Expanding our network to stream video..

[Davies]

Hi,

First ill try and describe how the house is wired..

Our house is networked fully, each room features a phone line (via ethernet) and internet (also by ethernet).

Every room ethernet internet connection links to an adsl router and modem under the stairs. Which provived internet access to everysocket in the house, if required.

Also plugged into the network is a imerge sound server (200gig), which outputs sound to each room via keypads on the walls, and high quality speakers in the ceilings. There is a limit of 4 zones, i.e, 4 seperate rooms can have seperate music playing at the same time.

The sound server is connected to the tv's (somehow - my knoweldge is getting slighty weak now), meaning i can use the tv in the kitchen, and bring up the sound servers graphical output, i can also control it, and change music that is being played in the kitchen.

There is also a sky box under the stairs, which is linked to two bedrooms, both rooms are able to controlt the sky box.

The lounge is seperate, it has its own sky + box, but can still access the sound server. Its speaker set up is also different as its used for movies (5.1)

The rack under the stairs has plenty of room for more servers etc. We would like to add something so that we are able to share videos over the network. Preferably a video opposite of the soundserver, so we can access it on the tvs and select and watch whatever is on the server there and then - in good quality.
We would also like to be able to access the server via the computers, as we are the sound server, so we could in effect drag and drop movies into it.

Does anyone know if these types of products exist?

Many thanks,

Tom

 

[kippermitten]

Only thing that comes close is the Slingbox..

http://www.slingmedia.com/indexa.php

Hope that helps as its not so simple an idea you want to implement.

 

[bringans]

I will be watching this post. I too am looking for this, atm I have had to set up modded Xbox's in each room, that connect to the network. works a treat but it does mean each room has a old xbox in it.

So basicly I get the resault you want, with a server. 2003 SBS ( could even use a external network drive or just another PC set up with workgroup shares), Xboxers, laptops and PC's. I dont get the TV which this slingbox would help on the PCs, but I we do get to watch any TV program I DL and tbh I do that a lot as I watch stuff from the US. so wife will be watching the new ER in one room, and I will be watching Lost in the other, and if a friend wanted he could be watching CSI in another.

 

[J.B]

i dont know about the video server, but boy your house sounds cool

 

[Seft]

From what I can gather, easiest option would be to get a networked media player (off the shelf kit, plenty of models to choose from, Pinnacle, Netgear, D-Link etc), and then just install the software you need on the server. Of course, you could use something more bespoke, like XBMC (old xboxes should be cheap as chips, and you get a games console) but you won't be able to decode H.264 HD content (actually I don't think any of the others will, so it's a bit of a moo point). There's also the option of building a full htpc for each television, which would have its advantages (full internet support, completely customisable), but it would be much more expensive and time consuming.

Obviously you'd need a fairly hefty storage system on the video side, especially if you wanted to have your DVDs on a hard disk (Illegal in UK iirc, but I can't remember where you live).

 

[Davies]

Thanks for that seft, im going to produce a big post with pictures etc about the house. Its been a good 2 years building it, but its just about paying off. Youll see from the rack under the stairs, we have plently of room for storage.. hehe!

post will be up in a few hours, ill here later re your post below.