CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

stefuel

So I have this idea, not to build a HTPC but to build a simple PC based storage facility for HD movies and gain access to it from my PS3. It should require no fancy video or audio cards, just enough to monitor the copying process. Data transfer from the PC to the PS3 would be via hard wired ethernet connection. I guess it would be like building a giant DVR.
Right now I can watch a few SD DVD's stored on my PC from my PS3 with the PS3 connected to my LAN and they seem to play back just fine. So the question,
What would be the minimum equipment required to build this and make it work? It would serve no other function. I'd like a lot of storage (2-4 TB) to start.
I have seen some fancy PC cases used for HTCP's that have built in small LCD touch screens which would be neat and eliminate the need for a keyboard, mouse and monitor (I think).
Thanks,

Electrogeek · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:47 am Post subject:

well, in the past i have used systems as lowly as P2 for this kind of work,
that said, you really need it to be running a gigbit NIC to do the HD transmission, other then that, (i dont know alot about the PS3) i say 512mb ram and a linux distro running a stable samba server and you should be away laughing

stefuel · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject:

I suppose I should say that when it comes to PC's, I have more than two thumbs. However I think there must be a minimum requirement just to support the required BD rom drive needed for data transfer to the HDD's

Willie · Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 169 Location: Green Bay

I am not a shill for these guys; this is what I use for a movie server. It works great. Boots off a flash drive and just works.

http://lime-technology.com/

Willie

Heywood Jablome · Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 1548

I just let a 3TB EMC CX 30 slip thru my fingers... Would have been damn spiffy as a media server, albeit expensive (electricity, with 14 spindles.)

Looks like the lime-tech media server is free... Chipper, if you want to play with it I may have a USB bootable 'extra' PC, or that 4U rackmount PC I gave you may have enough chutzpah for the task.

drice1234 · Joined: 07 Oct 2006 Posts: 1309 Location: Allen, Texas

Not to hijack your thread but what software do you use to rip and store the BluRay disk and what format can the PS3 read? I use DVD Fab for SD.

Thanks
Dan

stefuel · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:16 pm Post subject:

Heywood Jablome · Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 1548

Mark_A_W · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:42 pm Post subject:

1. You don't *need* gigabit. Although it is nice to have, BD and HD-DVD will stream fine over a 100Mbps connection, and USB2 as well.

2. Any old PC will do, as long as it has SATA drive connections.

3. Normally, you would convert BD/HD-DVD to .MKV with FLAC audio using Anydvd HD to break the encryption and eac3to.exe to do the conversion. But this won't work for a PS3. I don't know what it will playback, maybe a TS file with the original audio format intact.

kevin_k · Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 67

I picked up a used dell server on flea bay for 250.00 to do what you're talking about. It was a bare bones system, but it's dual core @ 3ghz, 2 gb ram, sata, gigabit nic card, but no monitor, hd or os. I put a sata card with raid capabilities and 3tb for storage and redundency, microsoft home server to keep the home network backed up at all times.

I've tried to stream ts files to ps3 from it and no go. It only plays one VOB at a time so you need to start each file when the other ends. I'm finding there is no good way to stream loss-less video to it.....in SD anyway, I have not ripped HD and tried to stream it.

Google media extenders, they maybe an alternative to the HTPC for you. I think linksys makes some, but I'm not sure how robust there are yet. There are some pricey ones that can handle everything

Mark_A_W · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:31 am Post subject:

Only DVDs are in VOB format, not TS files..they are .ts .

TS files can be whole or in 100mb chunks.

HD-DVD is EVO (usually 2 files per movie).

BD is M2TS (usually a single file).

You will have to process your media to a format suitable for a PS3.

stefuel · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:52 am Post subject:

I lied. I did try DVD Fab but ended up getting Tversity. It plays back SD without interuptions.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

bomrat · Joined: 10 Mar 2006 Posts: 117 Location: chicago

here is my htpc / fileserver
http://bomrat.org/hometheater_website/htpc/htpc.htm

it can give you a couple ideas

secstate · Joined: 20 Mar 2006 Posts: 720

One thing to consider on the "any computer" will do is that many older computers, particularly Pentium IVs suck down a lot of power. My first file server was an old Athlon which was somewhat more energy efficient than a Pentium IV, even so it was sucking down over 200 watts at idle (over 300 watt when I had an old Adaptec raid card (the kind with its own processor). Any way at 200 watts 24/7 that was costing my $150 per year to operate (at my relatively cheap by US standards electricity). I upgraded to an EE AMD Dual Core processor which has cool and quiet (lowers processor speed and voltage when idle), picked an energy efficient motherboard, efficient Antec Earthwatts power-supply and then configured Linux to spin all the drives down other than the system drive after 20 minutes of non-use. With 9 hard drives installed, 8 gigs of RAM (I use my server to host VMWares guests and heck it was only $50 after rebate) it pulls 63 watts from the wall (idle with drive spun down). I use a kill-a-watt to measure consumption.

I use my server to download stuff, rip and process DVDs and TV recordings so I have a full fledged operating system Linux Debian (I would have installed Ubuntu but the version at the time did not like my hardware at all). I started using Linux about 3 years ago and it took me a little while to get used to it but I really like it now especially for "infrastructure" type computers.

Edit to clarify.

stefuel · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:51 pm Post subject:

I don't even know if the un-used PC I have here will do it. It is based on a A7V8X-X mother board with a AMD processor.

stefuel · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:18 pm Post subject:

Damn, no SATA connectors on this mother board Crying or Very sad

secstate · Joined: 20 Mar 2006 Posts: 720

secstate · Joined: 20 Mar 2006 Posts: 720

secstate · Joined: 20 Mar 2006 Posts: 720

Depending on what you are willing to spend, if you are a Costco member you might want to consider this http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?ec=BC-EC20801-ProdID11273362&pos=0&whse=BC&topnav=&prodid=11273378&lang=en-US . It sold out quick the last time. Given the processor this should be quite energy efficient and it comes with Windows Home Server that is pretty well regarded even by folks who aren't too fond of MS stuff in general.