[pin]

hi

i'm thinking about a little project.

basically i want to have a set up where i can stick all my movies, music, etc on a hard drive and then stream that onto my tv.

i'm a total newbie at doing all of this media center stuff, so don't know where to start. have been checking the internet and i think i have a set up, but want to check if i'm going down the right route.

at present i've just a laptop and an external usb hard drive.

i'm guessing i will need to get myself a NAS drive and connect that to my wireless router. On the NAS drive I would store all my media files, etc.

then i need to work out how to access the content from my NAS drive to my TV.

for this it seems that an xbox 360 could be an option. i don't mind going down this route, but i'm really not a gamer, so i doubt i would ever use it for games.

apart from using the xbox, has anyone else got any suggestions, or any other ways of doing this.

naturally cost will be a consideration.

thanks!!

[KnowItAll]

We have a digidock ( no longer available ) which streams stuff from a number of sources to the TV through a HDMI interface. ( http://www.maxfair.com/av.asp?item=mp7301 )

I'd say hold off for a couple of months. New stuff will be announced at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas) in early 2008.

[Stoob]

Have you considered the Apple TV?

It has wireless streaming capabilities and local storage (40GB I think!)

I have software that I use for my Archos PVR that will convert DVD to H264 (720P HD video), I am thinking of converting all my DVDs to this format and storing on my PC (Already connected to my main Plasma TV), I would then use wireless and the Apple TV for a second TV.

I'm not sure if this format of video can be streamed realtime by wireless but think it could be uploaded to the Apple TV in advance.

[MrMoo]

I have a Buffalo NAS and an original Xbox running XBMC works fine for regular TV. More powerful hardware is required for HDTV, I believe the AppleTV unfortunately cannot handle HDTV well either: the Mac Mini is more practical.

As an interim solution, till XBMC is completed ported to Linux, you can stream to an Xbox 360 or PS 3. Both are expensive and huge.

Anything else, especially stuff designed outside the Occident, is going to be fruity for support and updates.

(edit) Apple TV supports H.264 1280x720 pixels (720p) at 24 fps, but MPEG 4 is limited to either 640x480 or 720x432.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_tv

[pin]

Originally Posted by MrMoo

I have a Buffalo NAS and an original Xbox running XBMC works fine for regular TV. More powerful hardware is required for HDTV, I believe the AppleTV unfortunately cannot handle HDTV well either: the Mac Mini is more practical.

As an interim solution, till XBMC is completed ported to Linux, you can stream to an Xbox 360 or PS 3. Both are expensive and huge.

Anything else, especially stuff designed outside the Occident, is going to be fruity for support and updates.

(edit) Apple TV supports H.264 1280x720 pixels (720p) at 24 fps, but MPEG 4 is limited to either 640x480 or 720x432.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_tv

Cheers

Read reviews about Apple TV, heard the res sucks. Also with apple tv, how would i be able to play my ripped movies? i thought apple tv was only for stuff downloaded from itunes or streaming from youtube.

Re the xbox option, now i don't own a console.

could i pick up a cheap original xbox second hand and use that maybe?

[MrMoo]

Originally Posted by pin

Re the xbox option, now i don't own a console.

could i pick up a cheap original xbox second hand and use that maybe?

I only use it for TV, I found one in Wongam, I'm sure there are a few more. It already included a mod-chip and an older version of XBMC. All I did was to copy across a newer version that fully supports Windows style file sharing.

I didn't have much luck asking about XBMC around HK though, everyone has short term memory in the shops, its all Xbox 360 and Wii now. I do highly recommend getting the Xbox remote control if you go this route.

[pin]

Originally Posted by MrMoo

I only use it for TV, I found one in Wongam, I'm sure there are a few more. It already included a mod-chip and an older version of XBMC. All I did was to copy across a newer version that fully supports Windows style file sharing.

I didn't have much luck asking about XBMC around HK though, everyone has short term memory in the shops, its all Xbox 360 and Wii now. I do highly recommend getting the Xbox remote control if you go this route.

so that means i have to find an old xbox that has been modded (modded with what btw) with a version of XBMC (which I understand is the freeware XBox Media Center).

Can't I buy a modded XBox and install XBMC onto it?

Sorry for being a bit blonde on this, but have no idea.

[KnowItAll]

Does the Apple TV thingy play DivX files?

[Stoob]

Originally Posted by KnowItAll

Does the Apple TV thingy play DivX files?

Video formats supported
H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels or 640 by 480 pixels
MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

I could never see Apple allowing playback of anything but their own formats

[KnowItAll]

Which is what I thought - was surprised to see it being reco'ed.