest I can come to a review is a Whirlpool threat:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2120162@greenie4242:
This is what I have, you may be able to track one down. http://www.trustedreviews.com/Western-Digital-WD-TV-Mini-Med…
It has av or component out, no hdmi.I only play xvid on it but it says it does other formats.
@greenie4242: Thanks mate - already bought and received - only paid $55 inc post so not too much more
Rasberrypi with XBMC installed?
Otherwise most cheap set top boxes have a USB port…
I have an unhealthy habit of collecting media players — FireTV w/XBMC, Roku 3 w/Plex, ATV3 w/PlexConnect, RPi w/XBMC, Chromecast w/Plex and an i5 NUC w/XBMC. Plus DLNA clients on the TVs.
…there are 2 of us.If it's family-proof USB playback you want I wouldn't use any of them. I'd go for a WDTV, or if you want something a little cheaper the Kaiser Baas that Officeworks sell. Unless you want to test out a bunch of STBs with a USB full of test cases.
No, it's not as nice interface wise as XBMC or Plex Home Theatre, but they're both pretty much fullproof, which I'd rank as my #1 priority when I'm on tech support duty. If that's a concern there is actually a new Kaiser Baas that runs Android and comes with XBMC built in, but it's more expensive.
Even if 95% of the time it'll just be H.264/MKV/AC3 or H.264/MP4/AAC or XvID/AVI/MP3, you don't want to worry that some random file she's playing 6 months down the line has Cinavia protection and won't work on a Bluray player. Or DTS (presuming she isn't doing passthrough here) which many STBs don't decode. Or that the embedded Dothraki subs won't work because they're PGC and the random set top box you've got only accepts SRT.
Modern blu-ray players play files from a portable HDD via USB. My stepdaughter uses her 2 as media players.
Modern Blu-ray players do a great job and most support MKV/DTS/embedded subs/etc these days without an issue.
…except that Blu-Ray players since 2012 (with the exception of some dodgy off-brand models) are required to implement Cinavia content protection. Most movies are fine, but certain titles will not play without this protection being removed by a software tool. Sometimes this copy protection is stripped out by a release group, sometimes not.
If you think your family members can run their torrents through CinEx, or that it's unlikely to happen (eg, they mainly watch downloaded TV) then go for it.
Good point, but so far nothing downloaded has failed to play on her Pioneer BDP-160 players. It also plays .flv and .flac files, which some blu-ray players do not support. A cheaper player which supports just as wide a range of files is the LG BP240.
I've had issues with my own retail DVDs not playing on Cinavia blu-ray players. My wife needs subtitles for most movies, and often DVDs have woeful subtitles. On more occasions than I can count, when I've spent $$$ on a legitimate DVD or Bluray it's no use until I RIP it myself, then find some decent fan-subs (or manually fix the subtitles myself) then watch it via other means. I tried using our new Bluray player to stream movies as it has a rather nice remote control and is easier for the wife to navigate than my Astone media player, but found that some movies stop playing after about ten minutes due to the copy protection. Very annoying!
wdtv
I vote for WDTV Live. It plays almost everything, and it just works.
Thanks all
I have opted for the $50 Kaiser Baas
Was close to a WDTV - if they sold a cheaper non-internet version I would have bought it
Hopefully works out
CheersOK, I kniow this is an old thread but. I have 70 avi files. Each file is about 10-15 gig of uncompressed avi files from home videos I captured and placed on a seagate 1 terabyte drive. I want to play them on a samsung tv, no internet access. The tv does not support these files. What can I use to play the files. No internet. TV purchased a few weeks ago. Thanks.
Can you provide more info? You could probably just use a Rasberrypi with home media centre software installed. or a Kaiser Baas or WDTV.
Given the files are extremely large I'd recommend something you can plug the HD into that lives next to the TV. Even a old laptop would do.
The raspberry Pi would be the hardest to get working but should be possible with help from the Internet.
What do you mean by no internet ? No internet where your TV is or none at all apart from your phone?
Setting up a wireless network or using a power line Ethernet adapter can easily solve the no internet near TV issue.
Thanks for trying to help btw.
Does the TV support playing files from usb at all?
If so you could just convert the file format of your current avi to a format that will play
This can be done free on your pc
Look up the TV model and find what format to use
CheersI do not wish to convert 70 avi files of 10-15 gigs in size each to another format. It woukd take a long time in an old pc. Thanks anyway. I have considered that but trying to avoid.
understandable except that if the TV won't play them then there may be some proprietary codec or something involved
Which means the KB or WD might not work either
Converting could be a hassle - but could save you $50-$60
Pay a grandkid $10 to do it -Unless they are NSFW :)
The house has no internet, there is no mobile phone. we Just want to be able to plug a hard drive into a media player with a usb to play avi files.
Does the TV have HDMI? If so, a HDMI cable and a Kaiser Baas Media Hub will play the files via USB from your Hard Drive.
http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/kaiser-baas…OK, I will check that out. Thanks. I will let you inow how I get on.
This gets my vote
It's what I purchased for my mum (who is 69)
Others rave about the WDTV players and they may even be better - but I couldn't find one <$100
There would be an Android tv type box that would work tooPlug the KB into tv and switch the input to the HDMI
Screen comes up saying Video - Photo - Music - Other
Use the arrows to select Video and you come up with a simple folder list - arrows & OK to select
You may want to edit file names on the drive if they aren't descriptive - e.g. BaliHoliday.avi rather than avi1232.avi
Give it a trial on all files to ensure it can playback - but it does most common file formatsMy mum uses a portable HDD and I have found one of the usb input ports works better than the other
Probably something to do with powering the portable drive
May not make a difference if the HDD is poweredThanks heaps, I am hoping the unpowered seagate 1 terabyte drive works well enough. I should be able to get officeworks to price beat Jb and get one for about $53.
Go to dick smith and try the digital set top boxes out. The cheapies all have a USB port so you can plug a drive full of movies in. See if that's ok.
Other wise office works sells a kaiser brand media player that's good and cheap, like western digital player.