ha.andylaurence.co.uk - Automation of a Victorian House in Bristol

Home Automation (ha.andylaurence.co.uk)

More MediaPortal (Tue, 15 Mar 2005 21:25:00 GMT)
It's now up and running correctly with all the channels working correctly. With 256MB RAM and a 1.7GHz Celeron powering it, speed is good. I've configured the IR software provided by Hauppauge by hacking the IRremote.ini in the Windows directory. That was quite simple - the hardest part being the decision on what to make each button do. There's a few things I'd like to add, such as being able to use the TV/Videos/Music/Pictures/Guide/Radio buttons to directly shortcut to that screen. I'd also like to remove some icons that appear on some screens, as they just create clutter with no real benefit. A simpler way to navigate the channels would be nice too. I do like the idea of being able to burn my recordings to DVD though, should I wish to view them elsewhere. Glad I stuck the DVD writer in the PVR now! I've also added a second disk for the recordings. This gives me 40GB of possible recordings, which is around 20 hours. That's on a par with the Tivo it'll replace. I'll get a 160GB disk before it goes live though. I can stick all the MP3s on there too.

TV-out (Mon, 14 Mar 2005 13:02:00 GMT)
Now that the MediaPortal box is up and running, my main problem is getting the image from that to the TV in the front room. As I see it, I have two options. I can either use a TV-out card such as the Xcard, or use a TV-out box. These TV-out boxes connect to the VGA port and, without any software on the PC, provide S-video, composite, and sometimes RGB outputs. These boxes are cheap, and sound ideal. There's even versions that have built-in wireless (another one). The problem I face is knowing what the quality is like before I buy one. I suppose there's only one way to find out....

MediaPortal Lives! (Fri, 11 Mar 2005 21:03:00 GMT)
I have the Hauppage Nova-T up and running with MediaPortal. It's really quite funky! I had some rather large issues getting the drivers on the Nova-T working in the first place, and even more issues getting MediaPortal to recognise the card, but it seems to work now. I'm struggling with 128MB of RAM, so that needs upgrading. The full screen option is also not rendering correctly. That may be a memory issue too. So far, it's a thumbs-up for MediaPortal. More info as and when I manage to schedule a recording!

PVR: Media Portal (Mon, 28 Feb 2005 18:59:00 GMT)
I've noticed that MediaPortal has changed quite significantly since I last checked it. It now supports DVB-T cards such as the Hauppauge Nova-T. It also has all the functions you'd require from a state-of-the-art PVR. So, I've bought a Nova-T to use with it. I'll build the box when the card arrives, and a posting will be made here shortly afterwards.

Media PC (Tue, 21 Dec 2004 18:18:00 GMT)
I've been looking into solutions to replace my Tivo. Much as I love Tivo to bits, I'd like to move into the world of Freeview, stop paying 10 quid a month, and be able to record two channels at once. I've hunted high and low through all the PVR utilities out there, and found three shortlisted candidates:

MythTV
Windows Media Center Edition 2005
WebScheduler and DigitalWatch

The best package is MythTV, but it's also bloody difficult to install! Windows Media Center Edition 2005 is the most expensive solution, but probably the easiest to implement. The last option is for when all else fails. It'll require lots of configuration, and probably need integration into Xlobby.

Whatever happens, I shall be using a Hauppauage Nova-T as the source. This takes the Freeview source straight into the PC as a digital signal meaning little processing power is required. It's also only 65 quid from Ebuyer and has an integrated IR remote. First on the list to try is Windows Media Center. This should work out quite well from what I've seen, and will integrate with the Xbox Extender to allow a second TV to be hooked up. All in, I'm looking at about 250 quid to build the system, which is about what my Tivo and DVD player will fetch when I sell them.

More to follow as I work it out (and if I actually decide to splash out on the hardware I need).

Kitchen LCD Installed (Tue, 13 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT)
I've ripped apart an old laptop, and attached it to the top of the kitchen units. It's a little high, so next plan is to lower it a bit. Also, you can see cables running to the rear of the unit. These are due to be hidden when the laptop finds its final resting place. In addition, whilst the screen is currently in its original laptop frame, it will eventually be framed in a more suitable manner - brushed aluminium sounds good!

The laptop is running WinXP, and Xlobby for the interface. Xlobby looks great, but I've yet to sucessfully import all my MP3s - it seems to stop at just under 3000. This means my praise is somewhat limited! However, it is able to play music, is highly skinnable, will play video from the server, is a piece of doddle to setup, will show images, and web browsing. The latter is significant for implementing Digiguide one-click recording. Software-wise, the only issue I have is with continuity from one room to the next - synchronising the laptops will be nearly impossible!

The noise from the hard disk isn't as bad as I expected, and the drive will disappear inside a cupboard soon, so I don't plan to go diskless. I do need to source a couple of old speakers and a suitable amplifier though. I was going to use the touchpad that was on the laptop as the input device, but I managed to short it out and break it whilst testing. Another will be ordered from Insight for the bargain price of 8 pounds and 99 pence plus VAT. Shame about the 10 quid postage :-/

Looks like this is niceley repeatable for all the other rooms in the house. All I need now is the digital card for the server, and a few more accident damaged laptops with good screens....

Kitchen Cabled (Sun, 11 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT)
I finally ran cables into the kitchen!

Heating Controller Solution (Tue, 02 Mar 2004 00:00:00 GMT)
Right, thinking caps off. I have a solution! I'm going to attempt to use a PIC chip to switch the relay for the boiler. This will involve a serial connection over CAT5 from the server in Node0 to the PIC by the boiler. The PIC will respond to serial commands and switch the heating on/off accordingly. It will also switch an LED on to indicate whether the heating is on or off, and allow a one-touch boost to keep heating on until a specified time. If I can get really clever, I may run an LCD off it too to show current time, and when the heating will next turn on/off.

Tivo Replacement Software Found (Wed, 11 Feb 2004 00:00:00 GMT)
Having spent all evening googling, I have found DVrec, which seems to do all the scheduling for digital terrestrial TV. It interfaces with Digiguide for one-click recording. I suppose I could run Windows 98 on the laptops to allow me to run Digiguide from them, but this is getting complex to use. Anyway, DVrec and Digiguide with a Nova-T should suffice for a Tivo replacement.

MythTV: PITA, DOS: Easy (Mon, 09 Feb 2004 00:00:00 GMT)
I've spent a long time looking at MythTV, and whilst it looks great, it also looks incredibly complicated and time consuming! As it has Tivo-like features, it's also a bit over the top for a Tivo owner. I've decided to go down a programming route, and write my own software for DOS! The reasoning behind this is simple - DOS boots in moments, can run executables from the network, and is easy to program for. There is a media player for DOS, so i can play MPEG, DivX, and pretty much anything else. The only issue with this is that it won't play directly from Tivo. I have thought about replacing Tivo, as I don't use many of the special features. In fact, all I do is set season passes, which I believe is possible from simple software and a Nova-T card from Hauppauge (80 quidish at Dabs). All I'd do then, is record shows to the server hard disk, and read them from any player in the house. All I need is a really simple remote control, IR receiver, an old laptop, and a network connection (wireless will do).

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