[mythtv-users] Woot today: Kodak Theater HD Player for $49.99

[Brian Wood]

On Friday 19 March 2010 07:54:39 am Brian Wood wrote:
> On Friday 19 March 2010 07:02:43 am Christopher X. Candreva wrote:
> > http://www.woot.com/
> >
> > Looks like it normally goes for around $200.
> >
> > There isn't a lot of detail, but it looks like it could do some front-end
> > duties over UPNP.
> >
> > Anyone know more about this unit ?
> 
> No, but for that price what's to lose?
> 
> There's supposedly some discussion at:
> 
> http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=3843035
> 
> I've checked out several of the "Media Players" and "Networked media
>  Tanks". They are useful, but I have yet to find one that can actually run
>  a full Myth frontend. So far my Myka looks the most promising, but it's
>  four time this price, and you can get a Revo for the same $199, which will
>  definitely run a frontend (and a backend too, if you're not in a hurry for
>  transcoding or commflagging).
> 
> I ordered one, as I said, can't pass up that price. Combined with the
>  PlayOn server it should make a nice IPTV setup, and, as the OP said, it
>  will at the least play Myth files via UPnP.

(sorry to reply to my own post, but:)

The comments don't seem to be very enlightened. The fact that it won't handle 
.mkv files or support Netflix seem like negatives.

Matroska could be handled with a transcoding server like TVersity, Netflix 
could work by using PLayOn.

Someone claimed you had to be running Kodak's (presumably Windows) software to 
watch your own content, but if it supports UPnP/DLNA this is probably not 
correct. I'd guess the Kodak software is a stripped down UPnP server, similar 
to what SMC used to do with their media players a few years ago.

Someone complained it had to be connected to a wired network, I'd guess that's 
Kodak's suggestion, HD video over WiFi is generally a bad idea, and I can't 
blame them for not wanting to support that. A wireless bridge should work if 
you really want to try it.

I just figured it must be worth *something*, and for $50 I'd grab the 
opportunity.