What windows machine to BUY so i can play video files?

[therock003]

I like some cool media players, like E-great and others, but they seem to run their own firmwars and players inside, and i would like to have something with windows.

So i'm thinking of either a netbook or a nettop.

I need something that for sure offers an hdmi output, has minimal power consumpion, does not make noise, and doesnt overheat and can of course decode 1080p video, so i'm thinking for nvidia ion graphics.

Do you have something to suggest, based on my critera? I see not that great many netbooks have hdmi output. So maybe a nettop.

Acer Revo and Asus Eee Box EB1501U seem fine but maybe expensive considering there is no keyboard/trackpad and of course screen.

[yoda313]

Do you actually need a full computer? Or are you looking for something that just plays video files over hdmi?

If you don't need a full computer look into the wdtv media player. Its a small compact player that hooks up via hdmi or composite and plays files off usb harddrives. It can work with ntfs drives so file sizes are not limited.

If you really want a laptop for video I would seriously stay away from netbooks. Those are underpowered compared to regular laptops. Also since you mention hdmi out as a requirement I'm guessing you want hd video. Also netbooks don't have internal dvd/bluray drives - you'd have to get usb externals - another hassle and expense. I'd say get a mid to high level laptop that has at least a dual core processor and a dedicated video card that is rated for hdcp for bluray should you want to add it in the future. That should be the minimum specs to look at if you really want high def video off a laptop.

But if you don't need portable computing power and just want to playback files on a tv the wdtv or one of its competitors is really the most affordable and most compatible option to consider.

EDIT - Are you looking for a portable solution with its own screen to use while traveling?

You should consider an archos media player. They offer a lot of support, features, and a large screen. I hate to admit this since I HATE apple but you might also look into getting an IPAD - though I don't think it has hdmi out NOR does it do true hd - just slightly lower.

There is also a Zune hd that does offer hd support but I don't know the specs off hand. I think it also has a docking port that has hdmi out - or it can be connected via usb to a xbox 360 for playback.

[therock003]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

As i mentioned, standalone media players like e-great products, WDTV, and others with sigma processors, while they look nice and are portables and handy, i dont like that fact that they run their own version of software based player which doesnt allow for customization. So i would prefer something with a windows envirnoment so i can run mplayer classic, kmplayer, zoom player etc...

So that leaves me with either buying a netbook or a nettop. Netbooks, while the one with ion graphics allow for 1080p decode, there are not may that allow for hdmi, so wont be able to hook up a high def TV.

Nettops on the other hand have hdmi support, so i guess i'm heading on that direction.

To answer the next question, no i'm not looking for this to be a portable solution, as i do own an archos 7 for travellin purposes. I juest need something compact for my living room, but i need it to be running Windows.

[jagabo]

NewEgg shows a lot:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Descr...nettop&x=0&y=0

I'd be a little careful about relying on GPU h.264 decoding. Not all h.264 features are supported so you may have to fall back on CPU decoding sometimes.

[edDV]

If HD is a priority, you'd be better off with a desktop with display card hardware support for h.264, VC-1 and MPeg2 decode (e.g. NVidia "PureVideo-HD" or AMD "AVIVO-HD"). This is most important if you are opting for a low performance Atom processor.

The standalone media players get similar functionality from the Sigma Designs chips.

[jagabo]

He's already looking at Nvidia ION graphics. Some of the other boxes at NewEgg had ATI HD 4530 or 4330 chipsets. I'm not sure if the Atom 330 (1.66 GHz dual core) can decode Blu-ray h.264 fast enough in software as a backup for non DXVA compatible videos.

[therock003]

HD is not a priority, since most of my videos are standard res, i just want it to be out there, in case i want to run a 1080p mkv x264 file. But i hear ion graphics handle that well.

Would you say Sigma Processors, handle HD files better, than ION grpahics?

[edDV]

[QUOTE=therock003;2017476

Would you say Sigma Processors, handle HD files better, than ION grpahics?[/QUOTE]

I haven't used Ion graphics. Check out the reviews.

[therock003]

An additional questions is, what to do with analog inputs. I guess no modern graphics card, allows for composite out and svideo, so my only choise is for an external usb device that does that?

[edDV]

An additional questions is, what to do with analog inputs. I guess no modern graphics card, allows for composite out and svideo, so my only choise is for an external usb device that does that?

Most PC display cards and many laptops have a circular TV port for analog S-Video (4pin) and sometimes analog component HD capable Y,PbPr (9 pin). An adapter or cable is usually supplied to sum S-Video Y/C into composite. I haven't looked too close at netbooks for these connections.



http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t61279.html

You want to do your homework on this before you buy. The cost for external "converters" is high and performance is low. Best to download the computer manual to review connections and modes supported.

[jagabo]

An additional questions is, what to do with analog inputs. I guess no modern graphics card, allows for composite out and svideo

Are you asking about outputs or inputs?

[edDV]

and what kinds of analog inputs?

composite
S-Video
analog component
RF (analog tuner)
RF (digital tuner)

and to what codecs?

a netbook/nettop isn't going to have much editing/re-coding grunt so you need to cap to the codec that will be used for edting or direct display.

[therock003]

Sorry i was asking for outputs. (I meant inputs, on the TV side of things).

So in any case, what i'm saying is suppose that i want to connect it to an old analog TV set, (which i own plenty), that only have this legacy cinch composite, or scart inputs, and s-video as a best case scenario (I never owned a luxurious analog set with component input, and probably never will, since things went digital, and are continuing down that road).

[jagabo]

All the current graphics chips support standard definition analog video output to s-video, composite, or component. Many graphics cards and motherboards with integrated video have those outputs. Unfortunately, the smallest computers don't include them because there is no space.

[garryward]

Hi,
Ive been using an Acer R3610 for about 6 months now plays everything I put on it 264, mpeg, VC-1 ,etc.
I use the Shark codec pack and MPC HC