streaming, music, photos, media etc

[CraigVmax]

Hi guys,

In a bit of a quandry and hoping the ph might can help me.

Originally I had bose throughout house for ease but then in my last flat which plotty did we went with squeezebox which was ok except my wifi was a bit sporadic.

In my new house I have living room with a kef surround system through a yamaha amp, gallo speakers off this in kitchen and for music we have the options of:

-ipod dock
-squeezebox
-media centre streamed from pc to xbox

However, for ease and speed we nearly always use ipod dock and ipod/iphone.

We're now in process of getting a tecchy chap to integrate mac & ipad into everything and sort out the wifi so I'm thinking maybe change to a new system.

I have someone who likes squeezebox and would buy it with some other bits so I'm not hugely out of pocket.

BUT.. i dont know what to get?

I'm thinking maybe sonos, do they do wall pads? I heard a possible iphone/ipad app for it?

What sort of cost am i looking at for basically just my living room, I have garden speakers zoned off living room but other than that I'd probably leave the other rooms alone.

Any other ideas gratefully recieved!

I feel a bit out of the loop, all ideas gratefully received

[coach]

Where you have a Tv and want to stream movies and photos I use an apple TV. Other rooms are all on Apple airport express hooked to small amp and ceiling speakers. All controlled by IPad and touch.

[ChiChoAndy]

I have an apple tv, and use AirPlay for the vast majority of my media use. Great device. The airport express are a great bit of kit, and you can take them on holiday with you and use it as a wifi router. Never used SONOS, sorry,

[Trustmeimadoctor]

i have a systemline system under stairs with control panels and speakers in the rooms. then i have a squeezebox duet under stairs connected to it that pulls the data off my mediacenter/htpc/nas

[carinatauk]

Hi

I have both Mac and Windows laptops. The data, including music and films, are held on a QNAP NAS system.

I have put CAT6 cabling in the house mainly from the dining room to living room for hardwiring the TV, Sky and media streamer [I have yet to add the Xbox360] to the internet. Wireless for music is generally OK but films it is hit or miss, hence why I hardwired; hardwiring also helps when multiple users are on the system and so slowing things down.

The media streamer is a C200 Popcorn, with blueray but no drive, as everything is on the NAS. Unless you hack the Apple TV you will need to convert the files; the NAS may work but don't bank on it.

I can control the everything through an iPhone, I am waiting for the new iPad to arrive :-)

Music throughout the house is my next task; I have decided on Sonos, why? well it just works, it is clean and tidy and it uses its own wireless system. Other systems have struggled purely because they use the existing router and so traffic becomes an issue. I intend to use S5s upstairs and kitchen, then a zone player connected to the home cinema system, to use the speakers

I can play music and access all my files on the NAS via iPhone [and iPad / computer]; which is ace. And no it doesn't need to be connected to iTunes :-); edited to add: this is either at home or from a hotel

Only thing to do is backup the NAS regularly, just in case

Edited by carinatauk on Wednesday 13th July 10:11

[ChiChoAndy]

I've said this before, but you don't need to go throu the hassle of converting for apple TV. If you get the app airvideo for iPod, or iPad, you can use this to stream to the apple TV, and it will convert on the fly for you. You can also use it to convert for you, should you want, and it will allow you to access your movies when away from home, over the Internet, so no need to pile up the iPad or iPod with movies, as long as you have wifi or generous 3G.

[CraigVmax]

so I buy apple tv & download that app, then I can have my music & photos through my tv (much like I do now with windows media player but more reliable yes?)

presumably, can use another apple tv unit in bedroom to do same?

[ChiChoAndy]

Yeah, you can run music, movies, tv shows, photos, YouTube, Netflix, etc, plus whatever folks, tv shows you want to run using the air video app. You can have as many apple Tv units as you want, and as many iTunes incident running, on however many computers. So one family member can have their music played through whatever speaker, while you are using the apple tv, or another AE in another room, on different accounts, etc. Lots of stuff coming with AirPlay, by the way, such as FaceTime, and iPad mirroring.

[carinatauk]

ChiChoAndy said:

I've said this before, but you don't need to go throu the hassle of converting for apple TV. If you get the app airvideo for iPod, or iPad, you can use this to stream to the apple TV, and it will convert on the fly for you. You can also use it to convert for you, should you want, and it will allow you to access your movies when away from home, over the Internet, so no need to pile up the iPad or iPod with movies, as long as you have wifi or generous 3G.

Learn something everyday :-)

[Bad Sir Culation]

Hacked Apple TV with XBMC FTW!

[ChiChoAndy]

Bad Sir Culation said:

Hacked Apple TV with XBMC FTW!

I had XMBC on my old apple TV... Never used it. Air video is far better.