Help with media system

godinman

godinman

godinman

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Joined
26 Feb 2007
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Hi All,

Just moved into a new house and am trying to figure out what system to use for the TV.

I was going to go for BT Vision, but looking into it it appears to be 1) crap, and 2) basically freeview with 4od and iplayer.


So I'm now looking at different options, my requirements are -

1 - Freeview, probably. We have done without this before and found internet TV to be absolutely fine. But it would be nice - dual tuner for recording and HD would be a bonus.

2 - Iplayer, 4od definately. Demand 5 and ITV would be good too.

3 - Maybe lovefilm or some sort of pay per view films?

4 - DVD player, blueray would be nice.

5 - Ease of use. I don't want to be messing about with it all the time, and I'd rather everything was controlable via a remote control, rather than a bluetooth keyboard/mouse.


Options -

- A HTPC seems to be a very flexible option, it'll do everything I want it to, but I'm stuggling to find any good media software which lets me do all of this easily via a single menu.

- Xbox 360? I hear you can view live freeview somehow using this, if you have a W7 pc running with the stick in it, any other method of doing this, as it sounds like a pain in the arse! It's compatible with all the demand services I want, and good for media streaming (music, films etc from nas).

- PS3, seems to do everything I want, using PlayTV.


That's where I'm stuck really.

Are there any single box solutions that will let me do everything I want?

Any good HTPC software?

An Xbox freeview tuner?

PS3 - can I stream music and films from a NAS?


Thanks for any help, I really just want a system I don't need to spend hours tweaking and messing about with, I want something that 'just works'.

Cheers.:)
 
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I use MediaPortal with the OnlineVideos plugin on my HTPC, which lets me do the following with just a remote control:

- Watch and record Freesat HD and Freeview HD TV (using a BGT3630 tuner).
- Watch iPlayer HD, ITV Player, 4oD and Demand5.
- Watch all of my ripped/downloaded films and TV shows stored on my server.
- Play DVDs by inserting them and clicking OK when the pop-up appears. Blu-ray is being worked on and is already available in the pre-release test versions. Currently I use a separate program for this (my remote has a mouse so I can use the Windows Desktop if necessary).
- Watch Apple film trailers and YouTube videos (in 1080p where available).

The only thing it wouldn't do on your list is LoveFilm or Netflix. There is a Netflix plugin but it's only working for the US version. Support for UK Netflix should come eventually and a couple of people have managed to get it working with some trickery already.

I would say though that MediaPortal isn't terribly simple to set up. Well, it can be, but if you want perfection like me it takes a while. :D

Also, don't go the Xbox 360 route. I tried iPlayer on there and it was OK but the Xbox 360 didn't switch to output at 50 Hz (instead it remained at the normal 60 Hz) so it was permanently jerky. Not sure about the PS3 option. BT Vision is a Freeview+ box with on-demand and BT's PPV system. It unfortunately doesn't support Freeview HD channels, which ruled it out for me.

The easiest option is to simply get a Freeview+ HD box with iPlayer and other on-demand services (need to look around to find compatible ones, probably high-end Humax are the best) and then a Blu-ray player that supports LoveFilm and/or Netflix. I went the HTPC route because it's more flexible and I wanted a new toy but it is more effort.
 
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Thanks for the reply, can't properly respond as the internet isn't on here yet! I'll have a look at that software, I'm happy to tweak to get it set up, so long as it works simply when its done..

Cheers :)
 
It does seem to be a toss up between the two, I'll take a look at the mediaportal software, if it looks good I'll trial install it on the lappy and go from there.

The ps3 option is very tempting, and could probably be paid for by selling the mini-itx kit I've got lying around for the media portal option, making them both cost pretty much the same!

Hmmm...
 
I've had a look at media portal, it looks absolutely mint. :cool:

Will download as soon as my broadband is activated and have a good play, looks slick tho.:)

Cheers for the advice guys:) Now to find a mini-itx case to fix behind my wall-mounted flatscreen...
 
Windows 7, use the built in Media Center, and install the MediaBrowser plugin, as well as TunerFreeMCE, and MacroTube for some 10-ft YouTube etc viewing.

All controllable from an official MCE remote control :)
 
godinman said:
I've had a look at media portal, it looks absolutely mint. :cool:

Will download as soon as my broadband is activated and have a good play, looks slick tho.:)

Cheers for the advice guys:) Now to find a mini-itx case to fix behind my wall-mounted flatscreen...
Click to expand...

I built one of these a while back. Though you could just get a long hdmi cable and tuck it elsewhere. They are since so popular ocuk have started doing them. Really good low power system but might not be flat engough to squeeze between your wall and tv. I run XBMC just for streaming media off my nas drive but it will do everything everyone here has suggested. You have all the freedom then of full pc functionality. I use a Logitech DiNovo Mini then as a remote/keyboard and trackpad.
 
Thanks for that, looks good, although I've got a mini-itx system, it could just do with a smaller case...

Saying that, what I think I'll do is channel the mains/hdmi into the render/plaster and place the box in/on a unit near the TV, that way I'll be able to access the front easily for blu-rays and DVD's.
 
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