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Best Options for a Home Entertainment Network?

Posted by Cliff on from the specing-it-out dept.

Vultan asks: "Now that I'm finally a proud homeowner, I'm looking to integrate my video, audio, and computer hardware. Specifically, I'd like to be able to listen to Internet radio throughout the house (or at least through my main stereo unit), and transmit video from my computer to my home theater in a separate room. I've done my share of googling, and I'm drowning in options. Wired vs. wireless, RG6 vs. CAT5e, digital vs. analog, line level vs. speaker level (for audio), etc. What kinds of technology do Slashdot readers use or recommend?"

7 of 408 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Keep it simple by Spy+Hunter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Man, when someone mentions having an "old" laptop that's twice as fast as your current desktop, you know it's time to upgrade ;-)

    --
    main(c,r){for(r=32;r;) printf(++c>31?c=!r--,"\n":c<r?" ":~c&r?" `":" #");}
  2. Re:What are your preferences? by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 2, Funny
    wireless is -always- going to have problems with streaming and any other sort of guaranteed QoS-demanding situation.

    For sufficiently small values of always.

  3. chimneys flues by Martin+Spamer · · Score: 3, Funny


    My home is an old-style brick house with chimneys, since it's modernised with gas powered heating, i dont use the flues. Since there is a unused fire place in the middle of every room in the house and the flues make great cable ducts, fairly short, wide and easy to use.

    My switch is in a cuboard in the loft with easy access to the converged flues.

    Also opened out the fireplaces make great recess for equipment.

  4. Re:Cat5 by PerlGuru · · Score: 3, Funny
    However it works well. CAT5 doesn't fall prey radio interference. With my wireless network, I've had some interferenece when using my 2.4 Ghz telephones.
    Let me just point out that you are missing a wonderful oportunity. "Honey, I'm sorry but we really must get that new featureful 5.6ghz (or is it 5.8ghz) multi handset cordless phone system if you want to continue to play the sims on the laptop and talk on the phone." Took a bit of convincing but it worked for me! =)
  5. Re:Something else to think about... by Glonoinha · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just throw a Linksys between the WAN and your computer. Voila! instant black hole.

    --
    Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
  6. Re:Wiring a house for media..(offtopic) by Noren · · Score: 3, Funny
    if you have i would like to know about the following:
    -linux support
    - can i control the volume though the spdif device - and then attach the DAC directly to a power amp
    -best
    -greg
    I'm not sure about the first three, but Greg lives in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and works at the Max Planck Institute in Nijmegen as a software developer. He lives with his girlfriend who is a psycholinguist at the Max Planck Institute.

    Hope this helps!

  7. poor Santa by GunFodder · · Score: 4, Funny

    Too bad Santa ends up with a router up his ass every Christmas.