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What cheap device can i buy to play MKV files on my tv?

Gabagool
By Gabagool
in Home Theater Equipment
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Posted

Self-explanatory really

tv cant play the mkv codec and its a pain the ass converting files into other formats for my parents

im not too familiar with devices or boxes that are peripherals to the tv

thanks

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Posted

Self-explanatory really

tv cant play the mkv codec and its a pain the ass converting files into other formats for my parents

im not too familiar with which devices or boxes that are peripherals to the tv

thanks

I would get a Google Chromecast.

Run Plex off a computer, and stream the movies to the TV. Inexpensive way of doing it, and you won't have to convert it.

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Posted

Edit: I literally got sniped. Answer and all.

 

This'll likely sound stupid. Chromecast, with Plex running on the machine that has the MKVs. Or they could use PopcornTime and just stream it that way.

 

note: this requires a fairly recent iPhone or Android 4.2 (or above) device.

 

I would get a Google Chromecast.

Run Plex off a computer, and stream the movies to the TV. Inexpensive way of doing it, and you won't have to convert it.

It'll be converted automatically by Plex, but only on-the-fly.

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is connecting the TV and computer via HDMI out of the question? if so, chromecast is a valid option.

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Pretty sure Roku supports MKV.

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ill tell u what not to buy

do NOT buy ANYTHING from WD

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ill tell u what not to buy

do NOT buy ANYTHING from WD

well that's not useful given that we're talking about TVs and their peripherals. and give a reason why not to do something, not just 'dont do it.'

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Mkv is a container and not a codec thus other devices could also have problems with the unknown codec inside the mkv container.

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well that's not useful given that we're talking about TVs and their peripherals. and give a reason why not to do something, not just 'dont do it.'

yeah im talking about WD live/TV media players

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In what situation would you need to run a MKV file?

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Self-explanatory really

tv cant play the mkv codec and its a pain the ass converting files into other formats for my parents

im not too familiar with devices or boxes that are peripherals to the tv

thanks

 

Get an android stick... Or maybe a raspberry pi

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If you're relatively tech savvy then get yourself a Raspberry Pi and install Kodi as it supports USB drives and also NAS devices.

 

If you're not bothered about USB then I'd get an Amazon Fire TV and then sideload Kodi onto that.  If you root your device before letting it update as I'm not sure on the current status of whether you can root the most recent OS you can use the USB port on the back for media playback too, but not if it's not rooted.

 

I've personally got both and use them frequently, the Amazon Fire TV is much quicker than my Pi and more responsive though.  That said I've not played around with the most recent Pi so it might be just as quick.

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  • Author

thanks for the suggestions people

seems like a bit more of a pain than my lazy ass is prepared to do so im likely going to just hook up my spare rig to the tv 

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  • 5 weeks later...
Posted

You could also use Handbrake to convert the MKV files to MP4, unless there is some quality loss issue that I am not aware of

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unless there is some quality loss issue that I am not aware of

Yes it is doing a reencode thus the quality will drop and it will take a long time.

With avidemux it is easily possible to change the container, fast and lossless.

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Self-explanatory really

tv cant play the mkv codec and its a pain the ass converting files into other formats for my parents

im not too familiar with devices or boxes that are peripherals to the tv

thanks

You have multiple options:

 

1. Chromecast - personally, I'm not a huge fan of these streaming sticks, as they require the use of a smartphone or tablet as the remote. This isn't always convenient.

2. Roku 3/Apple TV/WD Live TV - streaming boxes are much like streaming sticks, but have a bit more oompf (power) to them, and have an honest to god remote control - they also have WIFI and Ethernet (Streaming sticks are generally wifi only) - Personally, I'm a big fan of the Roku devices.

3. Computer - sounds silly, but if you happen to have a spare PC lying around (doesn't need to be particularly beefy), that has HDMI, you can just use that.

 

In any of these cases, it's ideal if you have all your media on a computer or NAS, on a shared network drive (You can simply "share" a folder to create this, or use a more elaborate setup).

 

Alternatively, for option 2: You can plug an external USB HDD into the streaming box, and stream content off the HDD.

 

For Option 3: You can use an external USB HDD like above, or simply use the internal HDD.

 

Hope this helps!

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