InfiniTV 6 ETH Hardware Question

[bmzero]

If I run a InfiniTV 6 ETH on the network, can I get away with smaller, less powerful hardware for connecting to the TV's?

I would like to build something based on this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

I'm currently on my second WMC setup and have been using them for about 10 years. I would like to stay with the true Windows Media Center interface.

[choliscott]

If you were planning on buying an 6 ETH & building or purchasing something like what you referenced in the link, for each TV, then yes that would work. However one question has to be asked, besides WMC duties, were you planning on using these for other purposes?

[bmzero]

If you were planning on buying an 6 ETH & building or purchasing something like what you referenced in the link, for each TV, then yes that would work. However one question has to be asked, besides WMC duties, were you planning on using these for other purposes?

Would it be better to have a "master" WMC somewhere in the network (stored away in a closet) that its only purpose was to record and store TV? Then, I could use the smaller, cheaper, quieter machines to run WMC at each display.

Thoughts?

[choliscott]

The problem with using a master machine that would record shows & "serve" them to the mini computers, is if someone tried accessing the record guide while a show was being recorded, it wouldn't give any details about the show, but instead display the actual file name of the show & a record time of 1 minute. Someone did make something that would "refresh" the record guide on the "mini" computer so it would show correctly, but I was never able to get it to work correctly.

That being said, a 3rd party add on called RecordedTVHD, would solve that problem)

Besides buying/building these mini computers for watching TV, what was the other purpose of them going to be?

It would seem to me that buying used Xbox 360's would be more cheaper, if the purpose was strictly TV watching. However I could see using a 2nd computer if it was going to be used for something else, or if you wanted that computer's recordings separate from the rest.

You mentioned you were on your 2nd setup. What are you using for your current setup (computer config & extenders)?

[bmzero]

The problem with using a master machine that would record shows & "serve" them to the mini computers, is if someone tried accessing the record guide while a show was being recorded, it wouldn't give any details about the show, but instead display the actual file name of the show & a record time of 1 minute. Someone did make something that would "refresh" the record guide on the "mini" computer so it would show correctly, but I was never able to get it to work correctly.

That being said, a 3rd party add on called RecordedTVHD, would solve that problem)

Besides buying/building these mini computers for watching TV, what was the other purpose of them going to be?

It would seem to me that buying used Xbox 360's would be more cheaper, if the purpose was strictly TV watching. However I could see using a 2nd computer if it was going to be used for something else, or if you wanted that computer's recordings separate from the rest.

You mentioned you were on your 2nd setup. What are you using for your current setup (computer config & extenders)?

My current setup was built just over a year and half ago and has been working well, for the most part, until a few months ago when the hardware started going on the blink (cpu overheat, memory failure, etc.). It has been powered on for close to 2 years, so I'm not complaining.

We also have constant problems tuning channels. We have Charter cable and, bluntly, they just can't keep the CableCard technology working. The service technicians literally have no idea how to work with them.

Here are the spec's:
Ceton Infini-TV 4 (probably one of the first cards shipped)
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB GDDR5 Video Card
NZXT Aperture M Internal Card Reader
Kingston Hyper X Beast 16GB Memory Module Kit
Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X Internal DVD Burner
Thermaltake V3 BE and PurePower 430W PSU Bundle
ASUS P8Z77-V PRO Intel 7 Series Motherboard
Seagate Barracuda 2TB Serial ATA Hard Drive
OCZ 120GB Agility 3 Series 2.5" SATA III SSD
Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50 GHz Quad Core Unlocked

When I built it, we only watched one TV in the house, so we don't use any extenders. At this point, we have a couple of other TV's that I would be interested in putting extenders on, but I don't have any experience with them, so I don't have a plan there.

One of the problems I have with the current setup is that it sits in the living room. It's in a nice Thermaltake case, but it's crazy loud. My thoughts were to move it to a case with better cooling, improving the fans, or both and move it to a closet where the noise wouldn't be an issue.

I'm all about the XBMC, but I have never tried one. Does it use the same interface as WMC or does it run a stripped down version?

[choliscott]

Ok with the current configuration you have, you shouldn't have any issues. I'm assuming you don't have the CPU overclocked, but if the CPU is overheating or memory failure, I would probably reseat the CPU heatsink/fan (applying new thermal paste). As far as the memory goes, I would test with "MemTest" & allow it to run for a minimum of 8 hours.

If you wanted to connect multiple TV's, I would pick up a couple of used Xbox 360's, which would take care of those.

As far as the fan noise, have you thought about turning down the fan speed in the CMOS, or even getting slower fans? Another idea would be to move it into a area & run a long hdmi & usb cable to a TV for the infrared sensor.

the XBMC interface looks different from WMC, in fact it still does use WMC for the live TV interface.

[JohnW248]

Depending on your cable system (and their future plans as this is more common now than ever) any thing that is protected content (CCI 0x02 copy once) will only plan on the computer that made the recording AND any media center extender connected to that host computer.

Other computer can share recorded tv (through the shared tab in recorded tv and then opening the other computer) but only OPEN content (usually at least the over the air channels) will work.

If you are on a TWC system, virtually everything other than over the air retransmission is protected as copy once. Also other variations of media programs such as XBMC will only work with open content.

[blueiedgod]

If I run a InfiniTV 6 ETH on the network, can I get away with smaller, less powerful hardware for connecting to the TV's?

I would like to build something based on this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

I'm currently on my second WMC setup and have been using them for about 10 years. I would like to stay with the true Windows Media Center interface.

So, let me get this straight, instead of using a single HTPC, and cheap extenders, you want to use expensive HTPC's at every TV?

If you can build a SFF HTPC that will pass DCA for under $100 (cost of Echo), I would like to see your parts list.

[cKuR6]

^No, you don't have it straight. He's clearly asking if he should use extenders or not:

At this point, we have a couple of other TV's that I would be interested in putting extenders on, but I don't have any experience with them, so I don't have a plan there.

If you or someone in your family values your time.... echo's cost way more than $100, and I've purchased all 6 of mine on sale!

OP, I am still a bit new, but here are some requirements to note, in order to avoid stumbles i've experienced.

You should have the eth6 on its own coax line. (you need the signal as close to 0 as you can get).
You need a Gb switch between eth6 and HTPC.
How are the extenders going to recv the signal? Do you have Ethernet wired?
I don’t know about PCIe cards, but the eth6 requires your HTPC have almost no security (MSE and Windows Firewall).
If you go the echo route, you need as little as possible on the HTPC. Any problems will receive a response from ceton to uninstall everything extra. I run only recordedtvhd and mclXL.
Research the sound setups threads, before taking the dive. Any funky sound setting can ruin your day and have you chasing the problem down rabbit holes that do not lead to the real problem. In short, most video errors on extenders are sound setting based and the error messages don’t lead you to that conclusion.
When you first setup, run DCA on HTPC AND the extenders.

I have a tap in a cold room closet, where all my lines come in. My setup has Channel Masters CM6004’s, Eth6, HTPC, 6 echos, 3 rokus, smart tv’s, blu rays, xbox 360. Everything streams HD flawlessly except the echos.

Tap feeds router & 2 way splitter.

Router feeds a CM6004, which then injects the network signal via coax back in the cold closet, into a 4 way splitter, this then feeds the rest of the house with coax into cm6004's , which convert network signal back to Ethernet connections in 3 other places. These run the aforementioned hardware with up to 270Mbps. Multiple connections running together with no issues except the echos.

2 way splitter has a MoCA Filter on it, to resist any other network interference, and then feeds a TWC TA and Eth6. Eth6 out runs Cat6 to GB switch, to which the HTPC is also connected.

[blueiedgod]

^No, you don't have it straight. He's clearly asking if he should use extenders or not

Would it be better to have a "master" WMC somewhere in the network (stored away in a closet) that its only purpose was to record and store TV? Then, I could use the smaller, cheaper, quieter machines to run WMC at each display.

Thoughts?

Did not see "extender" but rather "cheaper, quieter machines to run WMC"

Router feeds a CM6004, which then injects the network signal via coax back in the cold closet, into a 4 way splitter, this then feeds the rest of the house with coax into cm6004's , which convert network signal back to Ethernet connections in 3 other places. These run the aforementioned hardware with up to 270Mbps. Multiple connections running together with no issues except the echos.

Not sure how you are getting 270 Mbps out of CM6004's, when the spec calls for 170 Mbps max (MAC rate), 275 Mbps is PHY rate

http://www.channelmasterstore.com/4_por ... m-6004.htm

In real world, MoCA 1.1 provides about 130 Mbps, and in most cases even less.

[cKuR6]

regardless of which rate I quoted from channel master, the underlying and important point remains:

Multiple connections running together with no issues except the echos ... [freezing and restarting].