Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 4691

I don't really enjoy computers very much. There is a certain satisfaction in getting them to do something you want them to do, but in general I don't get any real kick out of using them, like some of the geeks I know at work.

So what I would like to do is lay out a setup that gives me all advantages of having technology around, but that keeps it as unobtrusive as possible.

Here's what I'm thinking...

First, I want to be able to keep all of my mp3s and movies and whatnot in one central repository. To that end I set up CENTOS 4.3 on my old beige box, to act as a fileserver. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be adding a Hauppage PVR-350 video card, setting up MythTV, and putting in two 500GB drives. Cox is giving me an extra set-top box so recording shows I want to see should be pretty much invisible (that is, I can record something other than what I'm watching).

I didn't want to build a dedicated DVR box because all the setups I've seen have this beefy box sitting in your living room. I didn't want to go out and get any new hardware if I could help it, and the beige box stays in the office. So this requires some way to play back to the TV.

For this I will be looking into modding my roommate's xbox along the lines of the "XBOX Media Center" for which you can google if you're interested. Basically all it's going to do is, if I start the xbox up without a game in, then it will boot to Linux and I can just play MPGs off the fileserver, from across the network. The controller ought to be enough of an input device for this, I think.

Next, I have got three stereos in this house--my "good" one in the dining room, the surround setup, and the little one in my room upstairs. I'd like to be able to select multiple sources (the XM receiver, the fileserver, etc.) and direct the output to whatever stereo I want. I also want to be able to sit on the couch and surf the web or check e-mail (basic tasks). So I was considering getting a cheap tablet PC and looking into some kind of digital patch panel setup. I don't know how feasible this is, but I like the idea of a tablet because when you're not using "the computer" you can just stick it in a drawer. This would be on a wireless setup that would be firewalled off from the rest of the network, because I'm still convinced that wireless is and will remain inherently insecure.

That's pretty much the extent to which I've thought this out. At some point (before I move back to Chicago) I want to look into getting a decent projector so that there is no TV sitting in the living room--if we're not watching TV, then there's just a blank wall. Picture quality is not really that important to me.

If any of you have any ideas on this whole...setup, especially how to make it more elegant, or if you know of any pitfalls or have any suggestions at all, I'd love to hear them.

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 4776

quote:

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Originally posted by squee
First, I want to be able to keep all of my mp3s and movies and whatnot in one central repository. To that end I set up CENTOS 4.3 on my old beige box, to act as a fileserver. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be adding a Hauppage PVR-350 video card, setting up MythTV, and putting in two 500GB drives. Cox is giving me an extra set-top box so recording shows I want to see should be pretty much invisible (that is, I can record something other than what I'm watching).

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 4691

quote:

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Originally posted by macker


What's the spec of the beige box? If you plan on recording shows with the PVR-350 you need a fairly beefy CPU. Have you kept up with the MythTV mailing list or read the MythTV wiki regarding cableboxes, and which are best to get for MythTV?[/B]

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 4691

This is what I'm thinking of as far as the DVR:
http://pvrhw.goldfish.org/tiki-view...d=multimediabox

It doesn't have to do anything flashy...I don't care about HD, forwarding through commercials, and whatnot. I just want to be able to record (e.g.) Boondocks when I have an early Monday, or Dr. Who (or Battlestar) if I decide to go out on Friday night instead of veg in front of the tube, and then watch them later. If I really feel froggy I expect I can always edit the commercials out or something.

Anyhow, the beige box would pretty much handle the backend--recording and storage. I could run the frontend on the faster box if I need to.

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 4776

quote:

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Originally posted by squee
Is there another card you'd recommend?

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 4691

So far as I know, the ram in the beige box is not upgradeable.

The mobo apparently accepts no greater than 128m chips, and it has got two of those. I suppose this might be as good a time as any to learn how to figure out what ram etc. works with what mobo...

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