Pismo to MediaMac... c'mon, make it a group effort! :D
Okay, so I have a PBG4 on the way, and my venerable Pismo is being retired. I'd like to do something special with the old bastard, instead of just shoving it in a closet. It has a cracked screen bezel, a busted sleep light casing, it's on its second battery, its second hard drive, and the optical drive went south two months ago.
I've decided that I'm going to convert this puppy into an entertainment hub for the living room. It has no fan to be noisy, it has WiFi, USB, FireWire, S-video out... it's damned near perfect.
So what I'd like to do is solicit suggestions from the community here. I've got some ideas on where I'd like to take this thing, and I'd love to have feedback.
Heck, I'll even post photos as it goes along and let you all bask vicariously.
Here are the things I'd like to do with it, please feel free to add to the list or suggest solutions:
1) Stream music
Done. iTunes on both it, and the server upstairs, make this a no-brainer.
2) Stream video
Ditto. I may have to move larger resolution files to the local drive before viewing since 802.11b isn't *that* fast, but it should suffice for most needs. Also, QuickTime Streaming Server is already up and running on the server.
3) Surf from the couch
Need a wireless keyboard/mouse. No Bluetooth in the puppy, so an RF through USB is probably best. Any ideas?
4) DVR
Ah, perhaps the one I need most help on. MPEG-1, MPEG-2, scheduling of recording, USB vs FireWire... help!
5) Remote control
Would love to be able to use my existing universal remote and trigger off AppleScripts and such on the machine through the existing IR port. Possible? Would this require a USB/IR solution? I'd rather not use the Keyspan remote, since this would be Yet Another Remote for me to have on the coffee table... :P
6) Case modding
For down the road a bit. Would be cool to have this thing in a more traditional stereo components case, perhaps with the LCD screen on a slide-out tray.
C'mon, let's show the Windows Weenies what a real Media PC is... and on a four year old laptop, no less.
I've decided that I'm going to convert this puppy into an entertainment hub for the living room. It has no fan to be noisy, it has WiFi, USB, FireWire, S-video out... it's damned near perfect.
So what I'd like to do is solicit suggestions from the community here. I've got some ideas on where I'd like to take this thing, and I'd love to have feedback.
Heck, I'll even post photos as it goes along and let you all bask vicariously.
Here are the things I'd like to do with it, please feel free to add to the list or suggest solutions:
1) Stream music
Done. iTunes on both it, and the server upstairs, make this a no-brainer.
2) Stream video
Ditto. I may have to move larger resolution files to the local drive before viewing since 802.11b isn't *that* fast, but it should suffice for most needs. Also, QuickTime Streaming Server is already up and running on the server.
3) Surf from the couch
Need a wireless keyboard/mouse. No Bluetooth in the puppy, so an RF through USB is probably best. Any ideas?
4) DVR
Ah, perhaps the one I need most help on. MPEG-1, MPEG-2, scheduling of recording, USB vs FireWire... help!
5) Remote control
Would love to be able to use my existing universal remote and trigger off AppleScripts and such on the machine through the existing IR port. Possible? Would this require a USB/IR solution? I'd rather not use the Keyspan remote, since this would be Yet Another Remote for me to have on the coffee table... :P
6) Case modding
For down the road a bit. Would be cool to have this thing in a more traditional stereo components case, perhaps with the LCD screen on a slide-out tray.
C'mon, let's show the Windows Weenies what a real Media PC is... and on a four year old laptop, no less.