Looking to get started, need some advice
#1
Hey, I recently got a really nice HDTV and I decided it was time to convert my movie collection for use with XBMC. I have seen various posts on lifehacker about XBMC so I've been interested for a while. I want to follow this post about setting up a HTPC, but I have a few questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to.

Will streaming 1080p over Wi-Fi be possible with this setup? I have all my media on my PC and I don't have a Ethernet connection anywhere near my TV.

If I end up streaming media to the XBMC, would I be better off installing XBMC on windows on my HTPC, or will XBMC standalone be easy enough to manage?

Thanks!
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#2
HD content over wifi is not nice, 720 you can do in some cases - but 1080 rarely works. Find a way to run a cable to it.
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#3
Hi!
Welcome to the forums!

1 - No problem streaming HD content on a wireless network, but please start with N wireless adapters, AP, router or whatever. G wireless may, sometimes, lack the bandwidth for heavy HD content. I used to run a G network, but changed to N to avoid 'Buffering' messages appearing from nowhere.

2 - Try the XBMC Live Dharma Beta 2 CD. It's a cleaner, lighter, much simpler install than preparing a windows machine and then installing XBMC. Feels and looks more like a ready-to-go solution sold by a major consumer electronics. In alternative, follow this guide: http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=XBMCbuntu
End result is - sort of - the same as installing XBMC Live CD.

3 - Go for NVidia GPU and ION platform (Asrock 330, Acer Revo, Zotac, etc). Less hassle.

4 - Feel free to ask any questions.

hudo
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#4
prae5 Wrote:HD content over wifi is not nice, 720 you can do in some cases - but 1080 rarely works. Find a way to run a cable to it.

With a Mac Mini and a Draytek 2820 wireless router I get between 2 and 3 MB/sec on file transfers. This is about right as I think my Mac is 54g not n so the theoretical top speed would be only 6MB/sec. Anyhow 2MB/sec is 7.2GB/hour so most 1080p should play if it's sampled at low to medium bitrates. My videos are all 720p and they all play fine.

However I agree with prae5 that CAT5e cabling is much nicer if it can be done tidily.

JR
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