No, not all DVD players just mine.
No sooner do I discuss putting in a new swishy media front end (see below) than my trusty multi region pioneer ups and dies on me. After 6 years of putting up with variably mistreated rental discs, endless loops of my sons Bob The Builder, Disney and Dreamworks offerings and playing SVCD then DVDR holiday movies its now come to the end of an illustrious career.
Cleaning was tried but the patient just churns away and then says "Cant play this DVD".
A fitting memorial.
So since my new front end wont be ready for a while (even when the kit turns up theres a Christmas Fayre next week ......... and thats all I'm saying on that ........ ) and I cant take a week where small person will go into Disney withdrawl it's Richer Sounds for me tomorrow.
It will be another multi region DVD player though. BluRay / HD will come here eventually but I dont have a HDMI equipped set and wont be replacing 1200 DVDs any time soon. Also we'll be moving to a digital archive longer term with any HD content being via a PC attached BluRay drive or with the discs safely in their cases and images streamed over the NAS.
One week, one week there'll be a sunday with beer, movies and .... oh I can't say it .... a sofa
Whaaaaa.
Saturday 28 November 2009
HTPC Update
I've been running a Myth TV (Knoppmyth) HTPC for around 4 years now. Its been updated of course and is on the R6 version, the last version before Knoppmyth became Linhes. But, wait, what am I whittering on about here and why?
Whats a HTPC?
A HTPC is a home theatre personal computer (a term that originated over in the USA) it differs from a normal PC only in some extra components that let it receive TV broadcasts (from an aerial or satellite dish / cable) and software that makes the machine act more like a DVD / Bluray / PVR / Freeview box.
Ah, ok, I thought it was an illness, what's knoppmyth / Myth TV then?
Its a free piece of software that was created to be a mythical TV device that handled music, photos, video, TV, everything. It runs under many flavours of linux with several specialist versions of linux being produced that are built to make running MythTV easier, knoppmyth (see http://www.mysettopbox.tv/ for more) being one I grabbed many moons ago.
So whats changed?
Well, I put in a knoppmyth box after I got a nebula DVB-T card (thats freeview to those of you in UK land) the software that came with it was slow and clunky and knopmyth wasnt. Its been rebuilt a few times since the original box has had issues with failed this and that but its mostly been in day to day usage hooked up to a flat panel 32" tv via DVI.
The problem here is that the box is a tower case and is quite noisy despite my best efforts. It sits in a Tv unit but the unit although it looks good has seen better days (not least 5 years of a small boy and various toys..and in some cases teeth.. batling away at it). I'd like to get another unit but they are all invariably "open" units now so I'd like to move away from having the unit in the lounge. Also myth is a server / client or backend / front end system. Although everything is on one computer there are two parts to the system, server "backend" software that schedules recordings, stores files etc and client "front end" software that gives the screen a pretty interface and, you know, lets you watch stuff. Its the latter here that I'd like to update and may help me with the former as well as nudging closer to...oh dear... High Def.
I've been looking at XBMC for a while (see http://xbmc.org/) and its very cool. Originally starting out as software that could be put onto adapted Microsoft X Box consoles (XBMC meant X Box Media Center) its now available for Linux, Windows and OSX machines.
You may see where this is heading now... I want to use a lightweight front end box such as, say, an Acer Revo 3610, as a HD compatible network attached playback HTPC hooked over the network to the backend box storing LOTS of media from TV, DVD, CD etc. I can then use the almost silent box in the lounge and, eventually, migrate the other box to a cooler and more tech friendly environment.
This isnt without challenge. Firstly XBMC isnt designed to handle TV at all, it can divide video into Movies / TV but its a digital archive system to dip into your collection on a whim, its not designed to watch live tv etc. There is however a plugin for XBMC that lets you access recordings made on the backend, myth also lets you schedule recordings via a web interface both of which have possibilities.
Next, the box has an aerial and satellite feed fed into it, these will need to be split into another location, most likely the upstairs office. Devolo houseplugs will then happily route both HD (tested whilst the network was otherwise busy) and TV feed over to the front end box.
But this is getting too far ahead, first I'll get everything working in place. For now at least the back end will stay as is. Its running the aforementioned Knoppmyth, samba (for NAS duties onto an attached 1TB USB2 drive) as well as running squeezecenter to feed 3 logitech squeezebox devices (2 booms and a classic) for multi room music.
The front end, it will not suprise you to learn, is going to be an Acer Revo 3610 connected via HDMI/DVI & standard stereo cable to the 32" panel, spdif to the amp and VGA (when needed) to a panasonic projector. Although the box will arrive with Windows 7, this will have its recovery disc image burned off and put somewhere safe then it will be blatted and XBMC installed. I may also install mythtv front end at the same time.
Control will be via the wireless keyboard / mouse that comes with the Revo and possibly a media center remote if I can find one cheaply from ebay. I'll also hook the squeezebox classic, new front end and backend as well as the lounge devolo plug into a cheap network switch so no wifi is in the mix.
Incidently, if you're wondering why keep the squeezebox they are all synced (although they can play as different zones) and can be controlled via web in the house as well as traditional remote. This allows you to wonder room - to - room and keep the same music on. Something that is really great when you're in and out of rooms (my better half thinks its fab on her in-house days).
So thats the plan for now, the 3610 is on order from ebuyer and should arrive (parcel vans allowing) friday so I'll keep the blog up to date...
Whats a HTPC?
A HTPC is a home theatre personal computer (a term that originated over in the USA) it differs from a normal PC only in some extra components that let it receive TV broadcasts (from an aerial or satellite dish / cable) and software that makes the machine act more like a DVD / Bluray / PVR / Freeview box.
Ah, ok, I thought it was an illness, what's knoppmyth / Myth TV then?
Its a free piece of software that was created to be a mythical TV device that handled music, photos, video, TV, everything. It runs under many flavours of linux with several specialist versions of linux being produced that are built to make running MythTV easier, knoppmyth (see http://www.mysettopbox.tv/ for more) being one I grabbed many moons ago.
So whats changed?
Well, I put in a knoppmyth box after I got a nebula DVB-T card (thats freeview to those of you in UK land) the software that came with it was slow and clunky and knopmyth wasnt. Its been rebuilt a few times since the original box has had issues with failed this and that but its mostly been in day to day usage hooked up to a flat panel 32" tv via DVI.
The problem here is that the box is a tower case and is quite noisy despite my best efforts. It sits in a Tv unit but the unit although it looks good has seen better days (not least 5 years of a small boy and various toys..and in some cases teeth.. batling away at it). I'd like to get another unit but they are all invariably "open" units now so I'd like to move away from having the unit in the lounge. Also myth is a server / client or backend / front end system. Although everything is on one computer there are two parts to the system, server "backend" software that schedules recordings, stores files etc and client "front end" software that gives the screen a pretty interface and, you know, lets you watch stuff. Its the latter here that I'd like to update and may help me with the former as well as nudging closer to...oh dear... High Def.
I've been looking at XBMC for a while (see http://xbmc.org/) and its very cool. Originally starting out as software that could be put onto adapted Microsoft X Box consoles (XBMC meant X Box Media Center) its now available for Linux, Windows and OSX machines.
You may see where this is heading now... I want to use a lightweight front end box such as, say, an Acer Revo 3610, as a HD compatible network attached playback HTPC hooked over the network to the backend box storing LOTS of media from TV, DVD, CD etc. I can then use the almost silent box in the lounge and, eventually, migrate the other box to a cooler and more tech friendly environment.
This isnt without challenge. Firstly XBMC isnt designed to handle TV at all, it can divide video into Movies / TV but its a digital archive system to dip into your collection on a whim, its not designed to watch live tv etc. There is however a plugin for XBMC that lets you access recordings made on the backend, myth also lets you schedule recordings via a web interface both of which have possibilities.
Next, the box has an aerial and satellite feed fed into it, these will need to be split into another location, most likely the upstairs office. Devolo houseplugs will then happily route both HD (tested whilst the network was otherwise busy) and TV feed over to the front end box.
But this is getting too far ahead, first I'll get everything working in place. For now at least the back end will stay as is. Its running the aforementioned Knoppmyth, samba (for NAS duties onto an attached 1TB USB2 drive) as well as running squeezecenter to feed 3 logitech squeezebox devices (2 booms and a classic) for multi room music.
The front end, it will not suprise you to learn, is going to be an Acer Revo 3610 connected via HDMI/DVI & standard stereo cable to the 32" panel, spdif to the amp and VGA (when needed) to a panasonic projector. Although the box will arrive with Windows 7, this will have its recovery disc image burned off and put somewhere safe then it will be blatted and XBMC installed. I may also install mythtv front end at the same time.
Control will be via the wireless keyboard / mouse that comes with the Revo and possibly a media center remote if I can find one cheaply from ebay. I'll also hook the squeezebox classic, new front end and backend as well as the lounge devolo plug into a cheap network switch so no wifi is in the mix.
Incidently, if you're wondering why keep the squeezebox they are all synced (although they can play as different zones) and can be controlled via web in the house as well as traditional remote. This allows you to wonder room - to - room and keep the same music on. Something that is really great when you're in and out of rooms (my better half thinks its fab on her in-house days).
So thats the plan for now, the 3610 is on order from ebuyer and should arrive (parcel vans allowing) friday so I'll keep the blog up to date...
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