|
Can I ask a software question here? I'm looking for good DVD ripping software. I'm using Lifehacker favorite Handbrake, but the resulting file is crap (really bad artifacts in the video, jittery sound). I specifically want something that will encode multiple audio tracks and subtitles (foreign films, director's commentary, etc). I'm also looking for a way to use my Harmony remote with an HTPC. What is the quality RF receiver out there? I was going to get this remote and just use the Harmony with it instead because it's cheap and seems to have good reviews and there's some info on getting a Harmony to work pretty simply.
|
#
¿
Feb 23, 2014 18:22
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 20, 2024 05:22 |
|
|
Sorry. I have a Harmony remote and want a good IR receiver to use with it and the computer. I was just going to get the remote/receiver combo because of the good reviews, but if there is a plain receiver that I can buy for less, I'd go with that.kri kri posted:Something is wrong with your handbrake, because for me it works really well. Might be worth trying Makemkv? I've tried a few different settings and nothing comes out decent. Was going to try MakeMKV next. Could it be the DVD that I'm trying to rip causing problems? (FLCL put out by Funimation; ripping an anime TV show seemed like a good test case.) Uthor fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Feb 23, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 23, 2014 20:09
|
|
|
redhalo posted:I've had amazing success with this guide, this is for DVD, let me know if you need Bluray settings as well. Cool, I'll give it a shot. Don't have a BluRay drive. Or any BluRays. Just DVD is fine, thanks.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 23, 2014 20:49
|
|
|
zzyzx posted:Can you use the same box for Netflix / web streaming, or is it still generally the case that you need separate machines for that and local media? Don't see why you would. It's just a PC; it should do whatever you tell it to.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 1, 2014 16:54
|
|
|
GTO posted:Thanks, will check them out. Do you think they can handle streaming games over steam (i.e from my gaming pc)? Tested.com seemed to think it worked alright back in January and Valve has released a ton of updates to their In Home Streaming system since then. Basically, the system works fine, any problems were with the software. http://www.tested.com/tech/gaming/459880-test-notes-steams-home-streaming-beta/
|
|
#
¿
Jul 16, 2014 00:00
|
|
|
I basically have a dedicated PC hooked up to my TV and used a laptop hooked up to the TV before that. The downside is that controlling a PC from a couch isn't the greatest experience, but the $35 Logitech keyboard with trackpad I have makes it not too bad most of the time. And it's not intuitive for a new person to sit down and use. The upside I found (which is why I haven't started using an interface like XBMC full time) is that you can play anything from anywhere. It's pretty nice to jump from YouTube to Vimeo to Blip to Netflix to Hulu really quickly. Though I still use XBMC for watching movies because it's so much nicer to navigate than a series of files in Windows Explorer.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 11, 2014 01:10
|
|
|
Oh, no, the laptop is old and slow and the battery is dead. I haven't even turned it on in a while. I got the HTPC to replace it and to mainly watch YouTube and play Steam games. I think I could set up something through Android, but the wireless keyboard meets my needs perfectly.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 11, 2014 02:30
|
|
|
I change the art on almost every movie I add to XBMC, but that's easy to do through the UI. I like to use movie poster images while the scrapers tend to pull up DVD covers. I also have changed the title/sort title often, mainly so I can group things like I like them (eg, Batman movies ordered by release date), but now that's all set up and don't do it much when adding new things. The biggest work has been creating custom I'm kind of particular about metadata, but not nearly as much as I am with mp3 tags. I don't usually mess with actors or plot summaries or the like. Uthor fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Nov 22, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2014 17:20
|
|
|
Thermopyle posted:Hey, go explain this in the XBMC thread! There's several regularly occurring shows on YouTube that would be nice to integrate as "TV Shows". Yeah, sure, I don't have anything to do right now. FYI, it might be easier to add the show to the scraper. Eg, Bee and Puppycat is in there and the scraper finds it fine. The ones I've added are actually just clips from longer shows, which the scraper frowns upon splitting off on their own. EDIT: Oops, I meant nfo files, not XML! Uthor fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Nov 22, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2014 17:46
|
|
|
Thermopyle posted:Hey, go explain this in the XBMC thread! There's several regularly occurring shows on YouTube that would be nice to integrate as "TV Shows". Here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3531650&pagenumber=62#post438003336
|
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2014 18:42
|
|
|
SIR FAT JONY IVES posted:Netflix is alright, but Hulu Plus is a joke. The worst part about Hulu is that even if you have Plus it has commercials and a lot of the programming on it requires you to have a cable subscription to watch anyways. I like Hulu just fine for a lot of things, but would never pay for Plus. I tried it for a month, but kept running into things that wouldn't play on "mobile" devices (no, I don't think my Xbox 360 is a mobile device). Having to watch ads was just another "gently caress you" on top of that. I just use regular Hulu through my Windows HTPC's browser.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 31, 2014 05:02
|
|
|
Don Lapre posted:Flirc is only $14 for the rest of today i guess? That works with a Harmony remote, right?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2015 00:00
|
|
|
Don Lapre posted:You could change your tv with your gas fireplace remote with flirc i believe. I don't have a remote for my fireplace, but I do have one for my window A/C unit. "Play Die Hard when I turn down the temperature."
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2015 01:10
|
|
|
What about just ripping BluRays to your PC? I heard MakeMKV can do it, but I don't know how much the DRM will get in the way.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2015 00:12
|
|
|
Can someone give me a rough outline of how they have Flirc set up? I think I read something about using it to run auto-hotkey to launch/control different programs? I don't think I need all the details, just something to help me think about how I can set it up and what advanced stuff it can do.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 11, 2015 02:16
|
|
|
I've been able to cobble together a system where I can launch Steam into big picture mode from XBMC, then come back to XBMC when I shut Steam down. You can also have emulators launch from XBMC, but I haven't found a way to gracefully shut them down and go back to XBMC. It's been a while since I had that set up, so I'd have to look around a bit for the exact info.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 27, 2015 16:04
|
|
|
My folks are bitching about their cable bill. I think they would be fine with a Roku, Netflix, Hulu, and antenna. The only thing they watch on a regular basis is Polish shows. Not like live TV, but movies and the like. Does anyone know if there's something like Netflix but for Polish content? This would be in the US (some searching shows there is something in the EU/UK).
|
|
#
¿
Mar 26, 2015 18:14
|
|
|
I'd run Win7 for now, then upgrade to Win10 once it's officially released, not in beta. Edit: Paying for Win8 now is stupid as the upgrade to Win10 will be free in a few months.
|
|
#
¿
May 2, 2015 18:10
|
|
|
Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I want to set up a home server and don't really know software to look at. What's a good OS to use? I don't have any real experience with OSes besides just running Windows, but I really don't want/need to pay for a license when something Linux based ought to suffice. Things I would want it to do: - Host video files to play through XBMC on my Windows 8.1 HTPC and be ready for any other device I might decide to use in the future (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, etc). - Run Plex to stream to my Android phone any other device I might decide to use in the future. - Add files remotely from my desktop so I never have to hook up a monitor or keyboard. - Host files so I can get to them wherever (ie, my comic book collection). - Be a target for my Crashplan backups and, in turn, be able to be backed up with Crashplan to the cloud. - (Optional) Sync with Dropbox and OneDrive. - Be fairly easy to add or replace drives. - Require minimal maintenance after initial setup. Lifehacker recommended Amahi, which seems to tick all the right boxes. Not sure if there's something else I should look at.
|
|
#
¿
May 6, 2015 00:44
|
|
|
Tiger.Bomb posted:As for hardware, I just bought a TS140 which gets recommended a lot, but it only has room for three drives. My router is in the living room, so I was hoping to get something that I could hide in the entertainment center or behind the TV. But everything I look at is bigger that I'd like. That ThinkServer looks nice, but I would need to hide it somewhere. :-/ Or I can run a server over WiFi! I still have some life in my current cobbled together setup, so I'm just exploring options for now.
|
|
#
¿
May 9, 2015 05:41
|
|
|
I was joking about using wifi... File transfers from my desktop max out at about 5 MB/sec, usually average at 2.5 if I'm using the network for anything else. I think uploading to Crashplan goes at about 1 MB/sec.
|
|
#
¿
May 9, 2015 18:47
|
|
|
This looks interesting. http://lifehacker.com/the-mohu-channels-is-a-streaming-box-that-works-seamles-1704059874
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2015 18:20
|
|
|
Aquila posted:Today I'm starting a new HTPC build, I decided to with a Silverstone GD04B instead of one of the sexy new itx with full graphics card cases like the Fractal Node 202 as I wanted more room for quiet cooling. Also, the GD04 should be about the same size a most HT receivers I have to choose from so they should look nice sitting next to each others. I got that case. I like it! It's not totally silent, but I can't hear it when watching TV or anything. I could probably swap out the fans, but  The one problem I had was hooking up the power to the hard drive. The way the hard drive sits, every plug I tried directed the wires directly into the mounting plate. I ended up loosening the screws slightly and having the drive sit at a bit of an angle to make room.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 4, 2015 17:03
|
|
|
Aquila posted:Actually I've never done a system with only a tv for its display, is this going to work ok? Obviously I'll have a spare monitor to hookup for testing and getting things setup. Also will the hdmi out from whatever gfx card I get provide sound (when I run it into the tv or ht receiver)? My HTPC, I built and set up using only my TV with no issues. It's just a big 1080p monitor. My current desktop I used as an HTPC for a few months when I first got it. That one had a weird bug where I would only see the upper left quarter of the BIOS screen blown up to fill the entire TV, but everything else worked fine. And, yes, sound comes out of the HMDI port. I have my computer hooked up to the receiver with HDMI, which then sends video to the TV over HDMI and audio to the speakers.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 4, 2015 18:10
|
|
|
uhhhhahhhhohahhh posted:How well does flirc work without line of sight? Thinking about getting one for my RPi bit its hidden at the bottom of the cabinet, blocked by mattress and bed Well, seeing as it's infrared, it doesn't. I got a USB extension cord and snaked it to just under the TV. That works great without having the flirc take up one of the front ports of my HTPC or get blocked by my coffee table.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 5, 2015 22:22
|
|
|
Glass of Milk posted:Is there an easy way to program a Harmony remote to use the WMC codes for fast forward or skip forward? Mine is not able to self-program using the cheap-o MCE remote I have. Everything else works pretty well- it would be nice to be able to use one remote for everything. What are you using to capture the Harmony signals on the HTPC? I'm pretty sure with Flirc you can convert any button press on your Harmony into a FF WMC input on the HTPC.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2015 04:37
|
|
|
So, I nearly have my home server set up. Right now I'm working on putting Plex on (port forwarding works better when you check the box that says "enable"!). I installed the Android app on my phone and it's asking for either Plex Pass or a one time $5 fee. I'm assuming I just need to pay the $5 to unlock the app and be able to stream from my server to my phone, right? Is this fee per device, or for all my devices? I also have a tablet I'd install it on, though I don't use the tablet as much as the phone. I'd also like to set it up at my parents' house, either on their Blu-ray player or my old Xbox 360 or a Roku that's laying around. Though doing some searching, I see you have to buy the app again for either the Roku or the Xbox.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 9, 2015 04:19
|
|
|
Oh, they wouldn't be using it. Even if they were tech savvy and had the desire to stream movies (I was this close into talking them into cord cutting and getting Netflix), they would hate everything I own. It's just something I wanted to do for myself when I'm over there, though not a big deal as I have my Netflix account set up on their TV and can just stream to the Plex Web on the PC in the room I sleep in. It was just a nice bonus if I could get it to work easily (didn't realize Plex required paid apps).
|
|
#
¿
Jul 9, 2015 04:32
|
|
|
teagone posted:You could just buy a refurb-Chromecast for ~$20 to bring with you to your parents house or anywhere else, hook it up to a TV, then cast Plex from your phone or your laptop. Ah, nice! Didn't think of that. Too bad their TV only has three inputs (two HDMI) and they're already using all three. I gotta swap ports when I want to use the Xbox anyway, so I'm used to it.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 9, 2015 04:42
|
|
|
I use MakeMKV to rip all my discs. It's free while in beta, but it's been in beta for forever. You just have to go into their forums and get a new key every month. http://www.makemkv.com/ Pop your disc in, select the video files, audio tracks, and subtitles that you want, then let it go. I then manually use Handbrake to downsize the file some. I should probably look into automating it, but I don't rip often enough for it to matter much and I like having fine grained control.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2015 07:00
|
|
|
Kodi thread. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3531650&pagenumber=1&perpage=40 It works great, but it took me a while to figure out the way the software likes to behave. It's dead simple for playing files, but I found it unintuitive as to setting it up and playing with the options. Your other option is Plex. Kodi is great for local playback, Plex is great for streaming over the Internet.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2015 07:04
|
|
|
Not a big deal, but is there an easy way of marking things I watch through Plex as "watched" in Kodi? I think "no", but it can't hurt to ask.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 15, 2015 20:51
|
|
|
The Gunslinger posted:If you mean for it to happen automatically, not without some scripting on your end. Plex would need to call an external script to invoke that command (probably through HTTP RPC) on your HTPC running Kodi which would need to be on the time. Yeah, gently caress that. I have a server hosting Plex and the Kodi library (so it syncs between PCs). I was just thinking about when I watch a show on my phone, getting it marked in Kodi, but I'll just do it manually as it's only an occasional thing. Speaking of, I noticed my remote no longer cycles subtitles or languages since updating from XBMC. I need to figure out if it's Kodi or Flirc or my Harmony remote setup...
|
|
#
¿
Jul 15, 2015 21:13
|
|
|
The Gunslinger posted:Just run the flirc config again and you should be fine. Probably. But the last thing I did was completely redo my Harmony setup, so there's a chance I hosed something up there. :/
|
|
#
¿
Jul 15, 2015 21:20
|
|
|
I forgot how awful the Harmony software is. It's so drat hard to find any of the specific settings. Good thing for me is I didn't add more devices that the Harmony controls, I just needed to add some functions to switch to different HDMI inputs on the receiver. Though that would have been so much easier with a cut and paste function. "Do the exact same thing, but with HDMI 2!"
|
|
#
¿
Jul 15, 2015 21:53
|
|
|
For what it's worth, mine is completely useless if I've been doing the dishes and don't completely dry my hands.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 16, 2015 02:56
|
|
|
I use one daily because I'm too lazy to go to my desktop when I want to do PC things. The TV and HTPC are already on and sitting right there! Plus, haven't found a better way to navigate Hulu in a browser... I'd find a better solution if I had to share, but I'm a sad sack who lives alone, so it works for me.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 16, 2015 15:44
|
|
|
Medullah posted:I used my HTPC for Hulu, Netflix and Plex. Then I bought a Chromecast and haven't powered iffy on since except to play emulators here and there. I use it for Steam games. Though I haven't played anything in a long time. I suspect it will get a ton of use once Fallout 4 comes out.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 16, 2015 16:41
|
|
|
That or get one of these. http://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/ (I've heard of people using a long cable and a wireless controller if the PC is in the other room.) If you have a dedicated PC, you can look into booting directly into Big Picture Mode and having a TV native interface.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 27, 2015 14:39
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 20, 2024 05:22 |
|
|
I'm supper annoyed at Plex not doing dvd order for TV shows. Some I modified manually (Firefly), some I just gave up one (I'm not redoing nearly 100 Futurama episodes). Also, for some reason, it no longer automatically scrapes movie information. I need to figure out what the problem is. I rarely use Plex, so it's not a big deal for me...
|
|
#
¿
Nov 27, 2015 23:03
|
|