Hi--
My first post here. I've done quite a bit of research here and elsewhere, and I still can't figure out the best solution for my particular setup.
I have an old 1.5 Ghz Powerbook G4 that's still alive and (sort of) kicking that I intend to use for an HTPC/media server. The media will come from a LaCie 7200 RPM FW drive, and/or an external BD/DVD drive.
The monitor is a late-90s, 4:3 Sony CRT TV (KV-32S40) that I like (I'm not ready for an HDTV upgrade).
For sound I plan to use an old MBox 1 (ProTools interface) as my D/A converter out of the Powerbook going into my 70s Pioneer stereo amp/receiver; I'm not terribly interested in 5.1 etc at this point.
My questions are:
What app/software do you recommend for organizing/navigating the media? XBMC, Plex, etc?
How should I go about connecting my PB to my 4:3 TV? I should note that my TV only has composite and S-video inputs. I tried just hooking it straight up from the S-video output on the PB using the S-video- to - composite adapter (I didn't have an S-video cable handy to try that direct connection), and it looked awful no matter how I set the resolution, plus wider-than-1.33 aspect ratios were either squashed or stretched, not letterboxed.
If there's no way to connect the PB to the CRT directly with decent picture quality and correct fomatting, what box would you recommend to help make the conversion? Or is a box just a good idea in general? I do have a first-generation Roku, which does not have the USB jack. I'd also prefer a wired connection of some sort for everything.
Is there anything else I should be looking at within the confines of my setup?
Sorry if this is a bit long-winded, trying to give all pertinent info...
Thanks for any guidance, and I'm sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.
My first post here. I've done quite a bit of research here and elsewhere, and I still can't figure out the best solution for my particular setup.
I have an old 1.5 Ghz Powerbook G4 that's still alive and (sort of) kicking that I intend to use for an HTPC/media server. The media will come from a LaCie 7200 RPM FW drive, and/or an external BD/DVD drive.
The monitor is a late-90s, 4:3 Sony CRT TV (KV-32S40) that I like (I'm not ready for an HDTV upgrade).
For sound I plan to use an old MBox 1 (ProTools interface) as my D/A converter out of the Powerbook going into my 70s Pioneer stereo amp/receiver; I'm not terribly interested in 5.1 etc at this point.
My questions are:
What app/software do you recommend for organizing/navigating the media? XBMC, Plex, etc?
How should I go about connecting my PB to my 4:3 TV? I should note that my TV only has composite and S-video inputs. I tried just hooking it straight up from the S-video output on the PB using the S-video- to - composite adapter (I didn't have an S-video cable handy to try that direct connection), and it looked awful no matter how I set the resolution, plus wider-than-1.33 aspect ratios were either squashed or stretched, not letterboxed.
If there's no way to connect the PB to the CRT directly with decent picture quality and correct fomatting, what box would you recommend to help make the conversion? Or is a box just a good idea in general? I do have a first-generation Roku, which does not have the USB jack. I'd also prefer a wired connection of some sort for everything.
Is there anything else I should be looking at within the confines of my setup?
Sorry if this is a bit long-winded, trying to give all pertinent info...
Thanks for any guidance, and I'm sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.
