I use Apple TV with XBMC installed. XBMC plays just about every format you'll need, which means you don't need to transcode your dvds to a different format, saving loads of time and effort. I just rip my dvds to a single iso file and then stick it on my HP mediasmart server which is a tiny black box running windows home server. XBMC connects to it via SMB shares from my ATV either by wifi or ethernet (I prefer ethernet).
You can also download movies/TV shows through ATV or watch BBC iPlayer via XBMC. I still need to see if there is a 4oD plugin yet for XBMC. You can also control the whole setup from an iPad or iPhone.
It's a simple and neat, low cost setup which ticks all the boxes apart from the TV recording but I have sky+ HD for that.
Hi Jake,
I use Apple TV with XBMC installed. XBMC plays just about every format you'll need, which means you don't need to transcode your dvds to a different format, saving loads of time and effort. I just rip my dvds to a single iso file and then stick it on my HP mediasmart server which is a tiny black box running windows home server. XBMC connects to it via SMB shares from my ATV either by wifi or ethernet (I prefer ethernet).
You can also download movies/TV shows through ATV or watch BBC iPlayer via XBMC. I still need to see if there is a 4oD plugin yet for XBMC. You can also control the whole setup from an iPad or iPhone.
It's a simple and neat, low cost setup which ticks all the boxes apart from the TV recording but I have sky+ HD for that.