Cake needs some techie help!

[Cake]

So for a long time now, I have been using a dual screen setup with my computer and running cables to my TV in the living room. This way I can watch movies and whatnot all streamed from my PC and use my ipod touch as a remote for VLC. I'm moving to a new place soon and I don't want to deal with all the wiring and crap and im not even sure they'd let me run cables through the wall again.

So i started looking at wireless AV transmitters and for the most part it seems like they all blow ass. There's also these DMR's or digital media receivers that are like $300+ and have all kinds of bells and whistles that i really dont need. What im really looking for is something that takes use of my router or runs on some frequency that wont interfere or cause problems.

Boon? Klaus? ! helps!

[Hauser]

For 300 bucks you could throw together a media PC that sits right next to you tv. You wouldnt need cables stretching then.

[Cake]

Ok i think you're onto what im trying to do liger. I actually have an old PC that's just missing a Vcard and a hard drive. So how would i set that up?

[Trany]

I think you could even use just a tv card. I think the vid could be based of an onboard if your mobo has it.

[Cake]

Yea the mobo does have onboard Vcard so i wouldn't need that, and i have an extra hard drive i can use, i guess i just need to network it somehow.

[Hauser]

Just grab a cheap wireless card. viola! networked...

[Kyrillian]

Just buy a used X-Box or PS3 and set up the home media sharing imo. That's what I do and it's awesome. I rarely get any lag or buffering. The only time I do is if I'm trying to stream to my TV while downloading like 10 things. Plus then you have an X-box or PS3 for leet gaimz.

[Cake]

hmm i was thinking about getting an xbox 360 so i may just do that

[Klaus]

Yeah, go the Xbox or PS3 route. I have a HDTV card in my main computer and I am able to stream recorded TV and downloaded content to my PS3. Live programing is a bit more challenging. I really like the media center included with Win7 if you get the remote etc.

There are also a couple of cheap stand alone media players that can be networked. Like the newer WDTV from western digital.

[Jomama]

I've head weird problems trying to stream from my PC to my PS3... It will get about 15-20 min into the movie and then it will freeze...

If I save a copy of the movie directly to the PS3 instead tho, it plays fine...

:confused:

[Cake]

I'm definitely going the xbox route, i hate playstation and i dont watch blu-rays. I usually use VLC player to watch movies and everything but i have never played around with the W7 media center you're talking about, what's that?

[Klaus]

Lately I have been downloading High definition .MKV files and burning them to disk to play on the PS3. Works awesome for those torrents that are in HD and you want to play in HD.

Xbox is a great WMC extender but if you want Blu Ray you gotta go Sony.

[Cake]

Blu-ray can Blu-ow me. as long as i can stream hi-def to my tv i have no need for it, xbox inc.

[Klaus]

Yeah, because streamed HD is the same as HD from a Blu Ray. 720, 1080 same thing.

[Cake]

Well VLC has an extension for it, but im not sure VLC will work with this Xbox thing, might have to do the secondary tower network...

[Klaus]

I have the non live version of this and it's great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136472&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Hard+Drives+-+External-_-Western+Digital-_-22136472

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/22-136-472-TS?$S180W$

[Cake]

That does look practical and awesome but no wifi? wtf

[Klaus]

I am sure that will come out on the Live2 version.... I got mine for like $80 and use it with a external HD to play downloaded content. About two weeks later the Live version was announced that included streaming/networked for the same price I was like WTF. I still use it a lot when I travel and it plays pretty much whatever you throw at it.

There are two USB ports on the thing and I remember someone hacked a Wifi usb stick to work in one.