If you were going to set up media streaming through the house...

clarabella23

...where would you start? What brands would you recommend? What's worth getting, and what would you miss?

I am, apparently, now not with the times. I watch TV on my laptop, and I have a HD tv (and Sky) and that's it. I don't even have an external hard drive. So, if you were starting from this basis, what would you go for?

The main thing I would like from this is the ability to watch whatever I have on my laptop on the TV, but I know it can do so much more than this, and I want in! And, obviously, since we're on MSE, I want to do it for about £3.50

Share with me what your homes are like!

googler

Why do you want media streaming? Just so you can say that you're up with the Joneses?

Honestly, if you're happy with what you do at the moment, why not continue with it?

I read almost every month in the HiFi mags about people who 'control their system from an iPad in their armchair' - the implication being this is a better option than manually operating CDs - but frankly, the interface is too clumsy at the moment for a collection of any size; by the time the lazy boy has picked up the iPad, opened the app, selected an artist and selected an album, I've already reached to the CD rack, got what I'm after and it's playing.

boxst

It depends what you want. If you download movies and TV programs from the internet then it is useful to have a central place to stream them from to whatever device you wish (iPad, TV, computer etc..).

To do this then a NAS is what you are after (Network Attached Storage). I have an (Old-ish) D-Link DNS-323 that was £50 and then put a 1TB disk in there (about £100 at the time, down to £60ish now).

Ivrytwr3

wdtv live hub - 1TB hard drive.

paddyrg

If money's no object, go to a local independent tv dealer and tell them what you need, and let them install a complete suite from scratch with whoever they suggest - whilst in theory you can nail together your own system from several manufacturers, there will always be compromises. If you go with all one manufacturer (be that Sony, Panasonic, etc) things *should * play together nicely. Get the company to do the full installation and set-up for you.

If cost is sensitive, be aware you may not get the seamless experience people think of when they do the full digital house dream thing, and those niggles can really grate when spending a load of cash and want something integrated.

clarabella23

Definitely not just to keep up with the Jones'! This sort of stuff is something none of my friends or social group is into, so to be honest they wouldn't care less! It's something I find interesting, I do download, and think that rather than sitting in front of a laptop or messing about with discs, providing storage, etc, I would quite enjoy being able to do it all in front of the TV.

Unfortunately, money is most definitely an object! So an independant is out. Plus, I like learning these things, find it fascinating what has been invented and how people make it work for them. I thought a plus of doing it myself is that not everything has to be done at once, I can add as and when I can afford it.

So, an NAS or a WDTV first then? I figured the WDTV, but I'm not in the know. Any particular model of this?

clarabella23

Can anyone recommend good websites/reading in this area?

Ivrytwr3

This is the one i have - i paid £140 last year, so shop around:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Hub-Media-Center-1TB/dp/B00466IEXE

Good points is it is very easy to operate and plays anything i chuck at it. It is also hard wired to my internet (home plugs) and i can add or delete when needed. I also have added an external 2TB drive, giving me 3TB of movies etc.

Bad points is it isn't wireless.

I researched NAS, revo, etc etc, and for my needs i feel the WDTV is the best for me (easiest to operate for family!)

closed

portable hard disk to backup your laptop (if nothing else), and a media player box under tv if none of your existing tv/dvd/pvr hardware has the functionality

pedrothefish

a good site to read upon is http://www.avforums.com/ you can also ask questions about which system fits your needs.
I got a media player by just looking at what was out there and making my own decision.

googler

clarabella23 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend good websites/reading in this area?

avforums
pinkfishmedia

Try a google search for terms relating to the topic and see if any others pop up