WholeHome

You have been following the new “Build-your-own-DVR” project(s) faithfully, I’m sure, but beyond all the subtle little things you are learning about how to put one of these cool toys together, I’d bet you are wondering where to get all the cool stuff…

Allow me to share some of my favorite online guides and software – I’d even go so far as to say that before taking on any project like this, you should definitely at least browse through all of these places. As always, the full eBook is freely available at http://www.bocsco.com/dvr

BOCS – THE standard for whole-home distribution of your new HTPC solution. (Yes, yes, a shameless plug, and first in the list, but really – it’s COOL)

PreWire Guide – Wanting to put in low voltage A/V wiring for audio/video distribution, understand matrix switchers, or just prepare for the future.

Hardware Guide: For hardware configurations – choosing which processor, motherboard, case, memory, and other accessories, there is no better online source than renethx’s thread on AVSforum. He regularly publishes details and recommendations for low, mid, and high performance systems both Intel and AMD based. That thread is also THE best place to post your chosen configuration for comment and get great hardware tips. Go to the thread, find a post by renethx, and in his signature will be a link to the latest hardware guide.

HDTV tuner and software reviews – Good research site. Hdtvtunerinfo.com

Afterdawn howto guides – hundreds of well done guides on just about any DVD, audio/video, and HTPC topic.

Link list (AVS) of just about anything you will ever need for an HTPC

Powerstrip – a utility to allow custom resolutions to compensate for overscan/underscan and correct strange behavior of video cards.

Karnis’ Custom Resolution Guide for PowerStrip – AVS Forum thread for powerstrip

Reclock – Critical utility that fixes most jitter, audio/video sync issues, and smooths playback of most video files. Excellent.

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack – Good core codec pack for your PC

MPEG codec(s) – If your computer does not already have an MPEG2 codec, check the Cyberlink.com website. PowerDVD9 is the latest all-in-one MPEG codec pack – MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264, and full BluRay support, but you can get just the MPEG2 codec for ~$20

XVID codec – Really, you need this – Xvid is da bomb…

Ffdshow – codec/filters for playback and decode of virtually any format.

Ffdshow FAQ – AVS Forum ffdshow FAQ thread

Remote Control – THE forum that focuses on jp1 enabled remotes (UEI based) – tools available to customize most remotes with custom codes, macros, and special setups.

Broadcast mapper – planning on putting up an antenna? This site lets you map your location and find out exactly what is available in your area.

Autologin – Running windows XP and want the computer to skip the login screen and boot right into yor DVR program? Here’s how

DVD Ripping – Lots of programs out there, my favorite is DVDFab

TightVNC – free remote control of any PC – from anywhere – in our out of the home.

GSpot – audio/video codec information appliance (show the codec used for a file)
HIP from ByRemote – “Driver” that accepts IR and can translate it to just about any program – VERY handy
TV-Cards.com – information on TV tuner cards & PVR software (6/12/04)
XBMC Media Center – excellent media center/front end (11/25/08)

Titan TV – the most definitive source for what is on TV

SchedulesDirect.com – Online TV schedule EPG source

And – my favorite software packages (See eBook for details):

Boxee – Absolutely THE BEST front end for online media – not a DVR – an Internet connected TV

GB-PVR - a FREE PC-DVR program – excellent stability and features

knoppmyth – for the daring – a linux based PC-DVR package – again – free

More? feel free to send me a note with others I’ve missed (I’m just trying to share the really core-critical ones)

David

My last blog post received so much feedback and requests for more information, I was able to get my company as well as our North American Distributor to sponsor a full eBook on the subject.

Frankly, questions about what wires to put in walls before your home goes up are the most common inquiry we get at home shows, and other public forums. It is a universal desire to at least be prepared for the future.

I’ve published the first 4 chapters and you are welcome to get a copy by going to www.bocsco.com/prewire

I’m also looking for help – I’ve already got folks from AVSforum and cocoontech contributing, but I’m looking for the following:

• Pictures of your home installation – pre-wire, lighting systems, audio systems, home automation systems etc. Credits given on pics.
• Someone to write a chapter on home automation
• Someone to write a chapter on whole-home lighting systems
• Someone to write a chapter on home theater control systems

The table of contents (subject to change as we get going) is as follows:

• Seriously, Why bother?
• Can I actually get away with this?
  • Some tips to keep in mind as you arrange your project:
  • So, what can go wrong?
• The Absolute Minimum – and Why…
  • Bottom line – the list first:
  • Where to get supplies:
  • Details Outside-In:
    • 4RG6 for Satellite 9 2RG6, 1Cat5e to the Cable TV Demarc point
    • 2 Cat5e to the phone demarc point 10 Details Inside the Home:
    • 2-RG6, 3-Cat5e: From the media cabinet to each room
    • Dedicated line to Cable Modem:
    • 2 RG6: 11 3 Cat5e:
    • Surround Sound
    • Good general rules for speaker locations:
    • Doorbell and Basic Security System Planning:
    • The Official Standard TIA-570
    • Wire Types, Uses and Substitutions:
• Future Proofing Coming Soon
• The Actual Installation Coming Soon
• Overall Considerations Coming Soon
• Coordinate with your Electrician: Coming Soon
• Home Systems to Consider Coming Soon
• Things to avoid Coming Soon
• Home Distribution Systems Coming Soon
• Home Automation Systems Coming Soon
• Home Security Systems Coming Soon
• Problems you will encounter Coming Soon
• I forgot a wire – Retrofitting Coming Soon
• A Room by Room checklist Coming Soon

I look forward to any inputs yall can provide – this will end up being a great resource for the technical community.

DF

I’ve been getting a lot of questions on firmware and the features that each version supports – So – I’ve updated the “Firmware Features” post (See the little menu to the right) with a detailed accounting of more of the features as well as a little matrix so you can see what the version of firmware you have is capable of…

Again, the firmware was not really designed to be field upgradeable, but I’m happy to upgrade your equipment if you have a need or give you the information you need to upgrade the firmware yourself…

So – the big question I’m looking for help and advice from the community, how does one decide whether to allow source code (for the remote in particular) to be open source? Frankly, I get a kick out of being able to find a new situation, go spend half an hour hacking up code and being able to have a completely programmable, versatile remote control, and I think there is a decent community of folks that would like it. But what is the overall value, support would have to be – well – zero. What are the chances it would just irritate people? Anyone had experience with this?

A little more technical detail on how we do programming

We use the TI MSPFET430UIF interface (USB connected to a PC – last I checked they are about $100) and the FETPRO software (free of charge from the Elprotronic website, the free version will not update serial numbers but programs software, the link provided goes directly to their download site) and a little custom board that allows us to connect the Remote or BOCS device to either the UIF interface or a serial port to a PC for debugging. I’m attaching a schematic of the interface board below. The jumper is set in “external power” position when programming a BOCS unit (with its own power supply applied) and set in on-board power mode with batteries removed for programming remotes. When the interface board is plugged in (straight through cable pin 1 on interface board to pin one on BOCS unit or remote – they have different ends but both are straight through cables), the pull up/dn states on the interface board enable a tri-state amp on the device to be programmed which disconnects an on board serial port and hijacks that to talk to the processor… So – if all you want to do is program firmware, only a cable with proper pull up/dn pins is required. Firmware must be programmed through the jtag port, debug info is only available on the serial port.

DO NOT LET THIS SCHEMATIC INTIMIDATE YOU – I’m providing it for general interest – there is a very simple way to hook up to the remote and you do not have to even understand the schematic to do so…

EDIT:

Thought I’d add a couple of notes -

As you can see from the above diagram, the main programming interface is from the jtag two wire direct into the connector that goes to the remote – i.e. unless you have a specific need to use the serial interface (mostly for debugging but rarely used), you don’t need to complicated board shown in the schematic – a 4 wire jumper from the jtag programmer over to the remote would suffice.

We have, indeed, decided to go open source – I’ll post the details on avsforum.com so if you are interested in modifying anything for your own use or posting your updates back to the community, there is now a way to do just that.

David Feller

So you have a movie collection – where it came from and the subtleties of what you can and cannot do with your huge DVD collection is your business – but you have a big collection. Cool, but being stuck watching it on just one TV or having to hook up a windows media center and netowrk in a bunch of slaves is a real pain – so how do the “rest of us” do it?

Yep, there is, in fact, a marriage made in heaven – an Xtender (to get your collection all over your home) and a media player. Check out the HDX1000 from Amperor Direct http://www.amperordirect.com/pc//audiovideo-HDX_1000.html  Yeah you could pay hundreds up to about $2000 on a media center and all you need to play movies, or just hook up this $249 device to a portable or internal hard drive and you are set. It plays pretty much any file type codec I’ve seen – even media center recordings, VOBs, and Xvid/DivX, comes with a really snazzy interface, and pretty much makes you look like the high tech cool guy on the block even if you aren’t.

I’ve been using one of these on one of my spare Xtender channels for a couple months and it really works well. The one I have gives me internet connectivity to news/video sites, lets me download torrents, and plays all my digital collections.  I’ll provide a detailed writeup on how these two work together in a soon-to-come blog update, but wanted everyone to be aware of this product.

Let me briefly run through the leaders and what I’ve seen so far:

Media Centers:

Pros – very versatile, easily updated codecs, unlimited storage as you can always add more, nice integration to online video rental sites

Cons – uh – it’s Windows, it crashes, it eventually becomes unstable, did I say it’s Windows already?

WD-TV

Pros – Low cost ~$100, pretty good codec stack, simple interface – intuitive

Cons – one USB port so storage is limited, no clear way to network storage, VOBs play kind-of (you have to play each chapter manually and frankly that sucks)

HDX1000

Pros – Reasonable cost, excellent codec coverage, excellent online uses, torrent integration – very cool, multiple USB ports AND internal drive bay, easily NAS’d

Cons – My humble opinion is that the user interface coule use a little updating, page up/dn, jump or fast search etc. but upgrades come all the time

Dlink/Linksys/Other Media center/expanders

I’m from the wireless industry and it truly is my first love, but running a bunch of video around the home wirelessly just don’t fly – and I don’t know many folks to have ethernet at every TV in the home, or are willing to invest in a new $250+ box for every TV so I’m not going to even bother with the pro/con list for these.

Watch for the under the hood review of the HDX1000 -

Hey all – great opportunity to get a good look at the product, how it is used, and even see some great B-roll footage we took in a nice guy’s home using our “stand in couple” – both CU students. It was, in fact, a little discomforting when we set up the big lights on the master bed to get the “finish the show in bed” scene – but it all came out great.

Watch the whole segment streamed right from the 9News website -