Although MKV files are everywhere on file sharing networks, finding an MKV Player is difficult as there aren’t many available, simply because the format is so new.

So we thought we’d help you with a guide to the best MKV Players on the market at the moment, together with links to where you can buy them.

Why buy an MKV Player?

Without getting too geeky (more details on Matroska can be found here if you do want to geek out!), an MKV Player will automatically play videos contained within an .mkv file, many thousands of which you’ll find on torrent sites.

MKV isn’t just a new format of video, though – it’s a complete multimedia container, containing video (in many different video encoding formats), audio, selectable chapters and menus.

Think of it as a DVD, complete with its selectable chapters and extras, but all contained in a single file, so downloadable – and playable – from a single MKV file.

An MKV player, therefore, is simply any media player that natively supports MKV fiiles out of the box, letting you play them as soon as you download them without having to reformat them into a different video format.

Finding an MKV player can be tricky, though, as the format is still new. So we picked out six of the best MKV players on the market for you, each with its own unique claim to fame (and price!).

The six best MKV players

1). Iomega ScreenPlay Director

The Iomega ScreenPlay Director HD is a cracking media player that streams full 1080p HDTV from hundreds of different sources, and in dozens of different formats – including MKV.

• Watch video from your PC – the ScreenPlay Director comes with Ethernet and optional WiFi, and will stream your videos from your PC. It comes with own onscreen display and remote, which let you navigate through your music, videos and pictures for instant viewing.
• Watch video from the Internet – again via either Ethernet or Wifi, you can stream videos from CinemaNow, YouTube or dozens of other sites
• Watch video from the ScreenPlay Director itself, with its bui;t-in 1TB or 2TB hard drive

You can watch videos in tonnes of different formats, too, including MKV, MPEG, AVI, DivX and Xvid, H.264, WMV, AVCHD and VC-1 (phew!)

Add to that support for Internet radio, more HDTV connectors than you can name, USB support for plugging in and browsing external MP3 players (with support for MP3, AC3, WAV, Ogg, WMA and Flac audio files), and DLNA support for viewing videos and pictures from DLNA-compliant gadgets (including your PC, camera phone or camera), and the Iomega ScreenPlay Director is a strong contender for one of the best connected gadgets of all time – period!

With its suport for MKV though, it’s a downloader’s dream – download any MKV file from the Internet, and play it instantly on your HDTV. Genius!

Best for: The ultimate gadget fiend who wants the ultimate media sharing experience and doesn’t mind paying for it.

See more details and check prices of the Iomega ScreenPlay Director HD

2). ASUS O!Play HDP-R1 Media Player

The Asus O!Play HD 1080p HDP-R1 Live Internet Media Streamer is a similar box to the Iomega ScreenPlay Director, but with a few missing features. Firstly, there’s no Wi-Fi – it’s not even an option. You do get an Ethernet cable, though, which is some comfort, but Wi-Fi would have been better.

There’s also no internal hard drive, so you’re reliant on your PC or an external hard drive (the ASUS O!Play comes with an eSata connector) for stored video.

Fortunately, none of this detracts from an excellent media player. It’ll play just about any type of video you care to throw at it, will read DVD menus from a ripped MKV file, and will pretty much let you watch anything you can download from the Internet.

And one benefit of a reduced feature set is a much reduced price – just $99, which less than half the price of the Iomega.

Best for: people on a budget who want to share their media cheaply, but aren’t too fussed about some of the finer features offered by the other players here.

See more details and check prices on the Asus O!Play HD Live Internet Media Streamer

3). Popcorn Hour C-200 Media Tank

The gloriously-named Popcorn Hour C-200 Networked Media Tank
is another media player, but this time one favoured by the hardcore video geeks – it supports just about any video encoding you care to throw at it, and comes with a built-in BitTorrent client, so it’ll download files from the Internet all by itself without any need for your PC to be switched on.

If your PC is on, then you can still stream any music or video from it, as you’d expect. Alternately, you can also share your media from your Popcorn Hour C-200 to your PC or laptop, as the Popcorn Hour also acts as a file server.

The remote control is based on RF technology rather than InfraRed, which means you can control the Popcorn Hour in any room, regardless of where the box itself is located (obviously more useful for music selection than video!), and there’s even space for a Blu-ray drive.

All of this doesn’t come cheap, of course – but it is the best box of the bunch, especially if you’re a hardcore media freak.

Best for: Hardcore video geeks who want full video support and full control over their media (yet don’t really care about a polished interface!)

See more details and check prices on the Popcorn Hour C-200 Networked Media Tank

4). Lacie LaCinema Mini HD

The Lacie LaCinema Mini HD debuted at CES 2010 a few weeks ago, but already it’s drawing admiring comments. With full 1080p HD, video streaming from your PC, and complete UPnP and DLNA support, which will share your media across your computers, cameras, phones – even your PS3 or XBox 360 – the LaCinema is a media sharer’s dream!

Better still, it doesn’t compromise on features – as well as supporting virtually every video format known to man (including MKV), it also comes with a bui;t-in 500GB hard drive and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

This makes using the Mini HD simplicity itself – simply connect it to your HDTV via HDMI, and choose your source: internal hard drive, an attached USB drive, or anything attached to your Wireless Network. Your content can be navigated smoothly on-screen, and you can even view media stored on non-PC devices, such as a DLNA-equipped mobile phone or camera.

Perhaps what’s most impressive about the Mini HD, though, is its size – it’s just 118 x 118 x 40 mm, which is tiny! Perfect for taking round to your mate’s and watching whatever you’ve got stored on her HDTV.

Best for: Plug n Players who want a small box with minimal fuss, nothing else to buy, and the ability to take it round to a mate’s house.

See more details and check prices on the Lacie LaCinema Mini HD

5). WD TV Live

The WD TV Live is a full-HD 1080p media player that, despite its ugly appearance, really knows how to share your media in style. Its unique user interface adds some nice polish, which is always nice when searching through thousands of videos and tunes, and is welcome relief from some of the more minimalist interfaces from the likes of the Popcorn Hour.

The WDTV does what most media players do – it lets you share video, music and pictures from your PC and the Internet, including YouTube, Pandora and Live365.

There’s an Ethernet connection, an optional Wi-Fi adaptor, HDMI 1.3 connector for connecting to your HDTV, and support for all manner of video formats, including MKV.

As a point of interest, Gizmodo tested a range of media players, and concluded that the WD TV Live was the best at finding and playing different videos from different sources. It sounds like that should be the absolute minimum that a media player should be able to do, but you’d be amazed how poorly some of them performed (not the ones in this list, it has to be said).

Best for: Accessing any type of content without hassle, so long as you can hide the box somewhere!

See more details and check prices on the WD TV Live

6). Archos 5 Android Internet Tablet

If it’s something more portable you’re after, you could consider the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet. Not only does it support MKV as well as a tonne of other video formats, it’s also got the kind of feature list you normally only dream of.

Based on Google’s Android operating system, the Archos 5 is a Portable Media Player with huge 4.8″ touchscreen, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM transmitter. You can even tether it to mobile phones, letting it access the Internet via your phone’s 3G connection. Very hadny if you want to browse the Web on its splendid Web-kit based browser.

There are a variety of different versions on offer, from an 8GB version to a hard-drive equipped version with 500GB of storage space.

But it’s the media playing virtues of the Archos 5 you’re interested in, and here it shines. With support for AVI, WMV, MPEG4, h.264, MKV, XVid, DivX and Flash video content out of the box, all the way up to 720p, and audio support for MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, Ogg, and WAV files, it’ll play pretty most of your content with ease.

It’ll also play video content from the likes of YouTube and Hulu, while music is served wirelessly via Pandora, Slacker, Last.fm, or whatever else you care to throw at it.

And if none of that appeals, just use it as a digital photo-frame – its screen is big enough and clear enough!

It’s not without its flaws, but as an all round media player capabale of playing your precious MKV files, and with a tonne of other features as well, it’s the perfect portable device for video downloaders.

Best for: Gadget fiends looking for the ultimate go-anywhere video player.

See more details and check prices on the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet

Summary

MKV, although a relatively new format, is fast becoming the video container of choice, particulalrly among file downloaders. If you’re serious about your video, you need a media player that can support MKV, adn the range of media players in this list gives you this and so much more.

It’s great to see media players finally coming of age, as for the past few years they’ve been dogged by flaws, flakiness and poor usability (and just looked plain hideous). This list of 6 of the best shows that they’ve really upped their game, and any of these should suit you well if you’re looking for a great MKV player for your collection.

Know of any better MKV players? Let us know, in the comments below (and yes, we know about the PopBox, but it hasn’t been released yet!).

Looks like a giant shinny egg but don’t worry, scientist haven’t created 50ft chickens to solve world hunger it is just an Ovei Pod. Launched at CEDIA, the pod provides an enclosed space where you can get away from it all and watch your favourite South Park episode or enjoy a bit of game play on your PS3 or Xbox. Read on to find out more.

This all seems nice, the sound quality should be superior to conventional media centers and there will be no glare from that pesky sun shining on the screen, but what are the costs? Could this be another nail in the coffin of society? There are already many debates going around about technology destroying society, how the youth of today can’t speak or write proper like what we use to, and how people are not

We all know that Google likes to have its fingers in all the pies, well they are now sticking their hands into an area of the home entertainment market coveted by Microsoft and Apple. Google really are taking no survivors; it would seem their company motto isn’t only “Don’t be evil” but also “World domination is a must”.

The Google Media Server can connect a PC to any device that supports Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), a set of computer network protocols that enable devices to share data across a home network. The server uses the Desktop Search to locate media files on the PC and on the Web. So basically all you need is a windows PC running Google Desktop and a UPnP-enabled device (e.g. video-game consoles PlayStation 3 from Sony and Xbox 360 from Microsoft, as well as Hewlett-Packard’s MediaSmart high-definition televisions). Once you have those you can then:

• Access videos, music, and photos stored on your PC
• View online picture albums
• Play your favorite YouTube videos as well as other online videos

I can hear Microsoft quaking in their boots (whether that is from fear or anger I can’t tell).

[Source:Google Blog]

So far so good. However, the Home Media Server misses a trick or two – in fact, it completely misses the entire Web 2.0 revolution that’s been going on for some time, making the Home Server look a bit outdated even before it’s been released.

Microsoft Windows Home Media Server

First, some details. The Windows Home Media Server is designed to be a media hub, containing a four-bay SATA server that can sync all your iTunes from any connected server, and then serve them to any other connected PC when you want to hear them. Great for multiple-PC households (although there are no details on what DRM restrictions there are that may scupper such free and easy sharing).

All of your media can be backed up to the Home Media Server, and connecting to it is super-easy, so you don’t need advanced networking skills to set it up.

It’s not just your PCs that can connect ot the device, either. You can hook up XBoxes and even Macs and Linux machines (though the latter two will only see the media as files in a networked folder).

Home Media Server outdated already?

So why does the Windows Home Server seem outdated? Well, one of the features it offers is HP’s MediaSmart application, which is a remote photo-management program. This will let you split the server between public and private access, with public media accessible by your friends and family, who can log into the sever whenever at will. In this way, your friends and family can see the pics and videos that you designate as public whenever they like.

Now, call me confused (many people do!), but isn’t this what Flickr and a host of other Web 2.0 apps already let you do? You can upload your pics to Flickr (for free, mind!), and categorise them as public or private, and even restrict who gets to see the private ones. Better still, you don’t need to have your own media server constantly running in order for your friends to see them!

Indeed, one of the benefits of Web 2.0 is that what used to be on the desktop is migrating onto the web, with media being the first type of content making the transition. Images, music, even video, can all be bothe stored on the Web, and categorised, tagged, shared and even edited to your heart’s content, with the added benefit that it’s not just your friends and family that get to see your content, but an enitre community of people into the type of content you are.

Web 2.0 as a truly killer app

As such, this feature of the Windows Home Server is not only redundant, it strikes me as being singularly lame, as it pretends that Web 2.0 media sharing sites simply don’t exist – which, of course, is what Microsoft would prefer, as any desktop app that migrates onto the Web is another bit of functionality that you don’t need Windows for.

What would have been better is for the Windows Home Sever to integrate with these Web apps, enabling you to distribute your content not just around your home and to your friends and family, but to the entire world, should you wish.

Another benefit of Web 2.0 sharing is longevity – at some point, you’ll want to upgrade the Home Server, or, worse, it’ll simply stop working, whereas the Web 2.0 apps such as Flickr will keep on going for much longer (unless you can see Yahoo suddenly going out of business…no, me either!)

More and more people have an increasing online presence these days, and the torrent of new Web 2.0 apps that are being released daily will only increase the pace, with the result that our media will increasingly be shared online regardless of what home server equipment we have…which sort of makes the home server concept redundant.

So although the Windows Home Server is a nice bit of kit, particularly if you’re looking for a media hub, it’d be cheaper simply to buy a media streamer, a Network Attached Storage solution of some form (i.e. a big fat hard disk!) and get yourself a subscription to Flickr and the other Web 2.0 media sharing apps.

In summary, then – the Windows Media Server is a nice bit of kit, but about 2 years too late! HP’s version of Microsoft’s vision will be released in September, should you be tempted.

[Source: Gizmodo]

Add to this no less than four Freeview and analogue TV tuners and integrated Wi-Fi for direct connection to the Internet and you have a fully spec’d Media Center PC all wrapped up in a telly!

Rock Meivo LCD TV Media Center

Meivo (pronounced “My-Voh”) apparently stands for Multimedia Entertainment Integrating Video-On-Demand, which, if nothing else, gives you a hint of the purpose of this device – and the reason behind the odd-sounding name, too. Not only does the Meivo come with four tuners, it also supports IPTV for true Video On Demand, enabling you to watch new IPTV services, such as Channel 4′s forthcoming 4OD.

Rock Meivo’s PC

One of the problems with squeezing a PC into an LCD TV like this is future-proofing. Your average media-center PC tends to be less powerful than a much cheaper desktop, while upgrading the internal PC gubbins is either difficult or impossible.

Fortunately, the Meivo is off to a good start with an Intel Core2Duo processor, and any MXM-supporting nVidia graphics card you care to add, which should be more than capable of managing your media needs for some time to come.

In addition, most PCs slow down as they age because of the applications that are loaded onto them that stress the system over time, but with the Meivo, you’re only using its internal PC for media viewing and organizing, and the Core2Duo is more than capable of handling this.

The addition of Vista Premium also means that you get excellent media management software and interface built in, providing the Meivo with Sky+ like PVR abilties out of the box (which is useful when you can access content from four TV channels plus IPTV simultaneously!)

Rock Meivo’s other goodies

In addition to the PC, the Meivo comes with a tonne of other goodies as well. 7.1 sound output, memory card reader, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth and USB for connecting to mobile phones and MP3 players, meaning that all your media files can be pumped into the Meivo, no matter where they’re currently located.

Add to this an RF keyboard and mouse for controlling the Meivo or browsing the Web, and HD-DVD and Blu-Ray drives, which are expected soon, and you end up with a seriously interesting package that could make the media streamer redundant.

Of course, this all depends on how good the screen itself is, but this, too, doesn’t look too shabby, with HD support (though only 720p) and 1680 x 1050 resolution.

The Rock Meivo LCD TV release date is scheduled for end of April 2007, and should cost around £1000 excluding VAT.

[CPU3D, RegHardware, Stuff, Meivo.tv]

Not that you’d need such a system – the Asus A33 comes packed with a 500W amplifier and can pump out some serious 7.1 surround sound through your top-end speakers.

More details of the Asus A33 media center after the jump.

It’s not all about (loud) sound though. Being a media center, the A33 also connects to your HDTV through an HDMI input and two (yes two, count ‘em) HDMI outputs, enabling it to connect to such esoterica as, say, a PlayStation 3.

There’s also the PC side of things – the A33 comes ready equipped with Windows Vista Home Premium and Linux plus Moxi.

Set to cost around £1,000, the Asus A33 release date is summer 2007.

[Source: Crave]

This must be the mother of all media hubs. The i-Mate XStream Media Hub is an LCD TV with 720 and 1080i support that comes complete with its own PVR, wireless router and Media Center PC built-into its super-thin frame. The PC comes complete with 500GB hard drive, and can display content either on the TV, or wirelessly push it around the house through the X-Stream’s very own built-in wireless router!

The wireless router will stream content to a variety of other devices around the house. Obviously, i-Mate would rather you streamed it to other i-Mate devices, and so has handily released several other gadgets for just such a purpose.

The X-Stream Dock, for example (see pic, left), is a little black box that runs Windows CE, and which can plug into a TV and display the content broadcast to it from the X-Stream media hub.

Impressively, though, it also acts as a thin client. Simply plug in a keyboard, monitor, and mouse, and it’ll act as a PC, with all the processing and storage taken care of by the X-Stream media hub.

Another i-Mate device is the Momento photo frame, which display pictures that are streamed to it from the X-Stream. Better still, though, it also supports RSS, enabling you to display any picture you like from Flickr or any other online photo app that supports RSS.

The momento is available now in Dixons (or should that be Currys.Digital), of all places, for £179 for a 7″ frame, or £269 for 10.2″.

It’s getting difficult to keep up with these ever-changing converged gadgets. Dedicated media hubs that support wireless streaming now seem somewhat old-fashioned, as their functionality is increasingly being incorporated into other devices, be they TVs, DVD recorders, or even XBox 360s.

Just as TVs have swallowed Freeview tuners, rendering the separate Freeview Set Top Box obsolete, it can’t be too long before a high-end HDTV without its own media streamer looks just as old fashioned as a CRT TV looks now.

Gotta love the pace of technology!

[Source: Wired]

More details and full spec of the Okoro OMS-GX300 after the jump.

So why is the OMS-GX300 so extreme? Well, just check out this feature list:

• Intel Core™2 Extreme QX6700 Kentsfield Quad Core Processor
• 2 Gigabytes of high speed Kingston HyperX 800MHz RAM
• nVidia HDCP-ready 8800 GTX video card
• 1 Terabyte (2x 500GB RAID0) 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive with 16MB Cache
• TV Tuners with hardware MPEG-2 encoder.
• PCI Over-The-Air HDTV Tuner
• Optional USB HDTV Tuner
• Realtek ALC888DD SoundCard with 8-CH CODEC w/ DTS support
• Microsoft Media Center Remote Control w/ IR Blaster
• Snapstream Firefly Remote Control with USB-UIRT IR Blaster/Receiver

Even the case includes its own 7″ Touch Screen, which doesn’t just show you various status parameters, such as hard disk activity or temperature: it’s a complete 15:9 wide display with HDTV transcoder for 720p HD display!

With a quad core processor, you can even play games such as Half-Life 2 at their maximum resolution in full glorious HD while recording your HD TV shows over the air. Better still, because Vista supports the XBox 360′s controllers, you can use these to play your games – that’s just showing off!

And the price of this beast? A mere $4595! Or wait a couple of years, and get the same features from an entry level machine (ah, the glorious pace of technology!).

[Source: Okormedia, via Gizmodo]