Media Drives

[X.]

I must buy one.

Must-haves:
0) Full HD, with HDMI output
1) the drive must be capable of playing the DVD menu of a rip. (Lacie's LaCinema drives support ISO/Video_Ts file format, but plays only the main movie, not the DVD menu).
2) should be sleek and compact
3) Under $150

Suggestions and recommendations are requested and will be very helpful! Thanks.

[animatedude]

media drives are so Madali!  forget about media drives.cloud-based storage is the future! (i think you believe in this more than i do!)...yeah i think you what i'm gonna say...

Apple TV...the new one.if you want a hard disk storage get the old one.

both are under $150,Apple slashed the price of the old to $149.
both are sleek and compact.
you can hack the old one, the new one has been jailbroken but still it needs time for a proper hacking.
HDMI output but still no full HD.

[X.]

Thanks for whoring Apple again, but I don't want a "network drive." I want a stand-alone hard drive- based system, which fully supports DVD-Video (ISO/Video_ts) so I can play DVD rips straight "out of the box" instead of burning them to DVD-Rs.

And I figure if the media drive can do that, then it could surely also support other codecs and video formats such as H264, MKV, etc. Lacie's LaCinema series does everything *except* being able to play DVD Menus, which is a deal-breaker for me.

Again, thanks for trying.

[animatedude]

Thanks for whoring Apple again, but I don't want a "network drive." I want a stand-alone hard drive- based system, which fully supports DVD-Video (ISO/Video_ts) so I can play DVD rips straight "out of the box" instead of burning them to DVD-Rs.

And I figure if the media drive can do that, then it could surely also support other codecs and video formats such as H264, MKV, etc. Lacie's LaCinema series does everything *except* being able to play DVD Menus, which is a deal-breaker for me.

Again, thanks for trying.

then get the old Apple TV...have you tried the new WD TV thingy? when it comes these things i think you have more options in the US than the middle east..example i have never seen Roku over here i could be wrong though.

[shariqq]

I heard about this form Fizz: iomega ScreenPlay™ TV Link, Director Edition. It retails for $136.50, plays 1080p and MKV files too. I'm not sure about the DVD menus though. The Tech-specs on that link may help...

[madali]

AK, this should help or just confuse you more:

http://www.iboum.com/net-media-players.php?sort=sortrating&chip=&pfilt=&hdd=&net=&fan=&lcd=&esata=&dts=&dtsp=&dolbt=&dolbtp=&dtsma=&dtsmap=&year=&ppp=40&bd=&dvd=yes&netflix=&dvbt=&dweb=&multi=yes&stream=&sparam=&ikey=&pg=1&rp=dvdiso

I used the filter to show multi-format and DVD-ISO menu items.

[X.]

AK, this should help or just confuse you more:

http://www.iboum.com/net-media-players.php?sort=sortrating&chip=&pfilt=&hdd=&net=&fan=&lcd=&esata=&dts=&dtsp=&dolbt=&dolbtp=&dtsma=&dtsmap=&year=&ppp=40&bd=&dvd=yes&netflix=&dvbt=&dweb=&multi=yes&stream=&sparam=&ikey=&pg=1&rp=dvdiso

I used the filter to show multi-format and DVD-ISO menu items.

My friend, this was exactly what I needed!

I'm trawling through the options and narrowing down the choices already...

[kaytee]

I currently own Iomega Screenplay but im not sure about the DVD menus as I have never tried it.

[madali]

The PopCorn Media Hour seems to be interesting:
http://www.iboum.com/pr/PHA200.php

It has the DVD menu, highly rated, decently priced, supports all formats (plus all kinds of subtitle formats) and even has  bittorent on it.

[madali]

AK, get that and get this to slip it in it,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152173

The internal hdd has a $10 off till 25th.

[X.]

I'm researching the various options. The Popcorn Media Hour drive is definitely robust, but it may be too much for my current needs...

But thanks to Madali, now I have options to choose between. Will keep you guys posted on what I decide to do.

[X.]

Okay, after what has been a whirlwind research, this is what I have decided:

WDTV Live Plus (HD Media Player): $99@ Amazon
+
Lacie Rikiki 1TB USB3.0 (External Hard Drive): $134@ Amazon

The WD Live Plus media drive gives me full DVD-Video Menu support *as well as* access to Netflix Streaming, YouTube and Pandora via wireless internet. It's a winning combination! Sure, it does not have the full-on geekery of Popcorn Hour and its Internal HDD capability, but I am saving at least $80.

I also needed an extra portable hard drive anyway, so I am going ahead and spending a bit extra for the Lacie model with USB 3.0 (future-proof!). I own two Lacie hard drives and their performance is unparalleled. Also, being a design geek, I had to spring for its sleek look! (I'm am now going to use the massive 1TB for all my movies, music, photos -- I guess, it will be my dedicated "media box" -- and use my other Firewire800 port Lacie drives for only filmmaking files.)

[fizz]

Excellent choice ak and ingenious pairing too. It's compelled me to seek out something better for my needs as well. And yes, Lacie kicks ass!

[madali]

The LaCie looks sexy.

[ozzylogic]

I've been looking for one too, but I needed something with proper up-scaling to 1080i, but I heard the initial WD and Seagate media drives sucked in that department. AK, do let us know how well the WD upscales .KFF please.