Streaming video over a home network

[trooperiziz]

Currently I'm converting my Divx movies into WMV and streaming them to my xbox360 via windows media connect. This works fine, when the xbox decides it can see my pc on the network! It seems to have given up the ghost last night, usually when the xbox tells me I have no pc setup I just restart the media connect service and magically it appears, however this time no matter how many various installs, reinstalls of media connect or WMP11, the xbox is refusing to see the pc.
The PCs can see the xbox fine and everything is setup correctly (I know this as I've been using it for the past month or so) but the xbox is having a hissy fit...

So, sod you Mr Xbox, I'll do this on something a bit more reliable.

Anybody got any recommendations for a network media player? I'm after something I can just plug in under the TV and use a remote to control, not a full fledged media centre pc, just something that will see a video on a networked pc and play it on the tv. Needs to be divx compatible and basically play anything I throw at it.

If I could buy it in Newcastle city centre that would also be dandy, as being able to buy it tonight might save the life of Mr Xbox...

[tonto]

I've got one of these dsm320

Works well, (but has some format support limitations,(but apparently all media players do)). There also a dsm520 which has support for streaming HD content.

[tonto]

Hmm, not sure it does DIVx ......

[bogie]

ive got one of these - supports divx no probs...HDTV stuff downloaded from the US looks great too

www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=3481

[alltorque]

Just buy an oldish wifi laptop off Ebay - then you've got a pc function on your tv too and a harddrive for similar money. Looks a bit awkward tho...

[malman]

How to build a home IPTV system

www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/29/iptv_network_setup/

[trooperiziz]

alltorque said:

Just buy an oldish wifi laptop off Ebay - then you've got a pc function on your tv too and a harddrive for similar money. Looks a bit awkward tho...

I could do, or I could just buy a box for around £100-£150 that does the job much more effectively without any clunkiness

I already have a laptop that I could use, but it isn't the same. I've spent more than a good few hours trying to build a dedicated in car pc using a laptop and Windows, with the conclusion that if you want something that works seamlessly, then buy a piece of kit dedicated to the job...

[trooperiziz]

bogie said:

ive got one of these - supports divx no probs...HDTV stuff downloaded from the US looks great too

www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=3481

Looks just the job. Does it use windows media connect to serve the files?

[bogie]

yes - it does use windows media connect...very easy to install and set-up...and you can have multiple sources on the home network etc