What is better than CDs / DVDs / HD DVDs or Blu Ray discs?

What is better than CDs DVDs HD DVDs or Blu Ray discs
Streaming over the PC LAN (Local Area Network), or even via the Internet!
This is the future!

Streaming means, you don't need a copy of the file you want to see, on your streaming device, but it is sent to you while you are watching it. You only need the link, or folder and filename of it.

The late 1990s and early 2000s, internet users saw:

  • greater network bandwidth, especially in the last mile
  • increased access to networks, especially the Internet
  • use of standard protocols and formats, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, and HTML
  • commercialization of the Internet
These advances in computer networking combined with powerful home computers and modern operating systems made streaming media practical and affordable for ordinary consumers. Stand-alone Internet radio devices are offering listeners a "no-computer" option for listening to audio streams. But it needs further adhoc references to it.

In general, multimedia content is large, so media storage and transmission costs are still significant; to offset this somewhat, media is generally compressed for both storage and streaming.

Increasing consumer demand for streaming of High Definition (HD) content to different devices in the home has led the industry to develop a number of technologies, such as WirelessHD or ITU-T G.hn, which are optimized for streaming of HD content without forcing the user to install new networking cables.

A media stream can be on demand or live. On demand streams are stored on a server for a long period of time, and are available to be transmitted at a user's request. Live streams are only available at one particular time, as in a video stream of a live sporting event.

Research in streaming and media is ongoing and representative research can be found at the Journal of Multimedia.


HTPC: The (new) center piece in your living room.
What you should look at when buying or build-up a HTPC (Home Theater PC) - perhaps instead of buying a DVD-Recorder.
You then can record straight onto HDD (Hard Disk Drive), in various formats MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and or MPEG-4/DivX/XviD and immediately make it available on the LAN.
- A good idea would be one of the faster CPUs, either Dual Core / Core2 Duo CPU (2.8 GHz and up), or even better a Quad Core / Core2 Quad CPU, with 2 ~ 4 GB DDR SD-RAM (800Mhz and up) and a large 500 GB ~ 1.5 TB HDD, better two HDDs in a RAID setup with Mirroring (in case a HDD packs up). For later HDD expansions I would recommend a Motherboard with 4 to 6 SATA connectors with on-board RAID and Mirroring. One SATA connector may have to be used for the DVD Writer in the HTPC, unless you want to go the IDE route or USB 2.0 (external, 480Mbps, 5m max.) or perhaps Firewire. Please also look at another (newer) external option, the eSATA (external SATA) which can go up to 1.5 or 3.0 Gbps (that is 1500/3000 Mbps, 1m max.), depending on the connected HDD controller and/or HDD. If you go out and buy a new external USB case, it would be a good idea to FUTURE-PROOF it, by rather buying one with USB 2.0 and eSATA connections. This would be up to 6.25x faster than USB 2.0 and 3x faster as Gigabit LAN! The max. length of this data cable is unfortunately limited to only 1m.
For longer cable lengths without using a LAN make sure the PC and external HDD case have Firewire (400Mbps, 4.5m max.) connections, but preferbly the newer Firewire 800 (800Mbps, 100m max.) or the latest Firewire 3200 (3200Mbps, 100m max.) Please note, that you may have to purchase an additional Firewire card (PCI or PCI-E, depending on your PCs requirements and open slots!) which supports these newer standards, as most motherboard's built-in features only support Firewire 400.

VERY IMPORTANT:
The more hardware the motherboard has already integrated on-board, the higher the initial costs will be, but it is still cheaper than upgrading later and at least you save on open slots which are free for later expansions.
  • Make sure the motherboard has Gigabit Ethernet (1Gbps / 1000 Mbps) for high speed streaming via a Gigabit LAN.
  • An on-board Firewire port (400Mbps, is the current standard for on-board implementations) is needed if you want to download movies straight from your DV-Cam (Digital Video Camera) however some newer DV-Cams also have USB 2.0 these days. This can also be bought additionally - occupying an extra slot in the PC. I would rather have it on-board and leave the slot free for later upgrades to Firewire 800 or 3200!
  • The motherboard should also have 5.1 channel surround sound outputs (or more), for connecting to the surround sound system.
  • A suitable silent Graphics Card for HTPC use, with VGA and/or DVI (for a PC Monitor), S-Video and/or HDMI outputs (for TV/HDTV) is recommended - as required for the displays to be connected - either PC Monitor, TV, HDTV, etc. - but it could be added later, if the motherboard has an on-board Graphics Card.
  • A silent fan and power supply in the HTPC housing is also a must!


LAN (Local Area Network):
For new LAN installations use CAT5e or the later CAT6 standard cables, as these are capable of handling up to Gigabit Ethernet (1Gbps / 1000Mbps).
I know WLAN (Wireless LAN) is available, but not for me, as I am quite concious about health and the environment, so NO OPTION for me! If you want to go that route, it is up to you. WLAN (various standards: 1/2/11/54/108/125/300 Mbps) is not safe (due to EMFs {Electro Magnetic Fields - RF} emitting from the devices, like from a cellphone and other wireless devices) nor is it secure (can be hacked/cracked in much less than 5 minutes!)!!
A LAN is good, as it can bridge distances of up to 300m across the network (with 2 hops), with 100m segments (max. cable lengths allowed) linked to switches or hubs to boost the signals inbetween.
The backbone of your LAN - thus the main cables - should be layed out in Gigabit technology with the equipment costing about double the price, but giving 10x the speed - at this time.
The streaming devices at 100Mbps are still good enough, even for streaming of HDTV signals at a later stage. The server, or the PC where your movies are stored, would also need a Gigabit interface, connected to a Gigabit (data) switch. If you have a 10/100Mbps switch you can use this for the time being and upgrade when you experience slow transfer rates.
Well even after 1Gbps, the future looks bright, as Data centers are already using 10Gbs and 40Gbs ports and would like to get 100Gbps ports. (This may be enough material for a new TOPIC ...)


Recording of Material/Content:
The faster PCs in the home can be used for recording the videos of importance and these can then be watched in every room (depending on the LAN access control and passwords as it is setup for each user or user group), which either has a PC with network connection, or a streaming video player / multimedia player connected to a TV/HDTV set.
Home-made movies can be recorded straight to HDD, or copied from the Cam-Corder/DV-Cam, and shared throughout the whole house instantly. You could even stream your front garden and workplace over your LAN, if need be, for added security, by making use of IP-Cameras.

All contents can be stored on one central place (on the HTPC, like on a server), or on different PCs connected over the LAN.
Please note:
The data will only be available as long as the specific PC is up and running, so it would be a good idea to store it somewhere central, to be accessible by everyone that needs to access it.


External Contents:
More and more houses are already connected through the Internet via high speed ADSL, or can receive digital TV signals in the form of DVB-S (Digital Video Broadcast - Satellite) or DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcast - Terrestrial). You can also tap into these resources.


Old PCs:
Most houses have one or more old(er) PCs standing around - sometimes even unused.
It could be a real benefit to revive them and use for storage (even if you would have to get a new HDD, just get the right type IDE/ATA or SATA!), and also to watch pictures, playback music (MP3) - and if it is fast enough also videos.


HDD based Multimedia Players:
Already widely available are a range of external HDD (Hard Disk Drive) Cases, with built-in multimedia players, which connect mostly via USB 2.0. If you could put a 500 GB or larger HDD inside there, you have plenty of space to store all files you need for a great party or a weekend.
This device basically works like a DVD player, but instead of changing disks every time, you just have to select another menu item (or folder and file) to be played.
You will have to use your PC to store various digital material you like to view on this HDD, like pictures (JPG), music (MP3), videos (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVI, DivX, XviD, VOB, etc.). The built in multimedia player can play these stored files (and many more formats) back on a normal TV or HDTV, at a push of the button and selection of a menu or folder or the connected PC.

- Even documents from your favorite wordprocessor or spreadsheet and database can be stored there.

The built-in player will however not be able to view or play these and will just ignore them on the menus and folder lists, but they can be stored there and retrieved by a connected PC.
These multimedia-players are very affective as "Party in the Box" equipment to be taken along when you have to go and visit friends, or on holiday. Instead of taking a whole pile of CDs, DVDs and tapes, you just take one external HDD with built-in multimedia player along (incl. power supply, cables and remote control). After arriving you would only have to connect it to another PC or TV to get going straight away!



So far with the BASICS, today!
If anything is still unclear, please ask. Technical jargons can also be looked up and read about in Wikipedia.

(Should this article rather have been placed under "Computers" ?)

Comments (3)

sstovall1417
dude get life or a woman or both
RobbieM
I have a dedicated music server that isn't a computer.

It's basically the best thing available, with a DAC Q3 module, so you could say the music quality is way beyond that you could expect from something available from a computer.

If anyone wants advice on how set up a music server or anything HD related, feel free to contact me and i can recommend equipment, cabling speakers etc etc and reputable suppliers in your area.

Any doubts about the products, have a nose at the Cyrus Website and you'll see what i have!!!

No abusive emails nowlaugh
virgosingle
I think it would be best to experince life outside of all this computer junk !!!! one day when when it comes I am sure one would use a USB memory stick big enough to have a 100 movies plus player if needed ,small enough to fit into your pocket ,,ho yes they do have them !!!!!banana

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