Is it possible to build a Media player as good or better then ?

[pronto]

i've not built a pc now for over 5 years and to be honest probably nowhere up to speed with the innovations that have been made since that time, im not a gamer not since my amiga days (cannon fodder) but i love movies and over time with windows media centre, the green button, i've built a few HTPCs, but now im thinking is it possible to build a media player that can hold its own against brands like Dune/Zidoo/ Zappiti . i have the knowledge to be able to back up my media(iso) on to a hdd but how to get it on screen at full 4k 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by pronto
didnt finish before posting

[Tristerin]

Depends on what you are trying to achieve with a media center.  IMHO its more expensive to build a PC for this, but absolutely customizable (I.E. a blu ray drive is great, but not unless you have the software license to actually run Blu-Ray media on Windows - pretty expensive imho - or deal with VLC, or chinese work-a-rounds but these also require the internet so when the web is down your blu ray player...depends on the software if you are allowed 30 days without licenses etc it gets dumb imho).  For a stream box, its unlikely to be able to build something cheaper than just purchasing a known streaming box (Firestick etc).  

 

However I prefer PC's so I get refurbished i5's or i3's to make these.  Can dump around $200-300 in one and have a pretty nice media center far faster and more capable than a $50 premade one.  But alot more expensive.

[pronto]

Tristerin im so sorry but i posted my question without even finishing it ... hit the wrong key some how ....i will go back to post and edit it ....DOH

[jaslion]

Well a used i5 system from ebay (that is modern enough that it supports 4k) is around 150$ with an ssd and that would do the trick

[Tristerin]

Newegg has a refurbed i5 2400 PC (better power efficiency than a 3470, similar performance, and Id prefer the low power since its a media center) for less than $110 shipped at the moment.

[jaslion]

Just now, Tristerin said:

Newegg has a refurbed i5 2400 PC (better power efficiency than a 3470, similar performance, and Id prefer the low power since its a media center) for less than $110 shipped at the moment.

it doesn't do 4k output tho on hd 3000

[Tristerin]

1 minute ago, jaslion said:

it doesn't do 4k output tho on hd 3000

GREAT catch!  

[Spindel]

Raspberry Pi 4 and OpenELEC?

[pronto]

i will build from scratch but i want the build to be able to playback 4k bluray with HDR10+ Dolby Vision just like the media players Dune/Zidoo/ Zappiti .

basically what ever they do, can it be possible to build yourself. 

i do have HTPC that can just about handle 4k bluray with VLC but is nowhere near the quality of playback from these stand alone players 

 

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Home Theater Equipment

[Donut417]

On 12/15/2020 at 7:36 AM, pronto said:

Dune/Zidoo/ Zappiti . i have the knowledge to be able to back up my media(iso) on to a hdd but how to get it on screen at full 4k 

Never heard of any of those products to be honest. 

 

Check out Plex. 

[Blue4130]

On 12/15/2020 at 9:48 PM, pronto said:

i will build from scratch but i want the build to be able to playback 4k bluray with HDR10+ Dolby Vision just like the media players Dune/Zidoo/ Zappiti .

basically what ever they do, can it be possible to build yourself. 

i do have HTPC that can just about handle 4k bluray with VLC but is nowhere near the quality of playback from these stand alone players 

 

So what is specifically worse about the quality? I also use a PC as a media hub and as long as I have a good source file, it seems fine. What do those boxes do that a PC doesnt/can't? 

[pronto]

On 12/18/2020 at 2:03 AM, Donut417 said:

Never heard of any of those products to be honest. 

 

Check out Plex. 

Well these products are well known among AV enthusiasts in the UK (cant speak for the rest of the world) , especially for watching movies. and some act as a server similar to plex... but i don't require that ability. i want to build a powerfull standalone PC that can give me the same quality as these Media players that's if its at all possible

On 12/18/2020 at 4:30 AM, Blue4130 said:

So what is specifically worse about the quality? I also use a PC as a media hub and as long as I have a good source file, it seems fine. What do those boxes do that a PC doesnt/can't? 

That is the question..."What do those boxes do that a PC doesnt/can't?"......for instance 4K video playback including H.265 10-bit up to 4Kp60 HDR,HDR10+.. Output studio-quality high definition audio tracks (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos) to AV receiver... for this kind of price... .Dune HD Pro 4K Max (dune-hd-usa.com) 

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, pronto said:

Well these products are well known among AV enthusiasts in the UK (cant speak for the rest of the world) , especially for watching movies. and some act as a server similar to plex... but i don't require that ability. i want to build a powerfull standalone PC that can give me the same quality as these Media players that's if its at all possible

That is the question..."What do those boxes do that a PC doesnt/can't?"......for instance 4K video playback including H.265 10-bit up to 4Kp60 HDR,HDR10+.. Output studio-quality high definition audio tracks (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos) to AV receiver... for this kind of price... .Dune HD Pro 4K Max (dune-hd-usa.com) 

But any semi-recent (say last 5 to 10 yrars) computer can do that.take an optiplex for example. It could do all the things you list. The only thing special about this box is the size. 

[pronto]

15 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

But any semi-recent (say last 5 to 10 yrars) computer can do that.take an optiplex for example. It could do all the things you list. The only thing special about this box is the size. 

This is inside my family PC...Clarkdale Intel Core i5 650  2 Cores 4 Threads  Intel HD Graphics 4GB DDR3.... this wont even play a 4k bluray ISO image bluray using VLC 

ive no chance of getting near what i want with out upgrading and thats what im asking can you even build a pc that can do what the standalone player does???

[Blue4130]

4 minutes ago, pronto said:

This is inside my family PC...Clarkdale Intel Core i5 650  2 Cores 4 Threads  Intel HD Graphics 4GB DDR3.... this wont even play a 4k bluray ISO image bluray using VLC 

ive no chance of getting near what i want with out upgrading and thats what im asking can you even build a pc that can do what the standalone player does???

Absolutely. My old I5 6500 could and I built it 5 years ago. Even low end builds from 2020 should have zero issues.