I first set this page up to showcase my modest home theater. I decided to change this to indicate how my media will be networked across multiple rooms in my house. I just started this so it will be a work in progress. Basically I can break down the networks in my house as the following: AC Power, Telephone, Satellite, Audio, LAN. I won't be discussing so much the AC Power or phone networks too much, as they were put in during the house build, which I was not part of (bought the house 10 years later). AC PowerI have wired back to the main panel a couple of AC receptacles in order to have power in the office for the Video Editing computer, my antique workhorse computer, and the music-server (and accompanying equipment). I also wired in an extra receptacle in my celler off an existing junction box that supplied a homebrew alarm system only, so the breaker has lots of overhead. TelephoneI had to add a jack in my office (wired back to the hub) in order to get DSL capabilites, but other than that, I have not touched it, except to say that virtually all rooms in the house, save the bathrooms, have a phone outlet. Satellite/TVAll I can say is when we moved into the house, there was already a dish mounted and pointed at Beverly Nimiq1. The cabling was in such a tangled mess, and after cutting a source cable (feed from one of the LNB's), I had no choice but to figure it out and fix it up. Currently we still have the one dish, still pointed at the same sat, both LNB's go into a Microyal 2x4 switch. The outputs feed a receiver in the masterbedroom, receiver in the livingroom, and the HTPC. The forth output from the switch goes to a spare location in the livingroom. The livingroom receiver also outputs to a 3-way splitter, where one line goes out to the backyard. A second line will eventually go to the garage, and a third line could be routed to the kitchen, though it isn't really required.
 New proposed setup including OTA gear:  Music DistributionSince I have dedicated its own page, I won't repeat myself here. The main overview can be viewed here though:
 LANMy LAN is currently only 10/100 base. I have a DLink DI-604 4-port router/switch with 4 ports open. I just picked up a DLink DES-1024R+ where all my connections are now made. It is a 24-port 10/100 Fast Ethernet switch. I also have a DSS-8+, which up until picking up the 1024, was the main switch. This will now be used on the second floor of my house, once I start using more network connection up there. I do have plans to upgrade at least part of the network to GigLAN. Three computers that will get this upgrade will be the UnRAID server, HTPC, and the MediaPVR. These computers will most likely connect to a 5-port GigLAN switch, which will then connect to one of the ports on the router. The current LAN setup is shown below:
 ROOM SHAKEDOWNOfficeIn addition to the distribution centers listed above, the office holds the following systems:
My everyday workhorse antique computer by todays standards:
PIII 750MHz CPU, 396Meg of RAM, 20Gig/6.4Gig/3.2Gig hard drives, IOMega CDRW burner running a Win2k SP4 OS. Slow by today's standards, yet is capable of almost all the testing I have thrown at it. I figure, if it can handle the things I test on it, then it will work with anything.
Video Editing machine:
It acts as a secondary system if required, but is mainly used for video editing. It has the following equipment:
PIII 866MHz CPU, 512Meg RAM, 160Gig/40Gig hard drives, 48xCD ROM and a Single Layer DVD burner.
Printer: HP Photosmart 2610, network attached, 4 in 1 system. Nice printer, and with it being connected to the network, required no extra equipment to allow everyone access to it.
Music Server - can view the system at that link
Home Theater (Family Room)
Currently my home theater consists of the following: Panasonic PT-47X54 47" Widescreen RPTV HTPC - home theater PC NAD 304 Integrated Amp (30W/ch) Yamaha DSP-492 Surround Sound Processor/3 ch amp Nintendo WiiI game console - great fun - Wii Sports (4/5 rating) - Mario Kart (4/5 rating) - High School Musical: Sing It! (4/5 rating) - Rockband (4/5 rating)
- EA Hockey 2K9 (4.5/5 rating)
- Rockband2 (5/5 rating) - Beach Games(4/5 rating) - Movies (party games) (3/5 rating) - Dora the Exploroer: Winter Adventure (3.5/5 rating)
- Artic Games (2/5)
- Party Sports Games (4/5 rating) Games we'll purchase: Wii Carnival (such a cool game...really you have to try it). Speakers:
Main: Signet SL-260
Center: Signet VLC-266
Surround: Paradigm Titan's
Subwoofer: JBL (can't remember the model number right now, but is 200Wrms)
The HTPC has replaced virtually all components in the home theater. I can now enjoy DVD's upscaled, DVB-S receiver, music player, classic gaming console/arcade emulator, weather reporter, picture viewer and eventually a HD disc player via Blu-ray. Gone are the following: DVD player: Pioneer DV-C302C (moved to bedroom), tapedeck: Hitachi...thrown out, satellite receiver: BEV 3200, moved to the upstairs TV. The AM/FM Tuner: Yamaha TX-480, and the CD player: JVC XL-M403 have been moved to the multizoning setup. The tuner and CD player act as additional sources to the music server on top of my music library and shoutcast music. Below are some screen caps of running a DVD, comparing normal viewing to upscaled on the HTPC: Standard Widescreen Image:
Upscaled via ffdshow/zoom player
I just recently started to upgrade the network connection in this room. I originally installed a wall plate with two RJ45 connectors. One was for the LAN, the other for the MayBALD line. I have now replaced it with a triple wall plate for LAN, the MayBALD still, and a third connector for eventual GigLAN to the HTPC. Each one is now appropriately labeled so there won't be any confusion. Living RoomThe livingroom is the general viewing area where the following equipment resides:
32" Panasonic CRT TV
Bell ExpressVU 3200 Revciever
Cheap POS DVD Player
Polk Audio R-10 Bookshelf speakers connected to music-server amp for a music zone
Here's a screen cap of the movie 300 playing on the system:
BackyardThe backyard has a set of HT5 outdoor speakers that are connected to one of the music-server amplifier outputs for a music zone. There is also a coax connection which is wired back to a 3-way splitter that is sourced from the Livingroom satellite receiver output, which allows for watching the same programming that is being viewed in the livingroom.
KitchenThe kitchen has a small antenna TV that receives local broadcast TV signals. It also has a PPC hub used for recharging the battery, and is a permanent mount for the PPC to control the music-server.
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My Home Network Breakdown |
