NPVR support for PS3/Xbox360/Wii, GoogleTV etc

[mvallevand]

Is there any interest in having support for playback of recordings on consoles and other media extenders using the PlayOn supported devices shown here http://www.playon.tv/supported-devices?loc=pl1 ? If so let me know especially if you would be interested in installing the PlayOn trial and testing with me.

I am planning on installing the 14 day trial in the next couple of days (PlayOn is not free) to see how it work with the NMT and Boxee Box and while I was on the PlayOn site I noticed that they have a plugin interface. I figured I'd have time in those 14 day to write a plugin if others are interested. This does looks like quite a simple way of providing a UPnP view of NPVR recordings with device based transcoding. The look and feel would be an old school list box but they do allow the metadata including images so it might be interesting. This demo probably would give you a general idea of the look and feel http://www.playon.tv/playon/demos?id=ps3. In addition to playback, I might be able to add delete and cancel too.

Martin

[johnsonx42]

I'd be very keen to have some support for one of the cheaper media players/extenders; I'm quite interested in the new Netgear Roku boxes - the entry HD model is only $50! http://www.anandtech.com/show/4016/roku-...the-masses

If there's any chance that would work, I'd be willing to put down some cash. My son also has an XBOX360 that I could help test with.

[whurlston]

I have a PS3 that I can use for testing. My XBOX 360 is toast.

[SickBoy]

I've been doing playback of recorded programs using my PS3 for over a year. Granted, I'm just browsing to the recordings directory and playing them that way, no fancy gui or anything.

[johnsonx42]

I've looked into that Netgear Roku player a little more, and it appears it's strictly an internet streaming box. It doesn't play media files at all. Lame.

edit: and also, Netgear appears to charge $90 for a box that is somewhere between the $60 roku HD and $80 roku XD... lame again.

[johnsonx42]

Hey Martin,

Would the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ (http://www.seagate.com/www/products/home...eater_plus) be a good device for this? It looks like a good little box and it's quite inexpensive.

[mvallevand]

I see in other thread you order on so I guess you should tell us. I see that box at the box stores here but haven't really found much info. on it. PlayOn says that it only partly supported, and based on my experience with Universe that doesn't sound promising.

Regarding an NPVR plugin for PlayOn, I gave up when I found that I couldn't load SQLite in a plugin. PlayOn does have a feature that allows transcoding and playbook of local media folders (even in the free version) so in addition to shared folder playback most bases are covered anyway.

Martin

[re-Barr]

Why have I never thought of streaming the video to my Wii through EWA? I will have to look into this... and then download the play.on trial and try it through that. Thanks for the tip. a plugin would have been cool but C'est la vie.

[yancym]

I have been using Playon for several months now, and actually purchased the lifetime version at a discount (59.95). So far I have been extremely pleased with it, but I should caveat this with my expectations not being as high as what I had for Cable TV. Going into using Playon I understood that the quality, especially on larger TV's, was not going to be anywhere close to Cable or any other Broadcast type media. However, I have been rewarded with a huge choice of content. Example, I'm a Soccer fan and prefer watching European league matches, which I can stream live using Playon and certain plugins. Even with expensive subscriptions to Cable/Satellite I couldn't get this content.

As for devices in use, I have a Wii on our main TV that works great. The kids use it a lot to watch their shows, which there is a large selection for them as well. I have a nice LCD setup in our master and since I wanted a BluRay player as well, I decided on the LG-BD570, which plays content from DLNA devices. It plays all the Playon content as well as the content I have stored on my NAS device. (By the way, both Wii and the BD570 connect via WiFi. I have not noticed any issue with streaming content to them.) I also occasionally use my iPhone with PlayOn for when I'm away from home. I've also tested the TubeCore and vmcPlayIt plugins for MS Media Center. Tubecore works best between the two. Since I don't really use MC much, I have not purchased either. They are low priced (7.95 for Tubecore), so not a big investment if you are a MC fan.

The only drawback is the effort to find what you are looking for through PlayOn. It does take time to become familiar with the different plugins and the shows/movies/sports they provide. It is low WAF, however, mine mostly watches shows we get on regular broadcast DTV, so I haven't had a huge negative at home with this change. Upside, no more cable bill to pay.

The only other downside to all this, (not necessarily to me), is that our use of GBPVR/NPVR has dramatically decreased. We are able to get most of our content we used to record from Playon. It is not as instant as our recordings used to be, however, I can be patient until it's available.

[Azimuth]

I for one would love support for DLNA devices. I am big into netflix right now so I am in the middle of purchasing Sony SMP-N100's and Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ boxes.
EDIT: I have a playon account but since version 3 came out, the NMT platform will not work. If i can test this on my Sony Blu-Ray for you or Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ give me a shout out.
EDIT 2: in my excitement I failed to read the whole thread before posting. I see you dropped this endeavor. If you decide to work on some kind of front end for NPVR that works on DLNA devices, it would be much appreciated. (That's not to say you are unappreciated for your NMT front end. - You Rule.)