Thoughts on video streamers?

[Ronster267]

Anyone own a video streamer? I just ordered a Sony SMP-100n streamer, I know this is just a temporary step up before I upgrade my T.V and A.V. receiver. I was just wondering if it was worthwhile. I am looking for mainly being able to stream out of market MLB games via MLB.com. Any thoughts, or did I waste my money? It output's via HDMI, component, and optical.

[mantis]

Check out Apple TV , 99 bucks and MLB plus Netflix and You tube streaming not to mention the flu iTunes library Airplay etc. Can't beat it for 99 bucks. Your pictures on your TV? Hot feature especially with Airplay when others come over and have pictures on their iPhones , you can all sit around the TV and look at everyone pictures over Airplay. So damn hot. Then on top of all that everyone can play their iTunes music on your system right from their iPad , iPhone or iPod touch. It's just an amazing world we live in.

RoKu also makes a fine player.

[unc2701]

Get an LG blu-ray player. Watch the prices on Amazon, they dip every so often to close to $100 for the mid-range model. Has an iphone remote app, does netflix, vudu, MLB, pandora, plays nice with windows shares, they're allegedly adding hulu at some point...

Oh yeah, and it plays blu-ray discs.

Other brands probably do the same, but I've been happy w/ LG. Only complaint is that there's not a "Netflix" button on the remote.

[unc2701]

Today only, Boxee Box is $120 on:

http://sellout.woot.com/

Haven't used that hardware, but I've used the software and its cousin (XBMC). Very nice interface and it'll do everything you've got in mind.

[nwohlford]

Anyone own a video streamer? I just ordered a Sony SMP-100n streamer, I know this is just a temporary step up before I upgrade my T.V and A.V. receiver. I was just wondering if it was worthwhile. I am looking for mainly being able to stream out of market MLB games via MLB.com. Any thoughts, or did I waste my money? It output's via HDMI, component, and optical.

From my understanding, the Sony is basically the network streaming component of the newer blu-ray players and TVs. I have both a sony blu-ray and TV with the network streaming. I find the software pretty decent.

I also have a Tivo Premiere and Apple TV in the same set-up. I find for most streaming I use the Tivo or Apple TV because I like their interface a little better with a particular app, but I think that the Sony is probably the best overall as far as network streaming apps (i.e., if I could only have one of them for network streaming apps, I would choose the Sony).
The Apple TV and Tivo have other non-network streaming advantages. For the current prices, I think that they are a decent deal (especially if you are not going to buy a blu-ray or TV right away).