HTPC2012KK
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- Jan 1, 2012
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Hi all,
I want to set up a Media + TV/PVR server (located in an upstairs home office) to stream all content (TV, music, Video etc.) across gigabit LAN to client devices connected to TVs in up to 5 rooms. I have a host of hardware to source and build but reckon I need to start with the software and user experience and then get the hardware to support that.
I know that within a windows environment, the easiest solution appears to be a Win7 media center with xboxes as media center extenders. The UI appears quite nice and x-boxes are very inexpensive thin clients.
However there are other windows options that I know nothing of, media portal, XBMC etc. Not to speak of the unknown world of Linux.
Can anyone out there help me please? I would love recommendations, summaries of pros and cons, or directions to detailed reviews of the various software.
Key for this project's success is ease of use of TV/PVR functions for satellite and terrestrial HD TV. My wife and young kids will be very disappointed if this solution is not as robust and simple as the sky interface they are used to. I do not mind technical stuff and would be confident in gettign stuff working in a windows environment, I would be less confident in a Linux environment, but would not mind the time investment to get a robust solution especially if Linux can significantly reduce costs along the way by reusing old hardware etc.
I am very time poor however, so whatever solution I settle on has to have minimal ongoing maintenance requirements.
Thanking you in advance for any help or pointers.
John
I want to set up a Media + TV/PVR server (located in an upstairs home office) to stream all content (TV, music, Video etc.) across gigabit LAN to client devices connected to TVs in up to 5 rooms. I have a host of hardware to source and build but reckon I need to start with the software and user experience and then get the hardware to support that.
I know that within a windows environment, the easiest solution appears to be a Win7 media center with xboxes as media center extenders. The UI appears quite nice and x-boxes are very inexpensive thin clients.
However there are other windows options that I know nothing of, media portal, XBMC etc. Not to speak of the unknown world of Linux.
Can anyone out there help me please? I would love recommendations, summaries of pros and cons, or directions to detailed reviews of the various software.
Key for this project's success is ease of use of TV/PVR functions for satellite and terrestrial HD TV. My wife and young kids will be very disappointed if this solution is not as robust and simple as the sky interface they are used to. I do not mind technical stuff and would be confident in gettign stuff working in a windows environment, I would be less confident in a Linux environment, but would not mind the time investment to get a robust solution especially if Linux can significantly reduce costs along the way by reusing old hardware etc.
I am very time poor however, so whatever solution I settle on has to have minimal ongoing maintenance requirements.
Thanking you in advance for any help or pointers.
John