Media Server/AV Design Recommendations
Hello gentlemen of dad tavern,
I have recently contracted an interior designer to design/decorate Penthouse Atmosfear and one of the things we have prioritized is hiding the mess of cables and components in my home theater. One of the ways I'm planning to facilitate this is by using a media server across wifi to stream media to my stereo and/or tv. I currently view most media, especially web content like HBO GO, by plugging in my laptop with HDMI to TV and headphone out to surround, and it makes me get up to change episodes, set aside my laptop, turn my laptop on, etct. I also do some iTunes Home Sharing to my iPad (i dont have a TV in my room and often leave my laptop elsewhere, so i watch my iPad before bed.) I've got a number of devices available to use and a couple of restrictions:
Devices:
1. iPad 2 3G
2. iPhone 4
3. iPod Touch 2G (No home sharing as it can't go above iOS 4.2, though I'm open to jailbreak if needed)
4. PS3 (I've already used UPnP with PS3 Media Server from my laptop)
5. Windows laptop (with HDMI out)
6. Neighbor's linksys router with broadband (I have admin access to it but this is an unsecured wifi network that we've leeching off of for over a year. I can do anything to it that doesn't noticeably impact my neighbor's ability to get online and thus call tech support)
7. My own linksys router that will NOT have Internet access (as I don't pay for Internet at the moment)
8. Non-networked 1080p plasma TV (multiple HDMI inputs, surround sound)
9. Non-networked 1080p LCD TV (multiple HDMI inputs, no surround sound, moves regularly between rooms)
10. Non-networked surround sound (all optical inputs used for PS3 and Satellite box, 3.5mm headphone input for other peripherals, other input formats)
11. Logitech Harmony remote with PS3 compatibility
Constraints:
1. Would prefer to secure access to devices on the network, either at the network level or device level
2. Cannot modify neighbor's router/network in a way that noticeably impacts my neighbor's ability to get online and thus would prompt him/her to call tech support and secure the network
3. Would prefer not to have to manually switch devices between wifi networks based on whether I need Internet access (especially brutal for PS3 which has no profiles)
4. Do not want to spend more than $100-150 on additional peripherals (ie Apple TV, specialty cables, specific router, ipad/iphone apps, etc)
5. Do not want to spend more than $4-500 total
6. Maximize one-touch-ability. The more I can control from my Logitech remote, the better.
7. The less I have to plug in to get stuff working, the better.
So, I pose two questions to the AV Geeks-at-large:
1. What is the best design to meet my needs/expectations?
2. What kind of hardware should I look for for my media server. My expectation is that I will configure it using a tv for a monitor and only access it using remote desktop from my laptop. I literally intend to put it in a corner and leave it running for weeks at a time. Keep in mind that I've never built my own computer so the easier to build, the better.
Regards,
Atmosfgt
