SKY+ AND PC as PVR for wireless networks

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
Forum Member
Hello,
I need your help people.
I have a 2.4G wireless network at home and find that both the thomson and linksys wireless senders cannot coexist with the wifi.
(The Interference is awfull) I have played with channel settings on wifi and the senders to no avail.

Now I absolutely do not want to run cables anyway - I am wierd I know.
SO what I am thinking of is now to have a PC capture card to which sky+ is connected .
I then use remote desktop from my other pc's to see the video stream from the capture card AND/OR save TV to mpg files on the server harddisk for later viewing
(I know its not as easy as having remote and sitting in front on a TV box - but i can live with it).
The biggest issue I think I would have is how to remotely control the sky+ box. Ideally I want something on the TV capture card PC which I can access via remote desktop.
I guess this would emit an infra red beam to the sky+ box from the PC itself????

I am a complete beginner in this area but am an IT programmer so can get by on PC's.
Does anyone have an idea on how to do this???? I defintely do not want to record to a dvd first then add to a PC as has been suggested on other threads as I want
real time control of my "viewing experiance" -<G>

I would also like to add that this would be a great first step in centralising all my video/audio sources for use anyware in my house. My network is a 54Mps one so rebroadcast rate (streaming) should not be an issue.
can someone map out the components/software I would need to make this work.
To paraphrase a certain aquatic film with aging scottish actor playing a soviet - talk to me like I am a 4 year old.

Hey I really appreciate any help you can give me
MartyK

Comments

  • saintalansaintalan Posts: 474
    Forum Member
    Mart y Hi

    I don't quite understand from your post what you actually want to do. Do you actually watch a TV or programmes on your PC?

    Where is your Sky+ box, is it next to the PC you want to feed into?

    Are you saying you want to use Remote Desktop to view the programmes? I have a Netgear 54g/Turbo 108g Wireless Link and my Remote Desktop resolution aint that great!

    It sounds to me like your last paragraph says it all as you would really like to buld toward a Media system. Excluding the Microsoft Media systems there are a few others on the market (Pinnacle , PrisMiq , D-Link , Actiontec ) that stream media via a Network (some b some g)

    All of these stream media to your AV set up but except for the awaited Prismiq, need another device to send the data back to a remote server. You may be interested in this thread here .
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    hi,
    I actually have the sky+ box in the living room
    in 2 other rooms i have 2 PC's connected via a wireless network
    I also have a laptop that I use in the living room
    what I want to do is to connect the laptop to sky+ via a capture card/usb device..
    This can then store programmes on a hard disk on my server for viewing at the other PC's. BUT I also want to be able to watch the live TV feed from the sky box on either PC in the other rooms
    I dont really want to use remote desktop - it was just a example - your correct it couldnt do the job .. I actuall want to "stream" the live TV - It would be nice if I could do this via an internet browser on my othe PC's , so I would have to set up streaming on my living room PC's Internet server software.
    The other issue is how to change channels on the sky+ box from any PC - I dont want to use an IR remote sender to my sky+ box because that again uses a wireless frequency that clashes with my WIFI (DLINK DWL2000AP+) - So what I really want is to be able to hit a button on a webpage being displayed on a remote PC which is being supported by my living room PC's intenet server and which then emits an infra red signal from the living room PC to the sky+ box -.
    Unless you can think of another way , using my WIFI network.

    thanks for the link sthey are helpfull
    any feedback would be appreciated
    MartK
  • LoobsterLoobster Posts: 11,680
    Forum Member
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    Watching a remote desktop session on a PC which is capturing footage on another PC isn't going to work. RD sessions hit your PC more than you'd realise (especially if you are going to run them in 24-bit colour!) - and if the PC is capturing at the same time, something has to give.

    Wireless networks are still crap (even the "108Mbit" (yeah right!)ones) compared to cabled networks - I know - I'm a PC network installation engineer. You get far less throughput than what it optimistically says on the box.

    I know it's not what you want to hear but forget the capture card and get a cheap DVD recorder, you will save yourself time in the end and it will be much less hassle to set up and learn how to use.

    --Loob.
  • Alex OughtonAlex Oughton Posts: 6,739
    Forum Member
    Loobster wrote:
    Watching a remote desktop session on a PC which is capturing footage on another PC isn't going to work. RD sessions hit your PC more than you'd realise (especially if you are going to run them in 24-bit colour!) - and if the PC is capturing at the same time, something has to give.

    Martyk already said he doesn't intend to use RD, but wants to stream the Sky+ output. That's perfectly possible.


    Take a look at www.videolan.org.
  • saintalansaintalan Posts: 474
    Forum Member
    Alex

    I for one am grateful for that link. Sounds like what I have been lookibng for. Just need to get my head around it to see if I understand it. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

    Chjeers

    Alan
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    hey,
    alex - that link is interesting-Looking at the documentation it says that mpeg card streaming is only available through linux.
    Deep Joy <G>! so this will be fun

    Loobster -DVD Recorders wont allow streaming of live feed so thats not really what i want
    A 54G wireless network should manage TV as I can stream a DVD through it at the moment - I admit I am lucky I constantly get 48 Mbps and you are corredt RD is NOT the way - it was just an example.


    Any ideas on Controlling the Sky+ box from a PC - am I really going to have to find an IR emitter and program it from the PC?

    thanks
    Martyk
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,479
    Forum Member
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    Not sure whether this is useful to you or not but I have a Belkin wireless router running at 54 mps and it works perfectly with my AEI Digisender.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    hey,
    wicket - that is interesting - can you have multiple digisenders working simultaniously - ie 1 broadcaster and 4 listeners????
    if that does work ok it may be a short term solution until I can "sortr" out a proper networked solution - ie independent viewing of different video sources from different pc's - one of which is sky+ live feed

    thanks
    Martyk
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,479
    Forum Member
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    Argos sell one transmitter and one receiver for £80, I bought from here because I knew there would be no problem taking them back if it didn't work with my wi fi router. I think you can have as many receivers as you want. Argos sell them for £40 each. Amazon sell the basic system cheaper though but it is harder to send back.

    Each receiver has a scart output as well as composite video plugs.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    Ok
    done a little bit more research
    I have found a product called SnapStream Beyond TV 3.4 which seems capable of streaming live feeds via its own html server on a unique socket . Then a browser on another pc can request the feed - has anyone gotten this or seen it???

    Next as to control . There seems to be a product called "My.TV IR Blasters" which connect sto the serial port of the PC and sends programable IR codes. My question to this is - assuming its never heard of sky+ codes (its american) is there anywhere a list of codes fro the sky + box published???

    any ideas
    MartyK
  • Dan the VanDan the Van Posts: 1,015
    Forum Member
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    I think you need to seek medical attention, you appear to have been taken over by technology. :eek:

    Dan
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    <G> - Assimilation Good!!!!

    No Technoogy makes MartyK an ex Geek - Bad!!!
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