How to achieve the digital dream ?

[Ian Huxley]

Here's what I want to do :
1/ Sit on couch
2/ Switch on TV, browse through a list of DVDs that I have ripped onto
a hard disk sitting somewhere in the house accessible via wireless network,
choose a title and watch
3/ Browse through a list of music CDs that have been ripped onto hard disk
choose an album and listen.

Is it possible to do this without going for a media centre PC in the lounge ?

Current kit lying around :
* TV with RGB / HDMI / DVI / S-video connections
* laptop & PCs [Windows XP - NOT MCE]
* wireless network

In the past I have experimented with plugging the laptop into the TV via DVI and
playing a DVD from a file stored remotely over the wireless network, however
a) the TV only accepted a resolution of 1024 x 768 despite being widescreen, so
everything looked stretched horizontally [running Nero Showtime]
b) wasn't quite the 'point and click' experience I was looking for

[redwudz]

I use VLC Media Player and Zoom Player Pro. They both can adjust aspect ratio, which you have to do with some videos to size them to your screen.

I have a PC in another room that acts as a video server. But I access it through my HTPC computer from a LAN connection in the front room. No Media center, just XP.

Accessing from the TV has the general problem of trying to read the text in menus. But maybe your TV has enough resolution. I use component input to my TV, but I still use the HTPC computer to select the video to watch.

[jagabo]

http://www.dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=75&sec=1

[Scorpion King]

My ATI AIW card came with a remote control. I can set across the room and control the mouse arrow, type numbers, hit Enter, adjust the volume, etc. I can setup my video card to output to the TV and have it connected to one of the video input jacks, then simply select that input when you want to. I can hook my sound cards output to surround sound. Using File and Print sharing and a wireless home network I can play stored files from another networked computer...

So yes, it is possible..... and very simple to do like this...

Good luck.

[Ian Huxley]

http://www.dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=75&sec=1

Had a look at the 520 HD thing earlier today, think it's UPNP compatible .
What the D-Link web page didn't spell out was whether or not it would play
the vts_x-y.vob files from a ripped DVD or whether you have to recode to
.mpg or something first.. anyone know ?

[jagabo]

A quick google search for DLINK 520 VOB turned up this as the first hit:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/index.php/t-705858.html

By the way, I don't have any of the DLink media players, I just know they exist. So I'm not recommending them, just pointing them out. I use the s-video ports on my computers to view video on my SD TVs.

[Ian Huxley]

Here's what I want to do :

In the past I have experimented with plugging the laptop into the TV via DVI and
playing a DVD from a file stored remotely over the wireless network, however
a) the TV only accepted a resolution of 1024 x 768 despite being widescreen, so
everything looked stretched horizontally [running Nero Showtime]

Laptop, VGA cable, Windows Media Center [in Vista] & a registry hack do the trick nicely...
no format conversion necessary, just select a film and watch .