Hello all, I have an Airport Extreme MC340LL/A and has a 2 TB HDD hooked to it. I want to use the HDD as a network storage and watch movies from the HDD on the TV via Ethernet connetion. I'm open to suggestion on which TV to choose that is LED LCD, with 200Hz refresh rate and the Ethernet capabilities... Any ideas on what to choose?
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40 or 42" LED LCD TV suggestions?
- Thread starter DivineEvil
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Dannymonky
macrumors member
I don't think TV's have the capability to play videos if directly connected to an external HD via ethernet(I could be wrong tho). You might look into an Apple TV 2 to accomplish what you want. Then you have to jailbreak it but thats another thread.As far as a tv go for one with a high refresh rate(Hz). 120 is ok 240 is better. 1080P would be nice as well but not essential for a 40 or 42 inch TV.
I recently started doing research into LED tvs with the idea of replacing my 37" LCD set with something bigger and better. From what I've gathered, the two top brands are Samsung and LG, with Sony making some nice sets as well. Some people rave about Vizio, while others say the quality isn't there. In the end, I decided not to spend the money and to just stick with my "old" set since I don't watch that much television anyway.
The big thing you will need to decide is whether you want a set that does local dimming or one that is edge-lit. Local dimming is superior, but it will cost you.
EDIT: Just to comment on what Dannymonky said, you'll be very hard pressed to find an LED tv that isn't 1080p these days. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that no one makes a 720p LED television. So the real issue is 120 vs 240 Hz and edge-lit vs. local dimming. Those two factors will play a large part in determining price.
The big thing you will need to decide is whether you want a set that does local dimming or one that is edge-lit. Local dimming is superior, but it will cost you.
EDIT: Just to comment on what Dannymonky said, you'll be very hard pressed to find an LED tv that isn't 1080p these days. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that no one makes a 720p LED television. So the real issue is 120 vs 240 Hz and edge-lit vs. local dimming. Those two factors will play a large part in determining price.
I just bought both of these:
Samsung UN55C6400 55" 1080p LED
Samsung UN40C5000 40" 1080p LED
I love them.
The 6400 and 6500 series have AllShare. (So my 40" doesn't have it but the 55" does)
I don't use AllShare because I have an AppleTV2, but you can read up on it at samsung.com
Samsung UN55C6400 55" 1080p LED
Samsung UN40C5000 40" 1080p LED
I love them.
The 6400 and 6500 series have AllShare. (So my 40" doesn't have it but the 55" does)
I don't use AllShare because I have an AppleTV2, but you can read up on it at samsung.com
I use this setup also, they dont have the allshare application for mac, but you can use a mac DLNA server to access specific folders with media in then.
I put MKV files into a folder that I havent transcoded for apple tv, but can still watch them if I want on my samsung tv's
I don't want to buy a Apple TV, because it's useless for me... I don't buy low res 720p movies, nor I want another box sucking power from the outlet.
As much as I can understand any TV that is DLNA enabled will connect to my mac or pc. But I'm asking is there someone that has an Airport extreme with external HDD attached to it and if he can watch movies fine from it...
As much as I can understand any TV that is DLNA enabled will connect to my mac or pc. But I'm asking is there someone that has an Airport extreme with external HDD attached to it and if he can watch movies fine from it...
Loves2spoon
macrumors 65816
My suggestion would be to go over to AVS Forum and do some research. There is way more information there than you want or need, but it is (IMO) the best website for home theater equipment. Here's a link:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/
Such a thing does not exist.
You need to at least have a computer acting as a server. If you buy video from iTunes, the AppleTV is your only option. Otherwise, you can run a DLNA server on your computer.
crzdcolombian
macrumors 6502a
I got a 46' Samsung LED 6400 from Costco for 999 on blackfriday its great. It has 120hz. You can get a 47 inch Vizio LED for 1100 or 800 with 240hz think they have the same one but with 3d for 1100.
I wanted a 40 inch samsung led 120hz but it was the same price as the 46 so I went bigger. My roommate bought a Panasonic 42' 120hz led at costco for 700 its really nice and my other one got a 42 inch led 120hz for $650. A costco membership is 50 bucks but they give you 2 years free warranty and you have 3 months to return it if you don't like it. I returned a Sharp 40inch LED that I had for 2 months because blacks looked purple which was werid
I wanted a 40 inch samsung led 120hz but it was the same price as the 46 so I went bigger. My roommate bought a Panasonic 42' 120hz led at costco for 700 its really nice and my other one got a 42 inch led 120hz for $650. A costco membership is 50 bucks but they give you 2 years free warranty and you have 3 months to return it if you don't like it. I returned a Sharp 40inch LED that I had for 2 months because blacks looked purple which was werid
Loves2spoon
macrumors 65816
Common misconception... Energy star efficient and according to Consumer Reports, there isn't any measurable difference between the lifespans of LCD and plasma televisions. Either type of television with average use under normal conditions should last 10 years or more.
tbayrgs
macrumors 604
Love to see another person who hasn't fallen prey to stereotypical misconceptions about Plasmas. Sure they're thicker and heavier than LED backlit LCDs but still cannot beat the picture, especially for faster moving pictures.
A few years ago, I actually would have suggested a plasma. The above post is mostly true, a plasma does not take appreciably more power than a good LCD, and provides much better image quality, for a good value. For this reason, I suggested that my parents get a plasma when they went TV shopping a few years ago. Especially in since issues like resolution, power usage, and burn in have all been solved a while ago.
These days I'd have to suggest LED though. High refresh rates, image quality on par with plasma, and even lower power usage (with no loss of brightness over time). You still usually have to pay somewhat of a premium though for LED.
Plasmas actually have a notably slow refresh rate. Not sure why you'd highlight it as being better than LED.
Regardless, this isn't relevant to the OP's question, as plasma or LCD, there isn't anything on the market that can do what he wants. No TV's currently out can decode a file from a network device (especially not an Apple device), they can only talk to streaming servers.
tbayrgs
macrumors 604
Link to proof please.
Sorry, but that is simply incorrect. Plasma still produce best quality pics and have better refresh rates, though the difference is hardly what it was a few years ago. Not sure how the 600 Hz refresh rate on my plasma is worse than the 240 Hz rate on that new LED LCD.
You're confusing the refresh rate with what you see on the screen... LCD pixels are fairly quick at changing to match the refresh, while plasmas are very slow (because of how the pixels are designed.)
It's a phenomenon called ghosting or image retention (pixel maintain's it's old value after a refresh), and it's actually why the refresh rates on plasmas are pushed insanely high (they're trying to combat ghosting by refreshing more and more often to drain the old color value.) It's generally why gamers have avoided plasmas.
Refresh rate numbers don't really mean anything if the technology isn't fast enough to keep up with the refresh rates, and plasma generally isn't.
http://dvice.com/archives/2008/05/shift-image-ret.php
This is a more extreme test of the weakness in the design of plasmas (running it for extended periods to extremely warp the values of the pixels), but this happens to a lesser degree over a much shorter timespan.
This is also why we all don't have plasma monitors on our desks.
correct, DLNA is a dumb technology, it needs a server to point to the content location.
tvmobli is what I use
LukeHarrison
macrumors 6502
Mr. Savage
macrumors regular
Another negative to Plasma is glare, so if you get one you will need to have strict control on ambient light.
Last time I researched DLP they were still having rainbow issues with a 2x speed color wheel (though it was concerning front projectors). Have they addressed that yet?
To the Op, I'm just beginning my own research on a LED set for my gf. So far I'm getting the same results in this thread; Samsung, LG and Sony. I don't really trust Vizio as their quality has been all over the map. Even if they have a great picture the company is too new for me to put the trust of five years into it.
Make sure it's LED backlit and not LED edge lit. Edge lighting is only capable of dimming a zone from the edge out, even if they say different. An LED backlit display will have more control over dimming and result in better contrast in complex scenes.
Last time I researched DLP they were still having rainbow issues with a 2x speed color wheel (though it was concerning front projectors). Have they addressed that yet?
To the Op, I'm just beginning my own research on a LED set for my gf. So far I'm getting the same results in this thread; Samsung, LG and Sony. I don't really trust Vizio as their quality has been all over the map. Even if they have a great picture the company is too new for me to put the trust of five years into it.
Make sure it's LED backlit and not LED edge lit. Edge lighting is only capable of dimming a zone from the edge out, even if they say different. An LED backlit display will have more control over dimming and result in better contrast in complex scenes.
my 2 cents
In a side by side comparison of picture quality, I picked the high end Samsung (3D model) and then Sony and LG over the Vizio. (only comparing LED backlit LCDs) However, the Samsung was $2000 more than the Vizio! I didn't like it that much more! Plus, once you get the TV set-up at home and those other units aren't in your face it feels great to sit back and know you got a great deal.
I love my Vizio XVT472SV, the model with full-array local dimming (TruLED) and Vizio Internet Apps but prior to the model with included WiFi. I bought it at Sam's Club with the extended warranty to alleviate concerns over long-term quality. We got 2 of the XVT423SV units at work, and the contrast ratio is even better - plus they have dual band wireless N built in.
I have the Apple TV 2, and I just use 'Home Sharing' to share my MacBook's iTunes collection over WiFi and the Apple TV picks it up just fine. Of course that only works if the MacBook is on the same network as the ATV.
I have only recently connected a 3TB USB HDD to my Time Capsule so I haven't tried playing any media on it from the ATV, but I did find this link saying you can copy your iTunes playlist to the external HDD connected to a AirPort Extreme, but it looks like you still need a computer (PC or Mac) powered up and on the network running iTunes in order for AppleTV to access the collection. http://forums.mactalk.com.au/28/38987-apple-tv-external-hard-drives.html
I hope that helps.
J
In a side by side comparison of picture quality, I picked the high end Samsung (3D model) and then Sony and LG over the Vizio. (only comparing LED backlit LCDs) However, the Samsung was $2000 more than the Vizio! I didn't like it that much more! Plus, once you get the TV set-up at home and those other units aren't in your face it feels great to sit back and know you got a great deal.
I love my Vizio XVT472SV, the model with full-array local dimming (TruLED) and Vizio Internet Apps but prior to the model with included WiFi. I bought it at Sam's Club with the extended warranty to alleviate concerns over long-term quality. We got 2 of the XVT423SV units at work, and the contrast ratio is even better - plus they have dual band wireless N built in.
I have the Apple TV 2, and I just use 'Home Sharing' to share my MacBook's iTunes collection over WiFi and the Apple TV picks it up just fine. Of course that only works if the MacBook is on the same network as the ATV.
I have only recently connected a 3TB USB HDD to my Time Capsule so I haven't tried playing any media on it from the ATV, but I did find this link saying you can copy your iTunes playlist to the external HDD connected to a AirPort Extreme, but it looks like you still need a computer (PC or Mac) powered up and on the network running iTunes in order for AppleTV to access the collection. http://forums.mactalk.com.au/28/38987-apple-tv-external-hard-drives.html
I hope that helps.
J