I'm wanting to get something.

Requirements:
-network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
-multi-format both music and video

I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.

I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / laptops 
on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?

Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but when I 
do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
stuttering - whether wireless or wired.

I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.

-- 

Tim

Tim Lance wrote:

>
> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / laptops 
> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?

I have a WD "Live". It connects to the outside world via ethernet. I can
among other things connect to SMB (windows native, provided by MAC and Linux
and several standalone drives too) file shares. 

It also uses media servers, but I don't have one, so I can't tell you what 
they are/do. 

The interface is not up to Apple standards, but it's still useable.

It comes with 2 USB ports, you can use them (with the latest firmware) with
a USB keyboard, a Wifi dongle, a disk drive. You can have 2 disk drives if
you don't use the keyboard or wifi.

Output is composite video, component video and HDMI. You can buy a cheap
HDMI to DVI cable and use other speakers and get 1080P video without a
TV on a computer monitor with a DVI port. 

You play music you do need a monitor. A friend of mine in the US bought an LCD
from Amazon with a 9 inch screen for $50. That may do for you. 


Here (Israel) that's important as if you have a device that can get any
of the local TV channels off the air, via a "private satellite dish",
DBS dish or cable, you have to pay a $180 a year TV tax. If you have a
computer monitor connected to a "steamer" (as these devices are called)
and it can't receive one of the above, you don't pay the tax.

It WILL play in full 1080P video, or downscale them to lower resolution devices.

It playes just about every file I have ever thrown at it (one file did not
play sound of several thousand).

It also plays Netflix (don't have, not in the US), YouTube (can't bother)
and a few other streams. For some reason they just added accuweather forcasts.

> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but when I 
> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.

It plays MP3 and unprotected MP4 audio files right off of the SMB share, but
I really have no interest in it, so I can't speak to the interface. My library
is probably 95% MP3 files, so it's not a big deal. 

I don't know if iTunes will act as a media server for it, you could look it
up or someone else might know.

Here there are at least a half a dozen similar devices from
competing manufacturers. I'm happy with the WD, so I've done nothing
except look at the ads and decide I did not need to go farther.

Geoff.

-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

On Sat, 11 Dec 2010 22:44:36 -0500, Tim Lance wrote
(in article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>):

> I'm wanting to get something.
> 
> Requirements:
> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
> -multi-format both music and video
> 
> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
> 
> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / laptops 
> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
> 
> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but when I 

> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
> 
> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.

I bought a Roku from Woot and was not impressed. Sold it on eBay after 
a brief look.  The thing that turned me off the most was that 
_everything_ has to go the Roku service.  You can't just stream your 
own stuff or subscribe to say Netflix. I also looked at Apple TV.  
Looks like they removed a lot of functionality in the second version to 
get the price down.

My conclusion was that the best choice would be a dedicated Mac Mini.  
My other conclusion was that I really didn't need anything :-)

-- 
Nelson

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 04:34:51 -0500, Nelson wrote
(in article <0001HW.C92A016B01D064DFB02919BF@news.astraweb.com>):

> On Sat, 11 Dec 2010 22:44:36 -0500, Tim Lance wrote
> (in article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>):
> 
>> I'm wanting to get something.
>> 
>> Requirements:
>> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
>> -multi-format both music and video
>> 
>> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
>> 
>> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / 
>> laptops 
>> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
>> 
>> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but when 
>> I 
> 
>> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
>> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
>> 
>> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> 
> I bought a Roku from Woot and was not impressed. Sold it on eBay after 
> a brief look.  The thing that turned me off the most was that 
> _everything_ has to go the Roku service.  You can't just stream your 
> own stuff or subscribe to say Netflix. I also looked at Apple TV.  
> Looks like they removed a lot of functionality in the second version to 
> get the price down.
> 
> My conclusion was that the best choice would be a dedicated Mac Mini.  
> My other conclusion was that I really didn't need anything :-)

Forgot to mention that I didn't look at Western Digital because they 
are on my shit list for sending me _six_ bad hard drives in a row.  I 
won't be dealing with them again.

BTW, nobody says "Hi-Fi" anymore.  My kids laughed at me when I said it 
:-)

-- 
Nelson

Nelson <nelson@nowhere.com> wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 04:34:51 -0500, Nelson wrote
> (in article <0001HW.C92A016B01D064DFB02919BF@news.astraweb.com>):
[..]
> >> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> > 
> > I bought a Roku from Woot and was not impressed. Sold it on eBay after
> > a brief look.  The thing that turned me off the most was that 
> > _everything_ has to go the Roku service.  You can't just stream your
> > own stuff or subscribe to say Netflix. I also looked at Apple TV.  
> > Looks like they removed a lot of functionality in the second version to
> > get the price down.
> > 
> > My conclusion was that the best choice would be a dedicated Mac Mini.
> > My other conclusion was that I really didn't need anything :-)
> 
> Forgot to mention that I didn't look at Western Digital because they 
> are on my shit list for sending me _six_ bad hard drives in a row.  I
> won't be dealing with them again.

Their laptop drives are fine, but desktop ones can be questionable for
sure. Not as bad as the old Quantum Fireballs though (appropriately
named, as it happens), and I've only had Maxtor and Hitachi drives fail
on me.

Apart from that, I think I agree, I was looking at similar myself,
although for about the same money as a Mini, you can get a refurb
MacBook too.

However, another possibility, and one which does OK for me for the few
times I need video output to TV, is an iPod Touch and a Dock. Using a
variety of means, it's quite possible to stream video and audio through
it to the TV, and to a 'Hi-Fi'. And you get a useful mobile device as
well.

> BTW, nobody says "Hi-Fi" anymore.  My kids laughed at me when I said it
> :-)

I come from the days when people still said 'transistor' or 'wireless'
to mean a radio!

-- 
Andy Hewitt
<www.andy-hewitt.me.uk>

In article <1jtdtcb.9cmuhj152scgxN%thewildrover@me.com>,
 thewildrover@me.com (Andy Hewitt) wrote:

> Nelson <nelson@nowhere.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 04:34:51 -0500, Nelson wrote
> > (in article <0001HW.C92A016B01D064DFB02919BF@news.astraweb.com>):
> [..]
> > >> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> > > 
> > > I bought a Roku from Woot and was not impressed. Sold it on eBay after
> > > a brief look.  The thing that turned me off the most was that 
> > > _everything_ has to go the Roku service.  You can't just stream your
> > > own stuff or subscribe to say Netflix. I also looked at Apple TV.  
> > > Looks like they removed a lot of functionality in the second version to
> > > get the price down.
> > > 
> > > My conclusion was that the best choice would be a dedicated Mac Mini.
> > > My other conclusion was that I really didn't need anything :-)
> > 
> > Forgot to mention that I didn't look at Western Digital because they 
> > are on my shit list for sending me _six_ bad hard drives in a row.  I
> > won't be dealing with them again.
> 
> Their laptop drives are fine, but desktop ones can be questionable for
> sure. Not as bad as the old Quantum Fireballs though (appropriately
> named, as it happens), and I've only had Maxtor and Hitachi drives fail
> on me.
> 
> Apart from that, I think I agree, I was looking at similar myself,
> although for about the same money as a Mini, you can get a refurb
> MacBook too.
> 
> However, another possibility, and one which does OK for me for the few
> times I need video output to TV, is an iPod Touch and a Dock. Using a
> variety of means, it's quite possible to stream video and audio through
> it to the TV, and to a 'Hi-Fi'. And you get a useful mobile device as
> well.

The LaCinema Mini HD Connect works well for me, streaming from 
TwonkyServer running on a Mac Mini. A WD TV Live would not stream at all 
reliably from the server--the playback would invariably hang within a 
few seconds of starting, requiring power cycling the WD box.

Oppo's Blu-Ray players play well from the server as well.

> > BTW, nobody says "Hi-Fi" anymore.  My kids laughed at me when I said it
> > :-)
> 
> I come from the days when people still said 'transistor' or 'wireless'
> to mean a radio!

I was shuffling some batteries the other day, and thought on how 9V 
batteries used to be called "transistor batteries". How long since than 
nomenclature has been abandoned?

Steve

-- 
steve <at> w0x0f <dot> com
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, sidecar in the other, body thoroughly
used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Steve Fenwick <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> In article <1jtdtcb.9cmuhj152scgxN%thewildrover@me.com>,
>  thewildrover@me.com (Andy Hewitt) wrote:
[.]
> > However, another possibility, and one which does OK for me for the few
> > times I need video output to TV, is an iPod Touch and a Dock. Using a
> > variety of means, it's quite possible to stream video and audio through
> > it to the TV, and to a 'Hi-Fi'. And you get a useful mobile device as
> > well.
> 
> The LaCinema Mini HD Connect works well for me, streaming from 
> TwonkyServer running on a Mac Mini. A WD TV Live would not stream at all
> reliably from the server--the playback would invariably hang within a
> few seconds of starting, requiring power cycling the WD box.
> 
> Oppo's Blu-Ray players play well from the server as well.

Good to know. Mind you, I still prefer using my old Toshiba
HardDrive/DVD recorder with a FreeSat box plugged in, it's reliable, and
is already connected directly to the TV.

> > > BTW, nobody says "Hi-Fi" anymore.  My kids laughed at me when I said it
> > > :-)
> > 
> > I come from the days when people still said 'transistor' or 'wireless'
> > to mean a radio!
> 
> I was shuffling some batteries the other day, and thought on how 9V 
> batteries used to be called "transistor batteries". How long since than
> nomenclature has been abandoned?

Old(er) people still tend use those kind of things. I think the bigger
version was called a 'lantern' battery.

-- 
Andy Hewitt
<www.andy-hewitt.me.uk>

In article <1jtdx2c.yyqjoy8rv93tN%thewildrover@me.com>,
 thewildrover@me.com (Andy Hewitt) wrote:

> Old(er) people still tend use those kind of things. I think the bigger
> version was called a 'lantern' battery.

Six-volt, square with chamfered long edges and spring contacts on top.

-- 
Tom Stiller

PGP fingerprint =  5108 DDB2 9761 EDE5 E7E3  7BDA 71ED 6496 99C0 C7CF

Tom Stiller <tom_stiller@yahoo.com> wrote:

> In article <1jtdx2c.yyqjoy8rv93tN%thewildrover@me.com>,
>  thewildrover@me.com (Andy Hewitt) wrote:
> 
> > Old(er) people still tend use those kind of things. I think the bigger
> > version was called a 'lantern' battery.
> 
> Six-volt, square with chamfered long edges and spring contacts on top.

Yeah, that's the one.

-- 
Andy Hewitt
<www.andy-hewitt.me.uk>

Tom Stiller wrote:

> Six-volt, square with chamfered long edges and spring contacts on top.

There were also six and 12 volt lantern batteries that looked like small
rounded lunchboxes. The lanterns sat on top and made contact via bolts
sticking out, which were also used to hold the lantern on top. 

Police, firemen and railroad workers used them if I remember correctly. 

There were also big 1.5 volt (single cell) dry cell batteries but I can't
remember what they were called. I used to use them around Christmas time
to burn tinsel. 

Geoff.



-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

In article <slrnig9koc.hvn.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
 "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:

> There were also big 1.5 volt (single cell) dry cell batteries but I can't
> remember what they were called. I used to use them around Christmas time
> to burn tinsel. 

Doorbell batteries

-- 
Tom Stiller

PGP fingerprint =  5108 DDB2 9761 EDE5 E7E3  7BDA 71ED 6496 99C0 C7CF

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 3:43:54 -0600, Nelson wrote
(in message <0001HW.C92A038A01D0E424B02919BF@news.astraweb.com>):


> 
> Forgot to mention that I didn't look at Western Digital because they 
> are on my shit list for sending me _six_ bad hard drives in a row.  I 
> won't be dealing with them again.
> 
> BTW, nobody says "Hi-Fi" anymore.  My kids laughed at me when I said it 
>> -)
> 
> 

among some of my associates, my nickname is "HiFi" - I gotta explain it to 
most of the younger ones. heh.
tom koehler

back to the discussion, now.
-- 
I will find a way or make one. 

In article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
wrote:

> I'm wanting to get something.
> 
> Requirements:
> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
> -multi-format both music and video
> 
> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
> 
> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / laptops 
> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
> 
> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but when I 
> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
> 
> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.

We just got an Apple TV. It will stream video and music from any 
computer on the network with iTunes running on it. We can also stream 
media to it from any iOS device via AirTunes.

Frankly, I don't care about formats like FLAC.

-- 
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR

In article <slrnig92mh.bo8.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
 "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:

> I have a WD "Live". It connects to the outside world via ethernet. I can
> among other things connect to SMB (windows native, provided by MAC and Linux
> and several standalone drives too) file shares. 
> 
> It also uses media servers, but I don't have one, so I can't tell you what 
> they are/do. 
> 
> The interface is not up to Apple standards, but it's still useable.
> 
> It comes with 2 USB ports, you can use them (with the latest firmware) with
> a USB keyboard, a Wifi dongle, a disk drive. You can have 2 disk drives if
> you don't use the keyboard or wifi.
> 
> Output is composite video, component video and HDMI. You can buy a cheap
> HDMI to DVI cable and use other speakers and get 1080P video without a
> TV on a computer monitor with a DVI port. 

I ran ethernet cable to my living room to use my WD Live; I take the 
component out to my flat-screen tv at 720p, and it's the best thing 
since sliced bread. It even upscales the little motion jpegs from the 
oul' Womans still camera very nicely. I set up a separate user account 
for it, for samba, and wrote an smb.conf that keeps all my media on one 
HD.

I've never ever had any luck using streaming servers, and I've tried a 
bunch of them. Samba seems to be the way to go with the WD Live (or a 
dedicated HD connected to the box -- it has 2 USB2 ports). When the 
nasty weather gets here, I might try to create something with PHP 5 and 
Ffmpeg. Or maybe not.

Anyway, I really like the WD Live. Be careful -- it has to say "Live" if 
you want it to have an ethernet port. WD are still selling the older 
models without it.
-- 
If you could teach a cat to dance, 
you'd never have to leave the house.
  -- Pat Sajak

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:54:09 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
(in article <jollyroger-25D97F.09540812122010@news.individual.net>):

> In article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> wrote:
> 
>> I'm wanting to get something.
>> 
>> Requirements:
>> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
>> -multi-format both music and video
>> 
>> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
>> 
>> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / 
>> laptops 
>> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
>> 
>> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but when 
>> I 
>> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
>> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
>> 
>> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> 
> We just got an Apple TV. It will stream video and music from any 
> computer on the network with iTunes running on it. We can also stream 
> media to it from any iOS device via AirTunes.
> 
> Frankly, I don't care about formats like FLAC.

I think I recall when I looked at that I didn't like the requirement 
that everything had to go through iTunes.  You can't just stream 
something using, say VLC, directly to the TV or play something using 
VLC and connect the TV to the output.  At least not on the current 
model.  Maybe there is a way to do it that I didn't pick up from 
reading the docs.

--
Nelson

In article <jollyroger-25D97F.09540812122010@news.individual.net>,
 Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:

> In article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> > I'm wanting to get something.
> > 
> > Requirements:
> > -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
> > -multi-format both music and video
> > 
> > I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
> > 
> > I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / 
> > laptops 
> > on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
> > 
> > Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but when 
> > I 
> > do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
> > stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
> > 
> > I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> 
> We just got an Apple TV. It will stream video and music from any 
> computer on the network with iTunes running on it. We can also stream 
> media to it from any iOS device via AirTunes.

That is true. If you don't mind converting all your content to the 
accepted format using Handbrake or its equivalent, Apple TV will work, 
and has a much neater interface.

Steve

-- 
steve <at> w0x0f <dot> com
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, sidecar in the other, body thoroughly
used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

In article <0001HW.C92A5FEE01E68B5DB02919BF@news.astraweb.com>,
 Nelson <nelson@nowhere.com> wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:54:09 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
> (in article <jollyroger-25D97F.09540812122010@news.individual.net>):
> 
> > In article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> > wrote:
> > 
> >> I'm wanting to get something.
> >> 
> >> Requirements:
> >> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
> >> -multi-format both music and video
> >> 
> >> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
> >> 
> >> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / 
> >> laptops 
> >> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
> >> 
> >> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but 
> >> when 
> >> I 
> >> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
> >> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
> >> 
> >> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> > 
> > We just got an Apple TV. It will stream video and music from any 
> > computer on the network with iTunes running on it. We can also stream 
> > media to it from any iOS device via AirTunes.
> > 
> > Frankly, I don't care about formats like FLAC.
> 
> I think I recall when I looked at that I didn't like the requirement 
> that everything had to go through iTunes.  You can't just stream 
> something using, say VLC, directly to the TV or play something using 
> VLC and connect the TV to the output.  At least not on the current 
> model.  Maybe there is a way to do it that I didn't pick up from 
> reading the docs.

On the new Apple TV, everything has to go through iTunes and be in the 
correct format (MP4 file with h.264 as the video codec). You can't 
stream MKV or ISO files, for example.

Steve

-- 
steve <at> w0x0f <dot> com
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, sidecar in the other, body thoroughly
used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

On 2010-12-12 18:15:15 +0000, Steve Fenwick said:

> On the new Apple TV, everything has to go through iTunes and be in the
> correct format (MP4 file with h.264 as the video codec). You can't
> stream MKV or ISO files, for example.

What's an ISO file?

-- 
Chris

Chris Ridd wrote:

> What's an ISO file?

An image of a disk, say a DVD. 

Geoff.


-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

Warren Oates wrote:
> I've never ever had any luck using streaming servers, and I've tried a
> bunch of them. Samba seems to be the way to go with the WD Live (or a
> dedicated HD connected to the box -- it has 2 USB2 ports). When the
> nasty weather gets here, I might try to create something with PHP 5 and
> Ffmpeg. Or maybe not.

I'm running Yazsoft's Playback server on our Macs.  It serves up content
from iTunes, EyeTV and other directories.  But I had problems getting it
to stream to the WD TV Live.  Connections kept failing. The problem was
solved by reflashing my Linksys router, which still had it's original,
couple year old firmware.  Streams very nicely now.

> Anyway, I really like the WD Live. Be careful -- it has to say "Live" if
> you want it to have an ethernet port. WD are still selling the older
> models without it.

And newer models.  The WD HD Live Plus added hardware to satisfy
Netflix DRM requirements.  They now also have a WD TV Live Hub which
include a hard drive and media server firmware.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/homeentertainment/mediaplayers/

In article <0001HW.C92A5FEE01E68B5DB02919BF@news.astraweb.com>,
 Nelson <nelson@nowhere.com> wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:54:09 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
> (in article <jollyroger-25D97F.09540812122010@news.individual.net>):
> 
> > In article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> > wrote:
> > 
> >> I'm wanting to get something.
> >> 
> >> Requirements:
> >> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
> >> -multi-format both music and video
> >> 
> >> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
> >> 
> >> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / 
> >> laptops 
> >> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
> >> 
> >> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but 
> >> when 
> >> I 
> >> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
> >> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
> >> 
> >> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> > 
> > We just got an Apple TV. It will stream video and music from any 
> > computer on the network with iTunes running on it. We can also stream 
> > media to it from any iOS device via AirTunes.
> > 
> > Frankly, I don't care about formats like FLAC.
> 
> I think I recall when I looked at that I didn't like the requirement 
> that everything had to go through iTunes.  

I have absolutely no problem with it.  It works great, and is easy to 
use.

> You can't just stream 
> something using, say VLC, directly to the TV or play something using 
> VLC and connect the TV to the output.  At least not on the current 
> model.  Maybe there is a way to do it that I didn't pick up from 
> reading the docs.

I can't remember the last time I used VLC. So I don't care about that.

-- 
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR

In article 
<nospam-3BF159.10151512122010@reserved-multicast-range-NOT-delegated.exa
mple.com>,
 Steve Fenwick <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> In article <0001HW.C92A5FEE01E68B5DB02919BF@news.astraweb.com>,
>  Nelson <nelson@nowhere.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:54:09 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
> > (in article <jollyroger-25D97F.09540812122010@news.individual.net>):
> > 
> > > In article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> > > wrote:
> > > 
> > >> I'm wanting to get something.
> > >> 
> > >> Requirements:
> > >> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
> > >> -multi-format both music and video
> > >> 
> > >> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
> > >> 
> > >> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / 
> > >> laptops 
> > >> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
> > >> 
> > >> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but 
> > >> when 
> > >> I 
> > >> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is 
> > >> always 
> > >> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
> > >> 
> > >> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
> > > 
> > > We just got an Apple TV. It will stream video and music from any 
> > > computer on the network with iTunes running on it. We can also stream 
> > > media to it from any iOS device via AirTunes.
> > > 
> > > Frankly, I don't care about formats like FLAC.
> > 
> > I think I recall when I looked at that I didn't like the requirement 
> > that everything had to go through iTunes.  You can't just stream 
> > something using, say VLC, directly to the TV or play something using 
> > VLC and connect the TV to the output.  At least not on the current 
> > model.  Maybe there is a way to do it that I didn't pick up from 
> > reading the docs.
> 
> On the new Apple TV, everything has to go through iTunes and be in the 
> correct format (MP4 file with h.264 as the video codec). You can't 
> stream MKV or ISO files, for example.
> 
> Steve

Oh well.  : )

-- 
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JR

In article <slrniga93q.nve.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
 "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:

> Chris Ridd wrote:
> 
> > What's an ISO file?
> 
> An image of a disk, say a DVD. 
> 
> Geoff.

Certainly not in this context. Why would you want to stream an ISO file?

-- 
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On 2010-12-12 20:49:04 +0000, Jolly Roger said:

> In article <slrniga93q.nve.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
>  "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:
> 
>> Chris Ridd wrote:
>> 
>>> What's an ISO file?
>> 
>> An image of a disk, say a DVD.
>> 
>> Geoff.
> 
> Certainly not in this context. Why would you want to stream an ISO file?

Indeed. DVD rips aren't ISOs, they're UDF.
-- 
Chris

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:49:04 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
(in article <jollyroger-D372AA.14490412122010@news.individual.net>):

> In article <slrniga93q.nve.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
>  "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:
> 
>> Chris Ridd wrote:
>> 
>>> What's an ISO file?
>> 
>> An image of a disk, say a DVD. 
>> 
>> Geoff.
> 
> Certainly not in this context. Why would you want to stream an ISO file?
> 
> 

Because you don't want to take the time to rip it and don't have a 
stand-alone DVD player?

-- 
Nelson

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:48:14 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
(in article <jollyroger-D4106D.14481312122010@news.individual.net>):

> In article <0001HW.C92A5FEE01E68B5DB02919BF@news.astraweb.com>,
>  Nelson <nelson@nowhere.com> wrote:
> 
>> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:54:09 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
>> (in article <jollyroger-25D97F.09540812122010@news.individual.net>):
>> 
>>> In article <8miup4Fg7rU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I'm wanting to get something.
>>>> 
>>>> Requirements:
>>>> -network/streamable from various laptops & desktops
>>>> -multi-format both music and video
>>>> 
>>>> I understand it's possible to "modify" the AppleTV's firmware.
>>>> 
>>>> I am far more interested in music playing from various hard drives / 
>>>> laptops 
>>>> on the network. I guess there are other devices that do not need a TV?
>>>> 
>>>> Presently I have an Airport Express to my Hi-Fi. iTunes works fine but 
>>>> when 
>>>> I 
>>>> do non-iTunes formats, mostly FLAC, I try Cog/Airfoil and there is always 
>>>> stuttering - whether wireless or wired.
>>>> 
>>>> I will appreciate any information/informed opinions.
>>> 
>>> We just got an Apple TV. It will stream video and music from any 
>>> computer on the network with iTunes running on it. We can also stream 
>>> media to it from any iOS device via AirTunes.
>>> 
>>> Frankly, I don't care about formats like FLAC.
>> 
>> I think I recall when I looked at that I didn't like the requirement 
>> that everything had to go through iTunes.  
> 
> I have absolutely no problem with it.  It works great, and is easy to 
> use.
> 
>> You can't just stream 
>> something using, say VLC, directly to the TV or play something using 
>> VLC and connect the TV to the output.  At least not on the current 
>> model.  Maybe there is a way to do it that I didn't pick up from 
>> reading the docs.
> 
> I can't remember the last time I used VLC. So I don't care about that.

Well I do.  I have a buttload of avi, wmv, flv, mkv, mp3, etc that I 
don't want to convert to mp4 just so I can pipe it through iTunes.

-- 
Nelson

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:06:46 -0600, Warren Oates wrote
(in article <4d04f317$0$845$c3e8da3$460562f1@news.astraweb.com>):

> In article <slrnig92mh.bo8.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
>  "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:
> 
>> I have a WD "Live". It connects to the outside world via ethernet. I can
>> among other things connect to SMB (windows native, provided by MAC and Linux
>> and several standalone drives too) file shares. 
>> 
>> It also uses media servers, but I don't have one, so I can't tell you what 
>> they are/do. 
>> 
>> The interface is not up to Apple standards, but it's still useable.
>> 
>> It comes with 2 USB ports, you can use them (with the latest firmware) with
>> a USB keyboard, a Wifi dongle, a disk drive. You can have 2 disk drives if
>> you don't use the keyboard or wifi.
>> 
>> Output is composite video, component video and HDMI. You can buy a cheap
>> HDMI to DVI cable and use other speakers and get 1080P video without a
>> TV on a computer monitor with a DVI port. 
> 
> I ran ethernet cable to my living room to use my WD Live; I take the 
> component out to my flat-screen tv at 720p, and it's the best thing 
> since sliced bread. It even upscales the little motion jpegs from the 
> oul' Womans still camera very nicely. I set up a separate user account 
> for it, for samba, and wrote an smb.conf that keeps all my media on one 
> HD.
> 
> I've never ever had any luck using streaming servers, and I've tried a 
> bunch of them. Samba seems to be the way to go with the WD Live (or a 
> dedicated HD connected to the box -- it has 2 USB2 ports). When the 
> nasty weather gets here, I might try to create something with PHP 5 and 
> Ffmpeg. Or maybe not.
> 
> Anyway, I really like the WD Live. Be careful -- it has to say "Live" if 
> you want it to have an ethernet port. WD are still selling the older 
> models without it.
> 

Thanks to all, especially all you old farts (one of which I am).

tim

-- 

Tim

Chris Ridd wrote:
> Indeed. DVD rips aren't ISOs, they're UDF.

An ISO file is a generic term for a sector by sector copy of a CD ROM to
a file for easy burning. At one time you had to build the ISO image
first and then copy it to the ROM. 

Since the ROM buring software did not care what was on the image, you
could burn anything that way. Such as ISO9660, UDF, HFS, HFS+ UFS, etc.

It has since been expanded to refer to images of other disks, such as Blu-Ray,
and DVDs. 

It became popular in this context when a freeware DVD ripper started offering
it as an output format. You could rip a full DVD in about 5 minutes, which
was about 1/4 of the time it took to rip it into files. In the process
it removed the encryption and Macrovision protection from the video.

While it did make piracy easy, it's main use was to rent a bunch of DVDs
on cheap nights, rip them to your hard drive and then watch them
over the weekend when people had time, but rentals were harder to find
and more expensive.

While I have no idea if you can stream one or not, you certainly can
watch one using VLC on a Mac, and AFIK the WD Live can play one from a 
file server or hard drive. 

Geoff.

-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

On 2010-12-13 05:44:03 +0000, Geoffrey S. Mendelson said:

> Chris Ridd wrote:
>> Indeed. DVD rips aren't ISOs, they're UDF.
> 
> An ISO file is a generic term for a sector by sector copy of a CD ROM to
> a file for easy burning. At one time you had to build the ISO image
> first and then copy it to the ROM.
> 
> Since the ROM buring software did not care what was on the image, you
> could burn anything that way. Such as ISO9660, UDF, HFS, HFS+ UFS, etc.
> 
> It has since been expanded to refer to images of other disks, such as Blu-Ray,
> and DVDs.

I know about the disk image use, though I don't think it is correct to 
call it a sector-by-sector copy.

> While I have no idea if you can stream one or not, you certainly can
> watch one using VLC on a Mac, and AFIK the WD Live can play one from a
> file server or hard drive.

This is probably what confused me. I hadn't heard of people streaming 
disk images before, so the use of "ISO" in that context was strange.

I suspect you can't really stream a disk image, because internally it 
will (in this case) have multiple files that need to be accessed in 
some potentially non-sequential way. That sounds incompatible with 
streaming. Playing stuff in a disk image held on a shared filesystem 
should work, as that allows more random access.

-- 
Chris

In article <0001HW.C92AB8B201FB5902B02919BF@news.astraweb.com>,
 Nelson <nelson@nowhere.com> wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:48:14 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
> (in article <jollyroger-D4106D.14481312122010@news.individual.net>):
> 
> I have a buttload of avi, wmv, flv, mkv, mp3, etc that I 
> don't want to convert to mp4 just so I can pipe it through iTunes.

I made the conscious decision not to make the mistake of buying into the 
Windows-only AVI, WMV, etc formats, so I don't have a Microsoft ball and 
chain hanging off my leg.  ; )

FLV can be opened and played with QuickTime Player if you have Perian 
installed. 

MP3 is a standard format that can be played with iTunes and QuickTime 
and lots of other pieces of software.

-- 
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
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JR

In article <jollyroger-D7DA4B.07225313122010@news.individual.net>,
 Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:

> I made the conscious decision not to make the mistake of buying into the 
> Windows-only AVI, WMV, etc formats, so I don't have a Microsoft ball and 
> chain hanging off my leg.  ; )
> 
> FLV can be opened and played with QuickTime Player if you have Perian 
> installed. 
> 
> MP3 is a standard format that can be played with iTunes and QuickTime 
> and lots of other pieces of software.

MKV is an _extremely_ useful and modern container. I can play it through 
QT 7 and Perian, or with FLV or Mplayer, and through my WD Live. It has 
nothing to do with Microsoft, and there's excellent support for OS X.

http://www.matroska.org/technical/whatis/index.html

Warren "no balls" Oates (nor chains).

In article <4d062557$0$14051$c3e8da3$b61369b1@news.astraweb.com>,
 Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> wrote:

> In article <jollyroger-D7DA4B.07225313122010@news.individual.net>,
>  Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:
> 
> > I made the conscious decision not to make the mistake of buying into the 
> > Windows-only AVI, WMV, etc formats, so I don't have a Microsoft ball and 
> > chain hanging off my leg.  ; )
> > 
> > FLV can be opened and played with QuickTime Player if you have Perian 
> > installed. 
> > 
> > MP3 is a standard format that can be played with iTunes and QuickTime 
> > and lots of other pieces of software.
> 
> MKV is an _extremely_ useful and modern container. I can play it through 
> QT 7 and Perian, or with FLV or Mplayer, and through my WD Live. It has 
> nothing to do with Microsoft, and there's excellent support for OS X.
> 
> http://www.matroska.org/technical/whatis/index.html
> 
> Warren "no balls" Oates (nor chains).

My post didn't mention MKV. Good for you.

-- 
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
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JR

In article <jollyroger-1DD628.10063213122010@news.individual.net>,
 Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:

> My post didn't mention MKV. Good for you.

True, but you sorta dismissed it as a non-iTunes-compliant ball or 
whistle, along with FLAC. I don't really care, my system works just fine.
-- 
Next year in Sarajevo ...

In comp.sys.mac.comm Steve Fenwick <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> On the new Apple TV, everything has to go through iTunes and be in the 
> correct format (MP4 file with h.264 as the video codec). You can't 
> stream MKV or ISO files, for example.

I think you can now.

I don't have the new apple tv yet (been playing with the boxee box lately)
but I read within the last day or two, if you jailbreak the atv2, there is
an app called Flex (I think) which will allow the plain old avi and mkv's
(up to 720p only) to play on it.

I think you have to have a mac setup to act as the media server, where the
files are stored, but one bonus is it seems to also uses a scraper. This is
where the app goes out to sources like imdb and looks for artwork and tv
show and movie descriptions.

Although converting things to iTunes is a solution, it's really a slow
tedious process and it's not worth the time if you are only planning one or
two views of it.

The jailbreak of the atv2 and the installation of that software doesn't look
like it's for the weak hearted, but clips of it working seemed impressive.
Did seem to play the 720p mkv's and hi-res Xvid files directly without a
hiccup.

-bruce
bje@ripco.com

In article <gavrilo.prinzip-18A917.17434413122010@news.astraweb.com>,
 Prinzip Gavrilo <gavrilo.prinzip@elbrubrlegargle.rl> wrote:

> In article <jollyroger-1DD628.10063213122010@news.individual.net>,
>  Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:
> 
> > My post didn't mention MKV. Good for you.
> 
> True, but you sorta dismissed it as a non-iTunes-compliant ball or 
> whistle, along with FLAC. 

No. You inferred that on your own. I said no such thing, and meant no 
such thing.

-- 
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
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JR

In article <ie7vs8$ckh$1@remote5bge0.ripco.com>,
 Bruce Esquibel <bje@ripco.com> wrote:

> The jailbreak of the atv2 and the installation of that software doesn't look
> like it's for the weak hearted, but clips of it working seemed impressive.
> Did seem to play the 720p mkv's and hi-res Xvid files directly without a
> hiccup.

Alternately, you can buy a WD Live for less than a hundred bucks, and do 
all that out of the box. And unlike Boxee, you don't have to "register" 
with their servers so that they can keep an eye on you. Also, you can 
set it up to look for Samba shares.

I'm not sure about Roku, they seem to be more about streaming online 
content than local.
-- 
Next year in Sarajevo ...

In comp.sys.mac.comm Prinzip Gavrilo <gavrilo.prinzip@elbrubrlegargle.rl> wrote:

> Alternately, you can buy a WD Live for less than a hundred bucks, and do 
> all that out of the box. And unlike Boxee, you don't have to "register" 
> with their servers so that they can keep an eye on you. Also, you can 
> set it up to look for Samba shares.

> I'm not sure about Roku, they seem to be more about streaming online 
> content than local.

I have all of them and in no particular order...

The roku, as far as I know, there is no method of playing files off a drive
or network, it's like an app box only. Main purpose around here is, flawless
Netflix support.

The wd unit, the interface is from the early dos days, basically a list of
files, doesn't even keep track of what you watched or didn't yet. Has a bad
track record of bugs including "the blue wheel of death". We put up with it
for a couple weeks, intention was to "update" the atv1, pausing/ff/rew of
most videos, you needed to pull the power and plug back in. Was too much
work, used it in the office until the boxee arrived. Does play just about
any file format you throw at it though. Also seems to have a habit of
destroying hard drives directly plugged into it, erases them, especially
after a "blue wheel of death" lockup. Network support is excellent.

The Boxee is borderline fraud really. Although they are saying Netflix and
Hulu+ will be available soon, the pre-order people like myself feel burned
because the ads for it showed it shipping with them when it was supposed to
be released.

They also did a last minute change with the interface, mixed up stuff on the
web with stuff on the local network. Updated the firmware within the last
day or two, still does it even though you select the "local only" mode they
added in.

The problem with that is, most of the online stuff, like the Google TV, is
currently blocked. Is a prime example of the word frustration. If you keep
it in the dumb mode, listing the files like on the WDTV, it plays fine but
for $200, you really feel like you got burned. On the plus side, they do
seem responsive to complaints, but it does seem what they come up with for
fixes is questionable.

So far around here, the old atv1 with the xbmc hack still gets the most use
because it works. No HD support, even with that adapter that replaces the
wireless card, some low bitrate 720 plays, but isn't anything you can count
on.

At this point I don't know anything about the atv2 itself, the jailbreak for
it or this app which allows you to stream media on it. Just saying if it
follows the same path the atv1 did for creative hacks (that work), it'll
probably be the device to go with.

-bruce
bje@ripco.com

Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:06:46 -0600, Warren Oates wrote
> (in article <4d04f317$0$845$c3e8da3$460562f1@news.astraweb.com>):
> 
> > In article <slrnig92mh.bo8.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
> >  "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:
> > 
> >> I have a WD "Live". It connects to the outside world via ethernet. I
> >> can among other things connect to SMB (windows native, provided by MAC
> >> and Linux and several standalone drives too) file shares.
> >> 
> >> It also uses media servers, but I don't have one, so I can't tell you what
> >> they are/do. 
> >> 
> >> The interface is not up to Apple standards, but it's still useable.
> >> 
> >> It comes with 2 USB ports, you can use them (with the latest firmware) with
> >> a USB keyboard, a Wifi dongle, a disk drive. You can have 2 disk drives if
> >> you don't use the keyboard or wifi.
> >> 
> >> Output is composite video, component video and HDMI. You can buy a cheap
> >> HDMI to DVI cable and use other speakers and get 1080P video without a
> >> TV on a computer monitor with a DVI port. 
> > 
> > I ran ethernet cable to my living room to use my WD Live; I take the
> > component out to my flat-screen tv at 720p, and it's the best thing
> > since sliced bread. It even upscales the little motion jpegs from the
> > oul' Womans still camera very nicely. I set up a separate user account
> > for it, for samba, and wrote an smb.conf that keeps all my media on one
> > HD.
> > 
> > I've never ever had any luck using streaming servers, and I've tried a
> > bunch of them. Samba seems to be the way to go with the WD Live (or a
> > dedicated HD connected to the box -- it has 2 USB2 ports). When the
> > nasty weather gets here, I might try to create something with PHP 5 and
> > Ffmpeg. Or maybe not.
> > 
> > Anyway, I really like the WD Live. Be careful -- it has to say "Live" if
> > you want it to have an ethernet port. WD are still selling the older
> > models without it.
> > 
> 
> Thanks to all, especially all you old farts (one of which I am).
> 
> tim

Interesting to read, but this old fart has pulled the brakes regarding
further internet progress. Has to do with not living in the USA and lack
of media choice. Having used Macs since '84 and quite recently acquired
an iPhone I was shocked at the way Apple is still pushing its
proprietary formats. I had to jump several OS upgrades to activate an
iPhone 4 whilst it could have been done on any old PC at work. 'Milking
the Mac users' Jobs was once quoted as saying and by God he meant it!
The point being that if Apple do this in the streaming media world they
are destined for the rubbish heap of history. 

In article <1jtr4ry.r0c4u81yt6bf6N%rlaughton@invalid.com>,
 rlaughton@invalid.com (Ray Laughton) wrote:

> Interesting to read, but this old fart has pulled the brakes regarding
> further internet progress. Has to do with not living in the USA and lack
> of media choice. Having used Macs since '84 and quite recently acquired
> an iPhone I was shocked at the way Apple is still pushing its
> proprietary formats. I had to jump several OS upgrades to activate an
> iPhone 4 whilst it could have been done on any old PC at work. 'Milking
> the Mac users' Jobs was once quoted as saying and by God he meant it!
> The point being that if Apple do this in the streaming media world they
> are destined for the rubbish heap of history. 

LOL...

-- 
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR

On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 10:17:48 -0500, Jolly Roger wrote
(in article <jollyroger-9BF61B.09174819122010@news.individual.net>):

[snip]
 
> LOL...

What does that mean????  Please don't assume people know jargon or 
abbreviations.

I'm shocked, I tell you.  Shocked.

-- 
Nelson

On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:53:26 -0600, Warren Oates wrote
(in article <4d062557$0$14051$c3e8da3$b61369b1@news.astraweb.com>):

> In article <jollyroger-D7DA4B.07225313122010@news.individual.net>,
>  Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> wrote:
> 
>> I made the conscious decision not to make the mistake of buying into the 
>> Windows-only AVI, WMV, etc formats, so I don't have a Microsoft ball and 
>> chain hanging off my leg.  ; )
>> 
>> FLV can be opened and played with QuickTime Player if you have Perian 
>> installed. 
>> 
>> MP3 is a standard format that can be played with iTunes and QuickTime 
>> and lots of other pieces of software.
> 
> MKV is an _extremely_ useful and modern container. I can play it through 
> QT 7 and Perian, or with FLV or Mplayer, and through my WD Live. It has 
> nothing to do with Microsoft, and there's excellent support for OS X.
> 
> http://www.matroska.org/technical/whatis/index.html
> 
> Warren "no balls" Oates (nor chains).

Please allow me a dumb (an non-Apple/Mac) question. I have looked but perhaps 
I've gotten information overload and I can't see the answer. I am leaning 
toward the WDTV. Am I right? The external drives can not be Mac formatted? I 
guess I'm asking out of desperation since I have a couple already Mac 
formatted (and full of files!).

-- 

Tim

In article <8ncc9iFnsuU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
wrote:

> Please allow me a dumb (an non-Apple/Mac) question. I have looked but perhaps 
> I've gotten information overload and I can't see the answer. I am leaning 
> toward the WDTV. Am I right? The external drives can not be Mac formatted? I 
> guess I'm asking out of desperation since I have a couple already Mac 
> formatted (and full of files!).

If you play over the LAN, via samba sharing, your drives can certainly 
be Mac formatted; I'm using one of my internal HFS+ drives as a share, 
with journaling enabled. If you attach a drive to the USB2 port, only 
_some_ drives are "certified" by WD to work, but HFS+ seems to be 
acceptable and has been known to work, just like only _some_ wireless 
dongles.  (I've only ever attached thumb drives, which are FAT32 anyway).

<http://community.wdc.com/t5/General-Discussions/Best-file-system-format-
for-external-hard-drive/m-p/95942#M16730>

The WD manual _says_ you can attach a Mac drive, and makes no mention of 
formatting.

Here's a WD Live user's manual:

<http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705035.pdf>
-- 
Next year in Sarajevo ...

On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:24:18 -0600, Prinzip Gavrilo wrote
(in article <gavrilo.prinzip-7ED913.15241821122010@news.astraweb.com>):

> In article <8ncc9iFnsuU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> wrote:
> 
>> Please allow me a dumb (an non-Apple/Mac) question. I have looked but 
>> perhaps 
>> I've gotten information overload and I can't see the answer. I am leaning 
>> toward the WDTV. Am I right? The external drives can not be Mac formatted? 
>> I 
>> guess I'm asking out of desperation since I have a couple already Mac 
>> formatted (and full of files!).
> 
> If you play over the LAN, via samba sharing, your drives can certainly 
> be Mac formatted; I'm using one of my internal HFS+ drives as a share, 
> with journaling enabled. If you attach a drive to the USB2 port, only 
> _some_ drives are "certified" by WD to work, but HFS+ seems to be 
> acceptable and has been known to work, just like only _some_ wireless 
> dongles.  (I've only ever attached thumb drives, which are FAT32 anyway).
> 
> <http://community.wdc.com/t5/General-Discussions/Best-file-system-format-
> for-external-hard-drive/m-p/95942#M16730>
> 
> The WD manual _says_ you can attach a Mac drive, and makes no mention of 
> formatting.
> 
> Here's a WD Live user's manual:
> 
> <http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705035.pdf>
> 

Much thanks, Prinzip Gavrilo. Definitely leaning the WDTV way, especially 
since with the ATV2, even jailbroken, still needs Plex Media Center being 
served on another computer.

Special thanks for the link to the manual. Du-uh. I hadn't thought that far 
yet. Will make good evening reading tonight.

-- 

Tim

In article <8nckcaFb3kU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
wrote:

> ATV2, even jailbroken, still needs Plex Media Center being 
> served on another computer

.... to do what, exactly?

(Sorry if I haven't been paying enough attention!)

-- 
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
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JR

On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:51:49 -0600, Jolly Roger wrote
(in article <jollyroger-11CFAF.17514921122010@news.individual.net>):

> In article <8nckcaFb3kU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> wrote:
> 
>> ATV2, even jailbroken, still needs Plex Media Center being 
>> served on another computer
> 
> ... to do what, exactly?
> 
> (Sorry if I haven't been paying enough attention!)
> 
> 

No problem, JR. There's just so much stuff that i am not interested in 
cramming into iTunes just to experience once or twice. I've tried.

-- 

Tim

In article <8ncvufFam8U1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
wrote:

> 
> No problem, JR. There's just so much stuff that i am not interested in 
> cramming into iTunes just to experience once or twice. I've tried.

The Apple tv does wireless out-of-the-box, but it doesn't do 1080p like 
the WD. It locks you into iTunes for anything you want to do. I don't 
want to have to use iTunes. I like Samba. I like Twonky and Vuze, for 
that matter.

I don't know if it does You Tube. It doesn't support all the video 
formats that the WD does (like MKV and FLAC).

Its user interface is neater, though.
-- 
Next year in Sarajevo ...

On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:06:39 -0600, Prinzip Gavrilo wrote
(in article 
<gavrilo.prinzip-31AC07.20063821122010@mobile-032-153-151-
216.mycingular.net>):

> In article <8ncvufFam8U1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Lance <nope@nada.com> 
> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> No problem, JR. There's just so much stuff that i am not interested in 
>> cramming into iTunes just to experience once or twice. I've tried.
> 
> The Apple tv does wireless out-of-the-box, but it doesn't do 1080p like 
> the WD. It locks you into iTunes for anything you want to do. I don't 
> want to have to use iTunes. I like Samba. I like Twonky and Vuze, for 
> that matter.
> 
> I don't know if it does You Tube. It doesn't support all the video 
> formats that the WD does (like MKV and FLAC).
> 
> Its user interface is neater, though.
> 

And with the Plex integration via jailbreaking, the AppleTV2 does do other 
formats independent of iTunes. Unfortunately Plex requires its "media server" 
software to be running on a Mac on the LAN. v8 had a PPC client. v9 is Intel 
only. They have no plans to support PPC but the ATv2 integration requires v9. 
Main reason not thinking of it anymore. Too bad. I have a trusty G4 1.25 GHz 
iMac with 2 GB RAM that hums along for just such serving.

-- 

Tim