I'm not looking at any specific ones at this point. It needs to have HDMI out of course. I'd like one that has a GUI built in that I can navigate via remote on my TV screen but I could get by without it. Looking to spend under $80 bucks too.

Does anyone use one of these?

I have a GalaxyMetalGear TVisto3500 which does pretty good and has HDMI out if you get the cable. It doesn't upconvert the video as far as I know though, and doesn't play back WMV videos.

They have a new product that I'll get to play with sometime that is more than your limit http://www.galaxymetalgear.com/Products/3500IPTV.html

There are also a little doodles you can plug between your USB drive in a generic case and your TV that will playback, the HV675 has HDMI out. I reviewed it here. It fits in your range if you already have the case, if not you can get a generic HD case for $15 or less from Geeks.

They also have an Argosy HV358HT that may do what you need. I haven't played with it yet. As far as I know it won't play back WMVs either, you'd need to convert them to AVI/Divx.

It isn't an enclosure, but it's a media player that can accept any external HDD. And it has 1080p playback. The only downside is that the remote is very proprietary. Like if yuo lose it you have to order another one from WD.

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-WD-M...2215&sr=8-1


There's an upgraded version coming out later this year with network play.

Soooooooooooooooooooooo...

Six months is an eternity in the tech world. I still haven't bought a decent solution for this.

Anything new?

Like Shiri mentioned, not an enclosure, but a media player: Asus O!Play. I've had mine for months and I love it. There is a new model that is wireless too.



-Integrated 802.11n - Stream YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Weather.com content.
-Play the lastest video and audio formats on the PC (including Real Media)
-Expeience HD 1080p output
-Multiple input sources through eSATA, USB, card reader, wireless, and LAN. Stream your content from an external HDD, Media Cards, PC, or NAS device.
-Media Browsing - Simple yet powerful interface to allow you to sort and search for your media files. Also allow music shuffling as well as quick movie preview to enhance user experience.


-Hassle-free multimedia playback without file conversion
-Full 1080p high-definition video via HDMI output
-High-speed wireless 802.11n / Ethernet LAN connection for easy network streaming
-Simple and fast plug-and-play connectivity (eSATA, USB 2.0, CF, SD+MMC, MS+MS Duo)
-Bitstream or decode Dolby Digital Plus and DTS Surround audio
-Sleek and compact design
-Instant music playing with dedicated Music Shuffle remote button

You know, I've been so lazy I haven't even opened mine since I got it way back.

I believe this is slightly different than you are looking for and also does not have HDMI but has component up to 1080i is XBMC. You can convert an old XBOX into a media player. You can then either play movies from the small HD on the XBOX or stream movies from your home server (What I do). It is a very nice solution and fairly cheap with a little bit of set up time.

Wiki
Home Page

If you are willing to put the time into getting this set up, it is a great media center.