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Ed 

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#41

Post by Ed  » Mon Jun 15, 2015 10:49 pm

JepTV wrote:Once we get the xbox into windows media Center/Netflix/Hulu, we're fine. It's mostly the XBox live login, the avatar, and the prompts on the xbox console, not the windows media center app. Games, Social, etc... I'll try the green button and see how that goes. Might have to go over to an xbox forum and pester them for some information on tuning the xbox.
Have the 360 log in to the profile (you're not using more than one, right?) on start-up - and have all the apps you want pinned. This way, when you exit WMC and are thrown into the Dashboard- or just turn it on and get to the dashboard- all you need to do is go to the 'My Pins' section (which is just two clicks away once you're in the Dashboard IIRC -just down and then enter/select - maybe two 'down' and one 'enter').

LuckyDay

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#42

Post by LuckyDay » Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:00 am

As mentioned above the best you can do is one user profile with auto login. Set it to boot to WMC and you will bypass all of the Xbox dashboard each boot and go straight to TV/DVR.

The pins are also the best way to get to apps, but you will never find a way to customize the dashboard any simpler or remove all of the tiles/avatars/apps from the home screen.

Mpgrimm2

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#43

Post by Mpgrimm2 » Mon Jun 22, 2015 6:43 am

@jeptv,
By the way, a Logitech Harmony 650 or 700 remote works well with the Xbox and/or windows media center.
Easy setup, green button available, and it can control the other components as well.
Can be setup to turn everything on and switch to appropriate inputs/settings with one button press.

JepTV

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#44

Post by JepTV » Wed Jul 01, 2015 10:55 pm

I will definately have to look into that, as the xbox 360 media remote is starting to not work on Windows Media Center. Occasionally it will just not give commands to Media Center, however Media Center still works on the host PC and the remote still works for all XBox functions. Rebooting the host PC solves the issue, which is strange. I will get up in the morning, turn the xbox on... and it will boot into Media Center.. and then I can't control anything in Media Center, however I can press the xbox button to get back and go to hulu/netflix/etc. I also have to unplug my keyboard and plug into the xbox sometime so I can log into amazon instant video. Their app makers didn't include a onscreen keyboard... how nice of them :)

ZippyTheChicken

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#45

Post by ZippyTheChicken » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:01 pm

JepTV wrote: we will need OTA DVR,
Hulu,
Netflix,
and possibly PC video

Any ideas/thoughts would be appreciated.
ok so OTA DVR they sell them on Amazon for $40 .. not great but you can pause live tv and record it kinda

Hulu, netflix.. you say you already have a Roku

Personally hearing all the announcements from Microsoft about deprecating Media Center
you are coming in at the last inning of the game and paying full price.

Everyone I see talking about Media Center is saying they are desperately searching for a replacement .. thats everyone from end users to hardware developers .. to software developers.

If you do keep media center alive on Win7 you will probably need new Guide listings in the near future so thats a subscription cost.

My advice is to be careful about your purchases because you will probably expect to live with them for a while.

Most people are looking at Android Boxes on their TVs now but they normally don't have composite out they have HDMI and some have svideo.

They do make Composite to HDMI converter boxes they cost $30 and up.

You haven't said how many TVs you have in your home .. your Cable TV Coax can be and should be used for your antenna signal

When you get into broadcasting HD Video it takes a lot of bandwidth especially if more than one TV is on so a HomeRun and Roku running at the same time is probably not a good bet over Wifi... its just as simple to run OTA straight to the tv on your coax and then switch it...

It is unfortunate that the tv is older and only has composite because a newer tv would allow you to hook your antenna to the composite and a Roku or a Android Box to the HDMI port and then use the TV Remote to change back and forth.

again .. be careful what you buy
you might just want to get one of them stand alone OTA DVRs as a start but see if you can get one that allows you to record and one that people have developed apps that you can use to move the shows to a computer. .. they do have USB for external drives but the shows are formatted strange so it takes conversion.

and Dual Tuner Cards .. they are normally giving you the option for ASTC and Cable and you will only want ASTC for OTA so you are buying a dual tuner and only using 1 tuner... also the drivers tend to suck so having two PCIe Tuner Cards working in the same computer unless they specifically state from the hardware manufacture that this can be done... It won't work well.

If you go with SiliconDust you want the 4's with the new firmware options and they cost $100 used on ebay which is way too much for my taste.

Try not to replace the cost you are now paying for cable with new stuff that costs money..
cutting especially in your case as in mine is to cut costs .. not to go 100% streaming.

Also the Android boxes do allow you to install all the streaming apps and Kodi.tv

good luck
watch your wallet

3rob3

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#46

Post by 3rob3 » Mon Jul 06, 2015 6:47 pm

ZippyTheChicken wrote: If you go with SiliconDust you want the 4's with the new firmware options and they cost $100 used on ebay which is way too much for my taste.
I just bought the new model for $79 new on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHom ... =hdhomerun
ZippyTheChicken wrote:and Dual Tuner Cards .. they are normally giving you the option for ASTC and Cable and you will only want ASTC for OTA so you are buying a dual tuner and only using 1 tuner... also the drivers tend to suck so having two PCIe Tuner Cards working in the same computer unless they specifically state from the hardware manufacture that this can be done... It won't work well.
I don't know what tuner cards you are using but the ones I have used (Avermedia A188, Hauppauge 2250) both had QAM and OTA tuners. You had to pick which, but it gave you two tuners either OTA or QAM. I also used both of these in the same system and their were no conflicts.

Mike88

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#47

Post by Mike88 » Mon Jul 06, 2015 10:50 pm

I also use Avermedia A188 dual tuner cards, Two of them for a total of 4 OTA tuners & they work great.

JepTV

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#48

Post by JepTV » Sun Aug 30, 2015 2:07 pm

Well the final verdict is in. They were able to watch netflix and Hulu, able to watch local TV, so they were fairly happy. However most of their shows are on NBC, and we've went through 4 streaming services and nothing can stream NBC's full episodes or live content. One of the old seasons of a show they were watching expires tomorrow, and I'm out of ideas. I guess cord cutting will have to wait another decade before it becomes viable for my parents.

From Tversity to Playon to Serviio to Plex, nothing can grab NBC.com's episodes, and get them to the TV. I have found them impossible to stream from PC to TV with the exception of PlayOn which does stream to TV, however it fails to display anything other than a black box. The only two options left for streaming were a very long HDMI cable from the computer then a converter to convert to composite, or buying a laptop specifically for the purpose of making that cable run shorter. There just appears to be no way to stream NBC over ethernet, only clone it from a desktop PC's screen.

I still want to thank everyone for the help, however I guess the TV is too old and the people are too old. We got most of what they wanted, however the lack of NBC, History Channel, and Discovery channel were the nails in the coffin. He did manage to get an initial 40% discount on satellite when he returned, which I guess helps for two years.

WMC worked well except for the UI, all the local channels were fine, we could record them, that worked almost exactly like satellite's local channels except the UI was much smaller and more difficult to work with on a 60 yr old's eyes. Netflix and Hulu had missing seasons, but for the most part had everything they wanted. It was just mostly that evil NBC station, since streaming worked for virtually every site except for NBC.

KevinRush

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#49

Post by KevinRush » Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:46 pm

Hello Jep,
Forgive me, I have not read the entire string of comments above. Did you try Windows Media Center with an Over The Air antenna and tuner to receive NBC and then record the NBC shows? This is such an obvious solution, you must have tried it and it must not have worked? Maybe the antenna wasn't positioned properly or maybe the local NBC station is too far away.
Just curious.
By the way, I have purchased one of the lengthy HDMI cables that you mention. I purchased it from Amazon Cables. I don't remember it being too costly. Regarding the difficulty of the elderly to see, I solved it with a bigger TV.

I'm still using Windows Media Center and have no plans to stop using it. Certainly, like most things, someday it will get replaced.
It is the best Whole House Media Center.

Just my thoughts.
Best Wishes.

JepTV

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#50

Post by JepTV » Tue Sep 01, 2015 11:02 pm

The cable isn't really the issue. It's finding a way to snake it somewhere unseen from the computer to the living room, about 40 feet away. I'm not so nimble to get in the attic anymore.

NBC is 54 miles away and requires a 115 foot antenna to get a clear line of sight, so would need a fairly robust antenna solution to get signal.
They bought a very expensive cabinet for the 150lb 42 inch standard TV and are against replacing it because of cost/new cabinet/stand.

Yea, it's looking like cloning the monitor to the TV is the only way to get web content that's not on an app like Hulu/Netflix.

Titoo

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#51

Post by Titoo » Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:39 pm

Bryan wrote:Regarding the antenna, I may have missed it earlier in the thread, but look at TVFool. A directional is probably best, but you also have to consider the terrain. I'm 30 miles from a station I would have liked to pick up, but it's 2Edge, and I didn't have any luck.

As for an outdoor antenna, my understanding is you cannot be prevented from installing an outdoor antenna. Outdoor antennas need to be properly grounded, but it's not something an HOA can complain about.
I just bought the new https://comparily.com/best-outdoor-tv-a ... ral-areas/ outdoot TV antenna model,courtesy of my 'updated' cousin's advice.My advice is to be careful about your purchases because you will probably expect to live with them for a while.Here,the HOA have no problems with them,despite the fact that they often have issues with varied types of outdoor antennas.I also encounter no disruptions as a result of the surrounding rough terrain,I would definitely say they're the best outdoor antennas I've used.

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