Set-top Blu-Ray Player that supports video_ts/vob format

[dalekphalm]

Hey guys,

 

My new boss wants me to find a Blu-Ray player that will work with his setup.

 

Basically he has his entire DVD collection (over 100 at least) ripped to a NAS (A Seagate Black Armor 2TB RAID 1 unit) in the DVD folder structure format:

video_ts folder with vob files, etc.

 

He wants a Blu-Ray player that can read/stream those files from his NAS to his HDTV WITHOUT any other devices.

 

Other features he would like:

Wifi (Obviously it needs to have either wired or wifi, or both)

3D playback

 

Price is essentially no concern, as he's even willing to buy Oppo or other very high end. We can order it online, as long as it's a reputable site that ships to Canada.

 

Can someone please suggest some units, most especially if you have first hand experience to confirm that this works?

 

My boss doesn't want to have to re-rip or convert any of the files, otherwise I would've just suggested he switch to using MakeMKV to rip the dvd's.

[Jamdude]

Something like this should be all he needs: http://www.amazon.ca/Panasonic-Blu-Ray-Player-Wireless-DMP-BDT230/dp/B00BZ6BMLO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377648840&sr=8-1&keywords=blu+ray+player+wifi+3d

 

It has wi-fi, 3D blu-ray playback and other apps/services.

 

Here's the product on the Panasonic website for further details: http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMP-BDT230

[dalekphalm]

Something like this should be all he needs: http://www.amazon.ca/Panasonic-Blu-Ray-Player-Wireless-DMP-BDT230/dp/B00BZ6BMLO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377648840&sr=8-1&keywords=blu+ray+player+wifi+3d

 

It has wi-fi, 3D blu-ray playback and other apps/services.

 

Here's the product on the Panasonic website for further details: http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMP-BDT230

Looks good on paper, however, the specs make no mention of VOB or video_ts folder playback over LAN/Wifi.

 

Can you confirm that this player does indeed support that? He recently picked up a Sony BDP-S5100 at Best Buy which had similar specs, yet was unable to see or play the vob files.

 

I know that some blu-ray players do (but definitely not all), but only model numbers I can find on Google are old outdated blu-ray players that aren't sold anymore.

[obsidian1200]

If price is no option, a HTPC with a blu-ray drive should work just fine. Aside from that, I don't know of any players still widely available that support Video_TS/.vob files. It may be easier to go with a Roku box and Plex, but even then there are supposedly issues when it comes to files with multiple .vob files.

 

Aside from not wanting to, does your boss have any reasons to not convert the files into something more player-friendly? It's not difficult or time consuming to use MakeMKV (As you mentioned) to create .MKV files from his current Video_TS folder, plus would save you the headache of hunting for a good solution. If he's fitting it all on a 2TB NAS, he can't have that many files... Just curious here, mostly.

[dalekphalm]

If price is no option, a HTPC with a blu-ray drive should work just fine. Aside from that, I don't know of any players still widely available that support Video_TS/.vob files. It may be easier to go with a Roku box and Plex, but even then there are supposedly issues when it comes to files with multiple .vob files.

 

Aside from not wanting to, does your boss have any reasons to not convert the files into something more player-friendly? It's not difficult or time consuming to use MakeMKV (As you mentioned) to create .MKV files from his current Video_TS folder, plus would save you the headache of hunting for a good solution. If he's fitting it all on a 2TB NAS, he can't have that many files... Just curious here, mostly.

An HTPC would be "too complicated" for him. He's one of those guys who thinks he knows a lot about technology, where as in reality he knows just enough to be dangerous to himself (or create convoluted or silly setups).

 

I already recommended a WD Live or similar device to him, but he was adamant on having a set-top Blu-Ray player that supported both.

 

Hell, I might even just offer to do the conversions to MKV for him, but I'd rather just find a set-top blu-ray player that will do what he wants.

[obsidian1200]

An HTPC would be "too complicated" for him. He's one of those guys who thinks he knows a lot about technology, where as in reality he knows just enough to be dangerous to himself (or create convoluted or silly setups).

 

I already recommended a WD Live or similar device to him, but he was adamant on having a set-top Blu-Ray player that supported both.

 

Hell, I might even just offer to do the conversions to MKV for him, but I'd rather just find a set-top blu-ray player that will do what he wants.

Fair enough. Although, you could always go with a Mac Mini, get an external blu-ray drive, and install Plex on it. Just an idea.

 

Good luck with finding one that fits your needs. I looked a while back for one, similar situation to you except with relatives instead of coworkers, but I ended up just converting everything to solve the problem.

[rashdanml]

Those are standard DVD files, so in theory, all players are capable of playing it since it's the exact files on any disc. The question is, how to get it to play, not which device will play it.

 

The obvious solution is to encode it into a different format and stream it (or store it in a USB driver and connect that to a compatible DVD/BluRay player - a good number of them can read files from USB). Another possible solution is to put the files on a USB device and get a player that supports USB devices, effectively treating the USB as a disc.

 

video_ts/VOB files are meant to be played as discs. With a PC, you can actually go into the video_ts folder and locate the video stream and play that - which will usually work fine. Playing that on a DVD Player though, never heard of anyone doing it that way. The two most common options for getting it to play on just about any device are already described above.

 

Just encode it. Saves a ton of space as opposed to keeping it as video_ts/VOB.

[roman83]

Check out the Oppo Digital BDP-105. I believe it has support for external NAS options.

[dalekphalm]

Check out the Oppo Digital BDP-105. I believe it has support for external NAS options.

Most Blu-Ray players have support for external NAS options. The issue is finding one that specifically supports video_ts/vob structure via the NAS. So far, I've come across none that I can definitively say does support it.

 

I know that WD Live units can do exactly what I want, but my boss REALLY wants something that combines this + blu-ray playback into a single unit. He's quite stubborn like that. Eventually I may have to tell him he just needs a WD Live.