I posted this in the wrong forum ..... hopefully this might be the better place to ask!

I'm looking for a media player to connect via hdmi to my TV to pick up my mp3 collection on my NAS. Doesn't need wifi as it'll connect via a local router into a homeplug.

I have a big mp3 collection so navigation is key preferably with alphabet selection menu so you don't have to page down dozens of times. An ipad app to control it would by great.

Any suggestions really appreciated.

Thanks.

WD TV Live. It doesn't have an iPad app in the way you're thinking though, I think it just duplicates the buttons of a remote control so you still have to navigate by looking at the TV. Does your NAS have a DLNA server built-in? If you serve via DLNA rather than a folder share then you can use any DLNA/UPnP controller app. PlugPlayer is highly regarded and stable but the UI has fallen behind a bit and basically only gives you text lists of your media rather than browing by big album covers. It has an alphabetic selection index overlaid onto the media list. The organisation of the browsing hierarchy will depend on how your NAS's media server indexes the files .e.g by artist, album artist, album, genre etc, which can be limiting for some people, and it depends on having all your MP3 files properly tagged. Some NAS's allow you to serve through DLNA via folder structure so that's one solution if you've got your files physically arranged as you want.

Thanks, there seems to be a new box shortly retailing called WD TV Play which seems to be a replacement. If the WD app works with it it might be the solution. The NAS does have a server.

Thanks again.

I hadn't heard of this! Just Googled and found a few press releases, but also this comment:


I think it will be fine for MP3s!

Remember that the current WD remote app is simply a remote control on a touch screen. It does not offer a media browsing interface like, say, iTunes, WMP or an iPod would would. This is important if you say easy navigation of a large library is a must, with alphabetic selection if possible. I don't actually see the use of the WD app, except that it saves you having the original remote control at hand, but of course you have to keep you iPad at hand! Setup of your NAS media server views is critical to ease of navigation, if it will allow you to group your artists and albums with an A-Z index first of all then that would be a start, but most NAS media servers are not configurable like that. Synology's is better than most.

Many thanks. You've saved me from two errors so far. Thanks!

if I'm unable to browse alphabetically then I know the music won't be used. I presumed the WD app would allow the use of a keyboard and alphabetic browsing.

I had a Denon amp for a few days but it " stopped". That had a great app that allowed browsing of the music on the NAS but my wife has asked me not to buy another amp as she loves the sound and simplicity of the Microlab speakers plugged into the TV.

I wish the Sky or YouView or Echostar slingbox boxes would allow NAS browsing and playing .....

You can see the app and screenshots at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wd-tv-remote/id488301648?mt=8 so you can see what it does.

I think it will allow use of the tablet's on-screen keyboard but only when an onscreen keyboard pops up ont he device anyway e.g. for text entry fields. It would just save you having to use the curosr keys to navigate round the keyboard. I'm not sure if there's a DLNA Search facility, but to go into that sort of Search for every single thing you want to play is going to be tedious.

what brand of NAS have you got? If it's a Synology, then it not only has a DLNA server but it has its own proprietary media server vcalled Audio Station which can run within a browser or it has a dedicated iOS and Android App, which does have the type of browsing U you're after. Audio Station will either play to a DLNA device (i.e. a WD TV or other media player) or it can output music from an optinal plug-in DAC to the NAS. You can then take a line from the DAC to your amp. See http://www.synology.com/dsm/home_hom...on.php?lang=uk and http://www.synology.com/dsm/home_mob...io.php?lang=uk for Audio Station and the mobile DS Audio.

Thanks for your attempts. It's a boring Buffalo. i just tried the app in case it was forgiving but as expected it doesn't work.