Month: May 2013

Taking the guess work out of home media integration

Hi, I am Bill the home media guy. I got tired of hearing about all the people who have home media PC’s and use all sorts of Free software to watch pretty much the same thing I pay my cable provider for. When I looked I found a flood of information out there but no advice from a non-techie regarding what works and what doesn’t, free vs. paid for web content and software, and how do I get all this to work in my living room without spending 8 months figuring it all out.

I spent months figuring it out with the help of my friends, and now want to share the things I learned with everyone. Home media systems are my hobby, keeping up with the latest and greatest software hardware and integration techniques are all part of what I enjoy to do.

I use a WordPress Blog to share my experiences and do not specifically endorse any products. I offer my opinions and that’s as far as it goes. As far as my advice and opinions go, that’s all they are. Your results may vary depending on pretty much everything.

My Media Network

I am very frugal when it comes to acquiring technology. I want the best value for my money.  Free is always best and that is where I start when I am looking for an answer to a media problem. Believe me, often times than not, free offers a better solution technically than paid for answers.

My media network consists of:

Living Room:

  • 52” Samsung 120mhz TV which is 4 years old (not a smart TV)
  • Sony DVD play Model # BDP-S590 (network aware)
  • Roku 3 box (new 2013)
  • TP=Link 100 gigabyte switch (TL-SG1005D)
  • Cisco wireless router connected to a Verizon  Actiontec router.
  • Standard Verizon service 15/5 Mbps

Rest of the house:

  • 3 HD TV’s in the kitchen and bedrooms with component only inputs

So there you have it. Not much different than most folks. I hope you can use the information I supply and put it to good use. Some of you will supplement your current cable environment and others will be like me looking for alternatives to cable and satellite services.

I will be providing information in three categories:

  •  Single Room (usually living room or den)
  • Whole House
  • Global (remote access to your media no matter where you are)

Enjoy.

Bill

The Media Guy

P.S. The only way to contact me is through the blog.