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I have to admit, while the kids and I have figured it out, my setup has caused more than a little consternation with my wife.

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09 Bullitt - DD
11 Fusion - Wife's DD
03 Mazda6 - Track car
00 PSD Excursion - Tow rig
67 Firebird - Don't you still own your 1st car?
61 F100 - Dad's truck
90 Moto Guzzi Calif III - Tourer
00 Cagiva - Adventure bike
00 DRZ400 - Woods bike

If the bigger problem right now is one of control of multiple systems, I suggest looking into iRule as your custom remote. It's an iOS/Android app that simply talks to network devices. You buy Global Cache IP2IR or IP2Serial boxes and connect those where you need IR or serial connections, and otherwise it can talk to just about any device that's already networked.

You can even directly launch other control apps that you might have from it, or just do app switching. I have iRule controlling a bunch of stuff.

I actually replaced a professionally installed Crestron system (mega-$$$) in my mountain house with an iPad running iRule and a few Global Cache boxes and everyone who uses that house LOVES the new system way more than the old.

Yes, it's a little hacker-specific to do this yourself, but if you're hacking media PCs and the like already...


--Donnie

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My Blog

I am sort of in the same boat. I have DirecTV and know that I pay a lot of money for it, but... it does work pretty well and it pretty simple to use. I like Mike's spreadsheet, but at the top of "need" list would be ease of use. I can see how you can build something that does quite a lot for not much money, but would be a nightmare to turn on, etc. I want something that pretty much appears to be seamless and is easy to use.

Richard

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

I actually highly recommend Plex as the back end with Roku as the client. The Plex client is pretty decent, but Roku is a cheap addition that greatly improves the user experience and removes the need for having a media PC connected to the TV.

For my needs, this combination hits all of the must-haves:
- access to video streaming (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, many others)
- access to music (Spotify, Pandora, and my own collection Amazon Cloud Drive)
- access to all my local content via the Roku Plex channel
- very simple, wife-friendly interface with no need to switch TV or receiver inputs or remote controls
- cheap (Plex is free; I think the base Roku model is $50-ish, but I've also seen the top model, refurbished, for that price)

A couple of bonus features:
- while web browsing, myPlex lets me save videos to a queue to view later on my TV
- Plex tablet/mobile apps let me watch my content on a tiny screen

I've been running a Plex-centered setup for about 4 years and have had been very happy with it. The only thing I've changed is the addition of Roku in the last couple of years, and an antenna for local channels. There is no DVR, but I honestly can't think of a reason to use one. With all the streaming and on-demand sources out there, isn't "DVR" an obsolete concept?

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Marek Rozanski

mdroz@me.com
919-648-2433

Hey Marek - Thanks for the info on Plex. I was tempted by it but was trying to avoid having a backend server running. I know I will probably need to if I insist on a DVR. What HW are you running the Plex backend on?

FWIW I picked up a Boxee + the LiveTV dongle. So far I'm impressed but aware of the device's bugginess and lack of support. I ditched the Roku, Tv tuner box, and the XBMC 1g Xbox, and automatic component cable switch box. The Boxee does all of that in a small formfactor and one HDMI. No Amazon VOD, no DVR, but I am willing to live without those for now considering how well the Boxee is doing at the moment.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

I'm currently running Plex Media Server on an old Mac Mini (2 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM), but they have Windows, Linux and even NAS versions. (I wonder if the NAS devices have enough power to handle on the fly transcoding, however.) If you already have some PC up and running all the time anyway, just stick Plex server on it. The media can be anywhere on your network, as long as it's accessible by the host server.

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Marek Rozanski

mdroz@me.com
919-648-2433