A media hub

[teahead]

Partner's sorting out her new home, hasn't got much cash, says she wants something that sounds excellent but which also sounds damn expensive. It's this:

• A server+source input point receiving internet/TV/phone from outside, and storing music, video, documents etc. Sure there are other things you can do with data these days like managing domestic environments e.g. temperature, lights etc but she's not really interested in that stuff (yet)
• Wireless speakers (plus some kind of media controller with each set? or not if that's a substantial cost - it's not a big place) in say 4 rooms.
• Wireless speakers plus some kind of TV-like video output in two rooms - maybe a projector in one, and a small screen in the other (a kitchen).
• Wireless speakers plus PC-type screen plus keyboard (i.e. standard PC set-up) in two rooms.

What companies would offer this as a whole solution?
Is it better/cheaper/viable to do with this with separate units, or groups of units (apparently Bose equipment speaks to some other manufacturers' stuff)

Cable access via Virgin isn't fibreoptic (she's in a village) so they can't offer TV, and they're only offering up to 1.4 Mbps for data. So while we don't like the Dirty Digger one bit, maybe Sky needs considering as a data provider?

Anyway any advice'd be appreciated.

T

 

[TruXta]

She hasn't got much cash you said?

 

[teahead]

She hasn't got much cash you said?

Yep. I guess the process is here is outlining what that'd cost, then figuring out what's not necessary.

At its simplest, an approximation of what she wants, but which wouldn't work so well, is this:
Phone/internet from Virgin
TV from Sky (she's in a valley, freesat's not going to cut it) or some kind of connectivity to online programming
A docking station, and a radio/mp3 player or two
1 PC in one room with screen, 1 space for a laptop + maybe external screen/keyboard in another.

 

[xenon]

Assuming the broadband connection and a modern TV set, maybe something like.
http://www.boxee.tv/

 

[teahead]

Assuming the broadband connection and a modern TV set, maybe something like.
http://www.boxee.tv/

Interesting that boxee.

Shame it doesn't seem to offer a router for music to different speaker sets though. Any idea whether that can be done by adaptation?

 

[Mr Smin]

The OP sounds a bit garbled. If Virgin have cable but not fibre in her street, she can still get TV from them. If Virgin can't supply TV it likely means they are offering internet over BT's wires. Unlikely to get much better speeds from other providers if that is the case.
If she can get sky tv then she can get freesat. When you say freesat won't cut it, do you mean that she can't get freeVIEW? (digital TV from land-based transmitters). Or do you mean that she can't do without Sky's pay channels? I accept that 'not much cash' is a relative concept but pay tv is not my idea of trimming costs
I had a search for pre-built Myth-TV boxes but didn't find anything, which is a pity because it's probably what you want.

 

[teahead]

The OP sounds a bit garbled.

Sorry about that.

If Virgin have cable but not fibre in her street, she can still get TV from them. If Virgin can't supply TV it likely means they are offering internet over BT's wires.

That sounds about right - searching from Virgin's website gets me that info: broadband but no TV

If she can get sky tv then she can get freesat. When you say freesat won't cut it, do you mean that she can't get freeVIEW? (digital TV from land-based transmitters). Or do you mean that she can't do without Sky's pay channels?

Sorry. I mean she's down in a valley and doesn't get much of a signal from radio transmitters.

I accept that 'not much cash' is a relative concept but pay tv is not my idea of trimming costs

The first thing she's really interested in is having a central store for music.
Second add-in would be being able to bring in external internet sourced material, routing it (through storage but that's not important except for recording e.g. via TIVO or just off a menu like Virgin/Sky) to output on speakers and screens.DVD output would need to be an alternative source on that.

I had a search for pre-built Myth-TV boxes but didn't find anything, which is a pity because it's probably what you want.

What worries me is that this seems a bit esoteric.

I'm guessing the simplest/cheapest thing would be

1. to set up an audio network that's mp3 storage to wireless pairs of speakers - some kind of switcher required.
2. to get broadband, probably via satellite, which would incorporate a TV feed, internet and phone. She could then maybe just route out of the feed into whatever amplifier takes the output from the mp3 storage.
3. maybe there's some TV feed receiver offering more than one output, so it could go to two TV monitors.

 

[xenon]

I've never tried it as my TV's too old, I don't know much specifics about new TV equipment. But with a Network Attached Storage box, you can stream your music collection to other computers, phone, Ipod, wifi speaker system.

So it sounds like to do all what she wants, hardware wise, will involve at least:

A NAS or Boxee TV type thing.
Wireless speaker system.
Android or Apple IOS device if wanting to stream to a portable device. .

For the TV set. I gather it will need to be DLNA compliant with ethernet jack and / or if one exists, a wireless dongol.

The only things I've personly had experience of from that lot, is a Synology Diskstation NAS, which I'm very pleased with. I stream audio to my PC in living room or Ipod.

 

[stuff_it]

Interesting that boxee.

Shame it doesn't seem to offer a router for music to different speaker sets though. Any idea whether that can be done by adaptation?

So she wants to be able to play different music in different rooms? Is there more than one occupant that will have access to this then (eg kids or a lodger)?

Surely she just needs one 'media solution' that she can access from her own room/living room/possibly kitchen but a way of routing it to each room - anyone else can just plug their laptop into their stereo with a wire instead surely?

And why wireless speakers? She's going to get better sound quality from wires.

 

[xenon]

^ that. If you're gonna have more than one thing being streamed at the same time, you'll spend more on the server. Likewise if you're gonna use HD video.

 

[teahead]

Well it's become much more simple (coz of the money...)

Fair play stuffs, on the wires. It was worth factoring in. Now:

Amp with two wired audio outputs to two rooms.
External source (internet/TV) output in (same) two rooms.
Stand alone audio (docking station w/ dig radio) in two other rooms.

Basic as you like.
Cheap.
Do-able.

Thanks for the help peeps.

 

[sim667]

Personally I'd be having a ready NAS for the storage and a couple of jailbroken appletv's with plex on for the 2 rooms you want stuff outputting in.

 

[teahead]

What's NAS.
(Sorry, can't google atm).

Come to that what's a jailbroken AppleTV (I'm poor so haven't crosssed to the Jobs gear... Fiddler liking PC's tbh...

 

[sim667]

NAS is a hard drive you have that sits on your network, it then makes the files available to any computers (or other nodes) on the network.

Appletv's are designed so you can stream media from your itunes library, but this is quite restricitive as it wont play a lot of common downloaded files like MKV. So you can jailbreak them and put other type of media software on them, i.e. I have plex on mine, but you can use XBMC too..... they're much nicer interfaces with a lot more video codec support. You can also get video plugins for them, tvcatchup is in development for plex, which would basically be terrestial tv, then there's a lovefilm plugin ive been pondering too (i dont have a lovefilm subscription yet).

I think plex can also be installed on some bluray players.

 

[pesh]

i've tried a Boxee box this week, it is pretty damn easy to setup, scrape your files for info from imdb etc, and it played everything back ok.

that said it did my head in a bit so i'm sending it back.

major negative points for me were the fact you can't disable subtitles by default on MKV files, so you have to pause the film, find the option and shut them off manually. every time. and this has been flagged as a problem for 2 years.
the fact you don't have any control over the film details that are shown in the media library, in that you end up with a list of 12 actors and the director but no room for the synopsis. not much use when you're just trying to pick something new to watch out of your library.
unit is much more geared up for online content than local files.
noisy fan in my unit etc etc...

i do like the look of Plex, would like to stick it on an appletv but it seems they're only 720p? so i'm thinking about sticking it on an old MBP and having a play about with that... anyone running it got any advice?

 

[Crispy]

I've played about with Plex. The interface is excellent, and it "just works" over the network (ie. any mac running plex on your local network works transparently as if you were running it on the server machine). It's got a full-featured iOS client app as well, which is very nice. I was going to buy a mac mini to run as a server and playback, but ended up buying a TV with a built-in media player. It's not as nice as Plex, but it's cheaper and it's one less remote control and box in the lounge.

 

[sim667]

Apple tv does only output at 720 i think but I've only got a 720 tele, and the difference between 720 and 1080 to me is negligible (i.e. i dont notice it).

The ios version (apple tv, iphone, and ipad) is a bit cut down anyway..... for a full on plex experience I'd recomend running the full software on some kind of base unit, the MBP would work perfectly, but if your trying to do a nice looking setup may look a bit odd...... Maybe try it on a MBP and if you like it enough consider buying a 2nd mac mini for it.

There's not really any hints tips i can make, its self explanatory, and free. The other free one which has a good rep is XBMC, but seems a little more difficult to set up with shares than plex...... Plex actually uses a protocol, where as xbmc you either have to set up ftp, afp or smb video shares....

Give it a bash, if you've got a piece of harware and its a free download you wont miss out on anything if you dont like it.

 

[sim667]

I've played about with Plex. The interface is excellent, and it "just works" over the network (ie. any mac running plex on your local network works transparently as if you were running it on the server machine). It's got a full-featured iOS client app as well, which is very nice. I was going to buy a mac mini to run as a server and playback, but ended up buying a TV with a built-in media player. It's not as nice as Plex, but it's cheaper and it's one less remote control and box in the lounge.

LG tv's are coming with plex on now i think, or at least recognise plex servers.

 

[Crispy]

LG tv's are coming with plex on now i think, or at least recognise plex servers.

NOW you tell me
Oh gadget regret is an ugly emotion

 

[Quartz]

TV from Sky (she's in a valley, freesat's not going to cut it)

Did you mean Freeview? Freesat and Sky are on the same satellite.

 

[sim667]

NOW you tell me
Oh gadget regret is an ugly emotion

Just looked and plea isn't installed on them, but the media server works with the LG medialink tv & bluray players

 

[Crispy]

Huh. Less interested. In this sort of setup, the server is immaterial. It's the player on the TV that you'll be using every day. The one on my Samsung is functional, but it works, which is fine by me, and I only have to spend a hundred quid on a NAS box, rather than a whole compuer (with hardrives hanging off it)

 

[sim667]

the readynas enclosure comes with installable bits and pieces on it btw, plex, transmission (torrent client) and handbrake (newsgroup client) being the three that I was considering one for.

 

[Crispy]

I went for the Qnap NAS in the end, low power ARM so no Plex module. I just want the movie to play in the end - no need for fancy-pantsery

 

[sim667]

Ah yes but at the moment I use my mac as the media server so if I'm going to run a nas it makes sense to run those type of things on it. Plus I like fancy pantsery

 

[pesh]

i'm liking Plex a lot, as easy or easier than Boxee was to scrape all the info for my files, much more control over the system etc

but i am surprised how resource hungry it seems to be, i've got it running on an old 2.5ghz core 2 duo MBP with 2 gig of ram, its playing back SD rips perfectly, as you'd expect... but 720p rips aren't quite perfect and 1080p rips have noticeable framerate issues...

i'd have thought the Mac was more than capable of playing this stuff out, it certainly is when you play the same files in VLC...

 

[sim667]

hmmm, thats strange, i thought it would be more then capable of playing those, and there wouldnt be any transcoding going on if the vids are stored on the machine

Have a look at the plex forums, they're a hive of info, I've worked out how to add officially unsupported video plugins on my appletv the other

 

[Chz]

I went for the Qnap NAS in the end, low power ARM so no Plex module. I just want the movie to play in the end - no need for fancy-pantsery

IM me if you have any problems. I've just set up a TS219P II at home using Serviio for the video and Squeezebox for audio, so I have some idea of what can go wrong.

A Squeezebox server (runs on about anything) and a SB receiver (or Radio, or whatever) in a few spots is great for streaming music all over.

 

[teahead]

Turns out the cheap answer is a Tivo. Mp3's downloaded mp3s on the PC upstairs now go into Spotify playlists that flow out of the system downstairs through the amp.

No wires, and the Tivo came free with a broadband upgrade