Heron Fidelity

UPDATE September 15th, 2014: this app has since been renamed My Media Center and is available via the Amazon Appstore, Google Play, and App Store on iTunes.

The home theater personal computer (HTPC) that is the heart of my home's entertainment center is also my cable and over-the-air digital video recorder (DVR).  I recently added a terrific Logitech Harmony universal remote control that truly simplified the use of my rather eclectic collection of home theater gear, and I wholeheartedly recommend those sanity-saving devices to every home theater owner.

Windows Media Center (WMC) makes it easy to transform nearly any combination of over-the-air digital television (OTA DTV) and CableCARD tuners into a multi-tuner/multi-terabyte DVR capable of accessing hundreds of channels and recording hundreds of hours of TV shows.

With the aim of taming that near-infinite source of content with an elegant yet powerful interface,  the CableCARD tuning masters at Ceton Corp have released the Ceton Companion family of mobile apps.

The $5 Companion app is available on Windows Phone, iOS, and Android mobile platforms, and Amazon has added it to its Appstore for Android.  On the Media Center PC side of things, the setup is really simple: just install the free Ceton Companion Services program - the default settings are fine for most people.  With a HTPC and mobile device connected to the same local network, the Companion app automagically locates the HTPC and provides a snappy access to a host of useful tools including:

• TV and movie gallery
• universal search function
• manage/schedule DVR recordings
• play to any TV
• Windows Media Center remote control

It all just worked!  Running the Companion app on iOS and Android-based handsets, I found myself using the Companion app to provide a quick glance at what my DVR recently recorded and what was scheduled to record later that day.  Search proved an ideal way of quickly finding recorded content on the 2TB of storage I have dedicated to the DVR.

Ceton Companion is for turning your mobile device into the ultimate HTPC remote control, but one thing Companion doesn't do is stream content to your mobile device - it's just a control app, and a very good one at that.  If you desire to stream, schedule, and browse your HTPC's recorded content on your smartphone, Remote Potato is my go-to app.

Read Heron Fidelity's Cord Cutting Guide!

See Robert's Favorite Home Theater Gear!

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This exciting installment of my project to build an efficient home theater PC features (arguably) sexy shots of the component assembly process, and then I'll discuss the selection of software I've installed...so far.  If you are interested in (re)reading part one of this epic project, then please click this link.

At the heart of every computer is a motherboard, and the Zotac IONITX-F-E Atom N330 wastes little of its 6.7 by 6.7 inch footprint.  The F-E's x16 PCIe slot enables a plethora of upgrade options, and I'm thinking 'TV tuner'.

Here is the Winsis Wi-02C case splayed open with its removable drive cage stacked on top.  The front-facing slot on the cage is for a slim optical disc drive.

A closeup of the drive cage with the LG CT10N Slim SATA Blu-ray Drive installed. The SATA port barely visible in the lower section of the cage is attached to the 500GB 2.5-inch WD Scorpio Blue.

Installing the Zotac board was a pleasant 4-fastener affair, and the 4GB Corsair DDR2 (2x2GB) awaits installation.  The exhaust fan on the right (above picture) is connected to an available plug on mobo's facing edge (immediately left of the ATX connector).  I'd later disconnect this fan to further quie

The above picture shows everything connected, and the USB-based BIOS updates and OS installs are convenient and fast.  The power supply unit included with the case claims 200 Watts maximum output - this collection of hardware should require less than half of that.  The chips' passive cooler proved effective in temperature controlled environments, and a small fan (included) can be attached for additional cooling performance.

And...Behold!  I was disappointed that the case's openings for the multimedia card slots (top) were slightly undersized making  actual use all but impossible.  My initial power usage measurements for the HTPC show an average consumption rate of 53 Watts under full load.

A look at the back.  I've come to appreciate the Zotac F-E's selection of digital audio outputs in addition to HDMI.  Note the USB Cirago Micro Bluetooth Adapter (about $20) in the port at the top.

Software Selection
My initial software load on the HTPC centered around using Windows 7 as the operating system.  I selected Win7 for a few specific reasons - one being that I had an extra copy on hand, and I'm fairly familiar with its installation and use.  Windows 7 also includes the latest iteration of  Windows Media Center (WMC) that supports CableCard adapters such as the Ceton InfiniTV 4 ($400) - I eventually want to take advantage of WMC's free channel guide updates in order to build my own HD cable DVR.  WMC also provides a unified interface for enjoying collections of music and pictures as well as various sources of Internet-based multimedia including Netflix video streaming.

My collection of movies on disc include a mixture of physical formats including DVD, HD DVD (remember those?), and Blu-ray.  I wanted one application to play them all, and ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theater Platinum ($100) seemed up to the task, and it integrates seamlessly into WMC.

Kaleidescape has set the standard for how a modern movie server should look and perform, and I wanted to create a similar virtual "wall of jewel cases" with my own collection of titles - and do it with a fairly modest budget.  My Movies for Windows Media Center provides this functionality for free.  For the movie titles I have archived on my network attached storage (NAS) device, My Movies can take advantage of virtual drive applications such as SlySoft's excellent Virtual CloneDrive (free) to automate the mounting of image files.

Control
I'll finish this chapter of my HTPC build with the apps I'm using to make the entire system easier to control and use.  My primary criteria for potential control devices is 1)wireless - preferably Bluetooth and 2) the input device must provide fast, consistent responses.

I wanted to use a Sony PS3 Blu-ray Disc Remote (under $20) that I already owned as it's a Bluetooth (BT) device and the remote's keypad layout is essentially identical to a standard Windows Media Center remote.  In order to make the PS3 remote's keypad correspond to the same commands as an official Media Center remote, I discovered (via The Green Button forums) and embraced Ben Barron's handy PS3 Remote Application.  And after trying a couple of inconsistent RF-based wireless keyboard options, I settled on the Logitech PS3 Cordless MediaBoard Pro for its relatively affordable price (among BT keyboards) and near-perfect wireless performance.

A recent smartphone purchase has enabled me to try out some of the remote control applications that are available.  One app I find myself regularly using is HippoRemote Pro ($5).  HippoRemote connects to my HTPC via my local network and provides control profiles for a long list of common PC applications including Windows Media Center, TotalMedia Theater, and even Windows 7 itself.  The app's response performance with my setup is excellent - equal to or even better than the BT remote I use regularly.

What's Next?
In the follow up to this chapter of Project HTPC, I'll provide more insight into how the system is used in my household.  I'll also take a closer look at the Ceton InfiniTV 4 digital cable tuner including its installation and use.  A DIY Digital Video Recorder (DVR) that could replace a cable company's DVR or even a TiVo is certainly possible nowadays, and the questions I want to explore include: is the total cost worth it? And, how reliable is a DIY DVR?

Stay tuned!

The Internet is an unlimited source of personal entertainment, and a fast growing portion of this online content includes popular television shows, radio stations, and feature films.  The personal computer (PC) is an ideal platform for accessing online multimedia as its compatibility with the wide variety of content streaming technologies and downloaded file types is unmatched by any non-PC set-top box.  Ditching a cable/satellite television subscription in favor of a PC and broadband Internet service isn't for everyone, but the potential savings for a household could add up to thousands of dollars per year.

My first decision: build or buy?  I enjoy building custom computers for clients so the DIY route was all but certain, however, the least expensive option would be to purchase a product like the Asus EeeBox PC EB1012 or Acer AspireRevo 3610 that are similarly configured ultra-compact Windows 7 computers running on Atom/ION hardware.  Measuring about an inch thick, neither device incorporates an optical disc drive (ODD) but both feature integrated 801.11b/g/n wireless networking, HDMI output, and flash memory card readers.

Acer AspireRevo 3610

My HTPC parts list ended up containing the following:

The total for the above parts list was about $740 before taxes and shipping.  I already had a spare copy of Windows 7, so that brought the bill down to about $570.  Blu-ray and CableCARD support were my primary reasons for using Windows 7 (with its integration of Windows Media Center) - these needs aside, use of a community-developed operating system like Ubuntu (running XMBC) would have further reduced initial costs.  Another somewhat extravagant part in the above list is the LG Slim Blu-ray Drive (about $170 online) - slim DVD+/-RW drives can be had for as little as $40, or just skip the optical drive altogether depending on your needs.

It has been more than a week since I performed the "Clearing and deleting everything." function on my Series3 TiVo, and I'm happy to report that the S3 has since performed perfectly:  wireless file transfers complete with consistent throughput, Netflix HD streams are received in full quality, and overall system response has greatly improved.  One odd side-effect of the TiVo mind-wipe was the loss of a few specific digital cable channels.  Thinking that the channel loss was related to a pairing/binding issue with the CableCARDs (the S3's lack of multi-stream CableCARD support requires the use of two CableCARDs for dual-tuning action), I contacted my cable provider and requested that they check things on their end.  After confirming the cards were paired and activated, I was still unable to receive about four digital channels.  CableCARD paring issues sometimes result in the inability to receive copy protected channels/programs but the fact that each card/tuner was able to receive the encrypted channels that I subscribe to suggested that the cards were correctly configured on my end.  Luckily, the cable tech who was dispatched to diagnose the problem (unsuccessfully) encountered the exact same CableCARD channel loss issue with another customer later that same day.  The cable-gods at this point believe the issue is on their end and they are currently investigating.  Stay tuned.

For more than two years, my TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder has faithfully captured my every televised whim.  About a year ago, I upgraded the Series3's 250GB hard drive to a relatively spacious 1TB model (thank you MFSLive!) and in no time my Season Pass list expanded to 50-some items - at any given moment there were approximately 200 standard- and high-definition recordings saved on the drive.  There is no way that I had time to watch all of that content, but it practically guaranteed that I would have something I wanted to watch available 24/7.

I've never been satisfied with my TiVo's network performance using the TiVo Wireless G Adapter - file transfers were inconsistent (i.e. slow, halting, or failed altogether) and I've yet to successfully view an HD stream from Netflix's Watch Instantly service (SD streaming was fine).  My PlayStation3 using the same wireless network from approximately the same location in the room has never had an issue streaming Netflix's HD content.  In a effort to diagnose my Series3's sluggish network performance, I've decided to start clean by "Clearing and deleting everything."  From there I plan to reinstall/retest the wireless adapter and compare the results to using a wired connection.  I'll post my findings as soon as possible.