A box to play avi's on my tv?

As the title says...I want to put avi files on a usb stick and play them on my tv. Does anyone know of a cheap "converter" box that I can connect to my tv?

I know some tv's allow this but ive just been given a Samsung 32" LE32B460 and it doesnt. It has a usb socket but its for servicing only.

There seems to be cheap dvd players that will do this...is that my only solution?

Many thanks in advance.

p.s. I dont want to connect the laptop to the tv!

Comments

  • kevkev Posts: 21,070
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    This one on Expansys looks promising, and the reviews are reasonable
    http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=186127

    This one on eBuyer works reasonably well, format support a little limited though (no MKV, HD Video) buy very cheap http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167205
  • welwynrosewelwynrose Posts: 33,666
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    You should look at the Cyclone Media players I've got the HD version and I just copy everything to it and just plug it into the tv we even take it away on holiday with us
  • c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,538
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Are you also looking at streaming ?

    Do you want to conenct to internet for youtube, iplayer, internet radio, etc access ?

    Do you have a PS3 or Xbox 360 ?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 317
    Forum Member
    Thankyou for all the replies so far.

    No, I wasnt looking to stream video or connect to the internet and I dont own a games console. Im just tired of having to burn a disc everytime I want to watch something ive downloaded on a tv! A USB port on the tv and an ability to play avi files would have been ideal. But the tv was a gift so I cant complain!

    The first suggestion here is exactly what I was thinking of but...the LG dvd player is likely to be the winner as my player is acting up!

    Again, thankyou for taking the time to reply.

    ps Rats...the LG dvd player is out of stock at all Argos stores for miles!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 317
    Forum Member
    I went with the Sumvision Cyclone Micro..it seems to do the job!
    Its a little flakey at times and my Sanyo tv remote changes settings on the box when I point it at the tv! I will try it on my Samsung tv soon.
    But, overall, for the price, a good piece of kit.
    Thankyou for the advice.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 317
    Forum Member
    Sadly, my good reports were a little premature. The power adapter has died as I was swapping sockets. I dont want the hassle of sending it back to Memorybits so does anyone know where I can get a replacement 5V 2A power supply?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,327
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Richer Sounds do two or three - all from Cambridge Audio - the DVD89, DVD99 and the Azur 650BD. The Azur will also play blu-ray disks, whereas the DVD99 and the DVD89 stick with DVDs. The DVD89 has a lesser quality built in DAC.

    All the above play SACDs and DVD-Audio disks, and have a USB slot that will take any device formatted in FAT32 (you'll find this with most USB players).

    Now, you must remember that .avi files can be pretty much any video file type, the ".avi" is just a package container and does not specify what types of video files they actually are. So you will need to find out what format your files are within the .avi package.

    My advice is to put 2 or 3 different files on a big stick or drive, and take it to Richer Sounds to see whether they can be played. If those three aren't enough, then they probably have several others or something different.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5
    Forum Member
    I actually bought a little player called eaget X5 this week. It can play all kinds of files including avi, mkv. etc at up to 1080P. I'd had a Sumvision but found it limiting because it is only 720p and doesn't do mkv. Anyway, I like my new eaget and i think it would do what you want. http://www.futeko.com/products/MP00021.php
  • vekky2004vekky2004 Posts: 250
    Forum Member
    hiya

    you could consider old model apple tv and jail braek it. Then use xbmc.
    these can be picked up for about a ton nowadays.

    rgds
    james
  • vekky2004vekky2004 Posts: 250
    Forum Member
    @ ruggs1234


    try maplins they have variable voltage with changeable ends

    rgds
    james
  • webbiewebbie Posts: 1,614
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    or www.cpc.co.uk - they do loads but watch out for the postage if you don't spend the minimum amount for free postage.
  • Pugwash69Pugwash69 Posts: 3,787
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I have an A.C.Ryan Playon!HD Mini box that plays just about anything.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 337
    Forum Member
    Get an old PS3, then you have a DVD/Blu Ray player too!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 716
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    One of the requisites was that it is cheap.

    EBuyers own brand DVD player F&H plays most files except for mkvs, however, they are easily converted to mpgs with a free prog called mkv2vob.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5
    Forum Member
    There's also a new version of the Sumvision micro coming out that seems to be based on the same chipset as the Eaget player above. It's £33 whereas the Eaget is £39.

    There's a list of HD media players, available in the UK, and ordered by price, here:

    http://www.iboum.com/net-media-players.php?sort=sortprice&chip=&pfilt=pound&hdd=&net=&fan=&lcd=&esata=&dts=&dtsp=&dolbt=&dolbtp=&dtsma=&dtsmap=&year=&ppp=40&bd=&dvd=&netflix=&dvbt=&dweb=&multi=&stream=&sparam=&ikey=&pg=1&rp=ppound
  • FatwazFatwaz Posts: 1,996
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    i have the sumvision micro precisely for holidays.it fits in the palm of your hand and i just plug in a usb stick with various avis on it to watch while abroad.for £15 its more than fair the only trouble i have and seems its a generic problem is it wont play files over 1 gig!!!if i could find a quick free way to reduce the avi size by a few Mb's to fit under the 1 gig limit i would be very happy
  • biggebruvbiggebruv Posts: 6,626
    Forum Member
    ruggs1234 wrote: »
    Thankyou for all the replies so far.

    No, I wasnt looking to stream video or connect to the internet and I dont own a games console. Im just tired of having to burn a disc everytime I want to watch something ive downloaded on a tv! A USB port on the tv and an ability to play avi files would have been ideal. But the tv was a gift so I cant complain!

    The first suggestion here is exactly what I was thinking of but...the LG dvd player is likely to be the winner as my player is acting up!

    Again, thankyou for taking the time to reply.

    ps Rats...the LG dvd player is out of stock at all Argos stores for miles!

    WDHD TV PLAYER
    has noone said this yet?????
    it plays every avi file iv ever gotten as far back as 2005 upto now and mkvs

    you can put avis on a usb stick and just slot the usb stick into the wdtv player and thats it they play smoothly with no problems

    plus its reallly small and so easy to set up it really is just plug and play

    seriously get this if you just wanna play avis theres no converting or messing or streaming around get this it would be better than a dvd player for avis anyways

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-1080P-Media-Player/dp/B001ILFDCK/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286920560&sr=1-1-catcorr
    ^check out the reviews and specs
    this really is a box to play avis on your tv:D
Sign In or Register to comment.