Integrating Foxsat into multiroom system

[Driller]

Probably not too many experts on this here but what's the accepted wisdom with the above?

I have multiroom audio/video and a Foxsat HDR in the home cinema area. I would prefer to keep the Foxsat where it is so it stays integrated with the rest of the home cinema so that the wife doesn't get confused but sometimes would like to watch (or finish watching) recorded movies elsewhere in the house.

I suspect the best is to make the home cinema a multiroom zone but this will surely complicate things.

[oola]

Driller said:

Probably not too many experts on this here but what's the accepted wisdom with the above?

I have multiroom audio/video and a Foxsat HDR in the home cinema area. I would prefer to keep the Foxsat where it is so it stays integrated with the rest of the home cinema so that the wife doesn't get confused but sometimes would like to watch (or finish watching) recorded movies elsewhere in the house.

I suspect the best is to make the home cinema a multiroom zone but this will surely complicate things.

If you want to watch the source in other rooms, you'll need to have the signal distributed somehow. You say you have multi-room audio/video ... do you have a video distribution system already? Is it HD or standard def?

[kevkbuk]

The Foxsat HDR can be modded to allow DLNA streaming and FTP/Windows access, Google 'custom firmware foxsat' for more info as I don't know if external links are allowed here. As long as you connect the Foxsat to your network it will stream SD and non encypted HD recordings to other devices, eg PC, PS3, WDTV or iPhone/iPad etc. On a PC you can even copy from/to as well as stream.

It works well and seems to have no effect on the performance of the Foxsat. The streaming is invisible to anyone using the Foxsat and it can be used as normal.

[Driller]

oola said:

If you want to watch the source in other rooms, you'll need to have the signal distributed somehow. You say you have multi-room audio/video ... do you have a video distribution system already? Is it HD or standard def?

kevkbuk said:

The Foxsat HDR can be modded to allow DLNA streaming and FTP/Windows access, Google 'custom firmware foxsat' for more info as I don't know if external links are allowed here. As long as you connect the Foxsat to your network it will stream SD and non encypted HD recordings to other devices, eg PC, PS3, WDTV or iPhone/iPad etc. On a PC you can even copy from/to as well as stream.

It works well and seems to have no effect on the performance of the Foxsat. The streaming is invisible to anyone using the Foxsat and it can be used as normal.

Thanks for the replies guys, to be honest I didn't think that anyone would!

Yes, I have an HD video distribution system in the audio/video multiroom. What I'm trying to achieve though is to keep the directness of connection in the home cinema area but at the same time be able to have access from time to time to any recorded material. I already have another non-recording freesat unit in the video multiroom system but of course I can't access recorded material with this.

Kevkbuk your idea is very interesting although I would prefer to keep pcs out of the equation if possible for simplicity/stability.

In general my thoughts are that I have two choices: keep the Freesat where it is and hook up an HDMI splitter and IR extender from the multiroom video amp or put the Freesat in the Node zero and have the same HDMI splitter and an IR link to the home cinema area.

[kevkbuk]

Driller said:

Thanks for the replies guys, to be honest I didn't think that anyone would!

Kevkbuk your idea is very interesting although I would prefer to keep pcs out of the equation if possible for simplicity/stability.

A PC doesn't need to be involved apart from the initial setup. You can stream to any DLNA device such as TVs, DVD players, Sony PS3 etc.

[Driller]

kevkbuk said:

A PC doesn't need to be involved apart from the initial setup. You can stream to any DLNA device such as TVs, DVD players, Sony PS3 etc.

Ah ok. What about IR pass through, is that sent through the RJ45 jack or would I need a separate setup?

[kevkbuk]

Driller said:

Ah ok. What about IR pass through, is that sent through the RJ45 jack or would I need a separate setup?

There is no IR to pass through. You can only stream recorded content this way and playback is controlled from the client device.

[Driller]

kevkbuk said:

There is no IR to pass through. You can only stream recorded content this way and playback is controlled from the client device.

Ok, so the client device being

kevkbuk said:

eg PC, PS3, WDTV or iPhone/iPad

It's going to be way simpler to use an IR blaster and connect an output to the multiroom AV tbh. Brilliant solution for someone without multiroom though

[Bullett]

Don't forget your solution will only work if the foxsat is not being used in the main room for watching something else.
If that's fine then you good to go.

[VEX]

Driller,

Perfectly possible to do what you want, almost impossible to tell you how to do it without knowing your system and how it is distributed.

Through a bit of knowledge / history I am guessing you have a smart-e system. But you really need someone to look at it for you.

If you at local, happy to pop in for a look for you.

V.

[Driller]

Bullett said:

Don't forget your solution will only work if the foxsat is not being used in the main room for watching something else.
If that's fine then you good to go.

Good shout, that's that's not a problem.

VEX said:

Driller,

Perfectly possible to do what you want, almost impossible to tell you how to do it without knowing your system and how it is distributed.

Through a bit of knowledge / history I am guessing you have a smart-e system. But you really need someone to look at it for you.

If you at local, happy to pop in for a look for you.

V.

Well pulling cables and moving things around isn't a problem. What handicaps a little is that I don't want to get invloved in using RF for simplicity's sake. The Harmony One in the home cinema area works like a dream and most importantly the wife gets on with it. So it's going to have to be IR routing which again isn't a problem as I've put several 26mm conduits either end of HT area and to the node zero.

This is all in France but I'll drop you a pm if I may.

[VEX]

No problem on receiving a pm driller.

Rf is the simplest solution and certainly not an issue. But then it was my job for 7 years or so ending in me designing Budapest's cable tv system.

Chat soon

V.

[davidd]

I cannot remember why I stumbled across this thread last night but thanks. I spent 20 mins or so last night modding our foxsat Brilliant thanks

D