An entertainment appliance is definitely a must in our living room. But what entertain us could be many different things depending on our mood. We may want to watch television now and the next moment we may want to just browse some photos. Our children may want to play games and their mom may want to watch a classic movie.
Before, there are different appliances for every type of entertainment we want. If we would like to play music, we should have a music player. If we would like to watch a movie, we should have a video player. If we would like to browse photos, browse the internet, watch a downloaded movie, there should be other appliances for them.
It would not be practical to have all those appliances especially if we have very limited space and budget.
You would be glad to know that we now have media players that would allow us to do whatever means of entertainment we would like without necessarily having all those different appliances. These media players come in different types and brands. If you would like to get one, you should make sure that you are getting one of the best media players there are in the market so that you would also be guaranteed the best entertainment you can get.
The best media players are those that are manufactured by the world’s top hard drive manufacturers; Western Digital, Mica and Roku.
Western Digital Media Player
Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player is one of the best media players in the market. It plays high definition films and can play videos in different formats. It is also capable of playing videos that are stored in a USB device and can do multiple streaming on its screen.
Pros:
- Ease of set up
- Media format compatibility
- Full HD output
Read the full customer reviews and product information
Excerpts from reviews on amazon.com:
“I purchased the WD Live Plus HD Media Player to watch movies from my Windows Home server. I got tired of all the DVD’s and no where to store them so I built a WHS from an old computer and ordered the WD Live plus. I ran a CAT5 cable to my LCD, hooked up the WD Live Plus and it automatically connected to my WHS. I was up and running in as little as 5 minutes streaming a video on the big screen. ”
“I’ve had the WD TV Live (not plus version) for about 5 months and it’s served me well, streaming up just about every type of movie file that I’ve ever encountered. When I purchased the non-plus version, the only two features that I really wanted that it was missing was NetFlix support and full DVD menu support.”
Read the full customer reviews and product information
Mica Media Player
Another good quality media player which is also included in the list of the best media players available in the market today is the Mica Micca MPLAY media player. This unit features powerful hardware a variety of compatible file formats all for an affordable price.
Pros:
- Price
- Media format compatibility
- Hardware performance
Read the full customer reviews and product information
Excerpts from reviews on amazon.com:
“I chose this little box over the NBox and other comparable media players, mainly because it has a wider array of audio/video ports, and it pretty much splits the difference price-wise. I am using the HDMI port for my plasma screen, and the digital coaxial port for my receiver. I am beholden to Western Digital My Passport Essential USB drives, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The HD picture looks fantastic, and the booming 5.1 surround sound far exceeds what I could get out of my laptop. It browses reasonably fast through your files, folders, and sub-folders, and it offers continuous playback of your media.”
“This thing has played every file type that I have thrown at it. It’s small and can be easily concealed, but like the pervious reviews, the remote needs to be pointed directly at the device. Setup is a breeze, just configure to widescreen (16:9) and set the tv resolution to 480p,720p,1080p etc. ”
Read the full customer reviews and product information
Roku Media Player
The roku is also among the best media players available in the market today. Originally created to stream netflix video it allows you to stream video to any tv. One its new innovative features is the flash back feature which allows you skip back 10 seconds instantly while viewing a video. It is currently the only media streamer that can do this, this seems like a normal enhancement, but it is pretty useful as media streamers can sometimes take time to cue the video when rewinding.
Pros:
- No PC Necessary
- Flashback feature
- Netflix connectivity
- Dual band network connectivity
Read the full customer reviews and product information
Excerpts from reviews on amazon.com:
“The Roku player truly is an impressive device. While not necessarily a replacement, the Roku XDS Streaming Player is another serious alternative to cable TV. By the way, for those traveling outside the USA, where Netflix does not allow the streaming of movies on your PC, there is a way to connect the Roku player to your Slingbox. You then have access to Netflix through the Roku wherever you have an internet connection.”
“I have been looking for an alternative to cable/satellite for awhile. The ROKU XDS is the closest thing to it. With the support of Netflix streaming(some episodes even in HD), and with Hulu plus coming in the fall, the ROKU XDS is all my family needs. Also, if you look at the ROKU forums, developers are creating other private and premium channels.”
Read the full customer reviews and product information
These three different brands of media players are the top three recommended brands if you would like to get the best media players to provide you with top quality entertainment. While if you are on a budget it may be indeed be a good idea to go for the cheaper options, but ultimately if you spend a little more for a media player that is multifunctional you may enjoy your unit for years to come.
The best media players are not necessarily the cheaper ones. The best media players are those that makes the most out of your money, those that allow you to do everything you want.
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