Recommend me a media device

[jamena]

thanks jamena...like i said mate, i'm not too worried about the type of case, but i'm more concerned as to how i can record tv programs and then be able to transfer/watch them in another room.

If you get a freeview card you will be able to record TV through that. ...or a video-capture card (most DVB-T cards have a video input as well - usually only composite or s-video but it's a start!)

I'd suggest one of the first things is to choose your application - XP-media center, mythtv and linux, medio, or one of the others! Then check what cards are common/supported. I'm going with MythTV I think. How much cpu/gpu/DVB/etc you require will depend on your specific setup but as you say you can update it You could even try a Via ITX setup.

downside to an HTPC is you have to get it working, keep it working, and find a good way to manage the inputs and outputs (no scart afaik) and suchlike.

wrt distribution... MythTV runs a backend which I think receives the tv, records, stores, streams, etc. Then you can add frontends to retrieve, decode, play the media. How you wire(less) the network is up to you.




p.s. my ancient DVD player that was divx3 compatible (possibly 4) actually managed to play back divx6 files, but it got confused by some of the motion compensation so got some errors

[acrobat]

@ acrobat - My advise to you mate would be to do what i plan to do...i.e. build your own media pc setup.

Already got a great PC. Only problem is that its in a different room. Got a big telly in my lounge with sky and stuff. And I can't really put my PC in there. The little box I linked though, would let me play mp3s and movies off my PC straight onto the TV wirelessly in a different room. Thats all I really want to do too.

I'd need to check a few things though. Like you said, which divx and whether it can change aspect ratios much.

[ripperuk]

@ jamena - what is the linux version like? do you have a link?

@ acrobat - so does that mean that i can simply dual-boot my pc and use the media center and then control it wirelessly using your box? How would i control my pc??? using mouse or remote?

[Smudger]

It's all very well suggesting building an HTPC, but it's already been stated that the budget is £130. Now tell me what kind of HTPC you could get for that sort of money?

It's a little disingenuous to say that these media players are stuck with their compatability issues - Airlinktek, who make the version of the Freecom thing I've got, release firmware updates about every quarter, and each time they not only update compatability, but they usually add features as well.

For the brief set out, I'd suggest the media player is the perfect tool. I would help of course, if the user already had a V+ or Sky+ box...

[jamena]

@ jamena - what is the linux version like? do you have a link?

Not as tricky as last time I tried installing linux but still not a plug in and go setup although I believe if you choose the right components from the start it should pretty much work out of the box as it were.

I'm running Ubuntu on a 2nd HDD (actually it's my primary HDD but windows is none the wiser ) and I've installed MythTV on that - kind of to try it out. Ideally I think you want a minimal linux boot with just MythTV running - there's instructions and forums and wikis and stuff out there. If you have a spare HDD give it a go one day

http://www.mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html - apparently an easy one to go for (I wanted full linux as well though so...)
http://www.mythtv.org/ - the main MythTV site.
http://www.ubuntu.com/ - What I'm using but remember you can pick just about any distribution you like.

There are many many other "media-center" applications out there for both windows and linux. Some you pay for, some are free, some come with the hardware/drivers.

Do let us know how you get on! If you go for a really really budget build, and/or with old/2nd hand stuff, you might do it within your budget, ...but I doubt it! It certainly won't manage HD

[acrobat]

@ acrobat - so does that mean that i can simply dual-boot my pc and use the media center and then control it wirelessly using your box? How would i control my pc??? using mouse or remote?

I dont think you even need a media centre. I may be wrong, but from what I can tell, all you need is that box. It doesn't control your PC at all, it just accesses (over the wireless network), all your MP3s, movie files, and pictures. And then all it does is basically broadcast that stuff straight onto your TV. So you use its remote control, and you can pick "Movies, Music, Pictures" and it will just play them straight off your hard disk onto the TV.

[ripperuk]

It's all very well suggesting building an HTPC, but it's already been stated that the budget is £130. Now tell me what kind of HTPC you could get for that sort of money?

It's a little disingenuous to say that these media players are stuck with their compatability issues - Airlinktek, who make the version of the Freecom thing I've got, release firmware updates about every quarter, and each time they not only update compatability, but they usually add features as well.

For the brief set out, I'd suggest the media player is the perfect tool. I would help of course, if the user already had a V+ or Sky+ box...

I understand mate, but although these Freecom boxes provide everything, they miss out the one vital thing i need..i.e. I want to be able to record TV programs and watch them at a later time...this is why in my opinion a pc, whilst a little more expensive opens all these possibilities. But now i am having 2nd thoughts as the hardware acrobat has mentioned allows me to do all that wirelessly and without spending too much money.

[ripperuk]

@ jamena - i'm having 2nd thoughts mate and i'm not sure what to do....pls read on...

@ acrobat - This item does everything, but how can i record TV to my pc???

[acrobat]

Would be worth researching first. It sounds great to me, but I've never actually hunted down reviews and stuff.

Also, I'm pretty sure you could then just buy a TV card for your PC, and that would let you record the TV onto your PC. Then you are sorted. ----edit---- 1 sec, I'll find a link to a TV card.

Here ya go, something like this:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=150990

So that thing is about 40 quid, and the other thing I linked was about 100. So for £140 total, it looks like you could do all that. Definitely worth researching first to double check this stuff, but by the looks of it, that would do exactly what you want.

[ripperuk]

To allow me to record Cable TV, don't i need a DVB-C card? or is that incorrect?

[Smudger]

By the sounds of it, the box Acrobat is on about is exactly the same as the Freecom one. Well, my one anyway, it's got wireless and can access files on my PC. Basically, you can stream what's on your hard drive to the telly, or put a hard disk in it and use it directly. I tend to fill up the HD by USB, cos my wireless signal is a bit flaky...

[jamena]

Also, I'm pretty sure you could then just buy a TV card for your PC, and that would let you record the TV onto your PC. Then you are sorted. ----edit---- 1 sec, I'll find a link to a TV card.

Usually the tv-card comes bundled with some software that'll let you record TV. Mine did, though the bundled app is a bit, well, rubbish. MythTV is useful to add PVR functionality to the PC though as I said there are lots of other applications that will work for windows and/or linux.

My reason for going for an htpc is twofold - one so that I have a PC that is still my PC and not being the VCR replacement when I want to play games or something, and two because I have been meaning to upgrade from this SoA machine for some time Plus it's fun not that I've had time over the past year to update it much!!!


If you're happy using a tv-card in your pc to record and transcode stuff off freeview/whatever and are happy sending those files across to the player under the TV go with it! That's kind of what MythTV is designed to do but I plan to use only the one machine. Perhaps a second frontend at a later date when I feel flush and want a challenge.


wrt Cable - I don't think you can (legally) set up DVB-C cards with Telewest/VMedia in the UK yet. Your best bet atm is probably to plug the cable box into a video/audio input on your PC and record like that. You can probably control the cable box from the PC (apparently) using some clever IR device too if you have to. Of course if your media box will accept the video from the cable box and stream it across the network you could capture that on the PC and record ... sounds painful

[ripperuk]

@ smudger and jamena - this is the problem guys. The wireless system in my opinion will be way too slow and flaky. I want to setup a system which can allow me to:-

1. Record Cable TV programs (Ignore the legalities for now ) to watch later.

2. Transfer the movie/recorded program or somehow stream it to my TV in bedroom.

3. Watch .divx movies via USB, EXTERNAL HD or some other method, which may have been downloaded from my pc in my bedroom

I'd say these are the most important...HD is not important as i don't even have a HDTV as yet.

[acrobat]

The wireless box isn't always going to be flaky. I've got a decent wireless router, and I can use my laptop in the garden. The signal strength only says "Average" but its plenty good enough to copy things across the network and surf the net and whatnot. And thats through about 4 brick walls about 5 windows

There are some things that can interfere with the signal too. If you have a wireless phone in your house for example, that uses say 2.4ghz (or whatever), that could interfere. I've got a wireless phone but it doesn't interfere. I don't know what ghz it is though.

[ripperuk]

@ acrobat - mate i already have a netgear wireless router and wireless card. But its the G version and is not fast enough to allow me to do stuff, such as forward a movie that i'm watching wirelessly on my pc, but accessing from my laptop.

Buying a new wireless setup would mean i'll just have to throw this router aside, which is only 12-14months old.

Having a direct connection means no drop in speed and i can do a lot more this way.

[luvclub]

If it is only streaming video/music then how about an original Xbox running Xbox Media Centre? I suppose you should be able to get second hand ones for around £30 now.

To get it wireless you would need an ethernet bridge (maybe another £20-£30).

I have one in my living room connected via component to my 42inch plasma and I could stream everything (no problem) from my main PC and NAS which are both upstairs.

If you have a freeview tuner in your PC you could also watch TV via your xbox by streaming it using JTVlan

So all for an outlay of £50-£60. Not bad eh?