Ongoing New Home, System Revamp. Input/Help needed (1 Viewer)

[slimmj0k3r]

Hey All,

I've been running my MP Single seat setup for about a year or so now and i absolutely love it. My current setup consists of one PC and a server to store all my music and movies. The server and my PC are ran off a gigabit switch which gives me NO problems whatsoever.

Recently We've decided to move and buy a new house , first thing I thought of was to build a new multi-seat setup and really explore MP's capabilities.

My plans are to convert my current PC into a TV server (its a quad core AMD system, I'm pretty sure that is capable correct?) and pick myself up some Zotac Zbox's as my client PCs. Initially I will be toying around with one system before i do a full roll out throughout the rest of the house. I'm aiming for 3-5 clients total but might need room for some additional clients if needed.

Here's where I need help. I've been doing research on setting up a TV server but I'm pretty lost as to what type of TV tuners to get and what not. Where I will be moving to I know they only have two different cable television providers which are DirecTV and Cox. As far as OTA stations go I am clueless....

I also want to be able to take advantage of DVR capabilities as well.

Any questions feel free to ask. I've got a few weeks of planning to do before I actually begin pulling the trigger.

 

[GarySeven]

I’ll throw in my 2 cents worth.

I have been running a 4 seat system for about 3 years.

My server has a dual core Athlon in it, but I think it is overkill. The server is mostly just a data pass through machine. The clients do the decoding, the server just sends the data from the source (tuner, hard drive, or DVD) and the client converts it into a form you can watch/hear.

You didn’t say what storage capacity your current PC has in it, but you will need a lot of storage if you convert it to a media server. I originally thought 200 Gb was big, but I filled it rather quickly. My server has 2 Tb in it and after 3 years of collecting TV series, HD videos, digital pictures, converting DVDs and CDs, is now half full, and I’m not compulsive about doing this.

When I built the media server, I also thought long and hard about TV tuners. Multiple tuners are a must if you have more than one person who is going to be watching TV at once, or record while you watch something else. I finally settled on the HDHomeRun. Most other tuners will use up the expansion slots (whether they be PCi, PCIe or USB) in the server. The HDHR avoids this. Multiple HDHRs can be plugged into your network and managed by the server. If you have too much network traffic, the HDHR can be directly connected to the server, but this will cost you a network card, but I think you can put the HDHRs through a switch, so it is only one slot used by creating a separate network.

I have never had a cable subscription, so I won’t comment on it, but SiliconDust provides a list of the OTA stations you may find in your zip code.

Two of my clients are dedicated to being media players. You didn’t mention how you intended to use yours, but my experience is that a HTPC without a good remote is painful to use. I have tried out a few and definitely prefer RF remotes, but that is just my point of view. I’m thinking of trying out iPimp on a iPod touch. It’s an expensive way to make just a remote, but the touch screen may be more reliable than the junky buttons they tend to put in remote controls.

 

[slimmj0k3r]

I’ll throw in my 2 cents worth.

I have been running a 4 seat system for about 3 years.

My server has a dual core Athlon in it, but I think it is overkill. The server is mostly just a data pass through machine. The clients do the decoding, the server just sends the data from the source (tuner, hard drive, or DVD) and the client converts it into a form you can watch/hear.

You didn’t say what storage capacity your current PC has in it, but you will need a lot of storage if you convert it to a media server. I originally thought 200 Gb was big, but I filled it rather quickly. My server has 2 Tb in it and after 3 years of collecting TV series, HD videos, digital pictures, converting DVDs and CDs, is now half full, and I’m not compulsive about doing this.

When I built the media server, I also thought long and hard about TV tuners. Multiple tuners are a must if you have more than one person who is going to be watching TV at once, or record while you watch something else. I finally settled on the HDHomeRun. Most other tuners will use up the expansion slots (whether they be PCi, PCIe or USB) in the server. The HDHR avoids this. Multiple HDHRs can be plugged into your network and managed by the server. If you have too much network traffic, the HDHR can be directly connected to the server, but this will cost you a network card, but I think you can put the HDHRs through a switch, so it is only one slot used by creating a separate network.

I have never had a cable subscription, so I won’t comment on it, but SiliconDust provides a list of the OTA stations you may find in your zip code.

Two of my clients are dedicated to being media players. You didn’t mention how you intended to use yours, but my experience is that a HTPC without a good remote is painful to use. I have tried out a few and definitely prefer RF remotes, but that is just my point of view. I’m thinking of trying out iPimp on a iPod touch. It’s an expensive way to make just a remote, but the touch screen may be more reliable than the junky buttons they tend to put in remote controls.

my server that I am going to be using: its a Quad core system that I built last year. I mainly do all my music/movie ripping and converting (mkv container) on that PC which can take up some time/processing power.

My storage: I've built myself an unraid server currently setup with 4TB (2x 2TB HD) with plenty of room for expansion. Currently I've got about 100 Blu ray backups and i'm using about 1.5TB of data as well as a few music CD's I've backed up.

The only reason I opt to go with a company such as direcTV or another is because I usually take advantage of the triple package which comes with Telephone, Internet, and Television Services. Is there a way I can use the STB with multiple clients via the server? I don't mind getting multiple STBs however i can't stand the clutter in front of the TV and switching sources. One source with everything I need would be great.

My goal is to have the clients setup only with the TV and PC in the room and everything else will be in another room, hopefully i will be able to build some sort of server room where i can setup a small rack. All of my clients will use the TV portion of MP more than anything else, occasionally a movie and or some music. I haven't looked into remotes however i was thinking of going with Logitech Harmony remotes but they can get pricey. If i'm paying more than $200, I might as well look into ipod touches also

 

[GarySeven]

I understand about telephone bundles, I’m looking to dump one now.

When you are through being house poor, you may want to check out the Ceton InfiniTV or HDHomeRun Prime tuners rather than fighting with STBs. While STBs can hook up to your capture card, remote control of them is awkward, if I understand what I have read in other forums. Having the cable tuner part of the PC should make them as easy to control as OTA tuners.
The Ceton has 4 tuners, but is pricey and not easy to get. The Prime has 3 tuners, but isn’t in production as yet, so you have some time to move and then make your decision.

 

[slimmj0k3r]

I understand about telephone bundles, I’m looking to dump one now.

When you are through being house poor, you may want to check out the Ceton InfiniTV or HDHomeRun Prime tuners rather than fighting with STBs. While STBs can hook up to your capture card, remote control of them is awkward, if I understand what I have read in other forums. Having the cable tuner part of the PC should make them as easy to control as OTA tuners.
The Ceton has 4 tuners, but is pricey and not easy to get. The Prime has 3 tuners, but isn’t in production as yet, so you have some time to move and then make your decision.

I know its a tad priceir but I'm liking the InfiniTV. Need to contact both cox cable and directv to see if they offer multi-stream tuner cards.

Thanks for the info, will keep you posted

just an update

Got off the phone with cox cable. Multi-stream Cable card is $2.00/Month + $6 digital gateway fee/month


Not sure if DirecTV or Dish Network even offer cable cards. Based on the HD channel lineup I'm pretty content with what Cox has to offer.