Blu-Ray players as media streamers (DLNA etc)?

[admin_exported]

Hi all - first post here, been reading WHF for a few months trying to get a handle on where to start upgrading my existing (old) Hi-Fi and A/V kit.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of the media-streaming capabilities of the latest Blu-Ray players in practice - are these features actually usable, or are they just advertising hype?

Basically I've been holding off building a HTPC for ages, put off by the potential for spending a lot of money, only to end up with endless tweaking and so-so audio/video performance.

Some of the latest Blu-ray players *appear* to offer sufficient media streaming capabilities that you could potentially use them as the "hub" of a network orientated media-streaming a/v setup, instead of a HTPC (albeit more basic) - is this realistic?

Specifically I've been reading the review of the LG BD390 - on the face of it this seems to offer a good Blu-ray player and a reasonable audio/video streamer, however I'm wary of buying something like this if the streaming features are incomplete or poorly implemented, since these are at least as important to me as the actual BD playing.

I currently have a large library of CDs ripped to FLAC (also transcoded to MP3), which I would like to stream to some sort of device which ideally also handles video (to play ripped DVDs and stuff saved from my Topfield PVR). Can the BD390 stream flac 2-channel audio, and MPEG encoded saved freeview files? I can transcode on my Linux server up to a point, but keen to avoid losing quality, particularly on the audio library.

Any experiences or help appreciated - I'm comprehensively confused by what these players can actually do, despite the informative review!

TIA!

 

[Anonymous]

I picked up a BD390 yesterday with a similar intent, to use as a DLNA streamer. Unfortunately it's not my week technology-wise as I can't get the BD to output to my Canadian TV over HDMI (component direct seems OK) and now my trusty Linkstation Live DLNA hub has fritzed, so I have not managed to push any media over it. The interface seems OK (there's a Home button that takes you to a screen offering music, image, media and movies as well as config) so I will report back later on how well it works in practise.

 

[bigboss]

In my opinion, the best blu-ray player for media streaming capabilities is the PS3 as of today.

 

[bigboss]

You can use this to play FLAC through PS3.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, I have thought about the PS3 previously, main concern is how noisy are they? For Hi-fi streaming this is really important.

Also how much of a compromise are they in terms of BD playback quality? I will be using it initially with a 32" Toshiba LCD, which is only 720p/1080i (not full HD), but may consider upgrading the TV at some point in the future so want a good quality BD picture.

As an alternative, what about the streaming capabilities of some of the newer TVs or A-V receivers? Basically I'd really like a fairly simple solution without too many boxes.

 

[Anonymous]

To clarify (if anyone's interested!)

Current setup :

Toshiba LCD TV, Toshiba DVD player,
Topfield 5800 PVR, Laptop (source for streaming FLAC, MP3) Technics
SU-A600Mk2 amp (old!) and Mordaunt Short MS10 speakers (ditto!)

What I'm aiming for (potentially if I can figure out what to buy!):

LCD-TV, Streaming BD player (or possibly PS3 or HTPC of some kind),
Topfield (to be replaced with network capable HD PVR when one becomes
available), AV Receiver, 5.1 Style surround package (e.g KEF 3005 or similar)

In the above setup, the streaming BD player could be replaced with a streaming AV receiver if I could find one which does FLAC (a couple of the more expensive Denon and Yamaha ones seem to)

An alternative, even more minimal solution (which would initially sacrifice surround to stay within budget, which will be ~2k max)

LCD TV, Streaming BD player, topfield, Active 2.1 speakers (e.g AVI ADM9.1 + sub) connected direct to the BD/streamer

(EDIT - spelling)

 

[bigboss]

PS3 as a blu-ray player is very good. I have not noticed much difference between my PS3 & my Panasonic BD60 for blu-ray movie playback. You will be hard pressed to notice any difference on a 32-inch HD ready TV.

Noise can be an issue, but if you ensure adequate ventilation, that shouldn't be a problem.

No one beats the PS3 for the versatility it offers.

When you consider upgrading your TV in the future to a bigger screen / full HD, you can then upgrade to a standalone blu-ray player.