~ My Home Computer
Network ~
Network Attached Storage (NAS)/Home Server – I like to call my NAS a super NAS. It’s older and not “really” super but it suits my purposes just fine. I use an Intel Model SS4200-EHW. It comes equipped with a single core processor and 1 GB of ram. It is headless so external peripherals with the exception of external USB hard drives for storage expansion are not permitted without PCI expansion cards (which I also have). I chose to install Windows Home Server 2011 as the OS for this NAS which literally turns this NAS into a Home Media Server. This enables streaming of all of my video media and access to all of my music and photo media to all devices within my network. The NAS unit & software are an intricate and important part of my overall system and allows for tasks that would not normally be possible without such a unit. There are immediate and future upgrade plans to this unit and the system … see “Future Plans/Upgrades” section for details. It may be a good idea to Google the unit for specs and functions or to visit http://www.wegotserved.com/ for more information on the unit, software and its functions. Meanwhile understand this, Windows is Windows … Hence I can install some software/programs called services (not all are compatible). These services are accessible to all whom I give privileged access to use on the network. Additionally, I can go live on the internet via Windows LIVE and have/give access to myself and anyone in the world via privileges to access all or portions my data and services. I can also use my NAS/Server with proper software to host any of my own websites/pages for free (no hosting fees). The server will have an archival aspect which will gather all data download from all networked devices/terminals and store said data in one central place.
Ain’t Nothin’ On TV! – I had a pleasant surprise when setting up the system and testing it out. Not a full push it to the limit, benchmark decimal point specs test, nor did I have specific expectations … just a simple test. I found that my Verizon Ethernet connection was very strong. The signal reaches over to my mom’s house. My Internet Service Provider (ISP), Verizon, has a Central Office right around the corner from me. I love urban style apartment living. I have the good fortune to have my mom living in the neighboring apartment … I live in 626; she’s in 625 … just enough privacy (wink). I’m sure a signal booster would accomplish the same thing. I can use a small older laptop as a terminal and have access to all data on the server and literally turn my mom’s TV into a smart TV. I can control my bit torrent service from mom’s house. If it’s out on DVD (I hate bootlegs) … I can download it within a few minutes to a few hours. Additionally I can access my Netflix account and everything accessible to command central given permissions. What I’ve done here is completely eliminate the words “Ain’t nuthin’ on TV,” from my mother’s vocabulary. She may not know how to use it… but she has the patience to wait until her dear son comes over to mash the right buttons to work it.
Immediate & Long Term Upgrades – First and foremost is the upgrade to the NAS/Media Server. Stock is single core. I have managed to acquire all of the necessary components to upgrade the unit to Dual core and double the ram. This should significantly boost performance. I would max out all of the system specifications component performance. Maximum for this unit is 4 – 2 TB SATA hard drives. Expansion is allowed via external hard drives using USB ports. I will be swapping the Hitachi external hard drive for another WD Essential 2 TB external hard drive for a total of 12 TB of storage capacity. This storage will be set up in a software RAID 3 configuration to allow for redundant backups (secured data, little chance of loss). Long term upgrade would consist of an entire server upgrade to a i5 – i7 processing powered machine. Another future consideration if you will might be adding a gaming console.
Secondly I will be upgrading the monitor setup. I have 4 Dell 1704 17 inch monitors. I soon will be purchasing 2 adjustable dual monitor table stands for these monitors. Positioning will be 2 to the left and 2 to the right sides, while the 32 inch NEC will be the center monitor. I already have acquired the software of choice to accommodate multiple monitor setups. The Dell monitors have 4 additional USB 2.0 ports each. I have not decided whether I will simply use splitters for the monitor’s ports which I now have (cost effective) or convert to a desktop system which supports multiple graphics cards providing a more customizable and flexible multipurpose setup. In the desktop configuration I could attach a black box or mini PC to my television (the other NEC monitor possibly upgraded to a 46 – 55 inch) making it a smart TV /terminal to the network. The NEC has built-in circuitry to tile up to 64 monitors to create a video wall (they all do and are the only ones that I know of that have this feature). The main purpose of this multi-monitor setup is two-fold. For work efficiency first, I can get a lot more work done with multiple full sized windows, (5) working independently in total. Productivity shoots through the roof. For recreation: Aircraft flight and aviation simulation. I have a great joystick and the software of choice is Microsoft Flight Simulator X. In this function the monitors would work as one big group. Note: I am currently looking at a dual core server as a replacement/upgrade. Stay tuned for more info.
Peripheral Gadgets – I’ve decided to add a few interesting peripherals and software to maximize the utility and functionality of the overall system. The Vu-Point Company has a hand held Wi-Fi scanner with a flatbed attachment. This would be a great accessory to my comic book scans for sales on EBay as it provides dual duty alongside my HP network printer. It is small and portable and can be used to scan receipts and business cards with a clear copy holder. Vu-Point also has a portable Wi-Fi printer for photos and smaller image prints. This printer can be linked to Dropbox (like the cloud on steroids) for public photo prints from my smartphone … ready for viewing before I arrive home. The Silicondust HD Homerun, Dual HDTV Network Tuner allows Free Digital TV for any compatible device on the network. This essentially is a digital TV converter for the network. Watch, pause, record live TV. It works with WMP & VLC Player. The Lenovo N5902 Multimedia Remote with keyboard will be used to control the 2nd 32 inch NEC for home viewing. Although Windows has virtual keyboard, it is much more convenient to have a hardware solution that is plug-n-play ready for use. Power DVD 13 is the best Blu-Ray Burner software available in my opinion. It is also a media center which has trailers of all new movie releases and bios of all the actors of those releases. The Samsung BD-D6500 Blu-Ray 3D player is the one I chose to pull things together sort of speak. It has Wi-Fi capability also and as you already know the broadband signal reaches to my mom’s house. This unit can be connected and run through my wireless router where all compatible networked devices will see this unit and its dashboard controls or via Power DVD 13 which links and syncs all networked devices including smartphones, tablets, etc... An older Pioneer integrated amp, a set of Bose 501 Towers, 301 Bookshelf, VCS-10 Center Channel speakers along with a Yamaha subwoofer and Empire Troubadour 598 II turntable rounds out the complete audio-visual aspect of the system.
I will try to add photos of everything soon :) BTW ... The header photo is not my rig. I will change when I add photos.
Nowhere Without Software – I cannot over emphasize the importance of software. It is only with the proper software you can do those things you hear about and wonder how the hell they did it. Most likely … it was the superior software used to do those tricks. Here are some of my other choices. As I have a multiple monitor setup I chose to use several media players. This will allow me to view several movies simultaneously or perhaps view a security monitor in the process. Additionally a couple of these players have web access/attachment and provide a ton of superlative features.
The Players:
1) Windows Media Player (WMP) … the industry standard and quite crappy compared to the others. Industry standard is usually not the best. This player leaves a lot to be desired after my experience with the following others. With the addition of a good codecs files you can play almost anything … key word “ALMOST”. The only saving grace to WMP is the radio stations.
2) VLC Player … Possibly the absolute best all-around player. Does not require additional codecs and plays everything. I haven’t found anything that it does not play including Blu-Ray & 3D. It even plays flash media files has web access for web media content streaming. There are twice as many features and controls as WMP. You can adjust sound synchronization when the sound is out of sync for example. If you only need one media player, drop WMP for this one.
3) WinAmp … I only give this player a slight edge over WMP. This player can now be synced with your android phone or tablet … coolness. Much more and better radio stations than WMP. Custom skins are available … the Egyptian style is pure hotness. Drawback, it is a resource hog so a wimpy computer will not do well.
4) Miro … I cannot say enough to credit this wonderful player. I found out about this player in its infancy when it was quite a clunker. NOW … It is off the chain! Complete web interface including Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. Features true television content including PBS and other stations and web media content including Hulu, YouTube, and a couple others. Like VLC Player, this player plays everything without additional codecs. I would not trash WMP for this one however; I would add it as a supplement to my entertainment.
5) PowerDVD 13 … Touted to be the best Blu-Ray burning software in the world. It is also one of the best media players. I put it right up there with VLC Player. If you want the best of two worlds, this and VLC Player will do it. First and foremost this player syncs all devices regardless of platform (Windows, Android, or Apple). Secondly it includes a web based media center. This media center gives trailers of “ALL” new movie releases and bios for “ALL” actors in those movies. Additionally there is a music store for inexpensive purchases for upcoming artists and royalty free music. I could go on and on but rest assured this is one mad player. A must have if you do Blu-Rays.
I Can See It Now:
For my visual convenience I use 2 programs. Zbar & Maxi Vista. Normally with multiple monitors Windows automatically attaches a task bar to each monitor (unsightly and quit a pain). Zbar affixes a global task bar for all monitors on your main monitor. Maxi Vista is similar to the monitor extension function in Windows 7. This option works best for 2 or 3 computers (desktop & 2 laptops, etc…). The cursor and image will ride across all monitors as if they were one. This is great for panoramic visualization. A better option is Display Fusion. With this software you can swap monitor images, customize task bars for each monitor, and have multiple screen savers (one for each monitor). Additionally, you can merge all monitors to make one big image. This software supports up to 10+ monitors.
Additional options can be found here ~~> http://lifehacker.com/5519833/five-best-tools-for-managing-your-multi+monitor-setup
And here ~~> http://workawesome.com/software/multi-monitor-setup/
And yet another software option here ~~> http://www.9xmedia.com/new/products/multi-screen-software.php
The link below will lead you to you to a rather complete list of software items that involve this function ~~> http://mikedixononline.com/multiple-monitor-software/
No comments:
Post a Comment