Could You Help Me to Decide Which Smart Media Player to Buy?

Lpayrings on 23/03/2020 - 22:10
Last edited 25/03/2020 - 11:03 by 1 other user

Hello fellow OzBargainers,

First of all, I hope you are well and safe in these difficult times.

I would like to ask some of you for an advice about which smart media player to buy: there are so many options out there and I am quite confused.

My requirements are:
- Wifi connectivity 5Ghz
- USB 3 port
- ability to connect an external HDD to the above USB 3 port
- ability to copy files on the HDD via wifi (i.e. I would like to copy a video from my laptop to the HDD connected to the media player)
- ability to play X265 10bit videos
- price within $150

Optional requirements:
- ability to install Android apps
- network port

I do not need to play at 4K resolution and I am happy with 2 channel audio.

Thank you very much in advance for your suggestions! :)

• 

  Hybroid on 23/03/2020 - 22:25

  +4

  $72 - https://www.vodafone.com.au/vodafone-tv

  • 

    spackbace on 23/03/2020 - 22:29

    +3

    As above

    And instead of that crappy method, setup the laptop as a plex server

    • 

      o53djz7qTPY4der on 24/03/2020 - 08:00

      +1

      Whilst the VTV was excellent on realease, it has been appaling since the force update to Android 9.

      Vodafone have actually been refunding people and letting them keep the devices.

      In terms of Android, I am not sure I have another suggestion. However, I ended up going with an AppleTV 4K as I only use it for Plex. Solid as a rock and direct plays everything!

      • 

        payrings on 24/03/2020 - 19:30

        Thank you guys! This seems a great device, and I am keen to give it a go (maybe without updating to Android 9! :-) )

        Anyway, I am still unsure about this scenario: if I connect an HDD to the USB port, is there a way to copy files on the HDD via wi-fi? I was thinking that if I install a wi-fi transfer app on the Vodafone TV, maybe I can… Sorry if the question is dumb, I am not sure about this!

        Thank you.

        • 

          spackbace on 24/03/2020 - 19:31

          +1

          @payrings: Best bet is to plug the drive into the laptop, or better yet into the modem/router if possible, and install Plex to keep your library catalogued :)

          • 

            payrings on 24/03/2020 - 19:33

            @spackbace: Thank you @Spackbace, I will try that :-)

      • 

        o53djz7qTPY4der on 24/03/2020 - 20:03

        You don't get a choice whether to update. It will just do it one night when you're asleep

• 

  AustriaBargain on 24/03/2020 - 04:10

  +2

  How about an Apple TV, with the Infuse app. All you'd need to do is share the folder on any computer which has the X265 10bit videos and then in the Infuse app you add the folder, then you can browse the files and if you want you can use the Infuse library based on the metadata of the files. Apple TV HD and 4K will output HDR/10 bit. And Infuse will playback any video file you can think of, even if it has licensed dolby audio tracks or whatever. Infuse is much better than Plex because Infuse app does all of the decoding, all you need to do to share it is have the folder shared on your computer. You don't need any library software you don't need to sign up for a Plex account or anything. Plus Apple TV is actually a great device for all the streaming apps, plus games because you can now sync an xbox one/ps4 controller to it. I'd buy the tvOS version of Chrono Trigger, it's a universal app with cloud saves.