Grim... wrote:
It may well have solved the problem.
So I
was solving the problem after all? Excellent, I'm glad we agree.
Grim... wrote:
It wouldn't have been the best non-Windows media player ever. It isn't even what you'd really call "good". It works for you, which is lovely, even if you do have to manually edit some stuff before it'll work.
As a 'media player' it plays everything on disc and almost all stuff you can download (with the rest requiring a very small amount of effort to get working). I'm not saying it's perfect but that feature set doesn't even qualify as 'good'? Really?
Grim... wrote:
You'd still be wrong. I'm trying to think about what would be the best now, though. XBMC on an Xbox, maybe? For streaming media, either a ChromeCast or one of those WD set-top boxes that seems to do everything. Or just a Smart TV with a network connection - but I'm making assumptions about connectivity.
I'd rule out ChromeCast simply because it's not a player but a streamer, an important distinction if, for instance, you want to play full HD files over a less than optimum network. Or if you just want to play stuff back locally and not have to worry about network stuff at all.
XBMC on an Xbox is probably a good shout but I don't know if I'd recommend it as a general solution because of the high barrier to entry (i.e. getting your hands on an old Xbox and then doing whatever you need to do to download and install a new OS on it). I know that's something that wouldn't bother you personally but it would put a lot of people off.
The Smart TV option would be excellent but do they have the format support for stuff like MKV? I haven't really looked into it but I didn't think that's the kind of thing they would do.
All of which is reason I think a PS3 currently is at least a good player because it has as many pros as the other possibilities have cons and there really is no perfect solution; apart from just connecting a PC directly up to your TV which is the only option that will always just work. Although, if you happened to want Bluray playback even that can be iffy; I've had trouble in the past with Cyberpower et al when trying to play proper Blurays back on a PC and it's never been as good an experience as using dedicated hardware.