advice on building integrated PC/home theater system

[jsig]

Hi folks,

I've been searching the internet for info/ideas/suggestions on piecing together a home audio/video system that is able to draw on data from my PC. Some google searches led me to this forum, so I thought I'd solicit some advice from the knowledgeable folks here.

I have a PC running Windows 7 with 1-2TB of FLAC audio and various video. I'd like to get a new stereo receiver ($400-650 range w/ 24bit/192 DAC capability) along with a new HDTV that I could integrate together.

Ideally, I'd love to be able to access the PC audio folder system through the TV display for choosing audio files/folders to play through the receiver instead of going through a 2-line receiver display. Is this even possible? I've read some things on DLNA and am not sold on that being the proper solution for me. I think I'd prefer a hard-wired connection between all of the components.

At some point, I'd also like to integrate a high-capacity home server with RAID array into the mix.

Would this be as simple as having everything hooked up to a router/switch via ethernet?

I'm having difficulties deducing the simple idea of how everything works/hooks together through the morass of what info is available online.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[BMXTRIX]

The receiver's job is to decode audio being fed to it digitally, then accurately amplify that signal to your speakers.

The TV's job is to faithfully recreate the video signal which is fed to it.

Neither of these devices job is to stream your home media!

Even when it is built into certain devices you are talking about a $20 chip embedded with added functionality that is supposed to decode, navigate, and deal with your home network... In simple terms, it barely works (if at all) and it is never a good experience.

What you want/need is a dedicated box which does exactly what you want. Just like if you want to watch HD cable/sat you will have a box for that. For Blu-ray, you will have a box for that. If you want to stream stuff off your home network, then you need a good box for that.

Popcorn Hour, Dune, AppleTV, WDTV, and a fairly long list of others all have some capability to do this. Popcorn Hour and Dune, IMO, lead the pack for completeness and versatility.

Home Theater PCs are also used frequently, but they are NOT complete and require a great deal of end-user involvement to get them working perfectly. They hold the most potential and most versatility IMO, but they are generally fan cooled which adds noise to the room, and can have a pretty hefty price tag for top tier functionality.

I use two Dune products, and their basic interface looks terrible, but works well. Their cover art skins (Yadis for me) look great, work well, and took a while for me to setup, but the family loves it, and uses it.

 

[bikemig]

You could also just use your PC as a source for the AV receiver. The TV becomes the monitor for the computer. You can then listen and/or watch any content. At one time, that was clearly the best way to stream music and video to your home theater; now there are many more choices for how you do this. In addition to the devices that BMXTRIX listed, a roku box can also handle much of what you want to do. Assuming you don't mind attaching your computer to your home theater set up, this may be the easiest way to go if not the most cost effective. Still there is something to be said for this set-up.

 

[BMXTRIX]

...a roku box can also handle much of what you want to do.

Roku is an online streaming server more than a home media server from what (little) I have used with it. It is great to get the online content and really should be used if streaming online content is a desire.

People tend to lump this altogether as some simple task - "Hey, I want all the world content and my home content to stream! Make is so." - and it just isn't that easy. There are hundreds of audio and video codecs, there are hundreds of streaming services as well.

I would definitely recommend, or get, a Roku player if streaming was a really high priority. I label it a medium priority in my home so my PS3 does alright for me on it. The Dune players I use are a very different animal from the online streamers.

 

[jsig]

Thanks for the replies!

Streaming online content is a low priority for me.

My main priority is to access the media files on my PC for playback on the home system, while preserving their quality & being able to navigate everything via a TV/remote control interface.

Question on the aforementioned boxes, do files need to be uploaded to the box before playback or do they simply act as a bridge to play from the PC?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Question on the aforementioned boxes, do files need to be uploaded to the box before playback or do they simply act as a bridge to play from the PC?

The boxes I mentioned can play back from any networked storage device with the proper permissions. I personally have 20TB of RAID storage accessible to my two Dune players. These are areas where Porcorn Hour and Dune do very well. Takes some time to figure out if you aren't network savvy, but once setup, the player itself gets to them no problem.