> I've currently got a Freecom MediaGate MG-35 sat next to my telly,
> and it does a reasonable job of playing MPEG2s that I've recorded off
> DVB-T. However, I've recently tried re-encoding some things as various
> forms of MPEG4.
>
> With XviD or FFMPEG, I get unacceptable (to me) encoding artefacts
> with any sane bitrate (i.e. less than half the size of the original).
>
> Someone suggested using x264 to get a better-quality encoding --
> which it is, but my MG-35 won't play H.264 videos.
>
> So, I'm keeping an eye out for a replacement. I'd like something
> HD-capable (for future upgrades), capable of playing H.264 video, Ogg
> and FLAC audio, handling .avi and .mp4 containers, and able to read
> files from NFS. Handling streaming audio (MP3, Ogg, FLAC) would be
> nice, too. Oh, and I'd like it to be silent. Not quiet -- silent.
> Everything else in my sitting room is solid state and fanless, and I'd
> like to keep it that way.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions? The current front-runner is this
> one[1], or one of its friends, but that has a 40mm fan in the back,
> which says to me that it'll make noise.
>
> Hugo.
Hugo,
Take a look at Popcorn Hour:
http://www.popcornhour.com/
I think that will satisfy your tech requirements regarding video but
unsure of NFS support. I recall the reviews praising it's lack of
noise. Can't vouch for it's stability as I don't have one myself.
There are several reviews on the web. Check the forums on the site for
user feedback.
I'm waiting for something like Popcorn Hour but with XBMC (xbmc.org)
installed on it. For now, I have an Xbox-based XBMC system which apart
from the fan-noise and non-HD support is very good.
Im
