Can I do this .... ?

[TllEWL]

Sorry, I was really hoping I could find the answers to this but just seem to be going round in circles.

I've been sketching diagrams of how to connect up all my AV equipment ever since I got a new Panasonic TH50PZ70 plasma a few weeks ago and realised my Nintendo Wii looks terrible on it. I bought a component cable, but the TV only has 1 component input ... and I need it for the XBox too.

I looked at some AV amps which could be (partially) controlled using the same remote as the TV over HDMI, but they're expensive and still don't do everything I need.

I have/had an iPronto tablet remote, but the screen's lost it's touch-screenyness so is effectively knackered.


The all-in-one solution I think I'm after would go something like this -

HTPC video
Component (480p) input for the Wii
S-Video or similar for Sky+
Switching to change the TV from PC to Component when the XBox is on (got this idea from the setup video)

HTPC audio
Phono input for Wii
5.1 optical input for Sky+
5.1 optical input for XBox 360

Optical/Coax into an AV amp for centre & rear speakers and front phono out to the plasma (using the TV as an amplifier for the inbuilt speakers)
I want to set the TV and amp volumes and using the 'PC to control the output volume for all sources and so as to keep the volume level display overlay from the PC ..... if this is possible ??

The only piece of equipment on show should be the TV and a media centre remote ... and a Wii & XBox control pad - everything else would be going in racks/cabinets

I think this would also mean replacing my DVD changer with a Sony firewire DVD changer (or just record all my discs to HDD)

If I could get an external BluRay/HDDVD drive in the future I'd like to mount it behind the Plasma so I could play rented discs without having to go to the PC


Could I operate everything with one LinuxMC remote ?  and/or an XDA phone/touchpanel with bluetooth ?



I don't really know where to start with hardware, but more worryingly have no idea how much of this would be possible and what it might cost ??


I realise there's a lot or reading here so thanks for sticking with it, and any help would be greatly appreciated   

[TllEWL]

A couple of photos to illustrate the issue -

TV 2 weeks ago - note DVD Changer, amp/subwoofer, Wii, XBox, digisender to relay IR commands to Sky and DVD/HDD recorder under the sofa


Phase 1 - TV now wall mounted and I'm controlling everything via the digisender - TV speakers only and still a lot of remotes lying around though 

[tschak909]

LinuxMCE can do all this and more.

my primary setup in the living room:

* Core/Media director hybrid PC with two NIC cards, NVIDIA 8500GT video card, Hauppauge PVR-USB2 tuner, HDHomeRun tuner, 6 500GB disks attached to internal SATA, configured as RAID under LinuxMCE's Web Admin, connected to Reciever
* Westinghouse SK-26H240S, connected to MD via USB UIRT
* Yamaha RX-V1500 amplifier, connected to MD via RS-232, and to the TV.
* Motorola DCT-6200 Cable box, connected via both S-Video to PVRUSB2 Tuner, and via DVI/HDMI to the Reciever
* I created a device template for the SK-26H240S, the RX-V1500 was automatically detected.
* Fiire Chief, with associated dongle
* USB UIRT for all IR communications, with a Xantech 286 Double-emitter attached to the TV and Cable Box
* Cisco 7970 IP Phone, also used as Orbiter
* Nokia 770, running orbiter software
* Tatung Webpad, running orbiter software
* Standard Windows MCE remote (for development/testing of my plugins)
* Symbian based Nokia N70 phone used also as a house/TV remote with the Mobile Orbiter software
* gigabit switch
* ZWave computer interface, controlling lights in the house
* GC100 controlling my drapes (with a bunch of i/o i'm not using yet!)
* Three Sony VGP-XL1B3 jukeboxes attached via firewire.
* one MD running on my laptop for development.

-Thom

Sorry, I was really hoping I could find the answers to this but just seem to be going round in circles.

I've been sketching diagrams of how to connect up all my AV equipment ever since I got a new Panasonic TH50PZ70 plasma a few weeks ago and realised my Nintendo Wii looks terrible on it. I bought a component cable, but the TV only has 1 component input ... and I need it for the XBox too.

I looked at some AV amps which could be (partially) controlled using the same remote as the TV over HDMI, but they're expensive and still don't do everything I need.

I have/had an iPronto tablet remote, but the screen's lost it's touch-screenyness so is effectively knackered.


The all-in-one solution I think I'm after would go something like this -

HTPC video
Component (480p) input for the Wii
S-Video or similar for Sky+
Switching to change the TV from PC to Component when the XBox is on (got this idea from the setup video)

HTPC audio
Phono input for Wii
5.1 optical input for Sky+
5.1 optical input for XBox 360

Optical/Coax into an AV amp for centre & rear speakers and front phono out to the plasma (using the TV as an amplifier for the inbuilt speakers)
I want to set the TV and amp volumes and using the 'PC to control the output volume for all sources and so as to keep the volume level display overlay from the PC ..... if this is possible ??

The only piece of equipment on show should be the TV and a media centre remote ... and a Wii & XBox control pad - everything else would be going in racks/cabinets

I think this would also mean replacing my DVD changer with a Sony firewire DVD changer (or just record all my discs to HDD)

If I could get an external BluRay/HDDVD drive in the future I'd like to mount it behind the Plasma so I could play rented discs without having to go to the PC


Could I operate everything with one LinuxMC remote ?  and/or an XDA phone/touchpanel with bluetooth ?



I don't really know where to start with hardware, but more worryingly have no idea how much of this would be possible and what it might cost ??


I realise there's a lot or reading here so thanks for sticking with it, and any help would be greatly appreciated   

[TllEWL]

Interesting....

what control do you have over the RX-V1500 ?

I wanted to try and steer clear of any settings for the amp/speakers because you'd invariably (in my experience anyway) turn the volume up to play something through the PC, and then switch to another source and deafen yourself ... or bust your speakers.

Can you pre-set levels so that it adjusts the volume for each source ?  or display the volume on-screen ?


I don't really know why I'm getting so worked up about the volume controls - I guess it's simply because once the amp's out of view you never really know what it's upto 

[tschak909]

with RS-232, I get full bi-directional control of the amp. It reports its values back to LinuxMCe, and LinuxMCE can set discrete values, such as Volume.

dude

you really just need to get the system installed and work with it.

-Thom