Long Way Down Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I'm looking for a set-top box which will wirelessly stream online content, especially iPlayer, 4od and love film. Really can't be bothered hooking up a laptop each time TV is on. Roku box seems cheap, but doesn't support 4od and iPlayer. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Xbox. Edit: Also Samsung and Sony DVD players do this also BUT be warned... I have heard people say that the players do not get updated on the Sony ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Xbox. Edit: Also Samsung and Sony DVD players do this also BUT be warned... I have heard people say that the players do not get updated on the Sony ones. I've got this one... http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/tv-audio-video/blu-ray-players/blu-ray-players/BD-F6500/XU Absolutely top-notch...Its got Plex on it, and I've managed to stream my music from my iphone to it via iMediaShare... Edit - I've just updated mine with Demand5...For smart content, AFAIK, Samsung are prob. the best.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinesin Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Xbox. Edit: Also Samsung and Sony DVD players do this also BUT be warned... I have heard people say that the players do not get updated on the Sony ones. xbox requires a xbox live gold account to stream anything other than iplayer, not sure it has itv Player either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 xbox requires a xbox live gold account to stream anything other than iplayer, not sure it has itv Player either. Is that the same with the PS3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkman Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Keeping a cheap laptop by the TV purely for streaming content is the most flexible and all encompassing way to go. Sorry to bring you the bad news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spord Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I have a roku box and it streams iplayer content just fine. I use it mostly for iplayer and netflix. You might be right about 4od but I don't know, I never watch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloomMonger Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Ps3 streams iplayer 4od lovefilm Netflix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 xbox requires a xbox live gold account to stream anything other than iplayer, not sure it has itv Player either. You can pick a 12 month subscription up for as little as £15 in various supermarkets - just have to wait for the deals that are on. You can often pick up 1 or 3 month free deals so I don't see the gold account as an issue. The plus side is that the xbox is designed to be a media streamer, the players are regularly updated and you get a big HD to store videos on. No one watches ITV anyhow do they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpectrumFX Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Is that the same with the PS3? I do all the online streaming stuff on my PS3. You need a playstation network account, but it doesn't cost anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 We have a Humax TV recorder box thing which can stream on demand stuff. Must admit I have never actually used it because all of the same things are built into the TV anyway. It has iPlayer and I think 4oD is on there too now, I keep meaning to plug in the ethernet connection and update it to see. It just gets used as a recorder. And that's the other point - it doesn't have WiFi, but then it wouldn't work very well in our house anyway - you can get a WiFi signal on say a mobile device downstairs (phone, laptop etc) but you're hard pressed to get more than about 5Meg out of it over WiFi if you're lucky, with poor latency - it's very variable. Though in fairness, the router is one floor up and at the other end of the house. The microwave is on the other side of the admittedly quite thick wall to the TV, turning that on doesn't help (WiFi drops in kitchen) and in built up areas with many WiFi signals you can get interference on the channels - generally I'd have said an ethernet connection is worthwhile for streaming especially if you can/want to stream HD stuff so need a consistent, high speed (6Meg+). We use "powerplugs" to get the connection from the router upstairs to the power socket next to the TV downstairs. But, the newer Humax boxes may have WiFi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 We have a Humax TV recorder box thing which can stream on demand stuff. Must admit I have never actually used it because all of the same things are built into the TV anyway. It has iPlayer and I think 4oD is on there too now, I keep meaning to plug in the ethernet connection and update it to see. It just gets used as a recorder. And that's the other point - it doesn't have WiFi, but then it wouldn't work very well in our house anyway - you can get a WiFi signal on say a mobile device downstairs (phone, laptop etc) but you're hard pressed to get more than about 5Meg out of it over WiFi if you're lucky, with poor latency - it's very variable. Though in fairness, the router is one floor up and at the other end of the house. The microwave is on the other side of the admittedly quite thick wall to the TV, turning that on doesn't help (WiFi drops in kitchen) and in built up areas with many WiFi signals you can get interference on the channels - generally I'd have said an ethernet connection is worthwhile for streaming especially if you can/want to stream HD stuff so need a consistent, high speed (6Meg+). We use "powerplugs" to get the connection from the router upstairs to the power socket next to the TV downstairs. But, the newer Humax boxes may have WiFi. The only Humax box that I know of, that will do everything that the MT wants, is the Youview box - which is around 250 quid. However its not wireless, and a set of homeplugs will set you back another at least another twenty or so...I've only heard of real problems with WiFi, is if you live in a thick-walled property....It also depends if you want the recorder facility too... The Samsung blu ray player I mentioned above has all the on demand apps as well as netflix, youtube & lovefilm..I spent about a week, about a month ago, looking for something suitable..It set me back about 110 notes... The only VOD service I believe that streams HD, is knowhowmovies (which comes on Samsung & LG smart equipment)...For iplayer for instance, you need a minimum of a 2 meg connection... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 The only Humax box that I know of, that will do everything that the MT wants, is the Youview box - which is around 250 quid. However its not wireless, and a set of homeplugs will set you back another at least another twenty or so...I've only heard of real problems with WiFi, is if you live in a thick-walled property....It also depends if you want the recorder facility too... The Samsung blu ray player I mentioned above has all the on demand apps as well as netflix, youtube & lovefilm..I spent about a week, about a month ago, looking for something suitable..It set me back about 110 notes... The only VOD service I believe that streams HD, is knowhowmovies (which comes on Samsung & LG smart equipment)...For iplayer for instance, you need a minimum of a 2 meg connection... It did seem extraordinary that the much-touted, long awaited YouView box didn't have Wi-Fi built in. The Panasonic TV we have has, or should I say, had (it has shut down now) Acetrax [VOD] which demanded 5Mbps for HD streaming. I calculated based on usage that the actual streaming rate was about 4.6Meg. YouTube needs about 6Meg for HD streaming, I think this might be adaptive though - TV size is 42" or 43" and many music tracks (e.g. the official artist uploads) only show up in HD format, no SD version. Burns through data very rapidly. Netflix can stream at very low rates, but I tend to find anything under about 2Meg looks really dreadful. It is continuously adpative e.g. it adjusts the compression in realtime by sampling frequently, you can see this as a visual glitch which looks like someone has walked in front of the camera. Tends to do this in the first 30 seconds of a film or show as it flicks the resolution up a couple of times until it looks like good SD TV. However I believe it can stream at 10Mbps on certain things where that quality level is available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Way Down Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 I've got this one... http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/tv-audio-video/blu-ray-players/blu-ray-players/BD-F6500/XU Absolutely top-notch...Its got Plex on it, and I've managed to stream my music from my iphone to it via iMediaShare... Edit - I've just updated mine with Demand5...For smart content, AFAIK, Samsung are prob. the best.. We'll guys, for 100 quid, this Samsung seems to tick all the boxes - with the bonus of Blu-ray. Thanks for the suggestions. If Wi-Fi too slow will buy some of the plug in devices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Way Down Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 Duplicate post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 We'll guys, for 100 quid, this Samsung seems to tick all the boxes - with the bonus of Blu-ray. Thanks for the suggestions. If Wi-Fi too slow will buy some of the plug in devices. Enjoy... we hardly ever watch off air TV now, it's all recorded on the box or streamed from iPlayer or YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashedOutAndBurned Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 XBMC on any number of devices Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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