Well considering most Smart TVs, Android, Apple, ... products all support the mp4, m4v format with out any special settings. Basically design a website with database that can  show movies. For the most part a personal Netflix for your home NAS. Plus be able to download the videos straight to your device for later watching when outside of your network.

 

You will be able to use it on any small LAMP server and being that Unraid supports VMs you can load a simple OS as like Ubuntu and LAMP. The server will be very low in power needing because of the formats. The product("Smart TV") it self will process the video. In this senerio the only bottle neck will be your network. However most people use gigabit switches and wireless N and wireless AC.

 

Over wireless N  I can stream a Blueray movie from my NAS to my phone with out issues.

Well considering most Smart TVs, Android, Apple, ... products all support the mp4, m4v format with out any special settings. Basically design a website with database that can  show movies. For the most part a personal Netflix for your home NAS. Plus be able to download the videos straight to your device for later watching when outside of your network.

 

You will be able to use it on any small LAMP server and being that Unraid supports VMs you can load a simple OS as like Ubuntu and LAMP. The server will be very low in power needing because of the formats. The product("Smart TV") it self will process the video. In this senerio the only bottle neck will be your network. However most people use gigabit switches and wireless N and wireless AC.

 

Over wireless N  I can stream a Blueray movie from my NAS to my phone with out issues.

 

So essentially like a lightweight Kodi with a MySQL backend ie no transcoding and the ability to download the file..

 

So you'll access the webui on the client device or on any device and "cast" like with Chromecast?

well for a regular tv stand point yea you could use a chromecast.  But if you had a smart TV or blueray player you could watch the videos just as well without the need of a chromecast.

Sorry, I don't have a bluray player or a smart-tv, but I assume they need a built in browser?

Sorry, I don't have a bluray player or a smart-tv, but I assume they need a built in browser?

 

Yea. If you have a chromecast it will work as well.

Sorry, I don't have a bluray player or a smart-tv, but I assume they need a built in browser?

 

Yea. If you have a chromecast it will work as well.

 

Impressive, you should share this with the community, I'm sure some of the folks here would love this functionality..

Sorry, I don't have a bluray player or a smart-tv, but I assume they need a built in browser?

 

Yea. If you have a chromecast it will work as well.

 

Impressive, you should share this with the community, I'm sure some of the folks here would love this functionality..

 

I will once I get it finished. 

Sorry, I don't have a bluray player or a smart-tv, but I assume they need a built in browser?

 

Yea. If you have a chromecast it will work as well.

 

Impressive, you should share this with the community, I'm sure some of the folks here would love this functionality..

 

I will once I get it finished. 

 

Well, what you wasting time chatting to me for? 

I think I've tried just about every software solution that's out there to view video content on my flat screen and in the end opted to buy Dune media players. I don't miss upgrading or taking care of a software solution anymore. I remember years ago shoving a desktop behind my TV so I can view my media content from my network on my TV screen. I do also have Plex running, but that's only for my girlfriend when she's out on the road. I normally don't watch/listen to anything while I'm out of the house anyway. There are only a few things I purchased in my life that I really appreciate and the Dune Media player(s) is on that list along with unraid too.

 

http://dune-hd.com/eng/products/full_hd_media_players/36

 

 

I think I've tried just about every software solution that's out there to view video content on my flat screen and in the end opted to buy Dune media players. I don't miss upgrading or taking care of a software solution anymore. I remember years ago shoving a desktop behind my TV so I can view my media content from my network on my TV screen. I do also have Plex running, but that's only for my girlfriend when she's out on the road. I normally don't watch/listen to anything while I'm out of the house anyway. There are only a few things I purchased in my life that I really appreciate and the Dune Media player(s) is on that list along with unraid too.

 

http://dune-hd.com/eng/products/full_hd_media_players/36

 

You're not alone.  While I can't say I've ever had the chance to use one of these things, I know there are many unRAIDers in the forums here that swear up and down by the Dune players, so they must be a fairly decent solution.  I think it really comes down to whether or not you care about an "ever-evolving" software solution or you just want a "set it and forget it" hardware solution.

I may have agreed with you a few years ago, but I think it's become a lot easier to manage things nowadays.

 

I remember running MediaPortal on Windows, I was constantly having issues and reinstalls were frequent, and would take a full day to get the config all set up.

 

With Kodi and Openelec, it's a five minute job, once done just backup the appdata.  I can reinstall Openelec inside of quarter of an hour, but can't remember the last time I had to, most of the time just place the upgrade files in the update folder and reboot.

 

The other thing I suppose is what you need from a system.  A simple media player I could cope with, although I make no secret of loving all the eye candy that Kodi brings, but Mrs CHBMB would not be impressed at all without a setup that looks conventional, like a regular satellite or cable UI and STB.

I use both. Dune HD D1 & Plex via Roku. Actually running Plex as front end on the Dune too (unsupported mod).

 

I have tried and used many solutions in the past. This setup is the least fiddly/finicky and just works. Nothing worse than PC problems on movie night lol.

I think I've tried just about every software solution that's out there to view video content on my flat screen and in the end opted to buy Dune media players. I don't miss upgrading or taking care of a software solution anymore. I remember years ago shoving a desktop behind my TV so I can view my media content from my network on my TV screen. I do also have Plex running, but that's only for my girlfriend when she's out on the road. I normally don't watch/listen to anything while I'm out of the house anyway. There are only a few things I purchased in my life that I really appreciate and the Dune Media player(s) is on that list along with unraid too.

 

http://dune-hd.com/eng/products/full_hd_media_players/36

 

You're not alone.  While I can't say I've ever had the chance to use one of these things, I know there are many unRAIDers in the forums here that swear up and down by the Dune players, so they must be a fairly decent solution.  I think it really comes down to whether or not you care about an "ever-evolving" software solution or you just want a "set it and forget it" hardware solution.

 

It's changing all the time. I just received a new firmware upgrade that fixed a bug in displaying the bluray menu lists and also added a better HDTV antenna app. It has IPTV and all that, but I just use then striclty for playback. I always had problems playing some MKV and MT2S files with XMBC in the past, and that's what prompted me to find something that could play anything without built in copy protection nagging me on my own media that just plugs in. Trust me, there are plenty of garbage media players out there and I tried most of them myself, but the stability and play-ability of the Dune went above my expectations so I just stuck with them.  Now I just tap into my unraid media content folders via SMB and browse away.

 

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an Zappiti 4K player and I was pretty much in awe. It was a pre-model, but still performed great. Downloaded coverart, movie stats, actor information, really had some good features and now they'll finally be here. I may buy the mini model for a go.

 

http://store.zappiti.com/en/media-players/3303-zappiti-player-4k-mini.html

 

I haven't used a "software" based video solution for years and always had trouble playing bluray movies, TrueHD sound, Master Sound and could never get the color space properly set. The limitations years ago is what forced me to Dune.

 

Xtreamer is another streamer that I've used in the past, but just ended up with Dune.

 

http://www.xtreamer.net/

 

 

 

 

I have no issues using my Nexus Player with a mixture of VLC and Es File Explorer.

 

I use both. Dune HD D1 & Plex via Roku. Actually running Plex as front end on the Dune too (unsupported mod).

 

I have tried and used many solutions in the past. This setup is the least fiddly/finicky and just works. Nothing worse than PC problems on movie night lol.

 

You said it. I have a couple different Dune models, even the TV303D which supports 3D but I never use watch 3D.

 

I thought Popcorn Hour was an established company? What ever happened to old school, where companies would actually take out loans and the risk would be on them to create something that people would buy? All these Kickstarter campaign's do is put all the risk on the backers and then if it fails the company just gets to walk away. $600 for a media player, which probably can't do much more then my $199 Dune Player? It is just another Sigma chip to me and I bet we will see that same chip in other players for $200 less.

 

 

 

I thought Popcorn Hour was an established company? What ever happened to old school, where companies would actually take out loans and the risk would be on them to create something that people would buy? All these Kickstarter campaign's do is put all the risk on the backers and then if it fails the company just gets to walk away. $600 for a media player, which probably can't do much more then my $199 Dune Player? It is just another Sigma chip to me and I bet we will see that same chip in other players for $200 less.

 

 

That's exactly how I feel with the last SiliconDust PVR Software Kickstarter. I'll give them my money when they have a commercial product available for shipping that same day and only if it has positive reviews from real community users and not 1 second sooner.

Oh, I read some more of their page and can't help but laugh at the following, because you know this is just going to be hooked up to a real audio-receiver via HDMI (digital). This almost makes it seem like snake-oil salesmen, trying to lure out the psycho audiophiles that have more money than common sense.

 

The Glory of Superior Analog Sound

 

Sound accounts fifty percent of our auditory experience. That’s why our audio DAC is every bit as important as the resolution on our TV.

How can sound only account for 50% of the auditory experience, what the hell is the other 50%?!

 

Or is it per ear?!

 

Am I missing something?

How can sound only account for 50% of the auditory experience, what the hell is the other 50%?!

 

Or is it per ear?!

 

Am I missing something?

 

Great catch.

 

Maybe the other 50% is psychosomatic! If you believe its a better signal it is. Too funny.

 

Was half expecting one of those audiophiles to tell me I was being some sort of philistine....

I think they just really went over the line with even going to Kickstarter and charging that much for a little media player that you can get today to do the same exact thing. My flat screens that I have cannot display 4K and I do not think I'll even consider to upgrade until 4k is an every day thing, which may never happen. I mean is 1080 really being displayed %100 yet?

 

I was thinking to use my extra unraid key I had to scruff up a small server and try out XMBC or something else just to play, but then even before I started looking around for parts was bored and discouraged since my maintenance free Dune Players have made me very biased against those alternatives.

 

The more options for everyone the better.

 

 

 

 

I agree, it's a bit like trying to find a comfy pair of shoes, everyone has different preferences and I've tried them all over the years.

 

Original Popcorn Hour, actually it was a HDX-1000 with YAMJ, MediaPortal, XBMC, WMC, Plex, but been stuck with Openelec for the last few years since PVR for XBMC started.

 

Emby is also starting to get a bit more interesting, come to think of it, I tried the original Media browser on WMC a long time ago.

 

Jriver is the only one I've never really managed to get setup as a working solution, just got very confused...

I agree, it's a bit like trying to find a comfy pair of shoes, everyone has different preferences and I've tried them all over the years.

 

Original Popcorn Hour, actually it was a HDX-1000 with YAMJ, MediaPortal, XBMC, WMC, Plex, but been stuck with Openelec for the last few years since PVR for XBMC started.

 

Emby is also starting to get a bit more interesting, come to think of it, I tried the original Media browser on WMC a long time ago.

 

Jriver is the only one I've never really managed to get setup as a working solution, just got very confused...

 

When the older Sigma chips could only do 12MB/sec I thought maybe the media player world would get stuck in the mud but then randomly upgrading to a new a player and seeing 90MB+/sec in read speeds motivated me to upgrade all my players. Playing a high bitrate bluray or MKV file tiled the screen and paused a lot. Glad those days are over.

 

Hey, here's a 90Mbps 236MB file. Good test to see if your network can keep up. I remember my old media players would always cut out before it ended. These days, no problem. I also have all the Jellyfish, MKV, and DVD9 test files if interested.

 

90Mbps Bird File

 

I also love the eye candy CHBMB mentions. I have been using openelec for years. Now you get the wetek device with openelec built in for $100. I read you can also install openelec on amazin fire tv devices. Wetek is not great or fast in terms of ui response, but acceptable. What is the interface like on the Dune players? I have never ran into a playability issue.

 

I could NOT stomach Plex ROKU INTERFACE. Once you have used Kodi with a nice skin like aeon nox,  I cannot go to the Plex interface. Openelec is basically an os that runs Kodi. It has a learning curve but it's great once you learn it. A lot of the learning curve is setting up Kodi to how you like it.