can echo attach to multiple WMC machines?

[TeddyR]

I am not part of the Beta (wish I was) so here is a question that has come to mind:

Will the echo be able to "attach" to multiple WMC HTPC machines at the same time.. The current extenders can only be associated with a single WMC HTPC. If not, then this would definitly be a feature that would put the echo in a better position than the current extenders.

[adam1991]

It's not the Echo, it's the extender architecture.

Why anyone would want this feature, I have absolutely no idea.

[TeddyR]

... Why anyone would want this feature, I have absolutely no idea.

Two HTPCs, one in living room, one in office, one extender in the bedroom to be able to view protected content from either HTPC....

[aeblank]

It's an interesting thought, but i doubt it would ever happen. Why not combine MC's and get two extenders?

[Sammy2]

If you shut down the one you are connected to I believe you can connect to the other but you'd have to put in the 8 digit code to whichever (HT)PC the extender was connecting to each time.

[TeddyR]

It was initially done to have a "backup" in case my Homerun devices ever had a bad firmware or a bad plugin on the main HTPC and to resolve an issue I had with an ITV USB card. My initial plan for the ITV card was to use it with HTPC-A for 10 CC tuners, but that did not work as expected.

Shared Tuners (can used by both HTPCs but only configured on HTPC-A):
1x HDHR3-6cc (6 cablecard tuners)
2x HDHR-US (1 giving 2 ATSC tuners, and 1 giving 2 QAM tuners)

HTPC-A:
1x HVR2250 (2 NTSC/QAM tuners)

HTPC-B
1x USB Infinitv4 (4 cablecard tuners)
1x USB Stick (1 ATSC)

I am still researching adding a DVB-S2 Sat tuner probably to HTPC-A

My main issue was that HTPC-A did not like the Ceton Infinitv card at all. HTPC-B was better, but still loses the TAs or the ITV tuner at least once a week. HTPC-A otherwise has been extremely stable and is the one I trust for most recordings. HTPC-A has the largest storage and capacity for extenders.

I know that there are MANY people on this board that have more than one HTPC, or windows 7 machines that can act as backups but have not configured them due to not having extenders that can connect to both without reconfiguring the extender.

[adam1991]

I know I've never heard of even one person doing that, or trying it.

[Teddyboy16]

This has been asked before but not often. The answer has always been no, and I think it stems from the way the extender architecture is set up. It sounds like more like his setup might be an edge case.

[foxwood]

Unlike Media Center on XP or Vista, every single Windows 7 machine is a Windows Media Center. Which means that we have 3 machines in this house, each with their own collection of music and photos. Sometime when we have guests over, it would be handy to show photos on the TV that are on one of the other PCs, or even let one of our guests connect to the network, and display their photos on our screen. If the Extender was a bit more flexible in this respect, the ad hoc nature of this kind of sharing would be a useful feature. (Or at least a feature that would be useful in our house).

[adam1991]

Yours isn't an edge case, it's an out of this universe case.

The Media Center model was designed around its namesake "Center". One big tank does it all. Extenders merely extend that particular tank to remote locations.

The Media Center model never, from the beginning, was designed to consider "chaining" multiple systems together in any way.

You would do well switching to MythTV, which is exactly what you want. Myth can use the network tuners, and each system can be both a backend and a frontend.

The only capability you'd lose is DRM programming--which, in this day and age, isn't a huge loss.

[hub1]

What i do is share the folders of each PC to my HTPC and my extender can access the shared content from all three of my PC's.

[JohnW248]

Unlike Media Center on XP or Vista, every single Windows 7 machine is a Windows Media Center. Which means that we have 3 machines in this house, each with their own collection of music and photos. Sometime when we have guests over, it would be handy to show photos on the TV that are on one of the other PCs, or even let one of our guests connect to the network, and display their photos on our screen. If the Extender was a bit more flexible in this respect, the ad hoc nature of this kind of sharing would be a useful feature. (Or at least a feature that would be useful in our house).

All you have to do for music and movies and photos is set up the other computers, nas, etc in manage libraries. Just go to tasks and manage libararies and then add folders on another computer or let me specify which allows you to add items on a NAS that requires a password and account.

Recorded TV is a bit different, all the machines on the home group will appear in "shared" and you can click on shared and then on the other computer and either copy or play the program. The exception is copy once material which will appear but not be viewable.

Each extender has it's own account for movies, music and photos and thus each must be set up indvidually.

[Sammy2]

What i do is share the folders of each PC to my HTPC and my extender can access the shared content from all three of my PC's.

This.

[Sammy2]

Yours isn't an edge case, it's an out of this universe case.

The Media Center model was designed around its namesake "Center". One big tank does it all. Extenders merely extend that particular tank to remote locations.

The Media Center model never, from the beginning, was designed to consider "chaining" multiple systems together in any way.

You would do well switching to MythTV, which is exactly what you want. Myth can use the network tuners, and each system can be both a backend and a frontend.

The only capability you'd lose is DRM programming--which, in this day and age, isn't a huge loss.

Maybe not for you but quite a few of the programs I like are on CopyOnce channels, Palladia for instance.

[Sammy2]

Probably but then there's ESPN and FSW that are CopyOnce too so being able to view them on a TV an extender in another room is the goal.

Neither Myth nor Sage, while great products, can do this.