Upgrade path advice!
Discussion
We're at a bit of a junction with our current AV setup and I'd be interested to what PHers think would be a good way to proceed. Currently we have:
Samsung 37" 1080p TV.
Standard Sky+
Sony mid range Blu-Ray player.
Sony mid range 7.1 AV Amp.
Satellite Speakers and Sub.
We have a LoveFilm subscription for the BluRays which we are really happy with but what I'd like to achieve is the following:
Sky+ HD or Freesat HD.
Streamed music through the AV amp as CDs in the Blu-Ray player are a ballache (all the CDs are already ripped on the PC upstairs as both FLAC and high bit rate mp3).
Internet access in the living room for casual use.
So.......the Sky+ HD vs Freesat is going to be a toss up between cash spent for channels gained and I'll think about that this week. But regarding the others, would a dedicated HTPC suit? We'd need to put some network cable through the house though but could ditch the seperate blu-ray player. Other options are SONOS and a small tablet for the internet usage.
So what do people think is the best way to go? Is anyone running a HTPC with a blu-ray and would you recomend it?
Samsung 37" 1080p TV.
Standard Sky+
Sony mid range Blu-Ray player.
Sony mid range 7.1 AV Amp.
Satellite Speakers and Sub.
We have a LoveFilm subscription for the BluRays which we are really happy with but what I'd like to achieve is the following:
Sky+ HD or Freesat HD.
Streamed music through the AV amp as CDs in the Blu-Ray player are a ballache (all the CDs are already ripped on the PC upstairs as both FLAC and high bit rate mp3).
Internet access in the living room for casual use.
So.......the Sky+ HD vs Freesat is going to be a toss up between cash spent for channels gained and I'll think about that this week. But regarding the others, would a dedicated HTPC suit? We'd need to put some network cable through the house though but could ditch the seperate blu-ray player. Other options are SONOS and a small tablet for the internet usage.
So what do people think is the best way to go? Is anyone running a HTPC with a blu-ray and would you recomend it?
grenpayne said:
We're at a bit of a junction with our current AV setup and I'd be interested to what PHers think would be a good way to proceed. Currently we have:
Samsung 37" 1080p TV.
Standard Sky+
Sony mid range Blu-Ray player.
Sony mid range 7.1 AV Amp.
Satellite Speakers and Sub.
We have a LoveFilm subscription for the BluRays which we are really happy with but what I'd like to achieve is the following:
Sky+ HD or Freesat HD.
Streamed music through the AV amp as CDs in the Blu-Ray player are a ballache (all the CDs are already ripped on the PC upstairs as both FLAC and high bit rate mp3).
Internet access in the living room for casual use.
So.......the Sky+ HD vs Freesat is going to be a toss up between cash spent for channels gained and I'll think about that this week. But regarding the others, would a dedicated HTPC suit? We'd need to put some network cable through the house though but could ditch the seperate blu-ray player. Other options are SONOS and a small tablet for the internet usage.
So what do people think is the best way to go? Is anyone running a HTPC with a blu-ray and would you recomend it?
What exactly is it about your current setup that you're seeking to improve?Samsung 37" 1080p TV.
Standard Sky+
Sony mid range Blu-Ray player.
Sony mid range 7.1 AV Amp.
Satellite Speakers and Sub.
We have a LoveFilm subscription for the BluRays which we are really happy with but what I'd like to achieve is the following:
Sky+ HD or Freesat HD.
Streamed music through the AV amp as CDs in the Blu-Ray player are a ballache (all the CDs are already ripped on the PC upstairs as both FLAC and high bit rate mp3).
Internet access in the living room for casual use.
So.......the Sky+ HD vs Freesat is going to be a toss up between cash spent for channels gained and I'll think about that this week. But regarding the others, would a dedicated HTPC suit? We'd need to put some network cable through the house though but could ditch the seperate blu-ray player. Other options are SONOS and a small tablet for the internet usage.
So what do people think is the best way to go? Is anyone running a HTPC with a blu-ray and would you recomend it?
(BTW if you don't use Sky for the sport or films then financially buying a Freesat box pays for itself within 6 months. Or if a new TV is on the cards then get a "smart" one which has freesat built in, can act as a streamer, and has a PVR built in if you attached £30 worth of USB drive).
PhilboSE said:
What exactly is it about your current setup that you're seeking to improve?
(BTW if you don't use Sky for the sport or films then financially buying a Freesat box pays for itself within 6 months. Or if a new TV is on the cards then get a "smart" one which has freesat built in, can act as a streamer, and has a PVR built in if you attached £30 worth of USB drive).
We don't use Sky for sports or films as we watch the later on Blu-ray but we would like to start watching more TV in HD. (BTW if you don't use Sky for the sport or films then financially buying a Freesat box pays for itself within 6 months. Or if a new TV is on the cards then get a "smart" one which has freesat built in, can act as a streamer, and has a PVR built in if you attached £30 worth of USB drive).
The crux of the issue though is adding the ability to stream music, rather than play CDs through the blu-ray and to be able to use the internet in the living room. The two ideas I had in mind were:
1. Keep what we have and add something like SONOS for the music and a tablet for casual internet or
2. Ditch the blu-ray player and sky box and get a HTPC, with a blu-ray drive and a DVB card. This will also allow the music streaming and internet access.
The question is, will a HTPC do all this in a slick, easy to work and manage way or will it just be a pain in the arse to use? Or is there a better way of doing things all together?
Thanks Andrew, we actually have the Sony 560 blu-ray player and it works well over wi-fi.
After much consideration I've upgraded the Sky to a 1TB HD box, got a nice new NAS drive and will be picking up some SONOS gear next week! I couldn't be doing faffing about with a HTPC right now and the SONOS is tried and tested.
After much consideration I've upgraded the Sky to a 1TB HD box, got a nice new NAS drive and will be picking up some SONOS gear next week! I couldn't be doing faffing about with a HTPC right now and the SONOS is tried and tested.
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