To Wire or Not to Wire?

[mblanco2000]

Newbie here. I have been reading post after post on this fabulous board. There are so many helpful posts on here it is great. My question has kind of been addressed, but still there is some confusion on my part.

I have a computer with some that I am dedicating for storing my digital media (mp3, avi, mpeg etc) so I would like to be able to play this content on my TV in the living room. I have looked into the Media Extenders a bit, but have come away again confused and asking more questions. Do you have to have a media center even if you wire your computer directly to the TV, or is it just for streaming wireless content? From reading the posts it seemed the wireless solutions that are out there today are still a bit jittery on playback, and might be a bit cumbersome to manage. If that is the case I am fine with a wired solution.

If I were to go with the wired solution, what video card and other hardware would I need to purchase? I can provide more detail if needed, and thanks in advance for any help.

[rallynavvie]

There's a difference depending on if you're referring to wired vs wireless networks or just connecting your TV up directly to your computer.

If you're referring to networking then the reason for the media center extender is to grab the information you're streaming over the network and play it on your TV (basically a miniature computer decoding this data for your television). Wired is going to offer you better quality when going this route, and it is almost required for HD content. I'd recommend wired networking if you do go this route. With a media center extender your PC can be pretty basic hardware and still work fine, it just depends on the type of extender you're looking at.

If you're referring to connecting your TV directly to your PC's video card then you have to be wired. This can be the best way to display video from your PC on your TV. However not all cards and software will support this. What sort of inputs does your TV have available? Which video card is in your PC? Most people run their TV as a secondary monitor, that is in addition to your current display, when they have one connected. If your system will support this then that would be ideal. Keep in mind though that cable lengths should be limited to less than 12' to avoid poor video quality, but there can be exceptions so if you can find a cable long enough you're certainly welcome to test it and see if the quality is OK with you.

[redwudz]

What rallynavvie said.

What I use is a HTPC, a computer which has a primary purpose to deliver video to my video projector. The HTPC is hooked through a gigabit LAN to two other computers in a back room that have the files on multiple hard drives, about 16 at present. The playback is done on the HTPC. The servers just transfer the file over the LAN to the HTPC.

What video card to use depends on your viewing device. Since I need component video, I have a video card that has that output. More often DVI or HDMI is used. Those are digital formats, as opposed to component, S-video, VGA or composite, which are analog.

Or a video appliance will work in a similar way. A computer has some advantages as a video source. It can play back just about any format, using any player you want. And also function as a computer for other purposes.

My system is all wired, which I find more dependable and faster than most wireless LAN setups.

[mgithens]

pretty much all the media extenders have problems playing back various formats... build a cheapo PC, I currently run a Dual Core Celeron 3.2GHz with 1GB, which I have had success with both XP and Vista on... I have a 8400 Nvidia car in there and a DVI to HDMI converter... it runs 720p all day long, my biggest issue has been slow network response from my P2-400 fileserver running FreeBSD... the 10mbit actual throughput isn't enough, locally stored video collections are much faster to thumb through...

Additionally, look into MyMovies.name to see how easily your movies can be organized...

[redwudz]

Another program for organizing movies and videos is Extreme Movie Manager, about $15US. It can automatically find your files and download IMDB or other site info about the videos: http://www.binaryworks.it/extrememoviemanager/

[jet757f]

Newbie here. I have been reading post after post on this fabulous board. There are so many helpful posts on here it is great. My question has kind of been addressed, but still there is some confusion on my part.

I have a computer with some that I am dedicating for storing my digital media (mp3, avi, mpeg etc) so I would like to be able to play this content on my TV in the living room. I have looked into the Media Extenders a bit, but have come away again confused and asking more questions. Do you have to have a media center even if you wire your computer directly to the TV, or is it just for streaming wireless content? From reading the posts it seemed the wireless solutions that are out there today are still a bit jittery on playback, and might be a bit cumbersome to manage. If that is the case I am fine with a wired solution.

If I were to go with the wired solution, what video card and other hardware would I need to purchase? I can provide more detail if needed, and thanks in advance for any help.

I just saw your post and it is exactly the same question I have. Im getting confused with all of these media centers such as popcorn, avix, tvix etc on whether I need them or not. I just want to do the same thing you are saying.
Store dvd movies on my computer HD and maybe use the Vista Media Center to organize them and then hook my computer to the TV using HDMI DVI cable and thats it. My TV is sitting here right next to the computer so no wireless networking or internet needed.
Can someone please tell me if this is all that I need?

[edDV]

Wired over wireless Ethernet.

If wireless Ethernet set up an ad hoc network separate from computer network. This may not be possible with close neighbors. They may get angry. If you are on a farm, you can use all the channels.

[redwudz]

jet757f, It sounds like you just need a video card with HDMI output, a HDMI cable and you would be set. I don't use Windows Media Center in Vista, but others like it. I just use regular software players like VLC.

You can also use a DVI>HDMI conversion cable if your video Card has the proper DVI out, then all you would need is the cables. You would route the audio separately to your TV or to your surround sound amplifier. A 1/8" stereo Phone to stereo RCA plug adapter cable would do that. If you wanted surround sound, it depends on your audio cards outputs.

[jet757f]

jet757f, It sounds like you just need a video card with HDMI output, a HDMI cable and you would be set. I don't use Windows Media Center in Vista, but others like it. I just use regular software players like VLC.

You can also use a DVI>HDMI conversion cable if your video Card has the proper DVI out, then all you would need is the cables. You would route the audio separately to your TV or to your surround sound amplifier. A 1/8" stereo Phone to stereo RCA plug adapter cable would do that. If you wanted surround sound, it depends on your audio cards outputs.

I just ordered a HDMI DVI cable. I dont think my video card has HDMI but the TV does.
TV also has a PC audio port and USB.
I guess I will see what happens once I get the cable.

[edDV]

[quote="jet757f"]

DVI-D to HDMI works. Audio is a separate cable.

[jet757f]

[quote="edDV"]

DVI-D to HDMI works. Audio is a separate cable.

Yes I see where I will need another audio cable to go from the computer to TV.

Thanks everyone for helping someone very new to this.