streaming, tv-server and manuals (1 Viewer)

[GoMad]

Great stuff, what mobo are you using for Raid 5 backend server - I assume Sata II ? I have a dual core 3.2GHz box, about 4 years old now, only has sata 150 and no PCI Express. One option is to get a new mobo for it, but on the basis I was trying to keep this cheap initially as a POOC, I would rather spend the cash on the front end !

So, back end, currently with Ubuntu 9.10, will take a couple of 1TB Sata 300 disks (running in 150 mode), 4GB RAM and dual core 3.2GHz CPU - ample to get me going, but yes, I could upgrade this mobo etc to sata 300 later.

I will look at the iPhone applet - interesting. Also looked at Squeeze Box, need to investigate further - was after a 1 stop solution really.

The larget Moneul or Zalman units have a screen which would avoid needing the TV on for music.

I am hoping MP2 will attempt some multi zone streaming like MythTV does (works well, clunky GUI so have dropped it).

I just like the MP interface - very family friendly.

Points noted though, and will stick with the solution I was going with initially, being the server in the cupboard option managed from my laptop and vls or something.

Thanks.

 

[Berns]

Just to add to all this:
My MP main client does do it all, including music, and of cource native DVD stored on a 1TB disk

To play music in the kitchen I went for a squeezebox boom (didn't want to buy a PC for the kitchen ...).

When I want the music for the living to be different from the one in the kitchen I have 2 options:
- ask squeezecenter (the server part of squeezeboxes) to stop synchronization between clients
- not use squeezecenter on the MP PC, but use regular MP playback

Actually, I only have one squeezebox (the boom in the kitchen). The other PC's are using softsqueeze (a software turning a PC into a squeezebox).

On the MP PC in the living room, the softsqueeze is running "headless", meaning: permanently on, without interface. To control it, I start IE7, in kiosk mode, linking to the management cosole of the squeezecenter (server part for all the squeezeboxes), so I can control all the squeezbox clients from my Living as well.

So if you are keen on multiroom/multizone sound, and allready have a number of PC's in the house, just use squeezecenter and softsqueeze.
Cost: € 0,- (This is how I sold the squeezebox for the kitchen in the first place, with a simulation on the PC)
So if you are keen on multiroom/multizone Satellite distribution, and allready have a number of PC's in the house, and a Sat dish, and a sat PC receiver, use Mediaportal.
Cost: € 0,-

Hooray for MediaPortal!

 

[funkstar]

Great stuff, what mobo are you using for Raid 5 backend server - I assume Sata II ? I have a dual core 3.2GHz box, about 4 years old now, only has sata 150 and no PCI Express. One option is to get a new mobo for it, but on the basis I was trying to keep this cheap initially as a POOC, I would rather spend the cash on the front end !

The server is a quad core AMD system with two 8-port PERC 5/i hardware RAID cards (they are basically LSI MegaRAID 8480 cards, but sold by Dell for their PowerEdge servers. Available on eBay for a fraction of the cost of similar cards at retail). Using the on board SATA for a 1TB boot drive and a second 1.5TB drive with stuff I need to sort out.

 

[kjlkjlj]

The TV-Server isn't exactly the same as a myth-backend. The TV-Server is only that, a server for TV, everything else (music, videos, photos, etc.) is handled directly with shares by the MediaPortal clients. MythTV has had a FE/BE architecture for a long time now, MediaPortals is a lot less mature, but it is progressing nicely.

So the only things that are pulled from the TV-Server is the EPG, live streams and previously recorded TV.

In the future this will change. MP2 is a complete ground up re-write of MediaPortal, part of this change is architecture is that far more will be handled by the server, pushing data and settings out to the clients. I don't know how far this will go, especially initially. But the mechanisms will be there for this to be a very powerful and flexible setup.

The only problem is that MP2 is still under some very heavy development work and not in the public domain just yet. This blog post might be of interest: MEDIAPORTAL - free media center - MP-II development progress

Does XBMC do TV? last time I looked it didn't. What has been spoken about is some of the other HTPC projects adopting the TV-Server for their own systems as well, proves that the TV-Server component is a very good piece of software. The MP client is getting dated (yes it looks good, but thats thanks to the amazing work the skinners have done), the underlying architecture just wasn't designed to do all that people want of it today. The developers have often said that code maintenance is a big head ache, they fix one problem and two more spring up as a result. This is why MP2 is being worked on.

I've just re-built my MP setup over the weekend. One TV server in the study with two dual tuner DVB-T cards, and currently one client PC in the livingroom. Both running Windows 7 and the latest Beta release of MP 1.1.0 with the most recent weekly update applied over the top. Going to add a second client for the bedroom sometime this week as I have some time off work. A third is planned for the kitchen at some point.

So if you are keen on multiroom/multizone sound, and allready have a number of PC's in the house, just use squeezecenter and softsqueeze.
Cost: € 0,- (This is how I sold the squeezebox for the kitchen in the first place, with a simulation on the PC)
So if you are keen on multiroom/multizone Satellite distribution, and allready have a number of PC's in the house, and a Sat dish, and a sat PC receiver, use Mediaportal.
Cost: € 0,-
_________________________
adding spam-links with multi accounts...priceless

 

[GoMad]

Started using squeezecentre and softsqueeze - nice, still want MP for the rest.

Not sure how you un-sync clients so you can play different music to different zones but I'll work it out when I have looked at it in more depth.

Just found my P4 mobo has no intel drivers for vista or 7, so, as it is just a server (no sound etc needed) I need to find out if vista or Windows 7 will work. the only Win 7 download trial is a hyper-v version, no good for tesing hardware compatability on ! Good ole MS.

 

[Berns]

Gomad,

I could tell you how to do it.
As this is a forum for mediaportal and not for squeezecenter/sqeezebox/softsqueeze, I will not.
;-)

 

[GoMad]

Berns - fare enough, however technologies often overlap yet need to be discussed as a single solution !

Care to point me in the direction where you would be happy to provide such details ?

Many thanks,

Jason.

 

[Berns]

Hi Go"Jason"Mad
The bigginers guide to the squeezecenter galaxi is available on Beginners Guide - SqueezeboxWiki

 

[GoMad]

Thanks, much appreciated.

Thought for a mo you were going to tell me how to tell if my P4 mobo was Win 7 compatible without first having to buy it !

Will take a read tonight.

 

[Berns]

Well, GoMad,
As I don't have the need to run Win7 today, I did not do any testing or consulting of hardware compatibility lists.

Without any knowledge of the results or the quality of the results, you could try one of these for example:
Windows 7 compatibility test now available | Windows - InfoWorld
Windows 7 Migration and Readiness Test Tool

Not finding drivers for your motherboard on the webpage of the manufacturer does not mean it is incompatible. To know that, you should make an inventory of the chips on it and go through the HCL.
For example: If your mobo has a realtek integrated network card, it might be possible to find a W7 driver on the realtek website. It could even be that compatible drivers ship with windows 7.

When you read through articles on this forum, you will soon find out that running MP om W7, is not the most stable decision to make for the moment.
This is my approach:
Try XPSP2 first.
If it works keep it.
If it does not, move to vista.

And if you want, you can even test if your system could run blu-ray using BD Advisor - Is your PC ready for real HD?