Community Newsletter: Q&A: Community Newsletter Feedback
- 2/15/07 5:07 PM
dear Rapid
by Prints - 12/16/07 5:42 PM In reply to: PC & Multimedia by rapidrickcMerry Christmas
Dave
Need advice on how to integrate PC into your home theater
by Dadpop - 2/16/07 10:29 AM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I just got done doing this, and it was a lot of fun and very easy to do.
We just did some renovations in our house and we have several rooms with speakers that are connected to our stereo. I wanted to be able to play music throughout those rooms.
In addition, one of my pet peeves over the years (not that there aren't other little annoyances, you know?!) was that every time I was in the mood to listen to a particular CD of ours, I would open the CD case, and either it was empty, or another CD was there, and when I openned that CD case it wasn't there, and so on, and so on.
So I began to research digital media servers with a mind to get every CD we had and feed it into the media server's hard drive, and I wouldn't have to worry about misplaced CDs any more.
I really liked the highly rated Olive Musica, http://www.olive.us/p_bin/ but, I didn't want to spend $1500 dollars and felt that I could accomplish what I wanted myself, using my hoome computer and our wireless home network.
I had an extra Seagate 200 gigabyte hard drive that I had picked up on sale at either Bestbuy or Compusa for about $60.00.
I installed the drive in our computer, which is running Windows XP Pro, and created a folder on the drive where I wanted to store all of the used it for all of the music.
I then researched how I wanted to store the Cds on to the hard drive. MP3s are okay, but you lose some of the quality of the music. You can directly copy a CD in .wav format, but you don't compress the file, and you'll use alot of hard drive space as a result. I decided to convert the CDs into the flac format, which is a lossless compression. That is, the size of the files is reduced, but you don't lose any quality. (The Olive Musica uses flac to store the music) The flac community has a pretty good website: http://flac.sourceforge.net/ Which also has some great suggestions for software and hardware. (By the way, ipods don't play flac files, but Apple has developed its own Apple lossless codec, which you can get with the new Itunes free download. I have also downloaded and conveeted some files to that format for the ipod.)
Then, I needed to get the easiest to use software to burn the CDs on to the hard drive that even an amateur could handle. I have used the Nero products and I don't think they are too easy to use, so instead I purchased and installed the Roxio easy media Creator 9 software, which I bought for about $69.00. The Roxio software is easy to use, you tell it where you want to save the CD and you tell it to save it as a flac file and it it fast and easy as pie.
Then, I needed to figure out how to get all the flac files to my home stereo unit. I have a Netgear wireless router. In an abundance of caution I upgraded the router from the 802.11g to the Netgear 802.11(draft)N router, the Netgear WNR854t. I like the Netgear stuff because it is pretty easy for a network amateur like me to install and configure. The WNR 854t cost about $125.00
With continued research, I decided to buy the Slimdevices Squeezebox: http://www.slimdevices.com/index.html? I bought the black one, because it looks terrific with our stereo. The squeezebox has an AC adapter that plugs in to the wall, and analog left and right outputs that I connected to my receiver's aux input. I downloaded the Slim devices slimserver software, to my computer. I turned on the squeezebox, and in less than a minute it connected to my wireless network, and I have been streaming music from our computer throughout the house. The sound is terrific.
Not only did I have a ball doing it, but the whole project cost me less than $550.00.
Now I am working on tagging the music by genres etc. which is not as easy as it maybe should be, but it is still fun, and I can ALWAYS listen to whatever I am in the mood for, and THAT pet peeve is all gone.
I think these forums are terrifc, this is the first time I've ever responded, and I hope I helped!
NO Interest
by rditsler - 2/16/07 10:37 AM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This topic is of ZERO interest to me.
Could you possibly explain Interlacing and how to set it up?
by prncs0312000 - 2/16/07 11:20 AM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi I am wondering how to go about the title I have placed at the top. How does one learn interlacing and how does one operate it and what does it do?
didn't see it because it's so hard to read
by clsgis - 2/16/07 11:23 AM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
"I'm curious as to why there were so little submissions from you"
It takes an unreasonable effort to read the weekly "help and how-to" newsletter. Even after I've fed it through a MIME decoder it's still mostly formatting junk. Headers and footers and style sections and webbugs. Maybe there's a link in there someplace to read a version of it on Cnet's site, but I've never found it.
So when I'm in a hurry I just skip it. I only get as far as finding next week's question buried in there about a third of the time. Send it in plain text and I'd read it every week. Tell the Marketing Communications person who insisted on all that "branding" claptrap to go decorate something else.
"Media Center" is a solution looking for a problem. My twenty year old stereo already works fine. The TV works fine. My DVD player works fine, and it already has all that silly copy-protection stuff working. The last thing I need is another IBM-PC compatible in my house. They use twenty times as much power as embedded devices that can do the job, and they're noisy as hell until you replace the OEM fans.
Multimedia system not a big deal is it?
by haraldguenther - 2/16/07 11:48 AM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My computers have been able to do multi-media for a long time. I don't get what all the hype is about.
Is, "Multi-Media Center", just a sexy marketing term designed to sell something that most people already have?
As far as I am concerned the issue here has two parts. Video and Sound. Right?
Does your system have a decent sound card, video/TV card?
If you have lot's of money you can buy a computer that is already built and setup as a multimedia center with remote control etc. The only one's I have seen are running windows OS's (XP or Vista).
Then you just need a television or monitor that has a VGA (or Composite) input. All other video standards do not have the resolution you need to be able to read text easily on the screen.
Sound system is up to you. If you have a good surround system connected to your tv then just use the appropriate audio in on your tv. I plug into my stereo.
Me, I don't see buying a special computer with a special operating system as necessary. In fact I wonder what the big deal is.
I have had my two computers, WinXP and Ubuntu-Linux, connected to my 46" HD projection tv for more that a year now. I can browse the web, do my banking, watch a movie, play some music, play games, do work as a web developer and programmer, watch TV, keep in touch via email, make video telephone calls, burn CD/DVD's, etc, etc. All with free, functional, easy to use multimedia software programs and all from one mouse/keyboard (mouse is 99% for music or video so any body should be able to figure out how to play a tuen or movie etc.). Both Windows and Ubuntu work just fine though the older Linux box runs smoother and needs less system resources.
Also you can totally separate your television/multimedia center and your computer any time by just changing the Input on your television so it's easy to switch to your old VHS(remember those) machine or what ever. I just have another monitor plugged in to my video card so I can still work on my computer if the tv is in use for other things.
It's not a perfect set up but I like not having to deal with 6 remote controls or buying and maintaining all of the separate machines etc.
Each to his own, I guess.
All the best.
why little response on PC to theater
by troy.hoopes - 2/16/07 11:52 AM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I don't know about everyone else, but I've never done this. I was interested in seeing responses, as I would like to do this some day too. Sometimes we get so niche bound, that we don't get to explore everything we'd like to do with our computers. Plus time resources (or lack thereof) prohibit going beyond doing what we have to do to get by. I definitely like the newsletter and responses.
Why no response
by cballinger - 2/16/07 11:52 AM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
well, to be honest I quit responding months ago to these questions. Just seemed a total waste of time after seeing some of the lame winners. Now, granted many were very deserving, but some were really borderline and some were just downright way off center so I just figured it was time to do other things and let other experts have at it. For every question there are probably dozens of correct or right answers, just depends on the real level of detail that is often overlooked in the limited info provided in the question. A quick answer to a quick question may not be the correct solution to the real problem, but then in the limited space you have to work with in your column that is all you have.
answer to question
by beddog - 2/16/07 1:58 PM In reply to: Why no response by cballingerVery well stated.
Microsoft and media? Why?
by spikevoltage - 2/16/07 12:07 PM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm not sure I know why anyone would want to spend the time and money to introduce more restrictive DRM nonsense into an already functioning home entertainment system...and that's about the only advantage I see to newer technology like Microsoft Media Center. The problem is, it's a disadvantage to the CONSUMER...so why bother?
creating media center/ w/pc
by rsternb - 2/16/07 1:18 PM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
no answer from me - - - I was waiting for someone that knew hahaha
I have the same question - and am happy that there seem to be
good answers.
I have been trying to upgrade my mobo so I can get into doing this
same thing. must wait till the price drops a bit more on the
asus p5w dh delux that I want.
I want to upgrade my monitor (curr 17in) to something bigger and
am waffleing on - Monitor 20 - 24 in - hd tv 32ish inch - that
way I wont have to upgrade my tv also - all in one type setup and
with limited space for all the tv angle is sort of a plus - just
VERY expensive for my ret. fixed income :-)))
I have grabbed some of the recomends from the 'top' answer and will
begin another search - didnt know about the MCE but have found that
I like the MS Media center - so far - music anyway.
tried to play a dvd but it said I needed other software. haha oh well
long live CNet !
ted
pc for multimedia
by misitio - 2/16/07 1:36 PM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I enjoy reading the responses to the question of the week and have found many useful responses for which I’m grateful. As of yet I have not responded to any of the question only because I felt my response would have mirrored a reply already recorded or I had no experience with the issue.
Home theater reply
by beddog - 2/16/07 1:40 PM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'll make this short. I personally don't own a home theater. Granted I own a computer, and I own a 32 inch T.V. with a surround sound system on it, but it sounded to me like this guy has much more than that and wanted information I didn't have. To tell you the truth, I don't have any interest in connecting my computer up with my "home theater". It sounds too expensive and too complicated for me.
Quality of response
by Zouch - 2/16/07 2:23 PM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Lee,
I try to contribute to community questions whenever I feel I can offer useful advice. In the case of the Media Centre question, I don't have one and have no plans to install one (house logistics and equipment compatibility issues). So I didn't reply to this topic.
The weekly community discussion has a selection of high quality replies (I learn as much as I contribute) and so has a high credibility. That credibility would be put at risk if we started to offer replies not to the usual standard.
On the specific issue of Media Centres, I think there is more hype than reality and so it is a less popular topic.
Best regards,
Sav. M.
Its just to easy with the new multimedia center PC.!
by Bro.Bob - 2/16/07 2:35 PM In reply to: Community Newsletter Feedback by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This is an easy one for me all you need is new multimedia PC,
I like the HP with vista already installed.
You have the built in card reader for all your digital photos
the software is already built in and ready to use.
they have built in TVtuner with video card that will handle all
your wife's movies and give you ability to record them with the
built in DVR.
when you play them back it now comes through your home theater
receiver that is so easy to hook up as to plug in RCA plugs to
the input of your receiver output to your PC. this is just to
easy! or use the the S-video plugging this in is so easy my kids
can do it.
Vistas new multimedia center helps you with everything you will
need to make home movies and slide shows of your photos and
Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP works great to new ways
to store and enjoy all your digital media.
It's easier than ever to access all of your music, videos, pictures, and
recorded TV on your computer.
Play it, view it, organize it, or sync it to a portable device for enjoying on the go,
or share with devices around your home—all from one place.
This all become so easy and you can go wireless to any room
you want and its not to hard to do so, if you go with the
HP home multimedia center its about 12.00 ready to go! or you
spend lot more on a Mac, this set you back about three grand
they both do about the same I much prefer the HP to be my
workhorse for my multimedia center and Home Theater!
the choice is yours on that one.
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