Trousers wrote:
I'm offloading my PS3 this weekend because;
a) I only really use it for Media stuff and
b) Sony are probably just going to carry on baiting hackers until such time as the entire PSN userbase has had their DNA stolen and been cloned and the original people replaced with those clones and the original people put to work in slave colonies harvesting unobtanium. Possibly.
So what do I get as an alternative? I've been looking at the likes of an Acer Revo but that's got no optical drive and I've a fair few Blu-Rays I would still like the option of playing. An external usb optical is a solution but somewhat inelegant.
We mostly watch optical media stuff on there (Lovefilm etc) and downloaded series. I would prefer to be able to play MKV's without any need to run 'em through a transcoder.
I'll want HDMI output, Optical / Coax digital sound output and a couple of USB sockets at the front and some peas.
You can buy little boxes that can play most media files from a USB stick for about 30 quid. For example I have one of these hooked up to the TV for checking work stuff. Seems to handle most stuff I throw at it. Says it handles MKV:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0046SD2MK/ref=asc_df_B0046SD2MK2725067?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLEOnly downside is that the remote is a bitch. But it works, it's cheap, small and the quality is excellent. You'll need to buy a HDMI lead mind.
For disc based material I have a Pioneer Blu-Ray. However a cheap DVD player can be picked up for next to nothing. Try to ensure it has a decent upscaler though.