How to view HD videos on your HD television.

Jayster wrote on 5/5/2006, 2:56 PM

Lots of us have HDV cameras and make HD vids. Question is how to watch on our HDTVs? Currently I know of three options. In order of declining cost:

1) Use an HTPC with a high-def video card. ($1000?)
2) Use an XBox 360 that is networked to a PC ($400 + cost of media server PC?)
3) Use currently available set top boxes, like the IO Data Avel LinkPlayer2 ($249)

I would wonder how people have fared with each of these. Currently I only have experience with option #3. The LinkPlayer2 plays WMV9HD, .ts files, and (I guess) DivxHD. On some televisions (like mine) it has video sync problems when playing back .ts files or anything with bitrates higher than 8-10 Mbps. It is in general rather buggy and has playback issues with commercial DVDs. But I seem to be able to get decent playback with WMV9HD, 1080i, at 8Mbps. (Pretty good but not ideal.)

I've read that Microsoft is developing a server app that will do transcodes of a variety of formats for the XBox. ( http://runtime360.com/ ). Sounds strange buying a game console to watch videos but who knows? And I've heard vague rumblings that an HTPC is tricky and buggy, too. But I have no experience with them.

Any comments or feedback on the currently available means to playback our HD vids on an HDTV?

Comments

Yoyodyne wrote on 5/5/2006, 3:03 PM

I've got two buddies that are using HTPC's with Windows media center and I'm going to be joining them soon. Plays pretty much everything plus you can use VLC player as well - the systems seem to work pretty good. In fact one of my pals built one for around $500 bucks, he had some chunks laying around though but I think it could be done for well under a thousand.

dat5150 wrote on 5/5/2006, 7:06 PM

I remember reading an internet blurb/rumor that XBOX360 will come out with an answer to Slingbox this year....stay tuned.

johnmeyer wrote on 5/5/2006, 7:48 PM

With a HTPC, what format do you use, and what settings do you recommend for encoding to that format?

Yoyodyne wrote on 5/5/2006, 9:40 PM

I usually encode to windows media 9 - as for settings, I usually render out at the same framerate and size as my original media - for Z1 HDV it's 1080 by 1440 rectangular pixel - 29.97.

johnmeyer wrote on 5/5/2006, 9:42 PM

I usually render out at the same framerate and size as my original media - for Z1 HDV it's 1080 by 1440 rectangular pixel - 29.97.

What bitrate?

Yoyodyne wrote on 5/6/2006, 7:16 PM

Usually around 8 -