Making a Video Server

[knotabot]

I am interested in getting my 100+ movies off my shelf and on my box to be served to my big screen tv as needed, with maybe a gui interface for browsing titles.
Occasionally in different rooms.

Suggestions please!

Thanks

[SirDice]

Buy a streaming client like netgear's EVA8000. You can connect it to a samba server and play everything from there. This is the way I've set it up. The server is a freebsd box with 1.3TB of storage in it.

[knotabot]

I've checked out the netgear media extender. Expensive. $300+.
Doesn't play .iso
The D-link is 1/2 the price but doesn't play .iso either.

When I make copies of my movies, I use DVD Shrink or DVD Fab.
I want DVD player functionality in my stream to different rooms.
Chapters, special features alternate languages tracks.

[SirDice]

The eva is somewhat expensive, yes. But it does play full HD (1080p), it does play ISOs directly (with the beta firmware), mkv, xvid and quite a lot more.

[bluetick]

Buying a prebuilt media toy takes the fun out of life. Vlc works great with samba and nfs shares, plays iso files and just about everything else. Set up an old computer and spend the money on tb drives. =)

[knotabot]

@bluetick

Your suggestion is great if Server Monitor is all in one room. Everything done from the keyboard.

I still need something to convey my choices to the server or player from other rooms.

But I definitely will do trial and error on server before committing to an extra purchase.

[bluetick]

My server is set out of the way with a connection to the flatscreen in the main room, no keyboard or mouse. Any computer in the house can control the main tv, or watch another movie/listen to music at that pc. Mythtv and mythtvplayer for windows will allow this or you can use vlc and samba shares. It can be as complicated as you want or as simple. I don't feel limited with my setup, it works for my needs...

[knotabot]

MythTV looks PHAT.

Lots of functionality. MythDVD plugin can rip DVD's from my collection. Only limit seems storage. :O

I am planning on putting the MS (not M$) in the basement, my LCDtv is on second floor. So I would still need something like CommandIR + 30' of usb + hdmi cable + LIRC or a media player or hdmi to ethernet to hdmi + CommandIR.

I don't think the Media players support MythTV though.

What about a workstation with dvi out graphics, would that work with MythTV? What graphics with drivers?
Might be able to build it for under $100.

[phoenix]

There are many, many, many different ways to do this, depending on how fancy you want to get.

The simplest, IMO, is to get an old laptop with an SVGA-out, a newer laptop with HDMI-out, or put together a small desktop with a TV-out (RCA, SVGA, DVI, HDMI, whichever) capable videocard.

Configure it to boot into whatever GUI you are most comfortable with. Make it work with the TV-out so you can use the TV as the monitor. Connect up a wireless keyboard/mouse or even just a remote that can act as a mouse. Set the default font size to something big so it's legible on the TV.

Then just share a directory off your server (NFS, Samba, however you want), mount it on the media box, and use whatever video player you want (Kaffeine, Codeine, Dragon Player, MPlayer, VLC, Totem, etc). I do this using FreeBSD/ZFS/NFS on the backend, and an old laptop running Kubuntu 8.10 using Kaffeine on the frontend.

Or, you can go all the way and use something like MythTV, Boxee, or any of the other media server solutions.

[michaelrmgreen]

... almost EXACTLY the way phoenix_rizzen describes, but I don't take an interest in the 'extras' on dvds.

[knotabot]

So in all of the solutions there is a Frontend=monitor side and Backend=server side. There will always be two computers involved.

Using servers is new to me. So, thanks for the input.
sirdice, bluetic, phoenix rizzen and michaelrmgreen.

P.S.

Maybe I can hak a Gumstix Overo Fire with a Tobi expansion board into my LCDtv for the frontend. It has OpenGL, HDMI, 10/100 ethernet.
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS4789990619.html

[phoenix]

FreeBSD has an ARM version, but it's not quite up-to-par yet, so you may run into problems getting these to work.

Several Linux distros have ARM ports, so you may have better luck with those if you decide to try the Gumstix boards.