Best mp4 players for TVs
(Written by kencraw)
Looking for some advice…
Now that I’m getting most of the games via mp4 files, I’m looking for a good/easy way to view them on the TV. Any recommendations on boxes/solutions that will play mp4 files, ideally from a windows share?
Cheap but functional… no need for attached storage, I already have an always up computer in the house that can host the files.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:46 pm
My personal preference is to use my Apple TV third gen and my iPod (or iPhone, or ipad) to bounce the video via AirPlay from the computer to TV (via air video). If you have the second gen Apple TV, that can be jail broken to cut out the middle man apple device. But that’s my personal preference because the ATV offers a great solution for an Apple ecosystem.
If you don’t have that, but you do have an iPod or another iOS device, you can get a cable to connect with your TV and use air video. The video will stream from your computer to the device to the TV.
Alternatively you can get a cheap device at frys or something. Just make sure it has mp4 playback. As long as it has USB input you only need to copy the file to a flash drive and then plug it into your device.
Hope this helps!
September 17th, 2012 at 11:30 am
One problem: the mp4 files are > 4 GB, and most flash drives are FAT32, which has a max file size of 4 GB. If Apple TV supports NTFS external drives (which have no file size limit), that would work.
September 17th, 2012 at 2:22 pm
That’s a good problem to make sure I account for. Thanks NBTS.
Nathan, I hadn’t thought about the iPod/portable video device solution. I’ll consider that too. I’m not an apple guy, so I worry about an apple solution (particularly AppleTV) as they’re often very insular and have compatibility issues with Windows or Linux solutions.
September 19th, 2012 at 6:08 am
My WD TV will play anything I throw at it. I’m sure it could play a zip file it’s so good.
September 25th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Here’s comparison chart of streaming devices that might be helpful (showing price, network file streaming capability, etc): http://lifehacker.com/5946193/how-to-find-the-best-tv-set-top-box-and-ditch-cable-once-and-for-all