Quite Possibly the best complement* to an unRaid server

[BLKMGK]

2GHZ C2D not good enough for XBMC to playback HIGH bitrate 1080 content. You need to get up to about 3GHZ to do that. Until I bumped my clock up to around 3GHZ I'd see dropped frames in horizontal pans with anything complicated like the jungle scenes in King Kong and much of the Planet Earth videos - which is where Killa' Sample came from BTW. As it stands now I can playback that sample with no dropped frames and anything else for that matter. Plex on a MAC might act a little differently but I doubt it unless they are geting video hardware acceleration from someplace. Plex is a fork of XBMC, XBMC decodes on the CPU, it takes some grunt to do this to say the least!

 

The PCH I've heard mixed reviews on. Bubba, how do you know it's not dropping frames - will it give you a report on load and frames? I would expect VC-1 to play more easily than an H.264 video to be honest. I encode all of my stuff to high bitrate H.264 with a decent reduction in file size but retain incredible video\sound quality. I've yet to see an artifact! Takes me umm MANY hours to encode this but it's worth it...

[donburkard]

if your looking for a complement to unraid, google Kalidescape.

 

Look at the price tag...... ok now go change your pants

 

Now google Cinemars DVDlobby.  It is basically the exact same thing except you can add an unraid server and you dont have to sell a kidney to get it.

 

Ive been using for a month or two now and it is absolutely amazing.  the only complaint is... well no, its my wifes complaint, and i bet you can imagine what it is.

[Joe L.]

the only complaint is... well no, its my wifes complaint, and i bet you can imagine what it is.

- You ate all the popcorn during the movie? 

- You don't have enough "chick-flicks"? 

- You don't have her movies on the server yet?

- Unlike you, she does not think that "Mr & Mrs Smith" should be classified as an action/adventure-love-story  

- You are spending too much time on the computer. (My imagination is running away with idle thoughts)

 

My wife's last complaint about our unRAID server occurred when she was unable to find on it the version of "Sleepy Hollow" that she wanted to watch on Halloween eve. We only had the most current Johnny Depp version in our DVD collection. 

(Fixed that by ordering the older "Hallmark" version of "Sleepy Hollow" off of amazon.com, should be here any day now)

 

Joe L.

[ilovejedd]

if your looking for a complement to unraid, google Kalidescape.

 

Look at the price tag...... ok now go change your pants

 

Now google Cinemars DVDlobby.  It is basically the exact same thing except you can add an unraid server and you dont have to sell a kidney to get it.

 

Really? A kidney sells for that much?

[Billped]

if your looking for a complement to unraid, google Kalidescape.

 

Look at the price tag...... ok now go change your pants

 

Now google Cinemars DVDlobby.  It is basically the exact same thing except you can add an unraid server and you dont have to sell a kidney to get it.

 

Really? A kidney sells for that much?

 

Just think how much you can get by selling two!

 

 

Bill

[BLKMGK]

I looked over the Cinemar page, sadly the screen shots page is 404. It looks to me like this is a product capable of cataloging DVD images and disks in changers with a nice easy to use display for you to choose movies, yes? Well, since I have unRAID none of my stuff is in changers, it's all disk images or VOB\IFO directories. The software also looks to be pay for play and looking down the right side of the page it looked like prices escalated a good bit as you added on packages - perhaps not needed? Base price appeared to be about $60 or so if I read correctly - yes?

 

Does DVDLobby also handle music? Pictures? Weather? Apple trailers?

 

Have you taken a look at XBMC? Here's a Flicker site with screenshots. Mind you some are pretty heavily customized but this will give you a pretty good idea as to what it's like navigating through the software in it's various skins. I leave the defaults alone for that stuff but generally select the best DVD covers etc. when I update my library. Its also possible to use wide icons but these are custom, fan generated, and I have too many movies to go hunting them all down I think anyway, check this out -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/29133065@N05/

[SSD]

I use a DVD menu tool called "DVD Profiler"  http://www.invelos.com/

 

It allows download of hi-res cover scans.  Great deal for the price!  (You could even use the cover scans with another program).

 

Using a plugin you can play movies from a directory using any program that has a command line interface (which includes theatertek, powerdvd, and others).

[BLKMGK]

I use a DVD menu tool called "DVD Profiler"  http://www.invelos.com/

 

It allows download of hi-res cover scans.  Great deal for the price!  (You could even use the cover scans with another program).

 

Using a plugin you can play movies from a directory using any program that has a command line interface (which includes theatertek, powerdvd, and others).

 

Ah yeah, I use that one to catalog my DVDs, didn't know they had a plug-in to play back video. I know that there's a My Movies plug-in for MCE that uses the album art etc. from it or did last I used it. I used MCE with that for awhile but honestly liked XBMC better in the long run...

[SSD]

Here is the plugin to play movies.

 

Each movie can have one or more buttons that load on the toolbar when that movie is selected.  Each button can play a movie.  So if you have a three part mini-series, you can have three buttons - one for each disk.

 

You can also create buttons to run commands or batch files.  I have an item called "menu" that I created a bunch of buttons for various utility functions.

 

My "play" batch file is pretty smart and only the one disk that needs to spin up is spun up.  I don't even need to use user shares.

 

If anyone is interested, drop me a PM and I'll help you get started.

[jimwhite]

since this IS the lounge area, I think a thread or two on such uses which "surround" unraid would be welcome here....

[donburkard]

Thanks Jim.  I agree.  Its the lounge.  People use unRaid for this purpose.  Why not.  If you know something, tell us about it.

[donburkard]

BLKMGK,

 

DVDLobby only plays movies.  What your missing is it is a server/client architecture. You have the one single server and multiple clients.  The clients can be a desktop, laptop, airpanel, ipod touch, iphone, ect.  Anything that is either hardwired, wifi or bluetooth.  Cell phones, computers, anything!  It all connects to the server.

 

Out of that each client gets MAIN LOBBY.  Inside of mainlobby is all your other lobbys.  Theoretically Main Lobby replaces your Desktop.  In the server there are plugins to do damn near anything.  Weather, HVAC, Security Systems, Horoscopes (changes daily), Irrigation,stocks, internet, news, lighting, and media.  Inside media you have a million choices.

 

You can watch your networked movies, watch tv, dvr, look at your pics, listen to music through about ten different choices including itunes, satalite radio, and netflix.  It has the same interface as the roku to start out with.

 

The really nice part, At least in my opinion, is it is completely customizable, and when i say customizable, i mean it!  Its not just your average "go into the preferences to disable this option".  You can build everything the way you want it. Its like a digital lego's.

 

Now as for DVDlobby,  Its great because you put your movies,whatever format they maybe in, on your unraid server,  DVDlobby does exactly what dvd profiler does, but better.  It combines all your programs into one format basically.  And then it adds touch screens!  I got the basic hd movie combo and it was like 400 bucks.  It was totally worth it. 

[BLKMGK]

Ah okay, now I see where it is interesting - but pricey! How much would you end up spending for DVDs, Music, weather, and say RSS streaming? This is all done by XBMC out of the box for free and while it might not be as flexible it sure is cheaper. I'll grant that sometimes spending money for something makes sense, even lots of money, if the end result is easy to use for the family etc. This package just sounds like it adds up fast! I wish their screen shot directory had been working so I coudl get a better feel for it, it does sound interesting and no I'm not one of those free software or nothing types

[donburkard]

yea alright i get its a bit pricey but it honestly is worth it (imo).  It basically takes the place of your desktop.  For example, instead of having sixty icons on your desktop, with main lobby you have a handfull of buttons like Media, weather, internet, security, callerID,etc, etc.  If you click on say media for example you are in "lobby" sort of where you can choose where you want to go, like dvds, netflix, sat. radio, photos, etc, etc. 

 

With that said, it kinda sounds like a way roundabout method of what windows already does right? NO! well yea kinda, but it makes it seem a whole lot nicer that windows not to mention the whole home automation factor, plus the sexy a$$ touch screens.

 

Anyway, i have been finding more and more people on the cinemar forum that have been using unraid as there media servers with the mainlobby system so i thought it was a pretty good compliment to unraid, Not to mention ive been pushing the $H!t out of unraid on the forums over there.  Tom should hire me as a advertising guy.  I even sold a friend of mine who works at a high end home theater store in Delaware (im in pa)on unraid and now he tells all his customers about unraid.

[SuperW2]

Kind of an old thread...but...

 

I'm looking for something fairly inexpensive to watch the HD movies I have on my UnRAID Box upstairs in my Bedroom... I have a fairly nice HTPC on my main system downstairs, but using my orig XBOX1 (chipped) to watch DVD only content upstairs.  Recently went 1080P upstairs and now want to watch the better quality movies I own and have on my unRaid.

 

How hard would it be to get the PopCorn Hour to see the UnRAID shares to watch the content (Mostly MKV, but some ISO)...

 

Thanks

SW2

[NAS]

fyi theres an XBMC patch for windows that lets you call an external video player now. Why is that important.. well because you can call a player with GPU support making CPU requirements tiny.

 

If i were you i would forget PCH. Its a great box but XBMC development is so full on its improving daily and PCH.

 

Think XBMC, think lovely library mode

[SuperW2]

fyi theres an XBMC patch for windows that lets you call an external video player now. Why is that important.. well because you can call a player with GPU support making CPU requirements tiny.

 

If i were you i would forget PCH. Its a great box but XBMC development is so full on its improving daily and PCH.

 

Think XBMC, think lovely library mode

 

Meaning my XBOX1 with the new XMBC Build would actually be able to play 1080p MKV files... I've tried but didn't know anything about "external player"... any link where I can get more info on that?

[NAS]

Nah forget the xbox 1. I have several and they are great HD of any real note is beyond the theoreticl limits of the hardware.

 

Were talking low end HTPC with a decent graphics card. Currently to play 1080p reliably you need at least one 3GHz core. You can do it with less but not reliably. XBMC is alos not very multithreaded in this regards although theres a new ffmpeg coming soon that will help.

 

All im say is a windows HTPC of the lower end with some cleverness and a half decent GPU could blow PCH out the water. Where it will excell is the GUI and the fact that as time passes XBMC will eb able to use more and more of the hardware making it more future proof.

 

If you want ease and dont care about the GUI then PCH. If you used to the GUI and feature of XBMC PCH will disapoint.

[SuperW2]

Nah forget the xbox 1. I have several and they are great HD of any real note is beyond the theoreticl limits of the hardware.

 

Were talking low end HTPC with a decent graphics card. Currently to play 1080p reliably you need at least one 3GHz core. You can do it with less but not reliably. XBMC is alos not very multithreaded in this regards although theres a new ffmpeg coming soon that will help.

 

All im say is a windows HTPC of the lower end with some cleverness and a half decent GPU could blow PCH out the water. Where it will excell is the GUI and the fact that as time passes XBMC will eb able to use more and more of the hardware making it more future proof.

 

If you want ease and dont care about the GUI then PCH. If you used to the GUI and feature of XBMC PCH will disapoint.

 

Yah, don't care about a GUI at all for this TV... a $200 PCH seems better than a $500-$600 low end HTPC Build from a $$$ perspective.  I just want to open up the media files and watch em...don't need to be "easy"..

 

I use and REALLY like Meedio on my Main HTPC Downstairs... I installed the latest XMBC, but I like the Meedio Library better once I got everything setup.

[PhilH]

Does the popcorn hour play back BluRay rips? Not compressed MKV's but the original BluRay?

 

Thanks.

[ilovejedd]

Yah, don't care about a GUI at all for this TV... a $200 PCH seems better than a $500-$600 low end HTPC Build from a $$$ perspective.  I just want to open up the media files and watch em...don't need to be "easy"..

 

Good news is, it's still possible to get a decent GUI for videos via user apps. I use YAMJ. Currently using the default skin, but I'm in the process of trying to customize it by splicing code from RobinsjExcal and Movie-Flow.

 

 

Does the popcorn hour play back BluRay rips? Not compressed MKV's but the original BluRay?

 

Thanks.

 

Blu-ray ISO rips, no. The original Blu-ray .m2ts main movie file rips, yes.

 

 

[PhilH]

Thanks for the reply. I rip my BluRay's to the folder structure. I don't use iso's. They should play fine. Now to decide on building another HTPC for the bedroom or buying the PCH.. 

[SuperW2]

Yah, don't care about a GUI at all for this TV... a $200 PCH seems better than a $500-$600 low end HTPC Build from a $$$ perspective.  I just want to open up the media files and watch em...don't need to be "easy"..

 

Good news is, it's still possible to get a decent GUI for videos via user apps. I use YAMJ. Currently using the default skin, but I'm in the process of trying to customize it by splicing code from RobinsjExcal and Movie-Flow.

 

Thanks for the reply... Plays Most MKV files OK?  All of my DVD's I've ripped to the VIDEO_TS Folder, but I've been playing with MKV a little bit to save on the unRAID space from the full Blu-Ray Folder rips...

 

Looks like I maybe found myself a Xmas Present...

 

Sw2

[SuperW2]

Ordered one this evening...figured if I can't make it do what I want, I will sell it on here or wherever...

[BLKMGK]

Umm, XBMC on Linux is VERY good about using multiple cores - well two of them anyway. It needs a dual core running 3ghz, most use C2D - I am about to test an overclocked Celeron and expect this $60 CPU to do fine. The motherboard I am using cost me $120 and has onboard NVIDIA video and should do HDMI audio. Info here -> http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=34235  I will have less than $400 in this build I think and 1080P ought to play fine - we'll see. We'll see GPU speedups in the future but right now it's all CPU heavy lifting...