2011-07-17, 22:03
So here is my humble setup.
First the backbone:
Here I have a netbook running Windows Server.
The netbooks static services are:
SMB, FTP, Remote Desktop, HTTP server, iTunes (for server purposes), AirVideo Server, sabnzbd+, Google Music Server.
Because it has a 16GB SSD in it there is a 1TB USB data drive.
DLink DNS-321 with 2x2TB drives.
Drive 1 is all movies
320+ Movies all in m4v with apple metadata tags
(95% in 720p res)
Each movie has it's own folder and a .nfo file for the IMDB link. These NFO files were created using a program I wrote to scrape the file name and use google to search for the IMDB link. Took about 10 seconds for all 320 movies. This is MUCH more accurate then the XBMC scraper in my experience.
Drive 2 is all TV shows. 70 shows. All except 1 or 2 are complete series.
Like the movie drive these are all m4v and fully tagged using iDentify (Including artwork!!).
I need a new drive here. I only have 30 GB left out of 2TB.
The file structure is similar to the movie drive. With an NFO in each show with an IMDB link for xbmc.
Seagate Dockstar NAS. I use this almost exclusively for timemachine backups. Nothing to special about it but it's saved my butt MANY times.
HDHomeRun Dual + amplified antenna
The AppleTV 2G isn't powerful enough to decode the mpeg2 video it gets from this so I only use it with the iMac and MBP (showing it on our TV)
Linksys WRT320N Gigabit w/ DD-WRT
This is what makes it all happen.
While I do run the DHCP service I like to give each device a static IP address. Like servers are in the 30's, my devices are the 100's, and girlfriends are the 120's.
Most devices are also given a DNS name linked to both an internal and external domain.
So if i was to say AppleTV.myDomain.com while inside the my network it would address to 192.168.9.26 and then when outside the network it will go to my WAN. I got used to doing this because I used to have a 100Mb WAN with a gigabit switch. When I called a service using an outside DNS record it would direct to my WAN port which was then port forwarded. This means the gigabit stream went over some 100Mb wires.
The wireless is running 5GHz with a 40MHz width. I top out at about 8MB/s throughput. Pretty much only the MBP and iPad are running on this band.
54G
Generic Frys re-branded Dlink 54G only acting as a wireless AP for my 2.4GHz devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, Kindle, Printers/Scranners). It's also a switch to connect devices with 100Mb LAN ports up to it. Like the AppleTV2
The orange box is full of all the power supplies, wires, and a gigabit switch.
The interface for everything: The TV. Just an old 37inch Westinghouse 1080p. Still works and is a perfect size for our apartment.
Mounted to the wall using a articulating arm so we can watch TV from the kitchen if we want
Philips 2.1 300W soundbar with wired sub behind the chair. Wires are under carpet.
AppleTV 2G with XBMC. That's why I'm here. HDMI to the TV and optical to the soundbar. This allows me to turn off the TV for music only. Otherwise it complains a little. Mostly I use it to stream directly from the NAS so I can bypass going through the iTunes server. Not a fan of looping around data. I also have the new Slingbox addon working. I have a remote slingbox and my parents house. I don't pay for cable or sat.
For the iDevices they both have all the Apple sharing stuff through iTunes. Airvideo too. Since everything is already in m4v I don't need to transcode it play it on these devices. The only exception is the iPhone needs transcoding over 3G to which the netbook server is only powerful enough for a watchable but low resolution video (like 320x240). I rarely watch over 3G anyways. Both the iPad and iPhone have Slingplayer so when I do watch over 3G it is almost exclusively that.
They both also have xbmc so I can stream directly from the NAS but it's a little clunky, AirVideo IMO is easier to use.
Both have XBMC remotes for controling the ATV2 XBMC.
They also both have RDP and VNC apps which to my surprise is use ALL the time. Mostly the RDP with the server.
Before the ATV2 I was almost exclusively using my laptop for video. So left over for some occasions (like watching TV from the HDHomeRun) I have an HDMI cable that I routed under the couch and carpet. Along I also have a 3.5mm jack that goes to the soundbar so you can plug in almost any audio device from the couch. There is also power strips under the couch for anything.
27" iMac. This is pretty much the powerhouse that has converted everything using handbrake and some custom scripts I wrote. My girlfriend uses it for surfing and work. I just SSH into and start the low priority handbrake. Except for the fans turning on it's almost like I'm not using it.
An old iPod Touch which has the same programs and capabilities as the other iDevices.
A Kindle Wifi.
First the backbone:
Here I have a netbook running Windows Server.
The netbooks static services are:
SMB, FTP, Remote Desktop, HTTP server, iTunes (for server purposes), AirVideo Server, sabnzbd+, Google Music Server.
Because it has a 16GB SSD in it there is a 1TB USB data drive.
DLink DNS-321 with 2x2TB drives.
Drive 1 is all movies
320+ Movies all in m4v with apple metadata tags
(95% in 720p res)
Each movie has it's own folder and a .nfo file for the IMDB link. These NFO files were created using a program I wrote to scrape the file name and use google to search for the IMDB link. Took about 10 seconds for all 320 movies. This is MUCH more accurate then the XBMC scraper in my experience.
Drive 2 is all TV shows. 70 shows. All except 1 or 2 are complete series.
Like the movie drive these are all m4v and fully tagged using iDentify (Including artwork!!).
I need a new drive here. I only have 30 GB left out of 2TB.
The file structure is similar to the movie drive. With an NFO in each show with an IMDB link for xbmc.
Seagate Dockstar NAS. I use this almost exclusively for timemachine backups. Nothing to special about it but it's saved my butt MANY times.
HDHomeRun Dual + amplified antenna
The AppleTV 2G isn't powerful enough to decode the mpeg2 video it gets from this so I only use it with the iMac and MBP (showing it on our TV)
Linksys WRT320N Gigabit w/ DD-WRT
This is what makes it all happen.
While I do run the DHCP service I like to give each device a static IP address. Like servers are in the 30's, my devices are the 100's, and girlfriends are the 120's.
Most devices are also given a DNS name linked to both an internal and external domain.
So if i was to say AppleTV.myDomain.com while inside the my network it would address to 192.168.9.26 and then when outside the network it will go to my WAN. I got used to doing this because I used to have a 100Mb WAN with a gigabit switch. When I called a service using an outside DNS record it would direct to my WAN port which was then port forwarded. This means the gigabit stream went over some 100Mb wires.
The wireless is running 5GHz with a 40MHz width. I top out at about 8MB/s throughput. Pretty much only the MBP and iPad are running on this band.
54G
Generic Frys re-branded Dlink 54G only acting as a wireless AP for my 2.4GHz devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, Kindle, Printers/Scranners). It's also a switch to connect devices with 100Mb LAN ports up to it. Like the AppleTV2
The orange box is full of all the power supplies, wires, and a gigabit switch.
The interface for everything: The TV. Just an old 37inch Westinghouse 1080p. Still works and is a perfect size for our apartment.
Mounted to the wall using a articulating arm so we can watch TV from the kitchen if we want
Philips 2.1 300W soundbar with wired sub behind the chair. Wires are under carpet.
AppleTV 2G with XBMC. That's why I'm here. HDMI to the TV and optical to the soundbar. This allows me to turn off the TV for music only. Otherwise it complains a little. Mostly I use it to stream directly from the NAS so I can bypass going through the iTunes server. Not a fan of looping around data. I also have the new Slingbox addon working. I have a remote slingbox and my parents house. I don't pay for cable or sat.
For the iDevices they both have all the Apple sharing stuff through iTunes. Airvideo too. Since everything is already in m4v I don't need to transcode it play it on these devices. The only exception is the iPhone needs transcoding over 3G to which the netbook server is only powerful enough for a watchable but low resolution video (like 320x240). I rarely watch over 3G anyways. Both the iPad and iPhone have Slingplayer so when I do watch over 3G it is almost exclusively that.
They both also have xbmc so I can stream directly from the NAS but it's a little clunky, AirVideo IMO is easier to use.
Both have XBMC remotes for controling the ATV2 XBMC.
They also both have RDP and VNC apps which to my surprise is use ALL the time. Mostly the RDP with the server.
Before the ATV2 I was almost exclusively using my laptop for video. So left over for some occasions (like watching TV from the HDHomeRun) I have an HDMI cable that I routed under the couch and carpet. Along I also have a 3.5mm jack that goes to the soundbar so you can plug in almost any audio device from the couch. There is also power strips under the couch for anything.
27" iMac. This is pretty much the powerhouse that has converted everything using handbrake and some custom scripts I wrote. My girlfriend uses it for surfing and work. I just SSH into and start the low priority handbrake. Except for the fans turning on it's almost like I'm not using it.
An old iPod Touch which has the same programs and capabilities as the other iDevices.
A Kindle Wifi.
