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  1. Member SE14man's Avatar
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    Hi people

    Been told that the best way to play movies in the living room on an HDTV is to use a PC or laptop hooked up to the TV which i usppose makes sense seeing as software players seem to handle videos a lot better than hardware codecs... Am i correct?

    So if you suggest that doing things this way is a good idea would I need to be going for anything high tech using a PC?

    For example my setup now is a Core i5 with 16GB RAM using a Geforce 650 graphics card. Is this all i would need and then just an HDMI cable to link to the TV?

    Also can someone please give me a few suggestions on good TV's to get? I thought maybe a TV which has a USB port for an external hard drive but i suppose that then goes to the ability for how well the TV can handle codecs doesn't it? things like MKV files and m2ts etc....

    Thanks in advance
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    Originally Posted by SE14man View Post
    Hi people

    Been told that the best way to play movies in the living room on an HDTV is to use a PC or laptop hooked up to the TV which i usppose makes sense seeing as software players seem to handle videos a lot better than hardware codecs... Am i correct?

    So if you suggest that doing things this way is a good idea would I need to be going for anything high tech using a PC?

    For example my setup now is a Core i5 with 16GB RAM using a Geforce 650 graphics card. Is this all i would need and then just an HDMI cable to link to the TV?

    Also can someone please give me a few suggestions on good TV's to get? I thought maybe a TV which has a USB port for an external hard drive but i suppose that then goes to the ability for how well the TV can handle codecs doesn't it? things like MKV files and m2ts etc....

    Thanks in advance
    Your Core i5 system is fine for SD and HD video playback. Just get an HDMI cable and find an unused HDMI port on the TV which allows connecting the PC. (I have seen newer TVs which have an HDMI port specifically intended for use with a PC.)

    In general, media players on TVs from companies like LG and Samsung are getting better. The Samsung TV I helped my mother pick out last year can even play HEVC video in an MKV file (with some restrictions). However, no TV plays everything.

    Living in the USA, I can't suggest specific models because the available models and features differ by country.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 21st Jun 2016 at 01:52. Reason: fix bad edit
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  3. Originally Posted by SE14man View Post
    Been told that the best way to play movies in the living room on an HDTV is to use a PC or laptop hooked up to the TV which i suppose makes sense seeing as software players seem to handle videos a lot better than hardware codecs... Am i correct?
    Not entirely. While it is definitely possible to put together a PC that produces a marginally better-quality video on your TV when playing DVDs, Blu-Ray, downloaded 4K, and other video files, you really have to know what you're doing to pull it off, and it will take a lot of effort to get it set up.

    Most hardware players are pretty darned good and, for anyone who isn't a fanatical videophile, will produce marvelous results.

    However, if you are the kind of person who spends $10,000 or more to set up a home theater system, then you definitely should consider building a home theater PC (HTPC).

    I suggest you head over the to the AVS Forum and take a look at their massive database of information on this subject.
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    Originally Posted by johnmeyer View Post
    While it is definitely possible to put together a PC that produces a marginally better-quality video on your TV when playing DVDs, Blu-Ray, downloaded 4K, and other video files, you really have to know what you're doing to pull it off, and it will take a lot of effort to get it set up.

    Most hardware players are pretty darned good and, for anyone who isn't a fanatical videophile, will produce marvelous results.

    However, if you are the kind of person who spends $10,000 or more to set up a home theater system, then you definitely should consider building a home theater PC (HTPC).
    Watching 4K video on a 4K TV using a PC as a media player is technologically challenging, but the OP has not mentioned a need to do that so far. He has also not mentioned a need to stream audio to a sound system, which is more complicated than using the TV's speakers.

    If someone merely wants to watch SD and HD videos on their TV using their existing PC as a media player, it isn't hard to do at all, in most cases. I do it every day with a 7-year old PC using only the onboard video card and sound card. Some Blu-Ray audio would be a problem due to lack of decoders, but most hardware media players would have problems with it as well.

    I do not have a $10K home theater system. I have a $330 LCD TV. I bought a nice HTPC case for $100 and an HDMI cable, transferred the innards from my PC to its new home, installed MPC-HC and was ready to play videos immediately. Setting the PC up to record TV was more difficult and time consuming, but the OP has not mentioned a need for that either.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 22nd Jun 2016 at 13:56.
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  5. My only reason for subtly trying to steer him away from building an HTPC is that it takes more work than simply buying off-the-shelf players, and the quality differences may not be obvious to someone who isn't highly critical. Also, there are about ten times the number of ways to screw up once you start building and configuring your own equipment compared to purchasing a few hardware players and a good TV.

    As far as TV recommendations, the AVS Forum is the place to go for that, although the sheer size and length of the posts there can be pretty intimidating. I'm a big fan of Samsung TVs. Almost all of them are LCD (which I'd recommend) and use LED for lighting (something I'd also recommend). I would not recommend a 4K set because, even after six years on the market, 4K material is not readily available on either broadcast sites (cable, satellite, and phone company), or streaming (YouTube). It is mostly a download and play proposition. Heck, my TV service (U-verse) still broadcasts an extensive collection of SD channels, even though it has been almost a decade since analog OTA broadcasts ceased.

    Also, on anything much smaller than a 60" screen, you will be hard-pressed to see much difference between 4K and 1920x1080 content. 4K is a wonderful acquisition format, and so if you do a lot of professional video, I'd definitely recommend getting a 4K camera.

    Yes, the OP didn't mention 4K, but it needs to be part of any discussion on what TV to buy.
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  6. P.S. I have a nicely "tricked out" Lenovo high-end laptop, and I connect it to my TV via HDMI. I then watch Neflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

    However ...

    The quality stinks compared to what I get from my son's old Xbox-360 that he left behind six years ago when he left home. The differences are not small or subtle: the Xbox blows the laptop out of the water.

    Why?

    Well, I'm not entirely sure, but part of it is probably due to the software players that each of these services uses when playing on your laptop. All of them used to use either Silverlight or Flash, although YouTube is transitioning to HTML5. By contrast, the Xbox has its own software. I also suspect that Microsoft may have some technology deals in place with each of these services that gives it access to streams that are in some ways superior to what is simply streamed out to laptops.

    That is total supposition on my part, without a shred of evidence, so it is probably wrong.

    Whatever the reason, the Xbox video is smoother, sharper, with better color, than anything I get out of my PC. I would therefore recommend that anyone considering an HTPC do a comparison with as many of the dedicated players (Apple TV, Roku, etc.) as well as players embedded inside the TV. The ones in the TV used to be pretty shaky: I have a five-year-old Samsung, and its player stinks. However, I have helped troubleshoot a half dozen home theater setups in the past two years, and the newer players inside the TVs are quite a bit better than they used to be.
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    SE14man has not mentioned wanting to use a streaming media service either. He has so far only asked about playing media files from a hard drive. Boxes that are primarily used for watching streaming media services do not necessarily perform as well when it comes to local media playback.
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  8. I'm for extra media player, Android box (at least Amlogic S905+mini keyboard), HTPC (but prize would be higher at the end) or laptop (only if already have one to use it) or other solutions.

    TV, sooner or later would not play something. Avoid smart TV nonsense or some latest model and money would be left for media player.
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  9. Member Krispy Kritter's Avatar
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    I think a PC is easy enough to setup. The OP didn't mention anything "HTPC" related aside from media playback. So all he really needs is a fresh OS install and a media player, nothing else.

    While I agree that a HTPC and a hardware media player can be vastly different, the only requirement was media playback. So pushing one way or the other based on other features isn't really relevant.
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    I don't think th OP was referring to external player when he mention hardware and USB
    I think he was referring to the TV s ability to play different video file formats, via USB input
    As said the newer TVs are getting better at playing more formats
    But the PC is easier to update codecs , players etc.. If needed
    There are some very good external hardware players available
    But a person still end up using the PC to transfer the video files to the media.. SD card, thumb drive, hhd etc.. that the player will access
    The advantage of the hardware player is it functions like a DVD and uses a remote to search, play and control the player, which can be an ease of use system for any non PC users or simply sitting on the couch when watching the movie
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    Originally Posted by Krispy Kritter View Post
    I think a PC is easy enough to setup. The OP didn't mention anything "HTPC" related aside from media playback. So all he really needs is a fresh OS install and a media player, nothing else.

    While I agree that a HTPC and a hardware media player can be vastly different, the only requirement was media playback. So pushing one way or the other based on other features isn't really relevant.
    I agree. ...and the Android TV boxes and the various Raspberry Pi models that some members here use as media players are computers, although their CPU processing power is limited compared to a full PC.

    If those are eliminated from the discussion, the other devices people use for media playback (TV media players, Blu-ray media players, dedicated local media players like the Micca Speck G2, game consoles, and streaming media players) all have more limitations on what they can play than a computer. I'm not saying they can't be a useful option for playing locally stored media files falling within their capabilities, but a PC can do more.
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  12. If all he wants to do is play downloaded media files, then I totally agree: hook up a PC.

    However, his initial post is quite ambiguous, stating that he wants to "play movies in the living room on an HDTV." I can only speak for myself, but when I play movies I usually do so either by inserting a disc into a player, or by streaming from Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, or Hulu. I seldom download entire movies, both because it is not legal, but also because the quality stinks (or at least varies a lot) compared to DVD, Blu-Ray, and good streaming services.

    So, I did make an assumption, based on his statement about wanting to play movies. The OP will have to be more explicit in order to get more exact advice.
    Last edited by johnmeyer; 22nd Jun 2016 at 19:09. Reason: Hit save button before I was actually finished (oops!)
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  13. Originally Posted by johnmeyer View Post
    P.S. I have a nicely "tricked out" Lenovo high-end laptop, and I connect it to my TV via HDMI. I then watch Neflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

    However ...

    The quality stinks compared to what I get from my son's old Xbox-360 that he left behind six years ago when he left home. The differences are not small or subtle: the Xbox blows the laptop out of the water.
    Even in "pick your own quality" mode?

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    I have a fairly slow ADSL connection and for me YouTube seems to start off in average quality mode, quickly dropping down to absolute crap quality mode, unless I manually specify a resolution.

    Don't forget many TVs these days are internet capable and can connect to streaming services themselves. Samsung Australia have YouTube and Netfix included in the list of services supported by their "Smart Hub".
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  14. I live in the same country as SE14man, although I haven't paid much attention to what newer TVs will do in the last few years, but I suspect they haven't become less capable.

    The media player built into the Samsung TVs in this house plays all the common formats. I use a PC as a media player myself but the TV in the living room spends 90% of it's time playing video stored on a 2TB hard drive with only one issue.... it doesn't support anamorphic MKV/MP4s and plays them as though they consist of square pixels... which isn't the end of the world as most video isn't anamorphic these days, and maybe Samsung have "fixed" that issue. The TVs here are at least four years old.

    There's a four year old Sony Bluray player in the house that'll play everything the Samsung TV will play via USB and it does support anamorphic MKVs/MP4s correctly. I imagine the media players built into Sony TVs would be just as good.

    If there's many TVs left advertising DivX HD certification, be a little wary. I know someone with a DivX certified TV and it's built in media player doesn't support DTS as that's optional for DivX certification, and it's more limited in the types of video it supports than my non-certified TV.

    My experience is all pre-4K and pre-HEVC so I can't offer an opinion there. If you're using a PC as a media player the TV's ability to decode video via USB doesn't matter as the PC will be decoding. I use my old E6750 dual core with a 8600GT video card as my media player. I like being able to navigate with a mouse, as opposed to fast forwarding, or having to enter numbers using the remote control to jump to a specific point in time. I quite often use MPC-HC to zoom in on the video to fill the screen and because I do a reasonable amount of video encoding, I prefer to preview it on the TV before committing myself to encoding, so I'd have the PC connected to the TV for that reason anyway.
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  15. Originally Posted by hello_hello View Post
    Originally Posted by johnmeyer View Post
    P.S. I have a nicely "tricked out" Lenovo high-end laptop, and I connect it to my TV via HDMI. I then watch Neflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

    However ...

    The quality stinks compared to what I get from my son's old Xbox-360 that he left behind six years ago when he left home. The differences are not small or subtle: the Xbox blows the laptop out of the water.
    Even in "pick your own quality" mode?
    Yes, even if I manually set the dpi quality in YouTube. The problem is more than just the streaming handshaking to determine what spatial resolution to deliver. The difference is also in the motion smoothness. There are certain types of motion that often causes streaming to drop frames (such as a combined zoom/pan). These are always perfectly smooth on the XBox, but sometimes choppy from the laptop. I should add that I have five different laptops and they all do the same thing, even though they are all configured differently, with different versions of Windows, and different browsers.

    The quality from the XBox is really quite remarkable. I fell asleep watching a dance competition show and wanted to catch a few of the dances I missed. I didn't DVR the episode, but each dance is posted on YouTube. When I played back that stream I was unable to see any difference from what my TV service delivered in HD.
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