Question to all: Media Center solution?

[udo]

Now that I have all my movies on a HD, linked in DVDpedia and installed RemoteBuddy, I have a working media center solution on my Mac.

Now I would like to take it to the living room. I already have a 2G AppleTV, but this is almost useless, as it won't play my VIDEO_TS folders and doesn't have DVDpedia support. Even with jailbreaks coming, with the hardware used in the new AppleTV I'm kinda skeptic if there'll ever be a solution for me ...

Now I'm thinking to get the old version of AppleTV, as it has a DVDpedia plugin. How I understand it, that is only for Front Row? I tried Front Row with the DVDpedia plugin on my MacBook and found it unusable. DVDs had the wrong aspect ratio, I couldn't switch languages or subs on AVIs ... it was dissapointing. Now, for Apple TV 1st Generation there's NitoTV which enables DVD-folder playback and mplayer support and so forth. Would the DVDpedia plugin work with that?

In the end I'd just like to have this experience with DVDpedia, DVD player, VLC and Remote Buddy in the living room. Or do I have to get a Mac mini?

Question to all of you:

What solution did you choose and why?

[Conor]

Because the AppleTV is a closed platform we can't officially support it. The great programmers at Para9.com have done an excellent job of extending DVDpedia via the plug-in for both Front Row and AppleTV. But as you mentioned they are limited by what can be done inside Front Row. For more details about the plug-in and what is possible including adapting it for NitoTV send them an email.

On a personal note I would personally use a MacMini as it's open and can be customized to fit your needs without having to hack it. However, the TV media center market is changing fast and everybody is hoping for an official open AppleTV that would allow for integration with third party products.

[udo]

Because the AppleTV is a closed platform we can officially support it.

If that's "can't": I know that My post wasn't meant to be a feature request. Even if the new Apple TV was open, I guess its hardware can't ever decode MPEG2.

The great programmers at Para9.com have done an excellent job of extending DVDpedia via the plug-in for both Front Row

Yup.

For more details about the plug-in and what is possible including adapting it for NitoTV send them an email.

I'll do that.

On a personal note I would personally use a MacMini as it's open and can be customized to fit your needs without having to hack it.

I thought so.

[sjk]

Even if the new Apple TV was open, I guess its hardware can't ever decode MPEG2.

Not sure what you mean since I'm pretty sure VLC for iPad, with similar hardware to the new Apple TV, has no trouble supporting MPEG-2 decoding/playback. It's more complex and processor intensive H.264 that benefits from, and is likely problematic without, iPad/aTV's hardware acceleration.

[udo]

VLC for iPad, with similar hardware to the new Apple TV, has no trouble supporting MPEG-2 decoding/playback.

Hm, I googled for that and only found that it won't play VIDEO_TS and won't stream videos. How I understand it the videos must be on the iPads internal memory?

And, as it seems, the VLC-guys don't want their stuff on iOS. They claim Apples App-Store guidelines to be incompatible with the GPL.

[Alex]

The iPad is able to play streaming video without any problems. Just not natively, you need a third-party app for that. I believe the one I tested was called AirVideo (the iPad was not mine and they took it away from my grubby paws so I can't say for sure the name).

The files were .avi's. Can't remember what encoding they were using but it wasn't H.264.

It worked wonderfully over WiFi. They have a free client for the Mac and the iPad reads it from there.

Of course, I'm still waiting for Apple to add a USB port so we can have all our media on an external drive and play it on the iPad.

[sjk]

I believe the one I tested was called AirVideo (the iPad was not mine and they took it away from my grubby paws so I can't say for sure the name).

About Air Video.

[Conor]

If that's "can't"

Thank you for pointing out that typo.

[udo]

About Air Video.

Looks like it involves on-the-fly reencoding for unsupported formats.

[Alex]

Looks like it involves on-the-fly reencoding for unsupported formats.

That is correct, works quite well too.

[sjk]

You misquoted me instead of udo, Alex.

They have a free client for the Mac and the iPad reads it from there.

Actually, it's the Mac (and Windows) Air Video server that's free. And there's a free iPhone/iPad client app you can use for testing before deciding whether to purchase the unrestricted version (which is well worth the modest price, IMO).

[sjk]

If that's "can't"

Thank you for pointing out that typo.

I'm not udo but you're welcome… for the PM I sent you about it.

[Alex]

Sorry for the misquote.

And I meant that the Mac client was free, not the app, but I see my syntax wasn't too clear on that.

[udo]

Felt like posting an update:

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/11/24/airplay- ... emonstrat/

That is so cool. Now I'm waiting for an open source/cydia app with that functionality.
That would bring my Apple-TV-2-DVDpedia-media-center much closer

Kinda cruel though, to see that this feature exists on a special version of Air Video somewhere ...