Universal Media Server | Forum

Hello everyone,

I have a fat PS3 that works fine, except :
- startup time could be a bit better
- when the fan starts, it clearly noticiable
- I had to wire it as wifi is an oldy (G wifi)

It's still a very good BR player, and it works very well with UMS now that I wired it on 1GB network.

I'm considering upgrading, but not sure for what :
- another gaming station : now both PS4 and XB1 support DLNA, but from what I read the support is a bit inferior to PS3
- a BR player that supports DLNA : which would you recommend ?

My requirements would be :
- good BR support, with fast operation
- Support of AC3, DTS and their HD equivalents (I have a Pioneer LX-56 A/V receiver)
- For DLNA ideally the maximum native support, but in any case good subtitles support, and good audio support (either native DTS support, or at least good support when transcoded into AC3)
- good support of fast forward (for skipping credits on TV show for instance), if possible a bit more granular than PS3's (I find 10x and 30x mode really quirky, and 1.5x is not always fast enough)
- budget : I don't care, as I tend to keep those piece of equipment for a long time, so I want something of good quality, with good firmware upgrade policy (as PS3 had over the years).

No Dts for xboxone and ps4 and you can't fast forword or rewind movies.

AVSforums discussions seem to prefer cheap boxes running Kodi (from Amazon TV, to Rasp Pi to Android Boxes)

Since MS/Sony have decided to add DLNA "Support" to Xbone/PS4, and the PS3 is nearing EOL for many consumers; I am guessing this is a dilemma more and more people will have.

I see Nexus Player/FireTV running Kodi/etc as a solution some people use vs trying to create HTPCs. I don't really need a "home theatre". I just wanna stream movies to my TV and not worry about my TV brand.

Warts are the issue. Every solution has warts. Can a FireTV even play a 10bit MKV with ASS subs natively with no lag?

When you switch to Kodi as your client for DLNA, you lose the power of transcoding and processing is all done by the head.

I guess what I am saying is, there doesn't seem to be a "First Class" customer for DLNA servers at the moment. I can't find a consensus. The PS3 was a great "you already have a decent client, don't need to buy one, just get UMS and let it translate video to it". It was never the best technical client but it worked "good enough". The nexgen consoles are I think intentionally preventing good DLNA support because they want you buying video from them. Suddenly people's PS3s are getting old and there is less reason to keep it around for just playing DLNA video.

TL;DR:
There needs to be a "first class citizen" / "default player" successor to the PS3.

6 months later, is that assessment still valid ?

I still use my PS3...but it seems there is not obvious replacement to it

Jubijub wrote:6 months later, is that assessment still valid ?

I still use my PS3...but it seems there is not obvious replacement to it

I think the main issue is that all manufacturers of Consumer Entertainment devices abandon them software wise once the new model is on the street. Look for firmware updates of last year SmartTV / BR players or any other equipment, and it's really abandoned.

As per your OP, I would stick to anything fanless, solid state, where you have control of the firmware (being Linux / Android, ...) and where you can install and keep updated the player of your choice (Kodi, Netflix, ...). True, this is only a good solution for streaming or ripped media; so keep your current BR player handy (it seems the industry is pushing physical media to disappear anyways).

In the US maybe so...but in Europe netflix offering sucks : TV shows are 1 season behind (while I use to follow US rythm), and getting movies and shows in English ST English is pretty difficult (I hate FR subtitles, it's very confusing to hear English and read French).

So I guess status quo until my PS3 dies, then I'll probably move HTPC