The Official HTPC Thread

[2gunsup]

Got to also make sure whatever device you are going to use capable of decoding the type of files you are sending to the TV unless you got something like Plex Server handling that. There is a version Plex server for Synology if that's what you want to go with. Just tie it to a Roku and be done with it.

 

[Tha Snowman]

I dont have a smart tv i have one of these

Amazon.com: Panasonic TC-P50C2 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV: Electronics



Props , Yea i figured there no way around using a box of some sort to connect the TV to the NAS was wishful thinking more than anything lol

and na i dont plan on streaming any files that big , all my movies i DL i keep them to under a gig, biggest movies i have are like 850 MB, am happy with the quality when i play them off a usb stick through the xbox , have yet to try and stream though , but again more than likely will run a Ethernet cable to whatever box i use to stream from the nas

Ahhh. I do almost exclusively bluray rips. I have a decent sound system and have to have dts/dolby bitstreaming. Once you hear good multi-channel surround you can't go back.

 

[newarkhiphop]

Ahhh. I do almost exclusively bluray rips. I have a decent sound system and have to have dts/dolby bitstreaming. Once you hear good multi-channel surround you can't go back.

yea thats the only complaint i have , of the smaller BRRP files i DL, the visual quality is excellent but the audio is its a trade off i guess

 

[daze23]

and na i dont plan on streaming any files that big , all my movies i DL i keep them to under a gig, biggest movies i have are like 850 MB, am happy with the quality when i play them off a usb stick through the xbox , have yet to try and stream though , but again more than likely will run a Ethernet cable to whatever box i use to stream from the nas

you're missing out though. I used to do it like that with my xbox, and the bluray rips looked lovely. although I had to convert mkv's to 2-channel mp4's, it was worth it. I also tried to stick with 720p, as 1080p files would stutter sometimes

now I just have my desktop hooked up to my TV

 

[One4Deuce]

I've had my HTPC hooked up to my TV for a couple months though. Only watched a couple of Blu-rays with it but last night I actually went in and properly set up the audio, whooo what a difference.

 

[newarkhiphop]

you're missing out though. I used to do it like that with my xbox, and the bluray rips looked lovely. although I had to convert mkv's to 2-channel mp4's, it was worth it. I also tried to stick with 720p, as 1080p files would stutter sometimes

now I just have my desktop hooked up to my TV

that what i do now , convert sub 1 gig mkv blu ray rips to MP4s throw them on a usb on put them on the xbox , i use handbrake to covert wish i knew what settings to mess with to have better audio i dam near have to have the volume on my tv at full baslt , dunno if thats a rip issue or a conversion issue

 

[daze23]

that what i do now , convert sub 1 gig mkv blu ray rips to MP4s throw them on a usb on put them on the xbox , i use handbrake to covert wish i knew what settings to mess with to have better audio i dam near have to have the volume on my tv at full baslt , dunno if thats a rip issue or a conversion issue

I used to use this program:

GOTSent 0.24 Beta 8 - VideoHelp.com Downloads

I liked it because you could set it up so it would only convert the audio, and use the exact same h264 video in the mp4 container. that meant you lost no video quality in the conversion, and it made the conversion fast. I never had issues with the volume of it's mp4's either

 

[Fatboi1]

That setup looks nice. I never took time to check out XBMC in depth. I'm not some movie buff or TV guy so I wouldn't care to use it for watching loads of media but I'd love that interface to boot up my games from Steam and emulators. I mainly use my PC for browsing the web, email and playing games. I'd rather just watch a movie through my PS3.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCcfMstxSI"]My mediacenter/retro gaming machine! (XBMC + HyperSpin) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[winb83]

must be nice to have HTPCs. i got one PC plugged up to the 42 inch TV in my bed room through HDMI and i do all my gaming on it and use of it in there. i only wish i could find a Wireless mouse with enough range to use in my bed without having to be close to the receiver.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Can't to built my 30TB NAS box. shyt's gonna be so

 

[Tha Snowman]

must be nice to have HTPCs. i got one PC plugged up to the 42 inch TV in my bed room through HDMI and i do all my gaming on it and use of it in there. i only wish i could find a Wireless mouse with enough range to use in my bed without having to be close to the receiver.

Get you a usb hub and break the receiver out so it's closer.

I've had to do that with some. My Bluetooth mouse has excellent range though. Much better than my 2.4ghz stuff.

 

[GoldenGlove]

must be nice to have HTPCs. i got one PC plugged up to the 42 inch TV in my bed room through HDMI and i do all my gaming on it and use of it in there. i only wish i could find a Wireless mouse with enough range to use in my bed without having to be close to the receiver.

Why not buy a bluetooth mouse?

 

[GoldenGlove]

I'd really advise you guys to build a low budget/low power* file server if you are going the NAS route. You can save a gang of money in the long run and it just a shyt load better.

@newarkhiphop ,

You are going to want a wired connection breh. Streaming 1080p over wifi via Plex can get ugly real quick. I've done it before and it doesn't compare to a good wired connection. I do run my cables in the walls and under the floor which I know isn't an option available to everyone.

It also depends on the rips you are streaming though, all of my movies are 8GB and up. I know some of you guys like downloading them smaller shyts which shouldn't be a problem over wifi.

Really breh?

I've been streaming 1080p BRRips that size wirelessly thoughout my entire house without any problems to these Rokus. They never mess up either. And I'm talking about watching a whole movie in my mancave and my router/modem is upstairs and down the hall in the office



I have the settings streaming to 10mbps on Plex and the image quality and sound is crazy for me.

 

[2gunsup]

Really breh?

I've been streaming 1080p BRRips that size wirelessly thoughout my entire house without any problems to these Rokus. They never mess up either. And I'm talking about watching a whole movie in my mancave and my router/modem is upstairs and down the hall in the office



I have the settings streaming to 10mbps on Plex and the image quality and sound is crazy for me.

Try rewinding and fast forwarding. I know that's what caused issues for me. It also really depends on router/signal quality. I had my router running wifi in mixed mode instead of just N.

 

[GoldenGlove]

I dont have a smart tv i have one of these

Amazon.com: Panasonic TC-P50C2 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV: Electronics



Props , Yea i figured there no way around using a box of some sort to connect the TV to the NAS was wishful thinking more than anything lol

and na i dont plan on streaming any files that big , all my movies i DL i keep them to under a gig, biggest movies i have are like 850 MB, am happy with the quality when i play them off a usb stick through the xbox , have yet to try and stream though , but again more than likely will run a Ethernet cable to whatever box i use to stream from the nas

The Panny smart TVs do pick up Plex, but I wouldn't recommend using it solely for streaming movies to it.

Plus when you use something like the Roku, the Plex interface will have it all organized like Netflix with the cover art and all that.