Re: Introduction

["Malcolm Lansell" <mlansell@xxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stuart Grimshaw" <stuart@xxxxxxx>
To: <ukha_d@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Introduction


> On Tuesday 02 December 2003 09:13, Malcolm Lansell wrote:
> > Just thought I'd introduce myself to the group...
>
> Welcome ...
>
> > I'm a 34 year old games programmer currently living in Northants.
 I'm
>
> Done anything we'll have heard of?

The most recent release and probably the only one anyone would have heard
of
was The Thing, which came out last year.

>
> > I'm about to start setting up a PC to run the house, with
streaming
audio /
> > video the top priorities.  I expect I'll probably mostly lurk at
first -
> > I'll have more to contribute as my own projects take shape.
>
> Have you thought about what clients you want to stream to? There are
plenty of
> choices, I guess the two most common being a mini-itx based PC or a
modded
> xbox.

I have an old PC (Celeron 466, I think), which I will use to control any HA
devices, and also to store the audio/video files.

I'm thinking of using Hauppauge MediaMVPs to pull them from the PC and play
them on TVs/Stereos around the house.  I had planned to use Slimp3 players,
but they are expensive compared to the products coming onto the market now
(and it doesn't do video, which although isn't a top priority, may be nice
in the future).

The basic plans for this PC are:
Controlling lights and curtains (X10)
Watering the garden (custom hardware connected directly to PC -
probably via USB)
Audio / Video around the house (using media receivers like the
MediaMVP)
and finally handling email traffic so it can be accessed from any
other
machine - without having to pay a ludicrous sum for
MS ExchangeServer (I don't know how to do this yet!)

All of this is in the "to be done" category, but fortunately my
wife likes
gadgets, and doesn't mind me buying them (as long as I don't get too
silly!)

Mal