Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Reschke on October 17, 2012, 01:27:40 PM
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We just cut out cable television today and are going internet only for shows that we watch. Especially since we record everything now except for sports. SO what do I need to start looking at to build a good HTPC system for my downstairs playroom for the kids so they can jump online and pull down the shows they want to watch.
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We just cut out cable television today and are going internet only for shows that we watch. Especially since we record everything now except for sports. SO what do I need to start looking at to build a good HTPC system for my downstairs playroom for the kids so they can jump online and pull down the shows they want to watch.
If it's only for HTPC use you might want to look at special HTPC chassis just for looks. Also if prior statement is true, choose low power components (passive heatsink gpu, cpu maybe even psu) to minimize noise. HD decoding doesn't require much from todays components.
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Thanks Ripley will start hammering on the wife for the extra funds since she wants something to look really nice.
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Thanks Ripley will start hammering on the wife for the extra funds since she wants something to look really nice.
Also if you're not going to play bluray, you could take a look at linux based mythtv etc. which are custom operating systems only for htpc use. http://www.mythtv.org/
Basically it will turn your htpc to a dvr.
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I would go Win 7 all the way! Ultimate too. That way you could also plug in a Hauppauge tuner and use cable or antenna signals if you wanted. There are third party drivers for Hauppauge on Linux but there is no direct support that way. Windows Media Center is fantastic. You will want tons of disk space. Hauppauge devices come with a DVR program but Media Center is just fine as it is plus WMC allows you to log* straight in to Netflix if you have that account. WMC also allows you to restrict viewing with awesome parental controls. I have not had to use that yet but the day is coming. You can also restrict viewing based upon user accounts.
I dont think thats in Linux.
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OK here is the basics of what I have in the main family room.
Xbox360
Onkyo Home Theater
Samsung Bluray player
I know we can use the Xbox to watch stuff on it BUT we are limited in what is available and there is no true "browser" function on it to allow us to go to non XBL supported websites to get other shows, movies, etc... Same goes for the Samsung BD player.
I would like to keep the Onkyo system in the loop as it provides much better speakers than my television obviously so how do I connect them together to make it work. I have looked at a Micro ATX case to start dropping things into but I am still up around $1k in price once I get all this stuff together because honestly I am still thinking like building a gaming rig. I have four different computers here that I can cannibalize to make a system or I can build from scratch but it is going to take a while to get the funds together since I am looking for a job currently.
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I would go Win 7 all the way! Ultimate too. That way you could also plug in a Hauppauge tuner and use cable or antenna signals if you wanted. There are third party drivers for Hauppauge on Linux but there is no direct support that way. Windows Media Center is fantastic. You will want tons of disk space. Hauppauge devices come with a DVR program but Media Center is just fine as it is plus WMC allows you to log* straight in to Netflix if you have that account. WMC also allows you to restrict viewing with awesome parental controls. I have not had to use that yet but the day is coming. You can also restrict viewing based upon user accounts.
I dont think thats in Linux.
Why ultimate? It's nothing but a waste of money. For a HTPC the lowest lowly windows will do as long as it has a mediaplayer. The linux system for sure has more features and better interface than wmp :)
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I dont know Linux for an HTPC Ripley. If it offers parental controls and direct support for Hauppauge devices then cool. I dont think it does. As to interface options I think the Windows remote is pretty straight forward. Its like a television remote you turn it on change channels and control recordings with it. Does Linux offer a Netflix option in the media player? Probably not. He said he wasnt going to use cable so I mentioned that as an option if he wants to return to it later.
Reschke I think what you want is a video card with HDMI if the Onkyo HT includes an HDMI input.
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OpenELEC, ver. 2 just released.
http://openelec.tv
nuff said...
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I dont know Linux for an HTPC Ripley. If it offers parental controls and direct support for Hauppauge devices then cool. I dont think it does. As to interface options I think the Windows remote is pretty straight forward. Its like a television remote you turn it on change channels and control recordings with it. Does Linux offer a Netflix option in the media player? Probably not. He said he wasnt going to use cable so I mentioned that as an option if he wants to return to it later.
Reschke I think what you want is a video card with HDMI if the Onkyo HT includes an HDMI input.
Why didn't you check it out if you didn't know? http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/faq/support_faq_linux.html
Netflix however is a problem at the moment if it's necessary.
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I did. They support THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS which means no direct support to users.
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I did. They support THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS which means no direct support to users.
The drivers of 99% of devices supported on linux are from THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS i.e. open source coders ;)
The problem with netflix and the likes is that they do not want to invest time into supporting linux - and because they require DRM they cannot release a source code in order to let linux dev community to code a solution for it either. It's a stalemate of a sort. It also doesn't help that many linux devs are purists that absolutely hate any proprietary code. Wording like 'tainted kernel' are used when discussing the use of proprietary drivers :)
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Thanks for the input boys...put away the virtual swords for a bit and let me do some more reading on the things here.
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The drivers of 99% of devices supported on linux are from THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS i.e. open source coders ;)
The problem with netflix and the likes is that they do not want to invest time into supporting linux - and because they require DRM they cannot release a source code in order to let linux dev community to code a solution for it either. It's a stalemate of a sort. It also doesn't help that many linux devs are purists that absolutely hate any proprietary code. Wording like 'tainted kernel' are used when discussing the use of proprietary drivers :)
Ripley. . . the whole point of letting that be known is not everyone can deal with third party support. Meaning some people dont like to be hung out to dry which is why I pointed out that there is no support.
I dont think Netflix is concerned with time as much as having their codec open for review by just anyone. I dont think its a stalemate I think Linux is just shut out.
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Ripley. . . the whole point of letting that be known is not everyone can deal with third party support. Meaning some people dont like to be hung out to dry which is why I pointed out that there is no support.
I dont think Netflix is concerned with time as much as having their codec open for review by just anyone. I dont think its a stalemate I think Linux is just shut out.
Nobody is left hung out dry even on linux. You just are afraid of what you obviously don't know. The open source community will try to help users with problems even if the manufacturer itself doesn't care. Of course a linux user should choose not to use the kind of products that do not have proprietary or open source driver support. Surprisingly large amount of devices however 'just work' with drivers included in the linux kernel. The fact of the matter is that windows is slowly losing momentum and people are searching for alternatives. A lot of people are going Mac, more tech savvy use BSD or linux. Major gaming companies are completely trashing Windows 8 and Valve started building native linux clients for example. The closed beta is currently in action. They already got Left4dead to run a little faster on linux than windows.
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You can go to Roku. Easy peasy.
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WMC also allows you to restrict viewing with awesome parental controls. I have not had to use that yet but the day is coming. You can also restrict viewing based upon user accounts.
That's a thing I've never understood. Maybe both I and my wife have just been fostered in an old fashioned way and we have continued the tradition. There's only one password protected account in our three - four computers and that's the one my wife uses for her job, containing personal details of her students. Our daughters, 17 and 14, have never tried to use computers in a way they shouldn't like putting crackers or coins into the floppy drive. I'm not worried about them going to sites I don't want them to see... IMO the best parental control is to have the computer(s) in a public place at your house. And no, we don't spy on each other's browser history or try to peek at their Messenger conversations, not to mention abusing my knowing their e-mail passwords.
Or maybe I'm just unaware about the conspiracy my wife and kids have against me and each other :noid
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You over thought that a great deal Bizman. Its for people that dont want their kids to accidently find themselves on a site you dont want them exposed to, or find a television channel that has adult content you dont feel they are ready for. And I know you dont personally care about it but there are people out there that do to the trouble of purchasing content filtering systems that know precisely when to bleep movies.
Your wife and kids? Just because they dont like you doesnt mean they arent out to get you. :devil
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Well, the only time I've been asked to install an Internet filter was because the man had got addicted to certain type of sites and wanted to protect himself of being caught by her wife...
And I've cleaned numerous computers of families whose parents are less computer savvy than their kids - even to the point that the father didn't know the password to their "Family" account but the 10 year old son did. Or the case when the computer was in the room of a 13 year old girl and the parents had no clue why their computer was contaminated - the "MyMusic" folder of the girl contained some 12 GB of hardcore porn on a 80 GB hdd, regular size at that time. Including a couple episodes of a late night "f***ing lessons" by a former porn starlet. And the parents were proud of how computer savvy their daughter was when they only could do banking and some emailing themself...
I can't tell for sure, if the Finnish municipality of Pornainen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornainen) would still be filtered; it was well known by testers here to cause a false alarm for years. Or would the filter still deny access to a picture of a "naked body" - of a sports car? Would a filter allow your kid download Street Legal Racing Redline (http://www.mediafiregames4free.com/2012/03/street-legal-racing-redline.html) where the automobile can be purchased as a naked body
? Just wondering.
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Nipples are the beginning of all evil. Once they're eliminated everything is well. :banana:
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Just depends on what you are after I guess. I will allow my children to be exposed to socialization but not indoctrination at least until they are old enough to think for themselves. To know the difference just examine peer pressure and it is more easily understood. You can decide for yourself which you prefer for your kids.
I would think (stereotypically) that the Finnish would be more interested in preventing exposure to American movie violence more than sex.
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Just depends on what you are after I guess. I will allow my children to be exposed to socialization but not indoctrination at least until they are old enough to think for themselves. To know the difference just examine peer pressure and it is more easily understood. You can decide for yourself which you prefer for your kids.
I would think (stereotypically) that the Finnish would be more interested in preventing exposure to American movie violence more than sex.
That is actually pretty close to the truth. We allow even underaged children to see naked bodies and nobody thinks twice about it. Actual pornography is of course forbidden from under 16 years old - but nowadays kids find and share it anyway. Just as we did when we were teenagers, on VHS.
So if you think locking down your home computer does you some good, do you also prevent your children from owning their own smart phones and/or borrowing one from their friends with all the 32 gigs full of x-rated content? :) Teenagers will get access to the content if they're interested and there's not much us parents can do about it. Basically trying to prevent it from happening would just mean horrible invasion of privacy for the children and limitation of freedom.
When the day comes that I will catch my oldest son having something x-rated on his computer, I will have a talk with him and explain what porn is and how it should be dealt with - not confusing it with reality. I'm not going to go berzerk and put every firewall block known to man on. Hell no, I watch it myself sometimes :devil
Of course how you bring up your children is 110% your own business and I respect it. But keeping in mind the above factors, put yourself in your kids shoes. Would you have liked that your parents were snooping through your things and you had absolutely zero privacy? Would you have liked your freedom limited and placed under censorship? Or would you have preferred to get a serious parent to child talk about the realities of life and make them understand how things go? My parents brought me up quite freely, I never had to report where I was or when I was coming home. They never snooped through my things etc. They didn't sit on my back watching I did my homework or went to bed early as long as I kept bringing good grades from school. And this is exactly how I liked it.
Sexuality is something that is completely natural and as far as it keeps safe it does nobody any harm, quite opposite. What people should concentrate their efforts to however is substance abuse. This is all too common with youth - and in your country it's not only alcohol that's the big problem AFAIK.
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When I was a kid I had zero privacy and no rights and it didnt matter to me. I had a blast in life as a kid and more memories than most people I have ever known. Just because parents are looking out for the best interests of their children does not mean the kids are in jail. I was raised by a man and woman that grew up in a simple way but that instilled the family first concept and never built a wall between parent and child because thats how they were raised.
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When I was a kid I had zero privacy and no rights and it didnt matter to me. I had a blast in life as a kid and more memories than most people I have ever known. Just because parents are looking out for the best interests of their children does not mean the kids are in jail. I was raised by a man and woman that grew up in a simple way but that instilled the family first concept and never built a wall between parent and child because thats how they were raised.
For me personally my parents snooping into my things would have spawned an instant conflict. I understand if you want to try to protect your children from things that happen in real life - but unless you live behind the woods somewhere it's simply not possible to stop the flow of information anymore without locking the children to their room without internet connection 24/7.
Teenagers (even very early teens) share nude images of themselves, let alone ones copied from internet. You put your kid to a hobby, they take a bus ride to another town. Back of the bus is popular with some kid playing x-rated stuff on his/her cell phone... This is 2012 and there's simply no way to control what the kids are doing anymore. In the end it's 100% natural that growing kids are curious and they need also the information. This is why parents should not try to hide the whole embarrassing issue of sexuality but bring it up to the kid and discuss with the child about what it means, how it needs responsibility and how bad idea starting to do it early (with another kid) probably is for them even if they wanted.
Teenage pregnancies happen because kids just lack knowledge and get banged up on the first experiments - plus they're horrified to get contraception in fear of getting caught which produces exactly the opposite effect they need to be having. Secret quickie in the parents basement gets not so secret 1-2 months later when she starts puking up in the mornings.
Me myself for example, one of my favourite hobbies was to read the family encyclopedia through when I was a kid. I had an endless appetite for information and pre-internet an encyclopedia was the only easy source for it. There was one book that I usually read in secret though - the book that contained the alphabet S :) Graphic description of intercourse, pictures of sexual organs etc.
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dont need an htpc with a smart-tv. (http://www.amdzone.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=532&t=139425#p221990)
its like a smartphone, but with tv. :D
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when they come down in pice. :D
give 2 to 4 years..
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One thing to think of is how much power your HTPC will consume and how much of the day/night it is running.