Networking linking help

BenDoro

BenDoro

BenDoro

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Joined
19 Jun 2009
Posts
133
hi there i am an electrician (dont no much about networking :P) by trade but a customer i am working for has asked me if it would be possible to link there
network around to various points in the house to be able to view photos etc on different tvs around the house.

I am aware that this is possible i have done this in my own house but i only no how to do in with a laptop hooked up to the tv and a vga cable up to the tv using the laptop as the device
to view everything from.... i was wondering if there was a way around that and be able to just using the tv or if there is a hub or something avaliable where i DONT need to hook a laptop up
and can just view it directly from the tv?

sorry if my description is poor if u dont really understand what im trying to ask just say and i will try to explain better
 
In a word, no.

The TV will only display a signal sent to it, unless it has some sort of media centre built in which I am not aware of.

Potentially you could wire up a computer to a VGA/HDMI splitter box and then run the cables to each TV and have them as extended monitors, I don't however know the limitations of vga/hdmi cable in terms of lengths etc...
 
thanks for the response m8 just thought with all this tech about now a days there would be some
device that would do it... anyone else got any ideas or is the splitter the only way?

so basically so far my options are use the splitter and run these around the house so it will only be operated from 1 pc

or use laptops or devices located next to the tv to display it

any other ideas?
 
I'd personally look at Atom PCs on mounted behind each TV.

Sp00n said:
In a word, no.

The TV will only display a signal sent to it, unless it has some sort of media centre built in which I am not aware of.

Potentially you could wire up a computer to a VGA/HDMI splitter box and then run the cables to each TV and have them as extended monitors, I don't however know the limitations of vga/hdmi cable in terms of lengths etc...
Click to expand...

Our Panny is on the network (has an ethernet socket for VieraCast) and can view pictures/videos from some of the computers that are also on the network. Think it's called DLNA? Don't have a clue how it works; I've never actually tried to do anything with it!
 
ive had a browse about the dlna and that sounds quite .. only thing it would mean having to buy new tvs etc compatible with it.
Also do you know if all computers are dlna certified or would i have to install something or even purchase a new one?

And with the dlna i take it that its a simple interface on your tv that anyone could understand?
 
DLNA won't need a new PC it is just sw (built in or free to install). The interface from a TV will be fairly simple but ultimately is down to the TV manufacturer and of course some are better than others; some include DNLA to tick that spec box but don't put any effort in to making it usable.

If you don't want to buy new TVs, then you will need some sort of set top box. Many consoles and some DVD/BD players have network connectivity and can be used for this. If not, have a look at network media players (aka streamers) e.g. Zyxel DMA-1000, D-Link DSM-330. These will connect via network to a standard PC. If you want to get the PC out of the equation some NAS devices are DLNA compliant or you could even get combined drive and player e.g. WDTV Live.

The most flexible solution would be small PCs running media centre sw to give users a simple interface e.g. Acer Revo 3610, IR remote control, MediaPortal. This will do pretty much anything you might want including video playback, but admittedly is overkill if it's just occassional pic viewing.
 
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