How to get TV from my HTPC to the TV in another room? Help a nooblar =)!

[GoldenTiger]

My setup currently is a computer (gaming machine) that I use with SageTV v5.0.4 to watch TV full-screen and/or in a window on my LCD monitor. I have two ATI PCI TV Wonder 550 Pro's in it, and an 8800GTS video card, as well as an X-Fi. I also have an RF Remote Wonder that was bundled as a free shipping-only offer with the tuners. What I want to do is get it so I can use the SageTV interface on my incoming LCD HDTV with the remote control I have. As far as accomplishing this, I have no clue as to how it's done. The only two ways of doing so I can think of are either somehow piping out a VGA cable to the new LCD HDTV (it has a VGA input), and then somehow getting audio cables out from the X-Fi, and setting the remote to turn SageTV on in full-screen mode on the computer when a "power" button is pressed and using it almost in a monitor-esque way. The other option I see is using a wireless SageTV Media Extender (which is a Hauppauge MediaMVP 1016) and having an easier, cleaner solution, albeit much more costly.

Also, I would like to use the nVidia PureVideo codec to upscale DVD's from my computer to play on the LCD HDTV. Is this easy to setup, and if not, where can I read about how to do so?

Is the first option even feasible? What about the wireless MediaMVP (and, is the SageTV bundle from their store a propietary version of it, or can I use it with other software eventually if I ever were to switch (doubtful but I like to not have things locked-in if I can help it))? Finally, how hard is it to set up everything either way? I want, most importantly, something that just plain WORKS.

Thanks a lot in advance for any help/answers !

[naln]

I think you might want to wait for the HD Media extender rumoured to release in a few months ....rather than get a wireless media extender for an HDTV...that to me seems to be the most elegant solution

Is it physically possible to run a cable from your current PC to your living room? If so you might be able to use a TV out from your 8800GTS....or the VGA out....you should then be able to configure the LCD HDTV as a monitor/TV using nVidia Monitor control panel....likewise with your audio output....preferably you should try to get the Coax out/SPDIF so that you have to run only 2 cables. Also keep the cable length minimum....I presume anything more than a 15- 20ft cable will cause serious signal losses (just an assumption). You can configure your remote to do what you want with it......there are some other remote mapping options like Girder, HIP or this one. Also, the RF remote helps- you should be able to use it from your living room if there is not too much interference.

If you have to run longer cables, I would suggest that you use a client machine or an MVP client. There is supposed to be a new HDTV media extender rumoured to release soon....that maybe a good buy....

The media extenders so far have been made by Hauppauge..can be used without sage as well...like with GBPVR and BeyondTV.....don't know about the HD extender though.

[GoldenTiger]

I'm leaning toward doing a wired MVP with a wireless bridge from what I've read of the wireless version's woes. While I could run wires, they would be stretched from a bedroom to the living room across the floor and under a door, hardly a good solution. As far as the HD media extender, I'm not actually hooking up this setup until I move into a new apartment in about 5 weeks, so perhaps the HD extender will be closer by then. I don't have immediate plans to record HD, but perhaps if the cost isn't too different it would be a reasonable thing to get regardless. Thanks!

[naln]

Originally Posted by GoldenTiger

I'm leaning toward doing a wired MVP with a wireless bridge from what I've read of the wireless version's woes. While I could run wires, they would be stretched from a bedroom to the living room across the floor and under a door, hardly a good solution. As far as the HD media extender, I'm not actually hooking up this setup until I move into a new apartment in about 5 weeks, so perhaps the HD extender will be closer by then. I don't have immediate plans to record HD, but perhaps if the cost isn't too different it would be a reasonable thing to get regardless. Thanks!

With that length of cable- the Wired MVP with a wireless bridge sounds like a very good option. I am not sure of the actual bandwidths on one of those wireless bridges though (I'm thinking Logitech wireless bridges here- like for gaming consoles)...Good luck!

[daz19]

Hi Guys

I am using Homeplugs to connect my Server to my Sage Clients.

There are 3 models 14 mb, 85 mb and the HD 200mb, I am currently using the 85mb which is ok for SD.

http://www.solwise.co.uk/net-powerline.htm

[deliberate]

Originally Posted by naln

the Wired MVP with a wireless bridge sounds like a very good option.

Don't know about the wirless bridges but I can't get my MVP to work over my Airlink101 powerline bridges:
http://www.airlink101.com/products/apl8511_22.html

Funny as I had it working, hardwired to the server switch, under Sage5, left it powered up but disconnected from the network, upgraded my server to Sage6 and then re-connected the network connector over the powerline adapter and the MVP worked seemingly just fine in terms on all the UI stuff but then I got sageplayer errors when trying to view video of any kind.

So, I power cycled (overnight) the MVP and now it won't even pickup the IP# from the router again, My guess is that there is some timing fault in the network interface but that's beyond my expertise. Sometime soon I'll go back into flail mode and see if the gods are smiling on me again ...

Sure would be nice if this stuff worked out of the box and not after a couple hours of "hobby time". The MVP has little value to me if I have to hardwire it "next to the server" to work everytime/all the time.

Cheers,

- Don