[deep geek] I just want my media on my FREEKIN TV!

Cafe Society
1

This is a problem suffered by a 0.001% geek, so turn away if you don’t care about these things.

A year ago, I had a very simple setup:
Linux File server -----Xbox Media Center (a hacked xbox) ----- TV

But it wasn’t HD and I wanted something better, so in November, I bought an Apple TV.

So now I have to have:
Fileserver ---- (Something that plays iTunes that’s always on) + Something that converts to h.264 + TV to get a flat list of all the movies, and no way to seperate out the kid stuff from the adult stuff.

Just after that, the Xbox added Divx/XviD support(!), I look under the xmas tree at that white and green box and thing it could be my solution.

Okay, three days after xmas and some heavy hacking later, i’ve got:
linux file server - small spare computer with Windows XP media center edition - MCE SP2 Rollup - Windows Media 11 - Zune Player - Xbox 360

And my wimpy little 1.2 Ghz Duron just can’t keep up with Microsoft’s needs.

So I put iTunes on it and that kinda works, but I’m back to figuring out how to batch convert a TON of video…through a Duron…to get a flat list of movies.

The file server has some oomph, but I don’t want to install a Microsoft OS on it for this one supid need, and I couldn’t get OSx86 to see the boot device.

So. Lots of AVI/Divx/h.264 files, two video endpoints, and no joy. :frowning:

I live out of a Mac laptop and take it with me…getting the Apple TV to stream from it means: pull out laptop, get apple TV to stream from laptop, WAIT 10 minutes while they negotiate my media library…

Any clues how to (preferably) get back to what I had with the XBMC with HD?

2

I have

Server:
2.0 GHz linux server (SME7) with
TwonkyServer (paid for software) - MS UPNP
Firefly - Apple DAAP server.
OxylBox - HTTP server for Showcenter

Media Clients:
XBox360 (A/V)
Pinnacle Showcenter (A/V box)
Pinnacle SoundBridge (Audio only) for my wife to play MP3s without turning the TV on
ITunes/WMP/Amarok clients on laptops/desktops - all accessing music from the server.

It all works really well. My A/V files are all AVI (XVid) files, and can be played on all appropriate devices. There is no on-the-fly transcoding. The only thing to watch is the Showcenter does not decode Dolby to the TV audio out.

Si

3

HUZZAH! Twonky Server did it for me!

Definately a package worth buying! Thankyou, THANKYOU Si!

4

I was in your same situation about a year ago, before the xbox got it’s divx support.

I ended building my own hoem theater PC out of spare parts I had lying around + a new mobo and CPU and a HTPC case runnign vista’s media center. I get basic (unencrypted) digital cable and my local HD channels + I can play any video/music file I want even those damn matroska files.

5

Glad to help

Si