Which media streamer? Boxee TV, jailbroken Apple TV or something else?
I've recently invested in a Synology NAS. I now want to stream movies from it. I've got a PS3 upstairs as well as downstairs, but it plays only a few movies & does not recognise the rest. The jailbroken Apple TV2 upstairs can stream all the movies.
I now need a similar solution for the lounge (my home cinema). My options are:
1) Another jailbroken Apple TV. ATV3 cannot be jailbroken yet, & ATV2 isn't 1080p.
2) Boxee TV. It's also AirPlay compatible but won't play DRM movies (I have a few digital copies, but I can always rip the DVD to a format Boxee can recognise).
3) WD TV live. But it's not AirPlay compatible.
4) Any other suggestions?
What do you think? I want something that can play any format you can throw at it.
What is the exact model of Synology NAS?
Depending on the model the solution may be very simple.
Is playing ripped blu rays a requirement?
Not really, but will be nice to have this feature.
What model of Synology NAS exactly?
Synology DS212J. How will the model number affect the decision? I thought all Synology products run the same software (DRM 4.0) 
If you had one of the more powerful ones (eg DS412+) you could just install a transcoding media server on the NAS itself and then any dlna client could play anything.
Unfortunately the ds212j isnt powerful enough, so your best best is a mediaplayer supporting Samba/NFS. If you dont need netflix, lovefilm etc, and just want to stream off your NAS then the playon!hd mini2 (£75) is a good bet, and will play virtually any format.
*wont play drm stuff from itunes.
Thanks. I'm a bit wary of products having more 1-star reviews than 5-star ones. Which extra format does this support which WD TV or Boxee don't? Also, it looks like wireless is an optional extra, requiring a USB adapter.
According to Firecore, jailbreak for ATV3 is in the works. Should I just buy the ATV3 then? My brother-in-law is coming next weekend from the US. I can get it for £59 from there.
Apparently, jailbreaking Apple TV3 is very difficult. I don't think I'm bothered about the digital copies of films on iTunes. I have my blu ray player, can always watch the film on blu ray!
I've ordered a Boxee Box. Seems to tick all boxes for me. 
My vote would be for the Netgear NeoTV 550, it works great for me and the interface is the best I have used, with the minimum of fuss.
If I was to ditch the Neo, I would be looking at the Dune players - they should certainly be on your short list.
EDIT - our posts crossed, you've already made your decision, sorry.
Thanks for your input! Actually, I did consider the Netgear NeoTV 550, but it doesn't have built-in wifi. I seriously considered Dune as well, but didn't find enough reviews, & struggled to find decent English videos to check its interface.
I curently messing around with a Raspberry PI running XBMC, dosn't do ISO, or mpeg 2 and stutters with 96khz 24bit flac but everything else is just fine.
Watched a 1080P movie with DTS 5.1 over my home plugs without a stutter, play FLAC music 44.1khz 16bit no problem, use iplayer, ITVplayer, demand5 and 4od all over HDMI.
Use iPhone and iPod touch as remote.
Incredable for something the size of a credit card and only £28, had to supply my own lego enclosure though (the kids had enough knocking around).
But not for the faint hearted. 
While ATV3 supports 1080p30 - it only supports a bitrate of 5Mb/s with CABAC and 4 reference frames, giving an effective bit rate still of only 10Mb/s.
So watching blu-ray quality rips with a jailbroken ATV3 is out of the question.
Whatever streamer you get I'd forget about wifi to stream HD - use homeplugs, and even then make sure they are the new av500 standard.
The playon is my main streamer I use, (I also have a WD and 2 HDX) It plays anything without fuss, and has had major firmware updates since the review.
Whatever streamer you get I'd forget about wifi to stream HD - use homeplugs, and even then make sure they are the new av500 standard.
Well, there's no space in my AV cabinet (& no spare plugs) for a homeplug.
BB,
I'm running XBMC on a Mac Mini (and apple remote) and it's a beautiful thing. I've not found anything that it won't play.
I have ISO images, various image formats.
You could get yourself a small windows box if a Mac Mini isn't in the budget right now - could probably do it for a few hundred quid.
I'd really very much recommend it. If you're in berkshire, you'd be more than welcome to pop over and see it in action.
I'm actually looking to buy a NAS but as yet haven't made up my mind as to which to get. I'm looking for it to host VMs, SVN, media for XBMC and music for my Sonos. Will be interesting to see how you get on with Synology.
Rgds
Thanks, but all I need is the ability to play a few videos off my NAS. I won't be using all the extra features a Windows box or Mac Mini will offer. I see no reason to spend more than a media streamer.
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I don't know the answer, but will be interested to read the responses.
Is playing ripped blu rays a requirement?
HiFi / A/V / Bedroom