looking for a good media player which streams to tv

didibagle · 08-20-2009, 12:20 AM

i'm looking for a media player which can stream movies from my PC to plasma TV. So far, the netgear system (EVA9150) seems to be the best; however, at $399, i'm not sure if it's a good investment.

People have told me that ps3 can play media movies but i've no idea how many different formats it supports... What do you guys recommend?

I found two different listings on Ebay (search on ebay):
*mediagate 1080 media player
*zinwell zp500 HD player

One is selling for $120 and the other at $159. Any one used those before? The mediagate seems interesting but it doesn't have LAN/Wifi support. Zinwell is a little higher in price but it does have networking capabilities which is nice. Any suggestions?

wcassell · 08-20-2009, 06:47 AM

It may not be exactly what you're looking for, but I've been using the XBOX360 as a media extender and it works great, especially if your PC is Windows based (and even more so if you're running Windows7).

It extends the Windows Media Center on your PC and can be used to stream stored media (pics, videos, music) or even live TV if you have a tv tuner card.

greatmazinga · 08-20-2009, 02:04 PM

PS3 hands down.

New PS3 slim comes out sept 1st @ $299. You get a great media server, bluray and game system.

Your home network needs to be cat5 ethernet to stream 1080p movies, wireless networks can't handle it and will stutter.

If you have vista or windows 7, windows media center will work fine. I recommend a free program called PS3 Media Server.

For $99 /free shipping you may want to consider the Western Digital HD media player. Basically a hard drive you load with movie files and plug directly into a hdmi port on your tv.

JerJer · 08-20-2009, 05:38 PM

Go for the Zinwell ZP500! It's much better than the mediagate M2TV. The M2TV is suck! It takes so long for loading up a movie and it has a noisy fan issue as well. I would like to refund my M2TV

Damn REGRET now!!!!

didibagle · 08-21-2009, 01:56 AM

really? mediagate is that bad huh? they seem to have a lot of listings on ebay.... so, if budget isn't a concern, ps3 hands down... cool. but since the economy is bad and that my budget is a concern, what do you guys like? WD HD media player seems cool but it requires an extra HD..... and it doesn't have LAN access right? So, $99 for the unit + maybe another $100 for a 1TB external drive....mmm....$199 in total.... ahhh, hard to decide...

didibagle · 08-21-2009, 02:06 AM

btw, if i get the ps3 or xbox360, what formats are not supported that you guys know of?

greatmazinga · 08-21-2009, 08:53 AM

As of the newest firmware, PS3 does not support the .MKV container. The free program I mentioned, PS3 Media Server, wil transcode on the fly but you will need a pretty fast pc to transcode and stream a 1080p file in real time. I recommend converting the file using MKV2VOB (free), takes about 5 minutes to convert, does not alter video.

asscube · 08-22-2009, 03:56 AM

I am a proud owner of ZP-500 at home for my TV in the bedroom in addition to the XBox 360 player in the living room. As the result, I have experience dealing with both systems.

I found video game console (PS3 included) only does half ass job in terms of being an all-in-one media player to play digital contents because of # of video file formats it supports. To me, this is the most important aspect in a media player because I hate spending time sitting in front of the computer converting one video format to the other, and I just want my player to play while I sit back and enjoy the movies/TV shows. If you look at the specs on the game console, I think you will notice one of noticables format missing is the real media files (rm/rmvb). Quite a bit of my video contents is in that format.

Another thing I like about the ZP-500 is the portability. It's easy to move this player to any room in my house where there is an TV. I can't quite do the same with my xbox... For people who has multiple TVs, this is a great + since I don't see the need to invest in multiple game console in my house, but I can see the need to have multiple of ZP-500 so I can watch my videos anywhere.

GoD_Above · 08-22-2009, 07:16 AM

Olevia HD Media Player ZP-500?
http://usb.brando.com/olevia-hd-medi...1c035d015.html

Looks nice.

didibagle · 08-22-2009, 03:03 PM

Olevia player looks exactly the same as the Zinwell ZP500. Prob the manufacturer is an OEM and licenses the unit to others. Looks like Olevia is a little more expensive adding shipping altogether....$177... Zinwell is like.....$165. interesting. thanks.

JerJer · 08-24-2009, 05:17 PM

Hi didibagle, where did u find the zinwell ZP-500 at $165 ?? is it US dollars? Coz it's selling like $199 CAD in canada. Thanks!

didibagle · 08-25-2009, 02:19 AM

this is where i found it on ebay. says it's selling for $159 + shipping.

cgi[dot]ebay[dot]com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230368979234

change [dot] to .

JerJer · 08-25-2009, 12:20 PM

Thx didibagle, still thinking to get it or not. The review of zinwell zp500 is the best among all the media players in the market now, but it's still kind of expensive.

Hopefully, i can resell my Mediagate M2TV asap.

didibagle · 08-26-2009, 02:47 AM

do you mind sharing the link to the review? I'd like to see what others say about the zinwell zp-500 versus the other products. Thanks.

JerJer · 09-24-2009, 12:33 PM

Oops, sorry for the late reply! The review is actually from a taiwan forum. However, i couldn't find it back at this moment. But there are some review video on YouTube, u can take a look on it.

08-20-2009, 12:20 AM	#1
didibagle My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9	looking for a good media player which streams to tv i'm looking for a media player which can stream movies from my PC to plasma TV. So far, the netgear system (EVA9150) seems to be the best; however, at $399, i'm not sure if it's a good investment. People have told me that ps3 can play media movies but i've no idea how many different formats it supports... What do you guys recommend? I found two different listings on Ebay (search on ebay): mediagate 1080 media player zinwell zp500 HD player One is selling for $120 and the other at $159. Any one used those before? The mediagate seems interesting but it doesn't have LAN/Wifi support. Zinwell is a little higher in price but it does have networking capabilities which is nice. Any suggestions?

08-20-2009, 06:47 AM	#2
wcassell High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 74	It may not be exactly what you're looking for, but I've been using the XBOX360 as a media extender and it works great, especially if your PC is Windows based (and even more so if you're running Windows7). It extends the Windows Media Center on your PC and can be used to stream stored media (pics, videos, music) or even live TV if you have a tv tuner card. __________________ TV: Sony 42" Grand Wega (KDF-42WE655) Cable: Comcast with Motorola DCT6200 DVR: Humax - Tivo Series 2 DVD: Sony DVP-C660 HT: Sony STR-SE501 Gaming: XBOX360 and Nintendo Wii Remote: Harmony 880 Other: Slingbox Pro with Slingbox Powerline Networking

08-22-2009, 03:56 AM	#8
asscube What is HD? Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1	It's all about format supported I am a proud owner of ZP-500 at home for my TV in the bedroom in addition to the XBox 360 player in the living room. As the result, I have experience dealing with both systems. I found video game console (PS3 included) only does half ass job in terms of being an all-in-one media player to play digital contents because of # of video file formats it supports. To me, this is the most important aspect in a media player because I hate spending time sitting in front of the computer converting one video format to the other, and I just want my player to play while I sit back and enjoy the movies/TV shows. If you look at the specs on the game console, I think you will notice one of noticables format missing is the real media files (rm/rmvb). Quite a bit of my video contents is in that format. Another thing I like about the ZP-500 is the portability. It's easy to move this player to any room in my house where there is an TV. I can't quite do the same with my xbox... For people who has multiple TVs, this is a great + since I don't see the need to invest in multiple game console in my house, but I can see the need to have multiple of ZP-500 so I can watch my videos anywhere.

08-22-2009, 07:16 AM	#9
GoD_Above it's all good Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 126	Olevia HD Media Player ZP-500? http://usb.brando.com/olevia-hd-medi...1c035d015.html Looks nice. __________________ Main Movie Room Mitsubishi WD-57733 DLP Onkyo TX-SR805 Klipsch RB-51 Klipsch Quintet III Sony BDP-550 Onkyo DV-SP502 Playstation 3 Bedroom wife loves me Regza 42LX177 Sony BDP-S1 Onkyo TX-NR801 Onkyo TX-SR500 ENERGY Take FPS

08-25-2009, 02:19 AM	#12
didibagle My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9	check out the listing this is where i found it on ebay. says it's selling for $159 + shipping. cgi[dot]ebay[dot]com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230368979234 change [dot] to .

08-20-2009, 02:04 PM	#3
greatmazinga technology whore Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 62	PS3 hands down. New PS3 slim comes out sept 1st @ $299. You get a great media server, bluray and game system. Your home network needs to be cat5 ethernet to stream 1080p movies, wireless networks can't handle it and will stutter. If you have vista or windows 7, windows media center will work fine. I recommend a free program called PS3 Media Server. For $99 /free shipping you may want to consider the Western Digital HD media player. Basically a hard drive you load with movie files and plug directly into a hdmi port on your tv.

08-20-2009, 05:38 PM	#4
JerJer My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 6	Go for the Zinwell ZP500! It's much better than the mediagate M2TV. The M2TV is suck! It takes so long for loading up a movie and it has a noisy fan issue as well. I would like to refund my M2TV Damn REGRET now!!!!

08-21-2009, 01:56 AM	#5
didibagle My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9	really? mediagate is that bad huh? they seem to have a lot of listings on ebay.... so, if budget isn't a concern, ps3 hands down... cool. but since the economy is bad and that my budget is a concern, what do you guys like? WD HD media player seems cool but it requires an extra HD..... and it doesn't have LAN access right? So, $99 for the unit + maybe another $100 for a 1TB external drive....mmm....$199 in total.... ahhh, hard to decide...

08-21-2009, 02:06 AM	#6
didibagle My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9	btw, if i get the ps3 or xbox360, what formats are not supported that you guys know of?

08-21-2009, 08:53 AM	#7
greatmazinga technology whore Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 62	As of the newest firmware, PS3 does not support the .MKV container. The free program I mentioned, PS3 Media Server, wil transcode on the fly but you will need a pretty fast pc to transcode and stream a 1080p file in real time. I recommend converting the file using MKV2VOB (free), takes about 5 minutes to convert, does not alter video.

08-22-2009, 03:03 PM	#10
didibagle My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9	Olevia player looks exactly the same as the Zinwell ZP500. Prob the manufacturer is an OEM and licenses the unit to others. Looks like Olevia is a little more expensive adding shipping altogether....$177... Zinwell is like.....$165. interesting. thanks.

08-24-2009, 05:17 PM	#11
JerJer My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 6	Hi didibagle, where did u find the zinwell ZP-500 at $165 ?? is it US dollars? Coz it's selling like $199 CAD in canada. Thanks!

08-25-2009, 12:20 PM	#13
JerJer My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 6	Thx didibagle, still thinking to get it or not. The review of zinwell zp500 is the best among all the media players in the market now, but it's still kind of expensive. Hopefully, i can resell my Mediagate M2TV asap.

08-26-2009, 02:47 AM	#14
didibagle My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9	where did you see the review? do you mind sharing the link to the review? I'd like to see what others say about the zinwell zp-500 versus the other products. Thanks.

09-24-2009, 12:33 PM	#15
JerJer My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 6	Oops, sorry for the late reply! The review is actually from a taiwan forum. However, i couldn't find it back at this moment. But there are some review video on YouTube, u can take a look on it.

Similar Threads to looking for a good media player which streams to tv
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
How To Update The Firmware On Your Toshiba HD DVD Player - For New Owners	MidnightWatche	HD DVD Players	131	01-20-2009 02:54 PM
Kaiboer K100 MNT Media Player.	david889	High Definition Receivers, Recorders, Players, Tivos	3	11-04-2008 09:28 PM
Trying to make an informed decision...	Chiz	Flat-Panel TVs	16	02-27-2008 04:47 PM
Is this a good player?	scblogs	HD DVD Players	4	11-14-2007 09:15 PM
purchased Toshiba sd-5980su is this player a good one	milehighbri	SD DVD Players and Discs	1	04-23-2005 08:49 PM