A Media Center House: from loft to lounge, kitchen, bedroom...

[elootos]

Nov09: Edited to limit bandwidth from domain hosted images.

System summary (August09): Basically several PCs running LCD monitors throughout the house with not a single cable, wire, or piece of equipment in sight (apart from the projector and speakers of course)


[IM]http://www.mediacenterhouse.com/images/house_layout.jpg[/IMG]

The main system in the house is a Windows7 Media Center Home Cinema in the lounge with LCD TV and projector both run from a PC two floors up in the loft with cabling running through the walls. There's a second PC in the loft running a master bedroom Media Center (also Windows7) which clones to an in-wall screen in bathroom at the foot of the bath. The Kitchen also has a Media Center but has it's own PC located in a cupboard and is networked to other PCs through a router. I have a terrestrial aerial and satellite on the house and all 3 PCs have a mix of DVB-S (Freesat) and DVB-T (Freeview). Any media that any of the PCs has (music, pictures, recorded TV etc) is accessible from any of the other PCs; the main lounge PC also has a digitised library of Blu-ray films. All 3 PCs also have wireless relays across their power and reset buttons allowing complete control over them while standing in each room without going up in the loft.

Be warned, this house is a constant work-in-progress and things are being updated all the time so this thread may read a bit out of date at times; in fact there's now an extension off the back of the lounge that isn't shown in these pictures. It's not the most perfect setup as I've learnt a lot as I've done it and know how to do things better the next time!

So I’ll start with the lounge:

…and with the projector screen down playing GRiD (amazing game!)

Lights up full (so the wife can paint her nails and I can stare at a washed out projector screen, d'oh!)

And there’s also a networked Media Center in the master bedroom:

...which also feeds an an in-wall monitor in the bathroom:

And another Windows7 HTPC with wall-mounted screen in the kitchen:

…and it all runs from a couple of HTPCs and equipment 2 floors away in the loft with cabling through the walls (apart from the kitchen which is local in one of the kitchen cupboards):

The lounge was the first room to be done in 2006, and before I started it was pretty basic…

So a frame was built…

[elootos]

then boarded and plastered...

The observant out there will notice the speakers are in a different position to the finished shot at the start of this thread, that’s because I had to move them later when installing the projector screen because it blocked them when it came down.

To control power to everything (except the HTPC) I also installed a fused switch (bottom one) in the right-hand side of the build which not only controls the power to everything in the lounge (except the sub) but also returns to the loft to control the amp. Above it is a fused spur for the dimmer for the halogen spots in the firebowl recess and at the top is a scart socket so I can use some external equipment if need be. The scart audio is just fed straight into the TV but the Samsung has an optical out which is fed up to the amp in the loft (I haven’t even used this socket yet). I also recently added the LEDs; green for PC power and red for hard disk activity. These simply run back to the PC in the loft via 2 runs of bell wire.

I have also added a USB port in the scart plate; this allows me to use things like memory card readers and memory sticks etc… It’s a 5m active usb extender from the loft down to behind the TV, then I’ve frankensteined a USB power and normal USB lead together to run to the port in the scart plate.

Now it’s finished I can just whack USB sticks, external drives and cameras in and drag files across. Connecting my MP3 player will also allow it to sync to the playlists in Media Center.

Finally, I have also cut a Blu-ray Notebook ROM drive into the roof of the firebowl recess which has an EasyIDE converter up its arse which then runs over another USB active extender up to the HTPC in the loft. I used a Stanley knife to cut out the hole, painted it to seal it from dust, then slid the drive in and used a cable tie around it to stop it from falling out again.

It does look good when you eject a DVD from Media Center and it pops out and hangs there. The drive slot itself can’t be seen in the roof unless you get down on hands and knees.

Then after staring at a 32" screen for 6 months I decided I needed a projector, so up went a 2m electric screen with a box section built around it with some MDF, coving and halogen spots…

Next up was the projector itself... (the little black thing poking out beneath the projector is an IR receiver that travels back to an IR repeater in the loft so I can control any IR equipment. However everything is now 2.4Ghz wireless so it’s there purely for the hell of it)

Then to control the electric screen, LED lights behind the TV and also PC power/rest I installed a 4 channel RF relay.

Also behind the TV there are sockets for the projector, projector screen, TV, slot DVD, LED lights, 12V for the relay, 5V for the USB hub and another 5V for the USB port; all of course are controlled by the original fused switch in the right side of the chimney breast.

And now for some more finished shots of the lounge…

[elootos]

The system has two of the MS309i subs, one in each corner of the room.

A bit of Media Center,

Standard DVD Library (instructions here)

And for Blu-ray look here.

Music

[elootos]

KITCHEN

This room has a breakfast bar with 19" monitor. The PC lives in one of the cupboards and runs Windows7 with a single tuner Freesat card (DVB-S). The wife loves this PC and is always on it either watching TV while cooking or looking up recipes; it's become the 'hub' of the house.

BEDROOM


This is a £30 mount fixed with spring toggles through the chipboard wall (timber-framed house), I was either brave or stupid to rely on the toggles entirely, but it has shown no sign of movement or weakness. There’s a central large hole behind the mounting plate to get the DVI and power lead through from the loft and there’s also some small holes in the wall beside the mount to allow for the cables to sit there. The cables are then attached with nylon cable ties to keep them in place against the arm; the monitor can be pushed back against the wall or pulled out level with the side of the wardrobe.

For speakers I thought about using in-ceiling ones but was worried about their bass response, so I settled for the Aego M speakers that I also have in my kitchen. Santa got them for me for the princely sum of £80, an absolute bargain! They are powered from an intelliplug along with the monitor, so when I turn off the monitor, or the PC puts it into standby mode, the speakers turn off.


The satellite speakers I wall mounted under the coving and ran their cable straight up through the coving, into the loft, then down the back of the wardrobe to the back of the main sub unit (which they’re driven from).

Anyway, once all setup and in place it looks like this…

[elootos]

And finally, so I don't have to get out of bed to turn off the monitor or speakers I've plugged them into an Intelliplug that will power them off when I shut down the PC.

BATHROOM

To keep things simple I have it running as a clone of the master bedroom Media Centre.

In the neighboring second bedroom, a hole was cut with a frame built to not only house the screen, but also support the studs that had to be cut through.

The glass on the bathroom side is 7mm toughened and laminated, with a black border painted around the inside to hide the copious amounts of silicone holding it in place.

Sound is via an in-ceiling Monitor Audio C165-T2 speaker running off a Cambridge Audio amplifier, and that is isolated by a pull-cord ceiling switch just inside the door. IR control is via a Media Center remote and the receiver is in the loft above the shower extractor fan.

And that's all for here.

[Repton]

Wow, amazing work done to your house there!

[avnutter]

the mutz nutz


wow.

[breakersrevenge]

Great work, going to have to come back and read it as only looked at the pics!

[Max Payne]

Without doubt one of the best conversions I have seen on here.

Im glad you posted it here as for some reason I don't go over to the DIY section much, but this is one of the most inspiring setups on here.

I absolutely love the DVD viewing section on media centre. I have media centre installed, but don't use it at all and would love to take time and read your other thread on the step by step guide of setting it up.

I know you mentioned that it really is for show and usually you would just go directly to the file and play it, but this would be great for my wife to see our movies as she hates the boxes of DVD's everywhere and this would be a great way of viewing them before selection. I would love to add the option of putting a trailer alongside them somehow, so you could get a 30sec glimpse of what you are about to watch......think I need to take time off work to do it though.

Again, just to say - I think your set up and step by step guide is truly inspiring and I think it will get many people on the site motivated into starting/improving their setups.

Well done mate!

[craigizmo2k2]

This is well and truly my new favourite - the attention to detail to get every aspect of that media center working in the living room remotely is astounding, love the AE speakers in the kitchen and lounge, in general just the way how it seems like normal AV gear everyone can afford, but it's been integrated to perfection to look like a much, much more expensive install.

Would love to see this in real life one day - you are a true man of men mate.

Well done.

[gazzaputt]

Best setup I have seen on here by far. Deceration is great and the media centre setup is brilliant.

[maia]

Very nice system integration! The effort has been paid back

[SG-22]

Wow and i thought i liked my toys lol. One hell of a set up, one of the best on this site.

However you do realise that you can never move house now, you’ve done way to much to leave it and start again!

Edit: just read your description of how to put films onto a hard drive and got to the bit about finding the movie covers on dvdxml.com. question is do you know of a program like this that will search for music covers, cheers.

[connorjordan]

What a great diy job!

This may be a daft question but how do you connect the tv to the computer in the attic, and can you give me more info on how you turn the pc's power off and on.

Can you turn the sound up and down on the phillips device or does it need to connect to an amp?

[nero0410]

To sum all of that work and tinkering up in one word of amazingness:

Damn!

tris

[Mad Mr H]

What a fantastic looking place you have.


Excellent intergration of multi room system.


I will go and read your HTPC HD threads.


I am also off to vote you FIVE STARS for this system.

[elootos]

Originally Posted by SG-22

Edit: just read your description of how to put films onto a hard drive and got to the bit about finding the movie covers on dvdxml.com. question is do you know of a program like this that will search for music covers, cheers.

I'm afraid I don't, but that's just because I haven't looked. dvdxml.com only tells Media Center what the disc is, it's then Media Center that retrieves the cover art. Media Center does the same in it's music library. I am well aware of the My Movies plugin to do something similar with DVDs and HD films, but it's never installed very well on my PC.

Originally Posted by connorjordan

What a great diy job!

This may be a daft question but how do you connect the tv to the computer in the attic, and can you give me more info on how you turn the pc's power off and on.

Can you turn the sound up and down on the phillips device or does it need to connect to an amp?

I have just edited the thread to include the wiring I have running through the walls. The TV is connected via a VGA and the PJ is via a DVI to HDMI lead.

Cabling running from the loft, through the bedroom wall and into the floor cavity, then out a hole in the lounge ceiling (covered by the chimney breast) is:

1 x VGA lead for TV
1 x DVI/HDMI lead for PJ
4 x 5m USB active extenders
5 x runs of speaker cables
1 x 75ohm lead for sub
2 x flex runs for power
1 x multicore wire for pc power and reset from relay behind TV

The Phillips media player has a volume control on its remote that simply changes its output level, therefore the AE sub is set to max volume. The AE speakers are active, so all they need is a standard line level feed (phono, headphone etc...)

Originally Posted by Mad Mr H

What a fantastic looking place you have.
Excellent intergration of multi room system.

I will go and read your HTPC HD threads.

I am also off to vote you FIVE STARS for this system.

Thanks for the vote! Unfortuantely I am a heathen compared to the lengths you have gone to to achieve audio greatness!



Thanks for all the generous comments, this is hard to believe but before I started the lounge I had never done any DIY! It's amazing what can be achieved if you have no fear in f*****g things up!

[MULLY@110]

absoloutley beautiful job mate, best l've seen on here , now when are you available to come and do mine

[Kenny Glasgow]

always a pleasure to view elootos

[Festerfly]

fantastic job, very inspiring!

[Andy1969]

I am Inspired.

This is a great setup, and also a fantastic effort to photgraph and detail the work you have performed

I have a similar setup, although not as polished as yours (hats off at this point).

I will be making a note of the way you encased the projection screen, and repeating the same even down to the lights in the box . As I have converted a double garage to allow for the new lounge in my home, and have a pitched loft, will be locating my Media Center in this space.

I am not sure if there will be any issue with dust or loft insulation, as in a same fashion it will be on loft boards and then on a small desk.

I currently use the media center to feed 4 xbox360's in various location around my home with the media stored and the sky feed. I think initially I will run 'head-less' and use VNC to access the HTPC.

As asked before how do you control the on/off function for the PC? Off is easy i.e shutdown, but on? Do you use the Wake-onLan feature?

I will be relocating the HTPC this weekend (all going well) and will try and place a couple of shots in a seperate thread in the DIY section.

Thanks for your time on this elootos, you should be very proud.


Andy

[Guvna]

Cracking

[Woody26]

What an excellent install. You must be very happy with it!
Given me a few ideas now to sort mine out..

[skinnymalinky]

Fantastic home and install

[N0RTHERN M0NKEY]

Wow - hats off, chief - I'd love a go at some of that - I'll bear this thread in mind when I'm next up for having a play in my gaff (brace yourself for my stupid questions!) - I've not got a clue on what technology there is out there.

I'm pretty sure I could adapt... borrow... ok, ok... steal a few of your ideas and incorporate them into my set up.

Awesome set up, and I like you for it.

[recruit]

Superb

[Knightshade]

Lovely job, but what do you do when the harddrives fail?

[elootos]

Originally Posted by Andy1969

As asked before how do you control the on/off function for the PC? Off is easy i.e shutdown, but on? Do you use the Wake-onLan feature?

PC power and reset buttons just short 2 pins together on the motherboard, therfore all you need to do is cut into the wires, then twist another pair into them and run them out of the case and wherever you want them, to another push switch (not a latching one).

So what I have done is get some simple 4 core cable (a network cable might do, or even 2 runs of bell wire), cut it together with the power and reset wires then run that cable down to my wireless relay behind the TV and put the 2 power cores into one relay, and the 2 reset ones into another relay, then hey-presto, when I push either of the coressponding buttons on my little keyfob, the relays switch and the PC comes on.

For the bedroom PC, I currently have a simple push button (£0.80 from Maplin) with it's 2 wires attached hanging down the back of the wardrobe. I do intend to upgrade this to another wireless relay though.

Generally the lounge PC is always on, whereas the bedroom one is only switched on when needed.

I'll post some pictures of this later to help explain my terrible explanation!

Originally Posted by Kenny Glasgow

always a pleasure to view elootos

Hello again Kenny!

Originally Posted by Knightshade

Lovely job, but what do you do when the harddrives fail?

Say **** it, then go and buy another. All systems rely on something that can fail at any moment (even British Airways jets!).

[elootos]

Originally Posted by Max Payne

Again, just to say - I think your set up and step by step guide is truly inspiring and I think it will get many people on the site motivated into starting/improving their setups.

Well done mate!

Thank you!

The Media Center part of it is very straight forward, I've done nothing special to a 'normal' install.

As for DIY, I've just integrated my Media Center with a bit of wood and plasterboard.

[fantastic dan]

That is a really impressive install mate. It's turned out really well.