DIY Home, yea I guess

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Is there anyone here who is smart enough ( or young enough) to really understand all the AV multi-media-streaming stuff?
6 remotes don't know how to embed streaming passwords, don't understand newer features.

Seems the only couple of remaining retailers only want to sell you a $50K end to end solution and not listen to what you want. I may need a better ROKU and not a Moon.

Woodwork? well yea, as I have been building high end loudspeakers for 40 years. One of the reasons I started in more serious woodworking.
 

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
Is there anyone here who is smart enough ( or young enough) to really understand all the AV multi-media-streaming stuff?
6 remotes don't know how to embed streaming passwords, don't understand newer features.

Seems the only couple of remaining retailers only want to sell you a $50K end to end solution and not listen to what you want. I may need a better ROKU and not a Moon.

Woodwork? well yea, as I have been building high end loudspeakers for 40 years. One of the reasons I started in more serious woodworking.
Can’t help you with the remotes, Google and practice.

I use to be a dedicated audiophile back in the day, but with my age proportional hearing talent and the advance in technology today, that is hard to pursue. Everything is streamed, my hearing high and low frequencies have changed and it is hard to hear the difference between big and small Dollar equipment.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
My stuff frustrates me sometimes. For instance, if I have my main TV get to the internet wirelessly, it has to be "setup" at least once a day. It remembers the passwords but has to be told to connect. But if I plug in a wire from the router, it nearly always connects itself. I looked around for a setting I could change to fix this but didn't find it.

One of my two TVs is a smart TV without a interface I like so a Roku box is attached to it with a Roku remote to operate it. I rarely use that TV any more but last time I checked it, it worked. My main TV has the Roku interface built in. I like that better but it could be part of the issue I mentioned above. I had to do some work to set it up once but I rarely have to mess with it now.

Probably my biggest and most persistent issue is passwords. I don't use a password app so I have pages and pages of passwords. The only thing that works for me is a printed list. I know we are not supposed to do it but I don't care. I cannot possibly remember all these passwords and I refuse to change them all when one app wants something new. I don't like having to look them up - and like it even less if what I wrote down doesn't work (presumably because I failed to record a change) but this works. Nothing else does.

I don't think we will need passwords in heaven. I'm looking forward to that.
 

zapdafish

New User
Steve
if I have to enter a username and password via a remote on my smarttv, I can't be bothered. I hate texting on my phone and entering stuff into my tv is 10x worse
 

pop-pop

Man with many vises
Corporate Member
My stuff frustrates me sometimes. For instance, if I have my main TV get to the internet wirelessly, it has to be "setup" at least once a day. It remembers the passwords but has to be told to connect. But if I plug in a wire from the router, it nearly always connects itself. I looked around for a setting I could change to fix this but didn't find it.
I had the same problem with a wireless printer intermittently not being recognized by CUPS and AirPrint.

At the printer, not using DHCP and setting a fixed IP address (like 192.168.1.nn or whatever your router needs) solved the problem.
 
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PeteM

Pete
Corporate Member
My stuff frustrates me sometimes. For instance, if I have my main TV get to the internet wirelessly, it has to be "setup" at least once a day. It remembers the passwords but has to be told to connect. But if I plug in a wire from the router, it nearly always connects itself. I looked around for a setting I could change to fix this but didn't find it.

One of my two TVs is a smart TV without a interface I like so a Roku box is attached to it with a Roku remote to operate it. I rarely use that TV any more but last time I checked it, it worked. My main TV has the Roku interface built in. I like that better but it could be part of the issue I mentioned above. I had to do some work to set it up once but I rarely have to mess with it now.

Probably my biggest and most persistent issue is passwords. I don't use a password app so I have pages and pages of passwords. The only thing that works for me is a printed list. I know we are not supposed to do it but I don't care. I cannot possibly remember all these passwords and I refuse to change them all when one app wants something new. I don't like having to look them up - and like it even less if what I wrote down doesn't work (presumably because I failed to record a change) but this works. Nothing else does.

I don't think we will need passwords in heaven. I'm looking forward to that.
FWIW - I had lots of connection problems but they all went away when I switched to a Mesh Network. I got this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0797D6853/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Passwords - " I don't use a password app". Neither does my wife and I don't understand why. She says it's too much trouble but then she gets frustrated when she forgets a password. It does take a bit to set up but once you get used to it there's no going back.

"I don't think we will need passwords in heaven." Maybe not but there are certain criteria to be met for entry! ;-))
 

tri4sale

Daniel
Corporate Member
What are you trying to accomplish? With a Roku TV you have one remote, and just have to enter PW one time in each streaming app. If you want a fancy audiophile experience w/ multiple devices, then a high end universal remote usually can run all the equipment.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
My advice? Find a teenager that owes you a favor.
That's the problem.

Spent the day researching.
For one, I need to swap to the newer Roku. Hardwired. I will tackle their videos when I plug in the newer one. It is supposed to hold all logins for subscribed channels. On my music server where I was trying to do streaming, I was using the WEB and it turns out most have apps to download that maintain login. For those that don't, I can put a password vault on, but they still usually require a mouse click or so.
One of my printers can only use DHCP. Otherwise I would hard code everything.
It looks like the 6 remote problem can be solved by a Control4 system. Everything but my cable box seems to have both ethernet and rs-232. Very mysterious though, lots of pictures how great it is, but nothing actually showing their hardware or costs. Not cheap is all I can determine.
Suggested some of my flakey wi-fi may be others on the same channel. There is supposedly an app that will identify what is going on so I can pick another channel. I thought that was supposed to be automatic.
 

cobraguy

Clay
Corporate Member
You are correct on Control4 being pricey. We had our house hardwired with ethernet when built in '12. We also had speakers wired in all over for a whole-house audio system. We used Control4 with the idea to expand beyond just audio. Never pulled the trigger though on anything other than audio. I found the Control4 gui to be very clunky and not very intuitive. It worked though, and we enjoyed the audio system. One huge downside for me is the dealer is the only one who can make configuration changes. (adding hardware/streaming sources for example) When our installer (great guy BTW) retired, I started looking for something else I can mange without having someone come visit or opening my system up to remote access. I settled on the HTD Lync system. Doen't sound like it will resolve all of your needs however, as it only does audio.
 

MarkDarby

Mark
Corporate Member
Can’t help you with the remotes, Google and practice.

I use to be a dedicated audiophile back in the day, but with my age proportional hearing talent and the advance in technology today, that is hard to pursue. Everything is streamed, my hearing high and low frequencies have changed and it is hard to hear the difference between big and small Dollar equipment.

Is there anyone here who is smart enough ( or young enough) to really understand all the AV multi-media-streaming stuff?
6 remotes don't know how to embed streaming passwords, don't understand newer features.

Seems the only couple of remaining retailers only want to sell you a $50K end to end solution and not listen to what you want. I may need a better ROKU and not a Moon.

Woodwork? well yea, as I have been building high end loudspeakers for 40 years. One of the reasons I started in more serious woodworking.
Hi tvrgeek... not sure if you got the help you needed. If you live near Cary, I can drop by one evening or weekend and take a look. Can't promise anything, but will do my best. Just email me direct at markdarby@bellsouth.net if you need some help.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Supposedly, COntrol4 has an app for $150 that lets the user config.
I believe changes can be made by a dealer remotely. If I can't make updates, it may be a no-go.

The world if full of really bad GUIs. My music server runs Windows Media as it is the best, but not how I woudl want and it is buggy. Servers running the higher reliability protocols are far worse. After the fact, turns out I should have used an Apple, not a PC.

Locally is Audio Advice stores and a gui in Mebane "Convergence" I suspect there are others.

Just found out I can store my DVDs on a server and bypass the previews and warnings with PLEX.
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
I use Plex Server(s) at home. It works great for music, recorded TV shows and movies, for me at least.
Can access the Plex servers with clients on Windows, Roku, Amazon Fire devices, Android. I have a Nvidia Shield (Android TV) that accesses everything from the Plex servers as well as most streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime video, etc.

Plex is free unless you want PlexPass which gives you the ability to record over-the-air TV (guide data is included), , and some other features.. You just need a network tuner like SiliconDust HDHomerun.
 
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tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
I use Plex Server(s) at home. It works great for music, recorded TV shows and movies, for me at least.
Can access the Plex servers with clients on Windows, Roku, Amazon Fire devices, Android. I have a Nvidia Shield (Android TV) that accesses everything from the Plex servers as well as most streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime video, etc.

Plex is free unless you want PlexPass which gives you the ability to record over-the-air TV (guide data is included), , and some other features.. You just need a network tuner like SiliconDust HDHomerun.
Thanks. Never seen these. I thought I would need to out a tuner card into a server.
Roku came. Re-labeled all my cables so less of a rat's mess.
I gut the Harmony to do about everything, but too many layers of menus. I think I can fix the volume to AVR only. It could be I don't actually need the Control4 is more complicated, not less. Anyway, off to config Roku and then tackle Plex. SiliconDust product looks like it may solve some of the issues if I dump Cable.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Silicon dust seems to only display on a computer or phone. Again, WEB is how great it is, and darn near nothing about it for real. $35 fee just to use your own hardware? Not impressed.
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
SIlicon Dust does have free apps for Windows, Android, IOS, XBox, Roku, Amazon Fire, Nvidia Shield that let you watch live TV.

I use Plex to record over-the-air TV from the Silicon Dust tuners using a roof antenna. Bought a lifetime Plex Pass a few years ago ($119.99 now) for the TV guide data.
Silicon Dust also has a paid DVR app. Haven't tried that.

The Nvidia Shield android TV box connects to a surround sound receiver via hdmi. Hdmi out goes to a TCL Roku TV. The Shield remote controls everything.
We also have a Tivo bolt for antenna and a couple of minis. LOML likes those better. We got the Bolt a few years ago with a lifetime subscription to Tivo guide data.

With the Tivo(4 channels) and two Silicon Dust network tuners(one 2 channel and one 4 channel) we can record up to ten channels at the same time, if there were ten channels worth recording. Comes in handy when you have overlaps in scheduled programs.

LOML also has NetFlix and Amazon Prime which can both be accessed from Plex, Android, Roku, etc. Plex also has quite a bit of 'free' content, but I think you need a Plex Pass to get those.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Apps for a PC are useless to me. I watch TV on a TV. I know, novel concept. I make phone calls on my phone. I can get OTA through my TV antenna, but right now, sound is only through the TV speakers, not the AVR. I think I can change that, but maybe only stereo. Not sure the TV has a HDMI out. No TV guide though. Only matters for the few channels not on Spectrum. ( secondary PBS)

If I need to build a NAS for DVR and server for PEX, then I can stick a PCI tuner in it.

ROKU installed. Using their on-line, it is configures better than my old one.

Adding things up, you can spend more cutting the cable, get less with more confusing access. So far.

Off to another HT integrator today to see if they mention anything but the highest end stuff. Last guy spent the whole time trying to convince me I had to have a Sony TV for $3500, when it turns out my Vizio is fine. I may want an LG for half that to get better contrast, but functionally no difference.
 

bowman

Board of Directors, Webmaster
Neal
Staff member
Corporate Member
You may need an optical/toslink connection from your TV to AVR before you see anything other than "stereo" as an option.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Actually, it needs an HDMI output PCM or Toslink is 2.0.
Can't figure out how to fix the Harmony 665 volume and mute to be AVR only.
 

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