Kids and HTPCs

What exactly will they be watching - is this going to be a Windows Media Center cablecard setup where they will watch live tv or do you just plan to back up family friendly movies and tv shows?

If it is the later you will have a lot more options.

An xBox 360 as an extender will do the trick for you. I don't have one but my understanding is it will do all you want.

You can use powerline ethenret adaptors or MoCa (ethernet over CoAx) if you already have CoAx between the HTPC and the location of the xBox. You will also need a router.

Best bet would be to pull Cat6 between them. My house was wired for Cat5 years ago when we were doing a major remodel and Cat6 wasn't available. It works well on my Gig network but if your doing it now, go with Cat6.

EDIT: Let m add though that the xBox doesn't play nice with mkv (just like native windows). In this situation, you'll need a second HTPC. Also, your HTPC will need lots of RAM to act as a host to the extender.

See my edit above too.

That is "Lara"; or Julie Chistie from the 1965 classic Doctor Zhivago.

Honestly, something as cheap as a Samsung bluray player or newer Roku could work for you.

It will really depend on how you back up your media. If you are using solely dvds, for example, and not doing anything but remuxing them from .vob files to something like .mpg or even .mkv, there are many very inexpensive players that will be able to play them. The Samsung BD-E5700 for example has wifi built in and will allow access to Netflix. I believe there are Netflix parental controls but I am not familiar.

You just need to know what kind of media you have. Container, codecs, and bitrate. Not all players are created equally. The number 1 advantage of using a PC would be your ability to configure it to play just about anything. The downside is cost. If thats not a problem then by all means build a cheaper pc.

Hard wired is the best way to go. It is really the only option for anything high definition. If there are tv's in both locations I am assuming there is coaxial cable there (could be a poor assumption). In that case I would think of using moca adapters.

Controlling access to any streaming player would be relatively easy. Your Xbmc pc will be your "server." You just don't include any folders containing non approved videos. Some devices will log directly into the PC network shares, like a Boxee Box or another PC. Others will need server software like Plex or TVersity running.

The upcoming Echo from Ceton may fit the bill for you but the specs haven't been anounced yet. I assume that it will support mkv though.

Sure - let my set up by your for some inspiration:

I have all media connected to my Windows Media Center pc. On it I also run the server software TVersity.

My players are
1)htpc in my living room
2) xbox 360 in living room (though it's only media purpose is for my Slingbox)
3) a Linksys DMA 2100 extender in my bedroom (purely for WMC live tv and some movies)
4) a Logitech Revue in my bedroom (for some more movies types the DMA2100 cannot play)

I am experimenting with Plex now, but I'm going to ignore that and talk about how I use TVersity, just to give an example of how you might accomplish your goal.

TVersity runs 24/7 on my PC. In it's configuration menu you add the folders with the media you want to watch. It broadcasts itself over your home network and it can be seen by my Xbox 360, Revue, and my cell phone.

The Revue can play most media formats and codecs except DTS audio and mpeg2 video. So any file I have outside of those will play on the Revue. Because TVersity is broadcasting the media library to it, I can go scroll through and select what I'd like to watch from there. The library consists of only media locations I add on the PC.

A Revue isn't an ideal player, but it gets the job done. I could in theory be watching a bluray disc on my PC, an mkv file on my revue, and listening to an mp3 on my phone. The only limitations would be network bandwidth and hard drive speed.

Doing a set up like that will not add much stress to your PC's CPU or memory - all the computer needs to do is spin the hard drive and spit the file out onto the network.

Where your PC performance will be great impacted would be transcoding. Programs like Plex and TVersity can convert media on the fly. That would be useful on my Revue to convert mpeg2 video to h264 video in real time so I can watch it. That will take up an enormous amount of system resources and could force your htpc to a hault. I don't do it.

Does the DMA 2100 play mkv?

It might with specific codecs (like mpeg and aac) but I don't think it does at all. Its really only useful for playing wmc recordings and live tv. Its just totally obsolete.

It also only works in conjunction with wmc. So you need to have that running and configured. Unlike the hp and dlink extenders its only purpose is wmc

Mine has a horrible time playing most movies, even with a Cat5e connection. It doesn't like MKV with H.264/DTS-HD for sure.

You could build a pretty inexpensive HTPC with just a G530 CPU, H61 mini-ITX board, 64GB SSD, 4GB RAM and a small case with a built-in PSU for them and then not have to worry at all what it plays.

I'll probably end up doing that or waiting for the Echo's specs. I don't need it in a rush as I don't even have the Little TV for the kitchen yet.

That looks like the $250 to $300 range plus O.S.

With Windows 7, around $400. You can do better with some shopping around and looking for sales though.

The tough part with an extender or media player is you just don't know if it's going to work with what you have until you've bought it and tried it. When it doesn't work are you willing to re-encode your movies or set up a transcoding streamer on the system that's serving the media? If so, then you can get away with one -- just know what you're in for.

+1. I've long since given up on trying to play computer files on standalone devices. If you want it to deal with AVI, MKV, OGM, etc, just build a low-cost computer. You could build a system like the one StardogChampion is suggesting for less than $300 (not including the cost of a Windows license if you go that route, free if using Linux). Hmm, you might not even need the SSD for XBMC Live as I believe you can run it off off a flash drive. Not sure if you can use Netflix with Linux, though.

Having keys is a good thing.

I'd search around the digital media player forum and see what they think.

There is such a wide range of players and capabilities. The most expensive ones are as much or more than a PC you could build. Some do cover art, some dont. Some have Netflix, some don't.

In the sub $200 range I am of the belief that the Boxee Box, WDTV Live, and Netgear Neo TV 550 can do the widest range of formats (though I'm fairly certain the Netgear won't do internet services).

I'd like to suggest the Patriot Box Office. Plays just about everything under the sun, has a nice simple interface for the kids (that you can flash with custom firmware and get pretty awesome displays). I would recommend a powerline network for the streaming. I just have never had good results with wireless for anything.

Edit: Plus it's super cheap.

What about adjusting the concept slightly. If your kids are like mine, they don't need immediate access to a show and don't even mind watching the same sponge bob episode 10 times. If that is case, you may be able to go with hard drive load video model and mostly ignore the networking aspects. Just load up the hard drive before you install it in the unit and you are good to go. You can even update it every few weeks with new movies and shows by directly connecting to your PC eliminating any network hassels. Hard drive media players like WD (which I know you hate) or PIVOS are quite cheap and easy to use. It also solves your child lock issues as they will only have access to what is on the hard drive.

What network issues?

I've installed this one a couple different times in different family members' homes: http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter-TPL-401E2K/dp/B004D9V8C8

Very fast, very reliable. But don't take my word: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1895/7/

The Patriot Box Office also can accommodate a hard drive(doesn't come with one), but can connect through the network as well.

I'll take your word.

Someone's word that's actually used it is worth much more than just a review in my book, especially "I've installed this one a couple different times in different family members' homes [...] Very fast, very reliable" kind of comments. It's what makes this place valuable -- much more than "theories", benchmarks or magazine reviews.

I have a PBO with the Mede8bo f/w hack and it streams HD Audio with the 1073 D++ chipset. It is slow to load a file throught 100/10 BaseT but once it does it works great. I had a 1TB 2.5" drive in it that is now my RecordedTV drive in my HTPC. The PBO is an awesome little machine. I got mine for $60 or so and it sits in the loft connected to an older 26" Sony 720p and older AVR that doesn't support HD Audio now. It is a decent network player and even better playing local content off the HDD.

Well, here's the thing; you're going to run into the same (only worse) limitations (at least in my experience) with wireless. So unless you pull some Cat5 through your house, you'll have to find a compromise.