tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55547376936815865602011-11-27T19:19:46.149-06:00Exploring inexpensive home entertainment, automation, and security.Jonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-8793352823220469822011-05-30T10:00:00.006-05:002011-05-30T10:00:00.786-05:00

For a long time we got by with a basic 1.5Mb DSL connection and were almost as happy as could be. I could play a game online while my wife watched Hulu and be totally fine. Occasionally we would run into a few hiccups with Netflix being a bit of a bandwidth hog, but it was tolerable. We couldn't stream HD, but we also didn't really feel like we needed to. However, we were never able to really

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-21557410790226705612011-05-28T01:38:00.001-05:002011-05-28T01:59:09.937-05:00

Lets get caught up. A lot of things have changed since my last update: We've moved (Which lead to a drastically faster Internet connection) Our HTPC is in an official case The internals of our HTPC have almost entirely changed While our HTPC is still running Windows 7, it is now running XBMC along side WMC as sort of a proof-of-concept. Hulu is on the chopping block I'll be preparing a post

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-88515066096154933492010-09-14T20:36:00.000-05:002010-09-14T20:36:00.583-05:00

Almost as if they read my blog, Engadget has a preview of a new Acer Revo product that is in very early development stages, but runs Windows Media Center Embedded complete with TV Tuner. Given the price history of Acer's Revo products ($200 to $400), this could very well stand to be the "Sub $500 Box Solution" I explained just yesterday, with a few hard to reproduce bonuses. That touchpad mouse

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-88446463456082737972010-09-13T14:01:00.005-05:002010-09-13T16:01:25.034-05:00

Ideally, I'd like our base setup to be entirely replicable by anyone willing to spend around $500. That seems to be the average cost of about 6 to 9 months of cable, depending on your provider and selected options. While I've picked up many of my parts while they were on sale, if someone wanted to do this today, they wouldn't necessarily have that same advantage. So where do I stand on that goal

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-65323848327840378072010-09-09T13:07:00.021-05:002010-09-09T16:50:03.498-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that I installed Windows 7 32bit simply because it was the most convenient operating system to install at the time. Upgrading it became a bit of a priority once Windows started complaining about not being registered, as the notice would break full-screen video, as well as lose application focus, making the remote not work. Additionally, we purchased a tv tuner a while

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-33135408377152546212010-08-10T14:43:00.000-05:002010-08-10T14:43:27.848-05:00

My intentions were to follow up the 'upgrade' post with a few hands-on reports of how things were going at set intervals. Let's just pretend 3 months is the first time I planned on updating everyone. First, the good: I love it. The simplified interface and ease of access to watch our movies is great. There are a fair amount of add-ins that fill a few of the small gaps, and simplified things

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-64381888480994842012010-05-28T13:11:00.000-05:002010-05-28T13:11:25.733-05:00

As with all things computer related, eventually what you've got at home just isn't enough to cut it anymore. Just going out and getting a new one is possible, but when you're trying to make the most of your money, it's important to take your time and weigh options to make the best decision for you. In this article, I'll outline what I don't like about our current set up, and what I'd like to

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-42249811213411163262010-04-30T16:36:00.000-05:002010-04-30T16:36:39.781-05:00

As one of the few remaining parts within your computer that utilizes moving pieces, the hard drive can frequently be a source of clicks, whirs, and other vibration noises. Various solutions exist to attempt to solve this, but this is the first one I've seen that looks like it keeps the drive quiet, doesn't compromise the drive's cooling, all while keeping the drive mounted in a manor that keeps

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-37120139500481326992010-04-14T10:00:00.000-05:002010-04-14T10:00:07.021-05:00

The Unofficial Apple Weblog has an interesting look at Savant's 100% Apple (and quite extreme) home automation set up. It's quite jaw dropping, and certainly inspirational. http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/12/tuaw-tv-the-savant-experience-in-nyc/

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-11829336965743105142010-04-09T16:55:00.004-05:002010-04-09T20:52:50.430-05:00

I've been on a never ending quest for the perfect media setup for a mac user. I'm looking for a simple solution to do 3 things. 1. Play my local videos as easy and as high quality as possible. 2. DVR shows over cable as well as Tivo does. 3. Rent/buy/stream movies from online sources. I love action and sci-fi movies, my wife loves drama and comedies. 4. Needs to be kid friendly. This means

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14203283134764963173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-70817153850547577192010-04-08T14:41:00.001-05:002010-04-08T14:41:00.164-05:00

Here's something I'm looking forward to playing with in the future. It doesn't seem to take much, and could easily run off our HTPC, but a friend recommended paring this up with a Linksys PAP2 if you wanted it to be free of a PC.

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-4208661277933536012010-04-07T09:00:00.001-05:002010-04-07T09:00:07.036-05:00

Now comes the productive part: creating activities. In this example, we'll be setting up an activity to launch and control Hulu Desktop on your PC, using the Harmony remote. In order to continue, be sure you have your devices added to the Logitech Harmony Remote Software. Primarily, you'll need your TV and the "Media Center PC" that we added in Part 2. Note: The following directions were

Jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-82505910926807151942010-04-06T09:00:00.002-05:002010-04-06T09:00:05.088-05:00

So, by now you've got your Logitech Harmony remote, as well as the remote you'll be using to teach the Harmony how to control your PC. (See Part 1 if you're lost) 2) Add a new Device in the Harmony Remote Software. Give it the following information: Device: Computer > Media Center PC Manufacturer: Microsoft Model: A90-00007 This is the model number of a generic Microsoft Media Center Edition

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-6232999371753940882010-04-05T09:00:00.005-05:002010-04-05T10:18:31.049-05:00

Anyone who has used a Logitech Harmony remote knows that while the programming interface is simple, it's no small task to get the remote configured 'just right'. You can fully expect to be in the application a lot for the first few weeks, always mapping a button, or tweaking an 'activity'. Making the remote control a PC is quite a bit more of a headache than I expected, but the end results are

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-32961611146835145052010-04-02T17:00:00.004-05:002010-09-09T16:15:45.975-05:00

Most non-geeks' ears only perk up when I finally get to the 'cost' of our setup. In a world with 'triple-play packages', most people find themselves paying well over $100 a month to their cable/phone company. While our current setup doesn't have any phone capabilities, nor quite competes with TIVO's level of functionality, it covers the basics. Still, it's not for everyone. What's the easiest

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554737693681586560.post-62281008666699049162010-04-02T12:19:00.003-05:002010-04-02T14:44:16.117-05:00

I've been finding myself enjoying playing with this type of tech lately, and a lot of it can be pretty overwhelming if you're not sure what you're doing. I also wanted to kind of 'give back', and help other people pull off what we're currently enjoying. Our goal was to eliminate as much of our monthly home entertainment bill while making the smallest amount of 'content sacrifice' possible. While

Jonnoreply@blogger.com0