Multimedia Machine

BigRed · 12-02-2009, 02:21 AM

I need a little help, not even sure this is possible. I would like to build a machine that will play multimedia on my tv. Its a lcd sony bravia m series. Im tired of burning disks and would just like to access my home server to view movies (image files). I would prefer to do wireless networking. Also I would like to view high def movies, I know I'll need a vid card with hdmi output.

If not building a machine, is there another option?

Thanks.

**brightsid** · 12-02-2009, 08:14 AM

If you need it just for movies you don't need any of those new super vgas. Any 780G motherboard with the onboard HD3200 VGA and a +2.8 processor and a BD player can easily play all the video files that are available today. On the other hand using wireless network is not an option for HD movies so if you want to use your home server you need wire.
Of course if you like to play games you will need a better video card, if you are audiophile you need a better sound card etc. You have to remember that htpc is not a plugaplay machine so if you are looking for something easy you'd better try something like WDTV

**Detale** · 12-02-2009, 07:03 PM

Hello man I have tried EVERY different method of getting file to my TV without burning. In my experience I have fouind that the WDTV Live is by far the easies and cheapest. For wireless you will have to get a USB wireless adapter the "tested" ones are

Here are the USB Adapters that we've tested: Ralink based

Manufacturer Model # Device Name
Belkin F5D8055 N1 Wireless USB adapter
Belkin F5D8051 N1 Wireless USB adapter
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300HP Wireless N compact USB 2.0 Adapter
Buffalo WLI-UC-G300N Wireless N compact USB 2.0 Adapter
Buffalo WLI-UC-GN Mini
D-Link DWA-140 Rangebooster N USB Adapter
EnGenius EUB-9701 Wireless N adapter
Linksys WUSB100 Rangeplus wireless network usb adapter
Linksys WUSB600N Wireless-N USB network adapter with dual-band
Trendnet TEW-644UB Wireless N USB adapter
Trendnet TEW-645UB Wireless N USB adapter
Trendnet TEW-664UB 300Mbps Dual Band WirelessN USB Adapter
Sitecom WL-329 Wireless Dualband USB Adapter

you could also use an ethernet cable if it helps. it plays everything including DTS audio and you can usually find it on sale somewhere for about $100 USD

Good luck

BigRed · 12-03-2009, 07:21 AM

Thanks for the help guys, ordered my wdtv live yesterday w/500gb passport drive.

**Detale** · 12-03-2009, 08:35 AM

You will not be disappointed man

**goopka** · 12-10-2009, 08:10 AM

I highly recommend little standalone media players. I bought an Asus O!Play back in October and I couldn't be happier with the purchase. It's consistently < $100 US from online retailers (I got mine for $96 after shipping with a free HDMI cable). It has no fans, so it's silent. It's capable of analog (RCA composite plugs) and digital (HDMI and SPDIF) outputs to TV/Receiver.

What can it do?
Read audio/video/picture files from USB/eSATA/UPnP (wired, but support for some wireless adapters too) so that you can view whatever multimedia you might have on whatever display you might have.

What kinds of flies can it handle?
Pretty much all of them. I usually just throw .mkv movies with Dolby DTS at it, and it sends them flawlessly in 1080p to my TV. (See the above link for more file types)

I used to stream movies from computer to Xbox 360 to TV and it was a pain. I was limited to .avi and .wmv files, and the audio frequently went out of sync. Glad to be rid of that. Also, not that anything I do is environmentally friendly... but running a small standalone media player like the O!Play uses significantly less power than a 360 and a dedicated HTPC.

If anyone does decide to get a digital media player like the WDTV Live, Asus O!Play, Popcorn Hour, Briteview CinemaTube, Patriot Box Office, etc... you'd be wise following the firmware updates. Asus updates their player pretty frequently (I'm on my third firmware update in two month) with better stability, compatibility, and UI performance tweaks in every single one.

These perfectly compliment torrenting and/or backing up your movie collections to hard drive.

**lee551** · 12-14-2009, 10:22 AM

In case anyone else is looking for ideas on the topic, this is more or less what I use for streaming content to my HDTV. XBMC with the Aeon skin is a beautiful interface to navigate.

If you don't need high def then a good old regular XBOX running XBMC does it ever so elegantly.

There's so many streaming-based solutions out there. I haven't had to burn anything in years.