[Pepsione1]

I have not been impressed or satisfied with the programming line ups from my local cable company.  I enjoy shows that I watch/download from the internet more than what I can get locally.
 
Therefore I am looking for a device that can
 
1. Playback media files
 
or
 
2. Stream live internet contents
 
I know of WDTV with the unofficial firmware.  What else is out there that meets or even surpass WDTV's (with the unofficial firmware) capabilities?  

 

[Pepsione1]

I can't believe a forum full of headphone nerds/geeks has not a single suggestion on a multimedia device for home entertainment.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Maybe you've answered your own question.

I have no idea. For what it's worth, I have the new AppleTV. Love it. I can stream Netflix and display photos on the TV. Streaming from iTunes and the radio channels are a nice bonus. But I haven't tried much else. The TV is 99% for watching movies. The other 1% so far was for tuning in the Superbowl on rabbit ears. (That worked suprisingly well, by the way.)

I'm sure someone else here has other suggestions. Maybe this bump will help.

 

[EnOYiN]

Well, a computer with XBMC could do those things, but I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for.

 

[SiriuslyCold]

I know of WDTV with the unofficial firmware.  What else is out there that meets or even surpass WDTV's (with the unofficial firmware) capabilities?  

Why would you need unofficial firmware - WDTV Live Plus streams netflix on top of the usual capability with media files (except RMVB).



- Full-HD video playback and navigation - up to 1080p
- Stream Netflix and other online media
- Play almost any type of media file
- Access media anywhere on your home network
- Supports DVD Navigation

I like the interface for WDTV Live Hub - I think it looks slick, but its a tad more expensive because it comes with a 1TB drive built in



A high capacity 1 terabyte hard drive and network HD media player in one
- Play media from USB drives, home network, and the Internet on your TV
- Beautifully simple user interface for everyone in the family to use
- Access your Netflix unlimited membership or Blockbuster On Demand and watch movies and TV episodes instantly.
- Collect your media in one place and stream it anywhere in the house.

there are lots of other brands (Asus O!Play, Seagate Freeagent Theater+, Roku, Boxee)

 

[davesmith]

Maybe there werent so many replies because there are so many options. I would decide on the services you want to use first (Netflix etc) then look for whatever does what you need. It seems like there are about 20+ devices now and theyre all just a little different from each other. This Roku looks handy though as an option to consider: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/22/roku-xds-review/