We got a new Panny 32" TX-L32E5B with Internet in April. Since we are using it in another room than before, that required new cabling to be run, and we had some cat5 run at the same time so I can plug the other end into the Netgear. We've only used iPlayer so far, but that seems to work fine even on HD. Not really looked into other network related features, but it would be nice to be able to do what you describe.
Basically ageing TVs are dying and SWMBO wants a new fancy one..
Now we have TV tuners on our 'puters and can record on them on the server which can dish up MP4s or mpegs via Windows NFS or Mac file sharing protocols...and lossa TVS seem to come with ethernet sockets...and I am fairly sure there's a bit of CAT5 curled up behind the faceplate in the room where...
..but the real things is how these stupid pieces of consumer shit actually can be setup - I mean half of them seem to expect you to plug in a USB drive or simply want to grab Iplayer content..
What would be mice is a 32" HD TV (Digital terrestrial tuner)that can read a network drive and play the content thereon - content that will be raw MP4 style files.
And it would be nice, but not essential - if it could record wahts being watched there as well.
I don't want to by a separate box..And budget is limited to £500
So tell me all the woes of latest consumer TV kit...
Mate has a Sony which will play content from Windows Media Player. I think every TV is different and the network stuff is constantly changing even with a single manufacturer.
I have a Samsung TV which is networked. If my broadband connection worked faster the iPlayer feature might be useful. As it is we never use it. It probably also does Lovefilm and Netflicks.
I did find that it would not play .ts video files on my NAS via Upnp. It won't even play these files if they are put on a USB stick.
It will display my photos on my NAS via Upnp. It will also display live TV from my PC using the DVBviewer recording service Upnp facility.
It can get its own firmware updates from the Internet. It came with a free blue ray player which has similar network facilities.
In article , The Natural Philosopher scribeth thus
We've got a SONY KDL40EX503U which is a couple of years old now. Does all that sort of thing iplayer built in plus access to things like Youtube but you can also pull stuff of PC's on your network. Think of it as a simple large screen monitor..
Excellent pix Freeview built in HDMI and SCART as standard and full HD
No backlight bleed or any of those things, can't fault it apart from the sound but there're all like that as theres no cabinet to speak of..
I'm sure this ones out of production now and been superseded by a later model.
Obtained from John Lewis avoid the sheds like the plague!....
Mmm. windows media player is a piece of software so I don't understand what you mean...?
probably. As an alternative does anyone know where to get a dirt cheap
32" Computer monitor, then I;ll build a cheap linux PC with a tuner in it... :-)
If you go for one that supports DLNA playback then you know it will at least follow one set of standards. However you will need a DLNA server on your network - this can either be software running on a desktop/server, or comes as a standard on many modern NAS drives.
In addition many can play files from a normal network share.
You will have to check the small print for what formats are supported. Having said that, some DLNA servers are capable of format transcoding on the fly if the machine has the oomph required.
Well, its getting closer to plug in and it just works...
Models change so fast it's hard to know if anything from 2010 vintage Sony TVs is relevant. But FWIW they play some things fine from a LAN but not others - eg they certainly don't like DTS sound in an MKV container. AIUI more recent models - and eg Samsung models - are less fussy. OTOH the Sonys are very happy when served by a DLNA server. I use Serviio on a PC with an Intel i7 and Windows which transcodes on the fly when necessary. I appreciate the later is last anathema to you but Serviio and other DLNA servers could be run on a Linux box. Oh, and internet TV (fed by a 10Mbs cable connection) worked perfectly out of the box.
Not quite what you wanted, but look at
Theo
My samsung tv will play videos and music from DLNA servers, usb sticks, etc. It also does youtube and few other video services.
The sony blu-ray player does more BTW.
I would look at a TV + GoogleTV set-top box.
Basically a TV with a reasonably meaty Android device hooked upto it - and all the possibilities that entails - iPlayer, Netflix, Youtube etc.
I think that sums 'em up. Fine if you want YouTube or Netflix and other dross but useless when it comes to playing stuff from LAN based server. The advertising will push DLNA and playing stuff over the LAN but what they conviently miss out is the file formats that the telly can cope with. Many tellies are very restricted, so you have to jump through loads of hoops to get stuff into a format the telly can handle. Not to mention the very basic text only based "file manager" interface to the server.
No ripping the contents of a DVD to a directory on the server then pointing the telly at that directory and getting the complete DVD playback with menus etc.
Some sets with the "pause live TV" feature have to have an external USB drive plugged in for that to work. They may well be able to do timer recordings to that as well but with only one tuner that's not overly useful.
Personally the "smart" TV's are anything but unless you are a fully paid up member of the consumer masses.
I've done it, Sony kdl50hx-803. Wish I hadn't, I had to sort out a hub when I got the Hummy, /she/ likes to use iPlayer directly.
Plays DLNA over the network. I don't, because on examination it's taken the video off my PC and transcoded it to the lowest common format before playing it. It's got all sorts of other bells and whistles too, none of which I use.
DLNA from the Hummy to my PC though is pretty useful.
Andy
You have to have a TV, because that's how you get big, cheap monitors.
You need a satellite or cable box (if you wish), because that's how you buy the tuners.
PVRs (Tivo et al) can be done either by buying retail consumer TV kit, or by re-purposing computers. Apple seem to offer the best product for this bit.
Mmm That's a pain.
I've managed to set up a Upnp server and that is certainly streaming mpegs and so on to UPNP because VLC can pick em up..
So I guess you could rip the DVDS to disk first :-(
They do make it all so BLOODY complicated.
>
Intel Atom with half a gig or RAM ...maybe..
makes you realise how bloody good the internet actually is compared with all this proprietary 'I will only talk to my own brand box' stuff.
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huge fun. I tried XBMC bit although it could see the DNLA files getting it to play them was nigh on impossible. It seems to be a typical 'glossy interface that probably does what you want, but f*ck knows what magic combination of screen clicks is the magic formula'
And I doubt the Pi has the wherewithal to drive a HD res screen.
Or run a HDTV tuner..
I do say tho that IF I could only get a decent large monitor cheaper than a TV id do the roll yer own job.
will it play a raw CVD disk tho?
You can process .ts files to mpeg with something like MPEG StreamClip. Works fine for me with files recorded on a Toppy and on a Humax FoxSat. (Samsung, from Synology Diskstation). I have done a few DVDs too, can't remember the exact path now.
En el artículo , Dave Liquorice escribió:
Mate has a 50" Samsung Smart TV. Looks fantastic, fantastic picture, but the built-in software is s**te.
For some reason, it refuses to find certain YouTube videos that can be played on a PC or Mac even if you explicitly enter the URL into the TV's web browser.
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