watching videos through network

BudBud Chesterfield, Va
edited April 2005 in Science & Tech
I have a file server in my house that has 300GB of movies. My house is run with gigabit with network ports in all rooms. Id like to be able to watch my movies from my file server in any room, how should I set it up. thanks guys

Comments

  • tcithtcith Sydney, Australia Member
    edited March 2005
    Bud wrote:
    I have a file server in my house that has 300GB of movies. My house is run with gigabit with network ports in all rooms. Id like to be able to watch my movies from my file server in any room, how should I set it up. thanks guys

    Um WOW ... you won't have any problems with bandwidth

    I have server in my office upstairs - it has 500Gb of files on it

    I just have those in shared diretory and any of my machines on the network then can watch anything on the file server.

    The majority of my machines watching the files are on Wireless (g) network cards, so much lower bandwidth than what you have available.

    Just need to make sure the machines used to watch the files have the correcft codecs installed.

    I use an old laptop downstairs attached to my plasma screen mainly to watch files, was going to replace it with a small form factor computer running Xp Media centre but have had no need as the laptop is more than powerful enough to render the files and play them.

    I use Zoom media player for Video files and Winamp for Audio files
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited March 2005
    is there a program I can run to give it a simple front end like media center look so I can play the movies by selecting them with a remote
  • tcithtcith Sydney, Australia Member
    edited March 2005
    Bud wrote:
    is there a program I can run to give it a simple front end like media center look so I can play the movies by selecting them with a remote

    I'm sure there is - but I just use a wireless blutooth mouse and keyboard as I also surf on that machine downstairs

    the rechargable mouse is pretty much the only thing I use.

    I get T.V program guides up from the web and select the files I want to watch

    don't use any other function so the mouse is a remote
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    I have a similar setup. Machine A is running Windows XP and has a shared directory, let's say Shared Documents that has permissions such that anyone on my well-firewalled LAN can access it w/o passwords or login stuff. Machine B is near a television and has a network connection to the LAN. Machine B mounts Shared Documents from Machine A as a network drive (My Computer -> Tools -> Map Network Drive) The network drive maps to a drive letter on Machine B, so I can do things like make a playlist of files using my favorite media player (Winamp). (Winamp) works with my favorite remote (ATI Remote Wonder).

    This works just fine streaming DivX-encoded movies and music on my 10/100 network.

    -drasnor :fold:
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited March 2005
    Does it still look good on wireless? Im moving soon and might not be able to run network cables through house
    tcith wrote:
    Um WOW ... you won't have any problems with bandwidth

    I have server in my office upstairs - it has 500Gb of files on it

    I just have those in shared diretory and any of my machines on the network then can watch anything on the file server.

    The majority of my machines watching the files are on Wireless (g) network cards, so much lower bandwidth than what you have available.

    Just need to make sure the machines used to watch the files have the correcft codecs installed.

    I use an old laptop downstairs attached to my plasma screen mainly to watch files, was going to replace it with a small form factor computer running Xp Media centre but have had no need as the laptop is more than powerful enough to render the files and play them.

    I use Zoom media player for Video files and Winamp for Audio files
  • tcithtcith Sydney, Australia Member
    edited March 2005
    Bud wrote:
    Does it still look good on wireless? Im moving soon and might not be able to run network cables through house


    I run 802.11g - I get a pretty steady 48Mbs signal from my Netgear Wireless router situated two storeys up in a solid brick and concrete house.

    The only time I have had "interference" and stalls in a streaming file is when I use the microwave - the radio phone does not interfere.

    My Netgear is also one of the 1st generation nearly two years old so the latest gear must be better
  • DexterDexter Vancouver, BC Canada
    edited March 2005
    Bear in mind that even if those video files are encoded as DVD-compliant MPEG-2, they are going to be variable bit rate between 5 and 9 Mbps. If you have *at least* a 10 Mbps network, you will have enough bandwidth to stream them from another server. Heck, even if you have *medium quality* High Definition MPEG-2, they will be encoded around 35 - 40 Mbps, still lower throughput than what a Wireless-G network will give you under ideal conditions.

    So the important question is, what bit-rate are your files encoded at, and what is that in comparison to the bandwidth available in your network. Or, in other words, how big is the package and then how big is the pipe it has to be shoved through?

    Dexter...
  • tcithtcith Sydney, Australia Member
    edited March 2005
    Dexter wrote:
    Bear in mind that even if those video files are encoded as DVD-compliant MPEG-2, they are going to be variable bit rate between 5 and 9 Mbps. If you have *at least* a 10 Mbps network, you will have enough bandwidth to stream them from another server. Heck, even if you have *medium quality* High Definition MPEG-2, they will be encoded around 35 - 40 Mbps, still lower throughput than what a Wireless-G network will give you under ideal conditions.

    So the important question is, what bit-rate are your files encoded at, and what is that in comparison to the bandwidth available in your network. Or, in other words, how big is the package and then how big is the pipe it has to be shoved through?

    Dexter...


    The Majority of my files are DIVX or XVID encodes and of course MP3 audio
    I have various encode qualitys beteen 780Mb for a 45/50 minute program down to 350Mb for the same type of thing ..
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    AKA, 800-1950 kbps.
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    tcith wrote:
    The Majority of my files are DIVX or XVID encodes and of course MP3 audio
    I have various encode qualitys beteen 780Mb for a 45/50 minute program down to 350Mb for the same type of thing ..

    Dexter meant the bitrate of the videos, not overall size. It would be crazy tohave 780Mb/ps bitrate on a video unless it's so high of quality that you can count a persons skin cells :D

    Bitrate is important for anything you do, such as making a video play straight from a CD/DVD, LAN or WAN or floppy(heh).
  • tcithtcith Sydney, Australia Member
    edited March 2005
    RWB wrote:
    Dexter meant the bitrate of the videos, not overall size. It would be crazy tohave 780Mb/ps bitrate on a video unless it's so high of quality that you can count a persons skin cells :D

    Bitrate is important for anything you do, such as making a video play straight from a CD/DVD, LAN or WAN or floppy(heh).

    I realise what he meant - I just did not have the bitrate handy
    just I know the size of the files for the length - which will give those who understand these things of the possible bitrate that they are in.

    I have not attempted to stream a DVD across the link - If I have a DVD size file I burn it to DVD, I don't have the disk space to host that sort of libary of files. (all legal of course)

    VCD and SVCD quality files I do all the time.
  • Artluo100Artluo100 New York
    edited April 2005
    You can set up a HTPC box and watch it from there but of course you will need to buy some sort of a USB remote. If you want to set it up and watch it on the tv, all you need is Windows XP Media Edition and a video card with video out and a mini to composite plug to plug from your sound card to your tv.
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited April 2005
    i already have a mce box i just wanted another box featuring something like that mce menu so i can watch movies/music and simple cause my parents might use it too
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