All I want to do is watch video files on my television, without having
wires connected between my computer and my TV. Is that too much to
ask? It appears that it is. That's the conclusion I've come to, being
neither a techie nor a noob, but just a regular joe who likes to get
his content over the internet, and watch it on my television.
This may sound like a trivial point, and obviously in the grand scheme
of things it is. But in my daily existence, the need to have wires
connecting my computer and TV is a pain, because s-video cables are
bloody expensive, and therefore the layout of the furniture in my
living room is largely determined by the affordable conjoining of
these two devices.
I tried the DLink media server some 18 months ago, but it failed
because the unit was incompatible with the video card on my laptop. So
I decided to wait a little longer, because I didn't think it would
take that long before the marketplace provided a solution.
Fast forward to the present. The prodiguous marketing of the Apple TV
made me giddy over the prospect that perhaps my days of waiting were
finally over. Except they're not, because Apple TV requires the use of
iTunes, and iTunes doesn't support AVI files (and many other file
types besides). The fact is that the vast majority of the video files
I watch are AVIs. Yes, its possible to convert all uncompatible files
to iTunes-compatible formats, but this hardly strikes me as a
reasonble solution. And it reflects the political economy of a large
corporation profiting from both content and hardware.
Then there's the Netgear products, the EVA700 and the EVA8000. But
I've read some lackluster reviews about each, and they are not
available for direct purchase from any retailer in my (rather large)
city. Then I start reading about Xbox and something called XBMC, and
that perhaps this is the solution. But I'm not a gamer, and I don't
understand but I don't think wireless streaming is not possible with
Xbox anyway.
I call some local boutique store that specializes in "solutions" for
personal computing. Now he's telling me to look into some IR Blaster
device. I'm not liking the look of that thing either.
All I want to do is watch video files, stored on my computer, on my
TV. This is either not possible, or so fraught with problems that it
hardly seems worth it.
<nemodat@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1176367241.842381.27740@b75g2000hsg.googlegro ups.com...
> All I want to do is watch video files on my television, without having
> wires connected between my computer and my TV. Is that too much to
> ask? It appears that it is. That's the conclusion I've come to, being
> neither a techie nor a noob, but just a regular joe who likes to get
> his content over the internet, and watch it on my television.
>
> This may sound like a trivial point, and obviously in the grand scheme
> of things it is. But in my daily existence, the need to have wires
> connecting my computer and TV is a pain, because s-video cables are
> bloody expensive, and therefore the layout of the furniture in my
> living room is largely determined by the affordable conjoining of
> these two devices.
S-video bandwidth is bad enough that you might not suffer a big hit in image
quality by using a simple and cheap RF modulator to broadcast your video.
On 12 Apr 2007 01:40:42 -0700, nemodat@gmail.com wrote in
<1176367241.842381.27740@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups. com>:
>All I want to do is watch video files on my television, without having
>wires connected between my computer and my TV. Is that too much to
>ask? It appears that it is. That's the conclusion I've come to, being
>neither a techie nor a noob, but just a regular joe who likes to get
>his content over the internet, and watch it on my television.
What you want to do is definitely possible, but neither trivial nor
cheap. Streaming high-quality video over wireless takes appropriate
software, a fast and stable wireless network, and an appropriate
wireless device at the TV.
Probably the easiest and perhaps the best way to do what you want is
with Apple TV <http://www.apple.com/appletv/>, driven by iTunes on your
computer.
>This may sound like a trivial point, and obviously in the grand scheme
>of things it is. But in my daily existence, the need to have wires
>connecting my computer and TV is a pain, because s-video cables are
>bloody expensive, and therefore the layout of the furniture in my
>living room is largely determined by the affordable conjoining of
>these two devices.
S-video cables are actually quite cheap on eBay.
>Fast forward to the present. The prodiguous marketing of the Apple TV
>made me giddy over the prospect that perhaps my days of waiting were
>finally over. Except they're not, because Apple TV requires the use of
>iTunes, and iTunes doesn't support AVI files (and many other file
>types besides). The fact is that the vast majority of the video files
>I watch are AVIs. Yes, its possible to convert all uncompatible files
>to iTunes-compatible formats, but this hardly strikes me as a
>reasonble solution. And it reflects the political economy of a large
>corporation profiting from both content and hardware.
Apple is probably concerned about facilitating the playing of illicit
AVI downloads from the Internet (which is what I'm guessing you want to
do), and justifiably so IMHO. That said, it may be possible to work
around the problem with Quicktime Pro (not expensive) -- see
"Make iTunes 6 accept non-native video formats"
<http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051013124423475>
and <http://forums.macnn.com/82/applications/273756/xvid-avi-in-itunes/>
>Then there's the Netgear products, the EVA700 and the EVA8000. But
>I've read some lackluster reviews about each, and they are not
>available for direct purchase from any retailer in my (rather large)
>city.
There are a number of alternatives to Apple TV that support a wide
variety of video formats. Check out:
* Buffalo LinkTheater (may be your best bet)
* Slingbox
* Philips Streamium
>Then I start reading about Xbox and something called XBMC, and
>that perhaps this is the solution. But I'm not a gamer, and I don't
>understand but I don't think wireless streaming is not possible with
>Xbox anyway.
Check out Nero 7 MediaHome with Xbox 360
>I call some local boutique store that specializes in "solutions" for
>personal computing. Now he's telling me to look into some IR Blaster
>device. I'm not liking the look of that thing either.
>
>All I want to do is watch video files, stored on my computer, on my
>TV. This is either not possible, or so fraught with problems that it
>hardly seems worth it.
>
>It's 2007. This is ridiculous.
Not really. What you want to do is both bleeding edge and (I'm
guessing) not legitimate.
--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
I am experiencing the same frustration. For me, the pain centers on
product quality. I read reviews of the available media extenders. The
Netgear EVA700 seemed to be getting the best reviews from CNet and other
"professional" web sites.
What a disaster. This gadget is about as stable as Windows software ca
1992. <gag>
I also found that the server software is mostly rubbish. I tried these
DLNA servers: Windows Media, TVersity, Wizd, and Twonkyvision.
TVersity and Wizd are terrible. Windows Media is almost stable, but
limited in functionality. Only Twonkyvision is what I would call decent.
It seems to me that the entire DLNA marketplace is infested with
broken products. Great job at building up your customer base, guys.
Another year of this performance, and you won't have any suckers left
to exploit.
As of now I am waiting for Apple to release the next version of the
Mac Mini. I will then attempt to use it as a media extender.
Here is what I think of the other solutions:
* Netgear EVA8000, and other new products from DLink and Buffalo Tech:
The disgrace of existing products from these gangs prevents me from
tryihng out their next generation of media extenders. Why throw good
money after bad?
* AppleTV:
I have a lot of faith in Apple, but this gadget only goes up to 720P.
Not good enough for me.
* XBox 360:
I have read reports that this gadget is an excellent media extender.
But it seems quite loud. Not suitable for living room use?
* Peecees running Microsoft Windows Software:
The devices I have seen are either too noisy for living room use, or
they are hugely expensive.
* Apple Mac Mini:
It is a general purpose computer, so it is rather expensive. But I see
no alternative. I plan to use its disk drive to preload media from my
main PC. This will avoid problems with insufficient (wireless) network
speed.
--
David Arnstein (00)
arnstein+usenet@pobox.com {{ }}
^^
On 12 Apr 2007 01:40:42 -0700, in alt.internet.wireless , nemodat@gmail.com wrote:
>All I want to do is watch video files on my television, without having
>wires connected between my computer and my TV. Is that too much to
>ask? It appears that it is. That's the conclusion I've come to, being
>neither a techie nor a noob, but just a regular joe who likes to get
>his content over the internet, and watch it on my television.
Whats wrong with a media streamer like the Media MVP wireless?
Be aware however that high quality TV requires a LOT of bandwidth, and
wireless may not cope with it. But given that you already have a
powerpoint near both your computer and your TV, did you consider
powerline networking to connect the two?
There was an article comparing several products on some PC magazine
website recently. Try googling for it.
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:26:39 +0100, Mark McIntyre
<markmcintyre@spamcop.net> wrote in
<tqft131g9nkhf5nh877d1o6nnu75e5t5vv@4ax.com>:
>Be aware however that high quality TV requires a LOT of bandwidth, and
>wireless may not cope with it. But given that you already have a
>powerpoint near both your computer and your TV, did you consider
>powerline networking to connect the two?
Good suggestion, although cheaper products may not be faster than
wireless, and faster products are way more expensive than S-video cable;
e.g., NETGEAR HDXB101 HD Powerline Kit for $160 at
<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122168>
--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 04:26:04 GMT, in alt.internet.wireless , John
Navas <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> wrote:
>On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:26:39 +0100, Mark McIntyre
><markmcintyre@spamcop.net> wrote in
><tqft131g9nkhf5nh877d1o6nnu75e5t5vv@4ax.com>:
>
>>Be aware however that high quality TV requires a LOT of bandwidth, and
>>wireless may not cope with it. But given that you already have a
>>powerpoint near both your computer and your TV, did you consider
>>powerline networking to connect the two?
>
>Good suggestion, although cheaper products may not be faster than
>wireless, and faster products are way more expensive than S-video cable;
Agreed - it depends on how far apart the units are I suppose. In my
case my media store is about 40m from the TV... !
>e.g., NETGEAR HDXB101 HD Powerline Kit for $160 at
><http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122168>
Again one Cnet or somesuch recently reviewed the various Powerline
networking units specifically with AV in mind - hmm - here maybe?
First of all, thank you for all the responses -- feeling a little
sheepish about my long-winded rant.
As for the powerline networking, do I understand correctly that both
the video and audio signals can be transferred over the electrical
wires? Would it matter that I live in an apartment?
On 13 Apr 2007 12:55:48 -0700, stephenjacob@gmail.com wrote in
<1176494148.733131.300760@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups .com>:
>First of all, thank you for all the responses -- feeling a little
>sheepish about my long-winded rant.
>
>As for the powerline networking, do I understand correctly that both
>the video and audio signals can be transferred over the electrical
>wires?
Yes.
>Would it matter that I live in an apartment?
No.
--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
All I want: why convergence remains a myth 
Linear Mode
