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Chris-L5S
12-13-2008, 11:03 PM
what are you using for Media center PCs? i have looked at several including Alienware, VidaBox, Niveus, Cannon PC, Velocity Micro, and s1digital. are you rolling your own or what manufacturer are you using?
thanks
Chris

J.Azaria
12-14-2008, 12:56 AM
I took a leap w/ one customer on an S1 Digital (FX model I think?) about a year ago. There have been some issues w/ the box w/ regards to blue screens.

To S1's credit they have worked to get this corrected and recently redid all the hardware within (everything except the case). My initial experiences w/ their support left something to be desired but I feel like they were struggling w/ their own growth because they seem to be better now. Then again it may also be because I'm dealing w/ the owner directly. I should call in to their support just to see how response time is and how they handle general issues.

With regards to the bluescreen issues it has taken quite a bit of time, partly due to the nature of the problem and partly due to client's schedule/availability to diagnose the problem. Ultimately it seems to have been a bad MB and they have now replaced that and everything else inside the case (drives, vid card...). So far so good.

They clearly stood behind their product, I just wish it wasn't problematic to begin with. I'm very curious to hear from anyone w/ a more recent experience w/ S1 hardware.

J.

smcnally
12-14-2008, 08:17 AM
You'll find that most CIs will not put media center PCs in clients homes. They are notoriously clunky and just not worth the hassle.

PAAI
12-14-2008, 01:30 PM
You'll find that most CIs will not put media center PCs in clients homes. They are notoriously clunky and just not worth the hassle.

I can say it with three words. They are crap.

Chris Frost
12-19-2008, 07:41 PM
If we're talking about using a media centre PC as a video & audio jukebox then I can recommend a product called Idyl. It is made by DF Solutions. I don't know if you guys have it in the States but we have this in the UK.

They've done the sensible thing and hidden the Windows interface, so my customers aren't tempted to use it for surfing and downloading. It just plays movies, video clips, pictures and music really well either as a standalone or as part of an Idyl network. The system is robust to use and the interface is nice to look at. :) http://www.dfsolutions.co.uk/ (http://www.dfsolutions.co.uk/)

II've got no affiliation with the company other than being a happy dealer with contented Idyl customers :D

Regards

Chris Frost

bluemanta
03-05-2009, 11:49 AM
A bit late (I just joined this forum) but hopfully helpfull ;-)

We usually build our own Media Centers. As someone with extensive IT background, I just don't feel best comfort with someone else building a pc unless they have been in this industry for some (very long) time and has extensive experience with server technologies.

The only time when we outsource a Media Center is when we need cablecard support. In this case we design the machine down to the last screw and have it built to our specifications.

We do hide the Windows interface so our users cannot use the machine as a PC.

All of our servers works 24/7 with no issues and our clients are quite happy with their systems.

PAAI
04-16-2009, 10:23 AM
After reading your other posts, I am glad you are able to make this platform work for you. I sure wish you were closer to see one in person.

Are you using external NAS for storage?

bluemanta
04-16-2009, 10:38 AM
After reading your other posts, I am glad you are able to make this platform work for you. I sure wish you were closer to see one in person.
Are you using external NAS for storage?

We use both NAS and eSata attached storage devices, depends on the project and site.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. I'll be glad to help out as much as I can.

-E

PAAI
04-16-2009, 10:40 AM
Are you building the NAS boxes too? I was curious. I am going to try a FreeNAS project soon.

bluemanta
04-16-2009, 10:45 AM
Are you building the NAS boxes too? I was curious. I am going to try a FreeNAS project soon.

Sometimes, but we mostly purchase them from OEM.

Is this for your home? Are you going to use it with Media Center?

-E

slinkytoy
07-21-2009, 01:52 PM
Ive been using my PC as a movie server for a awhile now. What i would like to do is run digital cable into it now. I have read up on CableCards that you can get from your cable provider. Has anyone had any luck with these and i have also read that you have to be running a different version of Vista with special BIOS. That is a first for me any ideas. Thanks

bluemanta
07-21-2009, 04:53 PM
I have read up on CableCards that you can get from your cable provider. Has anyone had any luck with these and i have also read that you have to be running a different version of Vista with special BIOS. That is a first for me any ideas. Thanks

You are correct about Vista however CableCard Media Centers are only available through Cable Labs certified manufacturers. You can't purchase the tuner by itself.

smcnally
07-21-2009, 05:42 PM
You are correct about Vista however CableCard Media Centers are only available through Cable Labs certified manufacturers. You can't purchase the tuner by itself.
I thought you only needed to get an OEM unit if you wanted the CableLabs device? Why wouldn't this work?

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/05/12/how-to-install-a-cablecard-tuner-in-your-diy-media-center/

bluemanta
07-21-2009, 09:29 PM
I thought you only needed to get an OEM unit if you wanted the CableLabs device? Why wouldn't this work?

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/05/12/how-to-install-a-cablecard-tuner-in-your-diy-media-center/

Indeed, but your OEM has to be licensed by CableLabs. In other words, if you can get an OEM machine with CableCards installed, you should be fine. I'm sorry if I confused you.

slinkytoy
07-21-2009, 09:37 PM
Hmmm great article. Answers a ton of questions. The BIOS thing was a big one that i was working on. Thanks for the link.

WhyReboot
09-02-2011, 09:42 PM
I may be a little late on this one. However, I find that Media Centers are AWESOME if you know how to maintain them yourself. I would NEVER put one in a clients home because they're just not quite there as far as customer useability. If you're going to put one in definitely turn off automatic updates as MS constantly makes it impossible to create any custom menus among other things.

Personally it's all I use. I cut the cable cord years ago and now rely on Mediacenter with Boxee and Hulu apps slipstreamed in so that I can access everything from a remote nice and seamless. I also use multiple control apps including Autonomics to be able to use it from different phones/tablets, etc. For me it's great but for a client it's not polished enough. Don't get me wrong, if you know how to use it the interface and features can't be beat, but without knowing exactly how to use the remote correctly to get from one app to the next it can be tricky. It passes the wife test but can it pass the billionaire 80 year old client test? I don't think so.

Here are the primary apps I use on my primary custom box that looks like a slim DVD player (there are others):

Autonomic Controls (for control via iPad)

My Movies (from my friend Brian Binnerup in Denmark.....best movie app)

Hulu and Boxee put in via entry points courtesy of Media Center Studio.

Off air HD antenna used with HDHomerun network based dual tuner. This allows my tuner to be used by any Media Center in the house.

Netflix for obvious reasons (although shortly to be cancelled due to rate hikes and the cancellation of newer movies via the Starz contract cancellation.)

There are other apps but right now I can't remember off the top of my head but these are by far the most important for me cutting the cable. For some sports things like FSU games I created an entry point for ESPN3's stream so that I could access that by remote control as well. That's the key. I HAVE to be able to access it via remote or I don't want it (the wife can't use it that way). Other than that I'm not a huge sports fan so most people couldn't cut the cord as I have and I wouldn't recommend it if you're a sports nut.


If I HAD to use a Media Center for a client and I didn't want to take on the warranty risks myself (because I don't have spare parts or the manufacturing to support clients) I would use Vidabox servers. As far as I can see they have the right stuff and Steven Cheung will take care of you no matter what. I like people who care about what they do and he really does. On top of that he has found the right customizations and changes that have made his product above everybody elses. One last thing, he has also found that VISTA has been more stable than Windows 7 for his installations for numerous reasons I don't want to get into here. However I can tell you that I've seen the same thing even though I'm running Windows 7 on mine (because I can support it). In short, he won't use something that he doesn't consider stable enough to sell to his clients even if it's something everyone else is demanding. That's one of the reasons I like his stuff. It seems to work.

tigerpawgt
09-05-2011, 08:54 PM
Fully agree with the recommendation of Vidabox and Steven's commitment to support their product. He's personally worked through issues with my installs in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. For those at Expo stop by to see their latest iOS integration.

Now about the reality of MS based Media Centers. I'm too small an operation and not steeped in the hardware & software to consider making media center an anchor for my client projects. Even with Vidabox's excellent support my experience has been too much DIY fiddling needed to keep things running optimized. The high hardware cost is also working against it. I had decided to move towards WHS with smaller Ion based clients for distribution, but now that looks to hanging by a thread. So lately I've renewed interest in proprietary products for movie streaming such as Popcorn Hour or DuneHD. Anyone hsd experience with Fusion Research?