Suggestions on cheap media streamer

EndersShadow
EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
edited December 2012 in Electronics
So I am well aware of the Squeezebox Touch, and the Sonos for streaming, but one thing I personally dont like is that you cannot see your library on your TV when your navigating it. I know both systems make an app for your iPhone but its not good enough for me.

I am looking for something that will let me play my FLAC library from upstairs downstairs and also allow me to view it on my TV.

Since its FLAC the Apple TV is out, but dont know what else is out there that will work.

Suggestions on what devices to start researching are greatly appreciated. Would like to keep this ~200 and used is an option.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • wayne3burk
    wayne3burk Posts: 939
    edited December 2012
    this is a bit over-budget but....

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+15.6%22+Laptop+-+2GB+Memory+-+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/6733472.p?id=1218786214187&skuId=6733472&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=6733472&extensionType=pla:g&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!!!37678873159!g!!18463087999#tab=specifications

    I've been thinking that the only good media streamer is a laptop with an HDMI output
    Yamaha RX-V2700, EMI 711As (front), RCA K-16 (rear), Magnavox Console (Center & TV Stand), Sony SMP-N200 media streamer, Dual 1249 TT =--- Sharp Aquas 60" LCD tellie
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited December 2012
    Looking at the WD TV Live. It can stream FLAC from a device on the network and has a USB port which you can connect a external HDD to as well turning it into a small NAS setup if I wanted in the future. It also has a Optical out (not sure the bitrate out) so I could use an external DAC later on if I felt so inclined.

    Its about 90 bucks or less and I think its probably what I will go with unless someone else has a better suggestion. The Boxee is a bit more and doesnt really add anything I need.

    Any other cheap streaming device suggestions welcome.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • coolsax
    coolsax Posts: 1,824
    edited December 2012
    I think a couple of guys on here use the WD TV live and i had considered it at some point.. its supposed to be a fairly decent and "cheap" option.
    Main 2ch -
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    TT - Pro-ject Classic SB with Sumiko Bluepoint.

    TV 3.1 system -
    Denon 3500 -> Dynaudio Excite 32/22
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited December 2012
    It just depends on how important sound is. I can tell you that the WD, the Netgear and even the Apple TV are all less than optimal if you want great sound.
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  • this_is_vv
    this_is_vv Posts: 24
    edited December 2012
    I will recommend a PC with Linux mpd(voyage or murga Linux) and good dac to get the best sound
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  • Syndil
    Syndil Posts: 1,582
    edited December 2012
    I used to recommend WDTV for this sort of thing all the time. Used to. But yes, the interface is clunky and dated compared to other offerings out there now. Another option is to get one of the cheap internet streaming boxes with a much better interface and the capability to run Plex (Roku). Plex will stream FLAC, and these boxes have optical outs on them. At least some of them do; not sure how many different flavors of Roku there are now.

    Plex is going mainstream now, too. You can find it on some LG or Samsung TVs and Blu-Ray players. If you've got one, check to see if a Plex app is available for it. Would be a $0 solution.

    RT-12, CS350-LS, PSW-300, Infinity Overture 1, Monoprice RC-65i
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  • Syndil
    Syndil Posts: 1,582
    edited December 2012
    Oh, just discovered Netgear has finally combined the features of the NeoTV 200 (internet streaming) and the NeoTV 550 (local streaming) into one box: The NeoTV 300 Max. $70 at Target, Wal-Mart, etc., Dell has it $10 cheaper for the moment. Anyway I've been waiting for a long time for Netgear to come out with this. A clear winner, IMO. Get it, and be done with it. Has all the capabilities of the WDTV Live with a much better interface, and it supports 96k FLAC:

    http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/21831/~/ntv300sl-(neotv-max)-supported-media-file-formats

    RT-12, CS350-LS, PSW-300, Infinity Overture 1, Monoprice RC-65i
    Adcom GFA-545II, GFA-6000, Outlaw Audio 990, Netgear NeoTV
    Denon DCM-460, DMD-1000, Sony BDP-360, Bravia KDL-40Z4100/S
    Monster AVL-300, HTS-2500 MKII
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited December 2012
    Syndil wrote: »
    Oh, just discovered Netgear has finally combined the features of the NeoTV 200 (internet streaming) and the NeoTV 550 (local streaming) into one box: The NeoTV 300 Max. $70 at Target, Wal-Mart, etc., Dell has it $10 cheaper for the moment. Anyway I've been waiting for a long time for Netgear to come out with this. A clear winner, IMO. Get it, and be done with it. Has all the capabilities of the WDTV Live with a much better interface, and it supports 96k FLAC:

    http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/21831/~/ntv300sl-(neotv-max)-supported-media-file-formats

    What resolution of FLAC does the WD Live support?
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Syndil
    Syndil Posts: 1,582
    edited December 2012
    Actually it's been a while since I've looked at the WDTV Live, and the latest version isn't too shabby. They have vastly improved the interface. Can't find a spec sheet but forum users confirm that it supports hi-res FLAC. At this point I take back my declaration of the NeoTV Max being the clear winner. Not saying it is or isn't better, just that I'd have to take a more in-depth look at comparing the two.

    Anyway if you do want a WDTV Live Newegg has the latest version dirt cheap with a promo code right now.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136997

    Promo code for $20 off: EMCJHNC24

    Final price is $79.99.

    They both support hi-res and 24p... I don't know. At this point the NeoTV Max is a bit cheaper and it supports WiDi, which I might like to play with. The WDTV doesn't have WiDi. But really for me it would come down to which had the better interface and I haven't decided yet.

    RT-12, CS350-LS, PSW-300, Infinity Overture 1, Monoprice RC-65i
    Adcom GFA-545II, GFA-6000, Outlaw Audio 990, Netgear NeoTV
    Denon DCM-460, DMD-1000, Sony BDP-360, Bravia KDL-40Z4100/S
    Monster AVL-300, HTS-2500 MKII
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  • gce
    gce Posts: 2,158
    edited December 2012
    Not sure how cheap you want to go but I'm using a Synology NAS system in my network. They have a big selection of units depending how much storage you need. I'm streaming up to 96/24 Flac files to my system. I can display everything on my TV with album art and select on the fly from one song to another with no lag. I found out recently that the USB out can be used for a DAC to your system. All I can say is this is my first storage and streaming system and it works flawlessly with my setup.
    Anaheim Hills CA,
    HT 5.1: Anthem MRX 720 / BDP-Denon DBT1713UD / Polkaudio LSiM703 / W4S mAmp's / Polkaudio LSiM706c / Polkaudio LSiM702F/X's / SVS PC12-NSD / Panasonic TC P55VT30

    2 Channel: Rogue RP-5 / WireWorld Electra power cord / Marantz TT-15S1/ Ortofon - Quintet Black MC / Marantz NA8005 DAC / W4S mAmp's / Synology DS 216+ll-4TB / Polkaudio LSiM703
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  • michael1947
    michael1947 Posts: 775
    edited December 2012
    This is an interesting thread. Last week I purchased a Sonos connect and a bridge and have just been looking them over and reading...I'm not sure if it is exactly what I want and I have $350 in it. I think I just wanted to stream music from my new Droid (just the stuff stored on the Droid) but it looks like the Sonos will want to hook into my network/computer flac files. For endershadow please keep us up to date as to which system you choose.
    Main Family Room: Sony 46 LCD, Sony Blue Ray, Sony DVD/VCR combo,Onkyo TXNR 708, Parasound 5250,
    Polk SDS-SRS with mods, CSI 5 center + Klipsch SC2, Polk RT2000P rears, Klipsch KG 1.5's sides, Polk Micro Pro 1000, Polk Micro Pro 2000, Polk SW505, Belkin PF60, Signal Cable Classics,Monster IC's, 2 15 amp circuits & 1 20 amp circuit.

    Living Room: Belkin PF60, Parasound HCA2200, MIT ProlineEXP balanced IC's,Emotiva XDA-1 DAC/Pre,Emotiva ERC2 transport,MIT AVT2, Polk LSI 9's.
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited December 2012
    Well any of the ones under 100 are viable options for me. I honestly am not looking much for media as my Xbox 360, Panasonic Plasma TV and blu-ray player have all the common apps, so this is mostly for JUST streaming FLAC to my system.

    I am going to keep looking around because I am wondering if I might be better off going HDMI out to the AVR for video, but using a digital out for the audio portion to an external DAC then to my AVR as its been mentioned my DAC's in the Integra might not be the best for audio.....

    I am still probably going to play around with this setup first: My hi-fi computer streaming FLAC via USB to a Audio GD NFB-5 then out via Kimber Kable Hero RCA cables to my Integra and see how that sounds compared to just FLAC via HDMI to my Integra and see how much difference a better DAC can make....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Amherst
    Amherst Posts: 695
    edited December 2012
    Reading this thread I see several mentions of sound quality issues with the WD media streamer. I have been using one for about two years and have to say the sound quality of the WD in my rig is almost on par with a Pioneer DV79.
    The DV79 is my main transport and IMHO sounds very good. Makes me wonder if there is another factor going on with those experiencing poor sound quality. I would highly recommend the WD for streaming .flac files via the USB port and out the optical to a dac. It's a cheap unit and works very well here.
    Parasound C1, T3, HCA-3500, HCA-2205A, P/DD1550, Pioneer DV-79avi, Oppo BDP-83, WD Media Server W/HDD,
    Dynaudio Contour 3.3, Dynaudio Contour T2.1, Polk OWM3, Polk DSW micropro 1000 (x2),
    Pioneer Kuro 50" Plasma, Phillips Pronto Control w/Niles HT-MSU.
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