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Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:54 am

I was in the process of going the Apple TV route... Ripped 98% of my dvds to my computer, almost done with the other 2%.

Then this whole hd/blu ray thing happened. Here are my thoughts.

I want a single unit media center... Like an apple tv but with a drive so I can play dvds and I guess blu rays now.

So Blu ray players are $399 now. The PS3 is $399 as well.

You can use the PS3 as a hub for your digital media. Stream it from your server or desktop and have your media at your finger tips. It has HD quality output and is a gaming console.

I'm not really into gaming, I'd probably buy Rock Band and Street Fighter 4.

If I went with the apple TV all of my digital media would have to be apple format and I would still have to get a Blu Ray player.

Sometimes I hate technology.

What are you guys running?

Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:57 am

Sorry, but old school tube audio electronics, vinyl LPs and 1/4" tape.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:00 am

Glenn wrote:

You just had to get a red Beetle in that pic, didn't you? In fact, there's 2. :shock:

Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:01 am

EdW wrote: You just had to get a red Beetle in that pic, didn't you? In fact, there's 2. :shock:
There's actually 2 if you look hard enough.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:05 am

Glenn wrote: EdW wrote: You just had to get a red Beetle in that pic, didn't you? In fact, there's 2. :shock:
There's actually 2 if you look hard enough.

Really?

Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:07 am

EdW wrote: Glenn wrote: EdW wrote: You just had to get a red Beetle in that pic, didn't you? In fact, there's 2. :shock:
There's actually 2 if you look hard enough.

Really?
Right of the turntable behind the black one and on top of the preamp.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:10 am

Glenn wrote: EdW wrote: Glenn wrote: EdW wrote: You just had to get a red Beetle in that pic, didn't you? In fact, there's 2. :shock:
There's actually 2 if you look hard enough.

Really?
Right of the turntable behind the black one and on top of the preamp.

Wow, don't know how I missed that one! :lol:

Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:11 am

I am using a modded first generation XBox as my media center.
It is hacked and running xbox media center (home brew app) as the operating system.
From there I stream all of my media through my cat-5 network from my terabyte NAS unit.
:D
So easy to use my wife can even use it.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:48 am

I used to have the modded 1st gen xbox until it died one die.
I had my mac mini hooked up to my samsung plasma for awhile and that worked great until I got a bigger place and wanted to use my mini as an actual desktop.

I'm in the process of building a linux NAS to house all of my media, just looking for a good interface between the tv and the media.

I've debated buying another mac mini, buying a apple tv, building a windows media box with hdmi and such(expensive and I want to stay away from windows), and getting a new xbox or now the PS3.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:42 am

hah...we're out in the middle of nowhere, so I'm still trying to figure out how to get a decent signal from our aerial antenna into the tivo.
:)

Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:44 am

TeamSpatula wrote: hah...we're out in the middle of nowhere, so I'm still trying to figure out how to get a decent signal from our aerial antenna into the tivo.
:)

Lots and lots of aluminum foil. ;-)

Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:31 am

Glenn wrote: Sorry, but old school tube audio electronics, vinyl LPs and 1/4" tape.

Glenn, what kind of speakers are those? Are they Magnapans? I used to work in a stereo store in the 80s....

Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:19 pm

I built my own PVR using MythTV http://www.mythtv.org/

Mythbuntu made it real easy. http://www.mythbuntu.org/

I have my main media server in the basement, it has 4 analog recorders and 2 HD recorders. You can use just about any device you want as a front-end (connected to the TV) Xbox, Mac, appleTV, PC, purpose built appliances etc.

I have 3 front ends hooked up to TV's, Family room, Bedroom, and outside by the Pool all over cat 5. My kids just run the frontend software on their macbooks ( http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Myth_on_Mac_OS_X ) and can watch wherever they want over wireless.

I also have a computer in the garage that has the mythfronted software on it as well. (to watch Bug Me videos that I bought/ripped) and for looking stuff up on the web when I work on stuff out there.

Myth works as a TV recorder, DVD ripper/player, Picture repository, and Music database/player at my house.

I actually did not start to build such a huge system, My first goal was to be able to record/watch football games. Once I had the basic system up and running, it was very easy to "grow" it into what it has now become.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:38 pm

MConverse wrote: I built my own PVR using MythTV http://www.mythtv.org/

Mythbuntu made it real easy. http://www.mythbuntu.org/

I have my main media server in the basement, it has 4 analog recorders and 2 HD recorders. You can use just about any device you want as a front-end (connected to the TV) Xbox, Mac, appleTV, PC, purpose built appliances etc.

I have 3 front ends hooked up to TV's, Family room, Bedroom, and outside by the Pool all over cat 5. My kids just run the frontend software on their macbooks ( http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Myth_on_Mac_OS_X ) and can watch wherever they want over wireless.

I also have a computer in the garage that has the mythfronted software on it as well. (to watch Bug Me videos that I bought/ripped) and for looking stuff up on the web when I work on stuff out there.

Myth works as a TV recorder, DVD ripper/player, Picture repository, and Music database/player at my house.

I actually did not start to build such a huge system, My first goal was to be able to record/watch football games. Once I had the basic system up and running, it was very easy to "grow" it into what it has now become.

That looks pretty hard core.
How much storage do you have right now?
I'm working with 1tb, will need to go to 2-3 if I do any tv recording...

Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:03 pm

27 in TV
Rabbit Ears (NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, FOX and spanish stuff)
DVD Player

KICKS ASS !

Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:07 pm

MConverse wrote: I built my own PVR using MythTV http://www.mythtv.org/

Mythbuntu made it real easy. http://www.mythbuntu.org/

I have my main media server in the basement, it has 4 analog recorders and 2 HD recorders. You can use just about any device you want as a front-end (connected to the TV) Xbox, Mac, appleTV, PC, purpose built appliances etc.

I have 3 front ends hooked up to TV's, Family room, Bedroom, and outside by the Pool all over cat 5. My kids just run the frontend software on their macbooks ( http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Myth_on_Mac_OS_X ) and can watch wherever they want over wireless.

I also have a computer in the garage that has the mythfronted software on it as well. (to watch Bug Me videos that I bought/ripped) and for looking stuff up on the web when I work on stuff out there.

Myth works as a TV recorder, DVD ripper/player, Picture repository, and Music database/player at my house.

I actually did not start to build such a huge system, My first goal was to be able to record/watch football games. Once I had the basic system up and running, it was very easy to "grow" it into what it has now become.

Open Source Software Effing Rules!
I've been wanting to do this for a long time!
What kind of antenna are you running?

Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:58 pm

Glenn wrote: Sorry, but old school tube audio electronics, vinyl LPs and 1/4" tape.

Badass system, but are those shelves made out of boards and cinder blocks? :lol:

Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:02 pm

66busman wrote: Glenn wrote: Sorry, but old school tube audio electronics, vinyl LPs and 1/4" tape.

Badass system, but are those shelves made out of boards and cinder blocks? :lol:

glenn is perpetually a starving college student.

looks like my friends basement :lol:

Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:06 pm

dquattlebum wrote:
How much storage do you have right now?
I'm working with 1tb, will need to go to 2-3 if I do any tv recording...

I have 3x750mb drives in raid 5 - so about 1.4tb plenty of room still to go. I do have Myth setup to transcode all the recordings so that saves quite a bit of disk space.

Mr. Electric Wizard wrote:
Open Source Software Effing Rules!
Agree!!
Quote:
I've been wanting to do this for a long time!
What kind of antenna are you running?

I don't use an antenna - I have basic Cox Cable at home, they also broadcast HD feeds for all the major stations (CBS,NBC,ABC,PBS) and a couple of others. I use a HDHomeRun device to record HD off the Cox Cable feed.

Basically from the street I have:

one cable -> dual splitter for Internet Modem & line amplifier to a 8 port breakout box.

Out of the break out box I have:
3 Runs for the TV's (so they can still watch live tv if myth is ever down, or recorders are all busy)
4 runs to analog recorders in the myth server ( http://hauppage.com/pages/products/data_pvr500mce.html)
1 run to the HDhomeRun device, it has a built-in dual tuner as well ( http://www.silicondust.com/) They talk over ethernet to the Myth server where the recording is kept.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:46 pm

Cool.
I was unaware of the Mythbuntu project.

8)