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What is the best Media Server??

#1
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8/25/09 at 6:34pm
  • Joined: August 2009
  • Post Count: 1
This will be my first post so please forgive if I'm posting in the wrong place.

I've been turned on to a client with a 10000 sq/ft house that is wired for just about everything... We weren't the wiring company. The owner walked it with another contractor who designed the system. Now we've been brought in to give an estimate to install all the hardware and make it work.
   Our company has alot of experience in home entertainment but hasn't had a request like this one.

The customer wants all his equipment to be located in a central media rm. This is where the Sat Receivers will be located and the media server will live. From this room the client wants to send video form the media server out to up to 10 screens over component cable through out the house. He'll also want to do the same with the audio to even more locations in the house. 

So I have alot more questions for the client to design the system for him. I just wanted to get the hard stuff figured out first. i.e. The media server.

Any help would be welcome, thanks, Robert





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#2
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8/31/09 at 6:56am
  • Joined: June 1997
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Robert:

Welcome to the forum.

First off I would wait (if your client can) until you can get him one with Windows 7 installed. They have improved Media Center and it will be able to handle cable cards, etc. I am going to be checking it out in a couple of weeks and let you know what I find out.

One thing I would look into is Media Center extenders and an HP Media Smart Server. We have an owner of this forum that has his whole house wired and I will let him know about this thread. I am sure he can direct you in the right place.

Parker

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#3
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9/7/09 at 11:15am
  • Joined: November 1999
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Robert-
I have a lot of questions before I have any answers. 

If you have 10 screens are you going to have 10 cable/sat boxes, or will there be one per person in the house?  Hypothetically if you are only going to have 4 how will you prevent two people for fighting for control of the box (trying to watch two shows on one box at the same time).

What is the purpose of the server?  Will any video be output over component too?  How many outputs will the server have?

Will the audio from the whole house video sources in all the rooms be played through the TVs speakers, the whole house audio system, or will there be surround sound receivers in all or some of the rooms?

Are there going to be any local sources in any of the rooms?

How will all this be controlled?

Something to note, most displays won't accept a 1080P signal over component, and once studios activate the Image Constraint Token (ICT) you may not be able to send full resolution HD over component.

Why is the contractor who designed the system not doing the install?  That is a bit of a red flag as you are going to be on the hook for anything that doesn't work, even if its a design flaw

I am in a similar situation.  I have a large house with a combination of locally controlled video sources, whole house HDTV/DVR system (not over component), and 24 zones of whole house audio,

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#4
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9/29/09 at 1:02pm
  • Joined: July 2008
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Oh no, first post. I build media servers professionally, mostly with Windows Home Server.
I would suggest you look at how many simultaneous streams you want to display.
It matters. The HP series are great, but the internal mechanism of balancing does cause stutters, for many once an hour. Higher spec units do not have this problem.
There are many options, and it is best to carefully plan before you install.
If you need more info, please let me know, or you can look at wegotserved. Good forum.
Windows Home Server does have a connector for HTPC's.
Many people also go with popcorn hour or sagetv.

Ben Ogilvie

ben@texashomeserver.com
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#5
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9/29/09 at 5:52pm
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Post Count: 8
 Hey Rac97crawford,

I wasnt clear if you wanted a Windows based HTPC but here is one we use commercially available with a nice GUI that handles most DVD (except Blue Ray) ,CD,MP3, and has Internet radio all ready to go.                                     www.escient.com/products/dvdm100.html

Another Phenomenal  media server is the       http://kaleidescape.com/products/

option: it is possible to send 1080p over Cat5e using HDMI / baluns on each end, but Im assuming he has cat5e  prewired to each tv drop.

Hope this helps 



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#6
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11/8/09 at 10:10pm
  • Joined: November 2009
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TVersity Media Player is a littel quirky during boot but works well and handles many formats. It even handles internet streams video and radio. This is the one I settled for. Especially because it does not cost me a dime and works 97% of my files, be it photo, video or music.

Fly fishing knots
 

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