HD 1080p Player with HDMI - Does This Exist?

[Joshua Aaron]

I don't need a recorder or some big media player system. I already have all kinds of great stuff (Denon 5308-CI, Pioneer 60" Elite, etc.) but what I don't have is a way to take a file from FCP on my computer (ProRes 4:2:2, Uncomp 8-bit, or any other format for that matter) and put it on a small drive/device (flash media?) and connect it to my A/V receiver via HDMI so I can view the movies in my home theater (or anywhere else I need to take them).

Was hoping for something along the lines of what a USB card reader looks/acts like. Something small with a slot to insert a piece of media (i.e. flash card), and a cable with an HDMI connection, that would play the video in full uncompressed quality without any hiccups.

Doing this over a wireless connection via a Macbook Pro doesn't work too well because the files are so large that they cannot be streamed flawlessly over the air. I need this to be as smooth as putting in a Blu-Ray and pressing play.

Does something like this exist?

[Joshua Aaron]

Will this do everything I'm after? If so, anyone have experience with it? Is it reliable?

Micca Store : $59.95 - Micca MPLAY-HD 1080p Full-HD Digital Media Player

[Jon Fairhurst]

I've used this with good success.

WD TV Live

[Shaun Roemich]

I'm using this:
Pivos Technology Group, Inc. a digital media peripheral company!

[Gary Nattrass]

I also use the WD box and it all seems to work very well.

[Robin Davies-Rollinson]

WD Media Player gers my vote too. Use it for all my video files to be viewed on TV.

[Phil Lee]

Hi

Originally Posted by Joshua Aaron

I don't need a recorder or some big media player system. I already have all kinds of great stuff (Denon 5308-CI, Pioneer 60" Elite, etc.) but what I don't have is a way to take a file from FCP on my computer (ProRes 4:2:2, Uncomp 8-bit, or any other format for that matter) and put it on a small drive/device (flash media?) and connect it to my A/V receiver via HDMI so I can view the movies in my home theater (or anywhere else I need to take them).

Was hoping for something along the lines of what a USB card reader looks/acts like. Something small with a slot to insert a piece of media (i.e. flash card), and a cable with an HDMI connection, that would play the video in full uncompressed quality without any hiccups.

Doing this over a wireless connection via a Macbook Pro doesn't work too well because the files are so large that they cannot be streamed flawlessly over the air. I need this to be as smooth as putting in a Blu-Ray and pressing play.

Does something like this exist?

I doubt you will find anything in the way of a cheap media player that will support ProRes, so you will need to convert them to something compatible with AVCHD being your best bet, so essentially a H264/AVC Level 4.1 file. Also what is the audio? Again you will probably need to include this with the video as Dolby Digital.

What frame rate are your videos? Are they full 1080p/60 video files? If yes, just because a media player says it supports 1080p is no guarantee of anything as usually this just relates to the HDMI output, i.e. all common HDMI outputs these days will take a 60i stream and de-interlace to 60p, even though your TV may do a better job of it, but it's the marketing numbers game.

Regards

Phil

[Andy Wilkinson]

Moving this discussion along in a slightly different direction, one thing that I'm looking into at the moment is buying a small tablet for presenting video to clients in meetings, either demos of my work as we discuss potential projects or rough cuts/final cuts of their films during edit review meetings.

The Blackberry Playbook is high on my list as it appears to have both an excellent screen (even if not Full HD), superb build quality, excellent computing power/multi-tasking ability, best in class tablet browser along with full Flash video support etc. (Note: even with Adobe's recent announcement I personally reckon it will take several years before we stop seeing abundant use of Flash video).

Having looked hard/handled them I'm not keen on the 10-inch tablets such as the iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (the main ones I've played with). This size is just not portable enough for my needs (I already cart around way too much gear anyway!). Also, I have an (excellent) iPod Touch 4th Gen which is very portable - so is always with me - but that's not got 1080p out of course and I find my iPod Touch just a little too small for showing films to clients (and I don't always have my Mac Book Pro with me).

Critical for this discussion (and my needs), the Playbook has, apparently, really good, fluid 1080p output (even allowing other uses of the tablet screen whilst this is ongoing).

I'm also very interested in the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 (which got Apple's lawyers working overtime again at it's recent launch, then pull from display at IFA in Berlin) - whenever that might appear in Europe. The Sony tablet also looks and performs well (judging from playing with it in PC World etc.) but is a little further down my list as it's getting a little too big for my liking.

I can see scenarios where either of these small, 7 inch (ish) portable tablets would be a very useful tool, either hooking it up via its mini HDMI out port to the big HDTVs that most of my corporate clients seem to have in their conference rooms - or just handing it to them in meetings when I'm out and about whilst we discuss film(s).

I've had a good, long hands-on with the Blackberry Playbook in particular and was wondering if anyone is using one in the way I describe and would like to comment on how well it works?

It seems to me it would offer so much more usable functionality (I'm not that bothered by the lack of 1000's of Apple Apps that I'd never buy/use anyway) along with good 1080p HDMI out in slick, small package - with a name on it that carries a lot of business/corporate respected (a minor point).

I'll hang on for a few weeks as there are some rumours that the Playbook will get slashed in price big time - which would make it even more tempting!!! Poor old RIM, they have not had a good year. Also, maybe by then I'll know more about the "towards the end of the year" potential release date that Samsung had promised for the Galaxy Tab 7.7, at least here in the UK.

So, anyone using these tablets for 1080p playback have any insights?