[sunstone]

Hi All

This is my first post, so go easy

i'm hoping you guys can help with some advice on a solution.

I'm hopefully going to be getting on with renovating some barns in the next 3-4 months and the wife has allowed me a budget for an audio / video system for the place of around 15k.

Now I've looked at a number of companies online offering awesome seemless kits, where the speakers are neatly aligned in the ceiling and walls and the kits that runs them are kept in a cabinet. These things look the nuts but the cost of 'em are also awsome too.

What I'm after is a audio / video streamed throughout the house, ideally I want to be able to have different Audio/video in each room if possible with a single (or maybe 2 or 3) remote control looking after the different zones.

One cheaper solution I thought of would be to have a media PC in each room(zone) attached to a NAS box on the network which would store the Audio and Video for each media PC.
Now I am in IT so Servers n networking isnt a problem. Perhaps with touch screens on the wall ???

The problem is getting the balance between having loads of wires all over the place and having a professional looking system.

Can anyone offer their advice on systems that would be ideal for this sort of thing.

Cheers All

Steve

[MarkP80]

Hi Steve,

I think there are more guys with specialist advice in the Home Automation subforum or the video streaming one, try posting there maybe.

Particularly with video streamers lots of the guys use a NAS box. In each room, folk seem to tend to use an actual media streamer, the Popcornhour is a current favourite. This is a fairly cost effective way to go. Not sure how you'd access it from a touch panel on the wall though. Wouldn't you need remote amplification from the server to do that? Normally the in-room client streamer feeds onto local amplification in each room (although I'm positive there are solutions to give what you describe).

If you read on the media streamer forum, you'll find that people have not had a lot of success with HTPCs. The latest HD media streamers with the latest chipsets seem to do a much better job, particularly with HD media.

Handy that you're familiar with networks, as this is an issue with media streaming. HD video has a reasonable bandwidth requirement, so while you have the chance put a gigabit ethernet in. This will make sure you don't run into any problems in that respect.

HTH,
MarkP

[MarkP80]

Hmm, was that clear, on rereading? I guess I was saying

- gigabit ethernet
- NAS with all the content on
- media streamer in each room (eg Popcornhour) connected to the LAN
- Local amplification in each room (or video display, both or whatever) fed by the mediastreamer

With your router connected to the net, you can keep the mediastreamer firmware updated as and when, as well as being able to download media to the NAS.

But take advice from others as well, obviously!!!

MarkP

[gazzerdaman]

I would look at Sonus whole house audio kit. With some lateral thinking you could install that seamlessly with in ceiling speakers etc. Would give you the same sort of capabilities (and look) for a lot less money.

[suniil]

Make sure you have gigabit network cabling thru'out the house coupled with Gigabit router etc. [several of DIY threads shows end-to-end process here]

I've Qnap TS201 Raid 1, Kurobox [DIY bufallo linkstation] as NAS running 24x7 serving audio/video thru'out the house with streaming clients Squeezeboxs & Roku Sound bridges.

HD video streaming to living room is via PS3 & HD HTPC and other 2 bedrooms via Pinnacle showcenter 200 [planning to get popcornhour soon]

[chrispeters]

Originally Posted by gazzerdaman

I would look at Sonus whole house audio kit. With some lateral thinking you could install that seamlessly with in ceiling speakers etc. Would give you the same sort of capabilities (and look) for a lot less money.

I have to 2nd that 1...for your audio multi room setup..have a look here...

http://www.simplysonos.co.uk/?kw=son...FQM_MAodPRF2qw

[MarkP80]

I would look at Sonus whole house audio kit. With some lateral thinking you could install that seamlessly with in ceiling speakers etc. Would give you the same sort of capabilities (and look) for a lot less money.

- but that doesn't help with the video streaming, does it?

[vex]

I would second the large, Raid based NAS with either HTPC or PS3 or even a hacked Apple TV all connected on a Cat5e Gigabit network. But watch your budget. Adding touch screens, surround sound amps to a couple of rooms will bump up the price quite quickly.