There are a couple devices out there (media streamers) that do handle "some" hi def movies. The Tvix 4100/5100 can play all MPEG2 encoded blu rays and is currently working on AVC MPEG4 and VC-1 encoded materials. I have one of these units myself, and as I said, all Blu Ray MPEG2 encoded blu ray files will play, and with the new beta firmware upgrade that is in the works, it appears that all VC-1 encoded blu rays will play, and some AVC MPEG4 titles will play. I have no idea why it has problems with AVC MPEG4 but it does. Also, MPEG2 encodes can be streamed over your wired LAN, but VC-1 and AVC MPEG4 rips must be played from the unit's hard drive (I have a 500GB drive I installed in mine and it fills up quick). I keep all my MPEG2 files on my PC and stream them, while putting the VC-1 and MPEG4 encodes on the 4100's drive. These units cost about $350 and can be purchased from digitalconnection.com (that is where I got mine back in May). The unit is also great for playing just about everything else.
As far as HD DVD rips go, it does not support the .evo container. You can use a program called TSremux to put HD DVD rips into the .m2ts container, but the audio is a problem. The Tvix doesn't support True HD audio or DD+, which are the two types of audio streams found on HD DVD (at least to my knowledge). There are ways to rip out the audio stream after using TSremux and convert it to standard Dolby Digital, but it is not easy from what I have been reading. Otherwise I would go buy the 360 add on today and rip my entire HD DVD collection.
There is also a unit made by Tomarco (costs around $550) which suppossedly plays all blu ray rips with no problem. The only problem is that the only supplieers at the moment are in China and shipping is expensive. This is also a new company and they are trying to build their reputation so it is hard to say where support will be in a year or more. The company that makes the Tvix has been in the media streamer business for awhile.
For more info. on these units check out mpcclub.com. There is great info. here on both units. One last comment, there are suppossedly units coming out soon based on a faster sigma processor (8634 chip) that should have no problem with hi def rips. Currently the companies are trying to squeeze everything they can out of the sigma chips they are using now (862.. series).
As far as HD DVD rips go, it does not support the .evo container. You can use a program called TSremux to put HD DVD rips into the .m2ts container, but the audio is a problem. The Tvix doesn't support True HD audio or DD+, which are the two types of audio streams found on HD DVD (at least to my knowledge). There are ways to rip out the audio stream after using TSremux and convert it to standard Dolby Digital, but it is not easy from what I have been reading. Otherwise I would go buy the 360 add on today and rip my entire HD DVD collection.
There is also a unit made by Tomarco (costs around $550) which suppossedly plays all blu ray rips with no problem. The only problem is that the only supplieers at the moment are in China and shipping is expensive. This is also a new company and they are trying to build their reputation so it is hard to say where support will be in a year or more. The company that makes the Tvix has been in the media streamer business for awhile.
For more info. on these units check out mpcclub.com. There is great info. here on both units. One last comment, there are suppossedly units coming out soon based on a faster sigma processor (8634 chip) that should have no problem with hi def rips. Currently the companies are trying to squeeze everything they can out of the sigma chips they are using now (862.. series).