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

clarabella23

I think, from what I have gathered so far- please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong- that I should maybe spend a couple of hundred on a hard drive and a WDtv player for my living room. That would be my starting point. From there, work across to a decent router, NAS, and media for the other rooms. Ideally, eventually I would like to have a system with a touchscreen remote that controls media in all rooms of the house, but I'm unfortunately talking longterm here!

Does that sound about right? Are WD the best choice to go for? How big a hard drive/ what brands would be a sensible choice? I don't have shedloads of media at the minute, but I tend to use a very large chunk of my 30gb allowance most months, so not a tiny amount either.

[Deleted User]

Well, I have a buffalo 1tb NAS (£90) wired up to my wireless router. My router is also wired into my Samsung smart tv. This supports DLNA so I can stream my photos/music/videos straight onto it. I also have an iPad2 and an apple tv. I can plug the apple tv into any other tv and use te iPad to stream video (or the kids can just watch their videos on the iPad directly).

I'm planning on getting a raspberry pi to use as a cheap 'receiver'? The other option would be to buy a 'smart' bluray player that supports DLNA. When I'm working, I just map the NAS as a drive on the PC and then listen to the music straight from it using Winamp.

So that's my little streaming solution

Edit: this is the sort of blu ray player http://www.dabs.com/products/samsung-blu-ray-player-full-hd-1080p-smart-hub-wi-fi-ready-usb-hdmi-82V9.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product+search&utm_content=Q200

clarabella23

Just googled raspberry pi, I had never heard of it before. It's amazing to see how small they can get stuff. Very interested to see how they use that educationally to get kids into programming.

tombruton87

there are so many options out there, has the op ever built a pc before?

kingcreech

hareng wrote: »

Ethernets far quick connection than any wifi or homeplug, at best halve what they state then struggle to stream HD.

True ethernet is the best and most solid route but not all folks want the trouble of chiseling walls. On a new build or renovation then this would be the first thing I would do.

Homeplugs stream HD content with no problem though fella, the lower specc'd plugs aren't that great but the newer and higher specc'd plugs are quite good. Good option instead of wifi and for those not wanting to lay cables.

OP - have fun with this project, starting small sounds good and then build up as you go. :j

Jammyb

You don't need a new router. The ISP supplied one is fine.

Buy a set of homeplugs like these -

7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_9&products_id=113818

One at router and other one at TV.

If you have more than one device that requires Internet you can buy a 4 port network switch (less than a Tenner on eBay)

You can buy multiple homeplugs and plug them in around the house. One at router, one at TV, one in kids room and one in kitchen.

These give you wired Internet over your ring main. You can get cheaper versions but 500mbps helps boost the signal further than 200mbps in my experience.

Next decide what you want to have at your TV. If you need a NAS, you can buy A dual bay one and you just add in hard drives.

m.dabs.com/products/zyxel-nsa-221-2-bay-nas-appliance-77RF.html

Plug that at router and access all over your network.

Your media saved on that and streamed to a WDTV and you're on the way.

You can use squeezebox with the homeplugs as well.

clarabella23

tombruton87 wrote: »

there are so many options out there, has the op ever built a pc before?

Never, I would think it would be way out of my capabilities, unfortunately! Time would probably be a struggle aswell- single mum, full time job and a degree, and I have a habit of taking on more than I should

clarabella23

kingcreech wrote: »

True ethernet is the best and most solid route but not all folks want the trouble of chiseling walls. On a new build or renovation then this would be the first thing I would do.

Homeplugs stream HD content with no problem though fella, the lower specc'd plugs aren't that great but the newer and higher specc'd plugs are quite good. Good option instead of wifi and for those not wanting to lay cables.

OP - have fun with this project, starting small sounds good and then build up as you go. :j

Thanks! I plan to have fun with it. It might take a while to get there, but I like learning new stuff, so it will be enjoyable!

I definitely think home plugs will be the way to go. I can have my router practically next to the TV anyway, but will need them for the rest of the house.

tombruton87

clarabella23 wrote: »

Never, I would think it would be way out of my capabilities, unfortunately! Time would probably be a struggle aswell- single mum, full time job and a degree, and I have a habit of taking on more than I should

from what your saying id be inclined to go for a small nas box and a media streamer box such as a boxee box

almillar

For flexibility and the ability to do EVERYTHING, a computer underneath the TV is hard to beat. Use VLC (or similar) on it and your laptop, and you can control it from your sofa. I'll guess from your description that your daughter's computer isn't up to it, so buying a decent nettop (tiny computer based on laptop components) would be perfect, and can be done for around £200. Research any specific model to make sure that it can handle streaming iPlayer HD for example, and you'll be set. An AMD based one rather than Intel may be better, as if you only have Intel integrated graphics it might struggle.
So you've got a Windows 7 PC with a web browser for anything you're used to on your laptop, now install either XBMC or Plex, to play any vids you have stored. They'll also do music or use your music player of choice.