Database Develop

May I ask a non-nook Question?

I want to set up my PC as a TV and DVR, what's the best way to do this? I have a cable outlet right beside the PC, I know I could get a TV Tuner card but I know nothing about them at all and there are so many it's confusing. Hauppage(sp?) seems to be the most popular but are they any good? Are there any questions I should be asking myself before I chose? Any help would be much appreciated. Is there a better option altogether? I've searched the internet but it's basically an information overload, no good guides can be found for all the 5 year old junk

tuner you get depends on what software (dvr software) you want to run, what you want to do, and how fast your computer is.
things to know:
some with one tuner and some with 2
some with only OTA and some with QAM (unencrypted cable), some do both
hauppauge has pci/pci-e cards as well as usb
HDhomerun has several models, 2 tuner OTA/QAM, 4* tuner cable card, etc
Ceton has a 4, and a 6?, tuner card
some of these have hardware encoders, some dont (slower computers will need encoding otherwise it will be choppy, audio dropouts)

You should first figure out exactly what type of signal is coming in on that cable. Does your area still have analog cable service (my area does, but I think that's getting more scarce), or is it digital only? Are there any clear-QAM channels (which are usually just the local networks) or is it all encrypted? If it's only digital and encrypted channels that you're interested in, then you need something that can take a CableCARD.
After that, it's all about what software you want to run and how many tuners you require.

You may be better off just using a combo of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Instant Video and Bittorrent.
Otherwise you haven't given us any of your specs to be able you help you out. What type of PC do you have? Windows/Linux/Mac... Processor/RAM/HD, also like others have noted are you going for Over the Air signal, analog or Digital Cable, standard def or HD. Are you going to be using a set top box or going for a cable card(very expensive option). Give us as much detail as possible if you want competent answers.

As for using your PC as a TV and PVR, I'd recommend using XBMC to turn it into a Home Theater PC (HTPC). The site, LifeHacker, does an XBMC/HTPC guide every few months. You would still need to buy hardware like a TV tuner but XBMC does a lot on the software end.
Also, if you use XBMC, you can use your Nook Color (assuming you at least have rooted it and have access to the Andoid Market) to control the XBMC software via the XBMC remote app.
Here is a guide that lifehacker did. It's a little old but the basics are still relevant and correct. http*://lifehacker.*com/5536963/the-ultimate-start-to-finish-guide-to-your-xbmc-media-center (remove the asterisks)

What everyone else has said -- need more info on what you have, also what budget, and what cable setup.
I have an HTPC set up but it's for media streaming, not dvr recording.
One forum I found very helpful is the AVS forum (search in google), they have a sub-forum dedicated entirely to HTPCs.

Sorry for the lack on info didn't know that my PC specs mattered all that much. I am running:
Vista Home Premium, 64bit
Intel Core2 Quad CPU (Q9300 @2.5ghz)
4GB RAM
Nvidia GeForce GT240
Appx. 600gb ofhard-drive space plus a 500gb permanent external USB. I can add more HD space if it becomes a problem.
Not sure if there is any other system info you guys need.
As for my cable I dunno for sure what signal I have, I have COMCAST if that helps anyone. Mainly I want this for recording sports. I can't always watch them live and it'd be nice to DVR them for later. I'd also use it for shows, but those I can always watch online later. Can't really watch sports later though. And I'd also like to be able to just normally watch TV on my computer. I'd like to be able to do something on monitor one while the other plays live TV. Sports or whatever.
Also, to this:
Are you going to be using a set top box or going for a cable card(very expensive option).
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I am not sure what you mean. I was thinking you get the TV Tuner, install it in your PCIE slot, and watch TV on the PC. Do you need another device?

Landara said:
I am not sure what you mean. I was thinking you get the TV Tuner, install it in your PCIE slot, and watch TV on the PC. Do you need another device?
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Click to collapse
A basic TV tuner will only be able to pick up Over The Air signals and basic cable(very limited channel selection). If you want to be able to watch digital cable you'll need either a set top box or a cable card and cable card reader(like this one).
some nice basic tv tuners
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116028
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100049
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116015
I believe you have Windows Media Center included with your Windows version, it's probably going to be your best option for software.

Mirror PC to Glass

Lots about going Glass to PC but what about the other way around? Like TeamViewer etc?
Don't need input, just streaming display.
Thoughts ?

jewnersey said:
Lots about going Glass to PC but what about the other way around? Like TeamViewer etc?
Don't need input, just streaming display.
Thoughts ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think; glass processing power, glass data streaming, and glass battery life while data streaming are the limiting factors. These may change with updated hardware.
However, small screen size, and the lag that comes with all RDP streaming would also make it impractical.
Lastly I don't see how it would be that useful (I'd love to hear what you have in mind though) and I still haven't addressed the other problem, which is is it sounds like a lot of work to code.

I'm doing my PhD (psychology) and will be using Glass throughout. Essentially, I need a computer to 'talk' to glass in real time and have a series of computer streams be available to the Glass wearer, either by swipeable cards, or some type of quad view layout. I was hoping that a direct video stream would be simpler than writing full software (especially since I've only just begun to learn java).
Battery can be dealt with (external battery pack).
Data over WiFi should be good enough.
I found this
https://developers.google.com/glass/develop/mirror/static-cards?hl=en#attaching_video
But we run into programming limitations at the moment.
And I saw someone had made an app that streamed from a Go PRO camera via a URL , with camera connected to PC, but I think updates have killed that option, for now. I have tried to sidleoad several VNC client apps but I can't access any of the fields to fill in server information.

t
jewnersey said:
I'm doing my PhD (psychology) and will be using Glass throughout. Essentially, I need a computer to 'talk' to glass in real time and have a series of computer streams be available to the Glass wearer, either by swipeable cards, or some type of quad view layout. I was hoping that a direct video stream would be simpler than writing full software (especially since I've only just begun to learn java).
Battery can be dealt with (external battery pack).
Data over WiFi should be good enough.
I found this
https://developers.google.com/glass/develop/mirror/static-cards?hl=en#attaching_video
But we run into programming limitations at the moment.
And I saw someone had made an app that streamed from a Go PRO camera via a URL , with camera connected to PC, but I think updates have killed that option, for now. I have tried to sidleoad several VNC client apps but I can't access any of the fields to fill in server information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is definitely possible with cards but I don't think streaming is. I have a GoPro hero 3 black edition and it is capable of streaming because it creates its own WiFi hotspot that a phone can connect to and stream from although it gets very hot while doing it and reduces battery quickly.
I think the cards option would work best, what type of data are you going to be displaying? Lastly I think once the newer model comes out with more RAM, a better processor, and a better battery that it will be much more possible to stream a live feed from the computer. It is definitely possible in terms of software, its just a matter of how difficult. I'm not sure if the current Glass software is going to be able to do the trick. But since glass is really an android phone you might be able to talk to th developer of an already-existing android phone app that streams from a computer (there are lots of them). They might give you a general idea of how to code for it.
I did look at the link but I know very little about Java (although that will change soon) and I only know some C++ so sadly I can't help you with the actual code.

[Q] IPTV issue

Hi all
my quick question would be if our device is capable of full hd streaming (not playing some mkv and etc from sd card) but just streaming full hd channels via iptv app, thing is that my tv provider has also iptv option that works perfectly on my pc, laptop, set-top box, but on my nook hd plus i am able only watch sd channels, all hd channels are absolutely non-watchable, i tried almost all players with all kind of hw/sw settings, but no luck, so now i am thinking maybe it is just a hardware limitation?
thanks in advance for any help

anyone?

gugman said:
anyone?
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About the closest thing I can think of here is splashtop streaming @ 1080p playing a video from my desktop which works fine.
It could be that their full hd stream is simply higher bitrate where the tablet falters like you say.
Splashtop is an rdp client/server so it could possibly be better tuned than just regular video streaming. So you could actually play the stream on your desktop and watch it on the tablet that way but it would be electricity cost of both running and not being able to use the desktop as well (other than watching the video stream there as well).
Plex or similiar, may lower the electricity cost (may still require use of the desktop, though idk my use of plex is extremely limited thus far) and allow use of the pc at the same time, if it can stream that. You would have to research that however.
Unsure how else it could be done.

sandsofmyst said:
About the closest thing I can think of here is splashtop streaming @ 1080p playing a video from my desktop which works fine.
It could be that their full hd stream is simply higher bitrate where the tablet falters like you say.
Splashtop is an rdp client/server so it could possibly be better tuned than just regular video streaming. So you could actually play the stream on your desktop and watch it on the tablet that way but it would be electricity cost of both running and not being able to use the desktop as well (other than watching the video stream there as well).
Plex or similiar, may lower the electricity cost (may still require use of the desktop, though idk my use of plex is extremely limited thus far) and allow use of the pc at the same time, if it can stream that. You would have to research that however.
Unsure how else it could be done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for your detailed description, but that is no solution for me

gugman said:
Thank you very much for your detailed description, but that is no solution for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are times when you can only workaround the problem but I hope you find a solution that does exactly what your wanting it to do.
A solution that is closer to what your wanting would be a different tablet better suited for the providers android app needs. If there's a way to use the nook instead, it might not be possible without a workaround.
All assuming that the app works well on more powerful tablets.
The late addition: I was just reminded of the fact that this device only pulls down ~4MBps max over wifi and could potentially hit a bottleneck there on high bandwidth streams which I'm sure there are. Even though its along the line of what was said before, I felt like clarifying it a bit further.
For instance of a workaround to that, a tablet with better wifi hardware would improve that issue such as one with dual antennas (mimo) though the router wifi or wifi ap needs to support it as well. So that could potentially be the exact answer you were looking for.

Chromecast as DLNA server - and more

Hi.
I recently bought a couple of sonos speakers. I, as many others, am not impressed with the app they provide. Also, in many cases it is redundant. They now support spotify connect, but there is no plans for supporting the chromecast protocol. I would like to be able to cast anything from my phone, and just play whatever I'm casting on sonos. That way, I can more or less stop using their app and use casting instead, which is properly integrated in Android.
So... I have some ideas on how to accomplish this. Hence this thread. I list all three alternatives, feel free to suggest others I guess the only one really relevant to posting here is the first one. I have a 1st gen chromecast lying around. Although I haven't tried to root it, I'm guessing some smart folks here have done so. I also have a Nexus Player. And a raspberry pi... I am willing to buy a chromecast audio if that solves my problem.
1. Chromecast solution. Sonos does support radio URLs. I could create my own radio channel and broadcast whatever it is I'm streaming. This is most elegantly done by rooting a chromecast, and have it run a DLNA server. Is this possible? Preferably without spending months of time. First, I would to need run a DLNA server on the chromecast, I'm guessing that is doable. Second, I would need access to the audio stream. Either by having the DLNA server directly access the audio stream (if possible), or changing the audio output stream to a loopback and accessing it indirectly. Have anyone done this or similar before? Like running a DLNA server? Any hints? I should note that I'm fairly Linux-savvy. This is definitely technically possible, but is it a possible without spending enourmous amounts of time?
The rest of this post isn't really relevant to this forum, so feel free to skip it.
2. Raspberry pi solution. Buy a usb sound card with spdif in, connect a chromecast, and stream the input to my DLNA server. Fairly cheap solution, but seems excessive as the chromecast really is a computer, and should be able to do this by itself. Also, I might meet a wall with encoded audio streams. I could always go for a digital->analog->digital route though, but I'd rather go digital all the way.
3. Sonos solution. Buy a Sonos Play 5, which have optical input. This is definitely the best solution, but also very very expensive. I might be doing this in the long run.
Thanks for all tips!

2022 WORKAROUND - PARSEC ON TABLETS - PLAY ANY PC GAME ON ANY TABLET WIRED/WIRELESS

2022 WORKAROUND TO PARSEC ON TABLETS
This guide is intended for anyone who is trying to get Parsec running on an Android or even Apple tablets. It would also apply to anyone really wanting to play ANY PC game on ANY tablet.
Disclaimer:
This IS a workaround and NOT a way to FIX the issues with Parsec Android.
If you are interested in how my Parsec Android testing went, and if your really want to give it a try see Parsec below for my suggestions.
Otherwise if you just want to skip to the good stuff head down to WORKAROUND
PARSEC ANDROID
Parsec Android is in the EXPERIMENTAL phase, and even after testing on multiple versions and variations of devices I could not get the decoding to work. Regardless of H.264 vs H.265, Frame Rate, Resolution, Overlay, or any other setting for that matter. I have seen that some capable people are playing around with settings in the actual configuration file, and I am sure SOME people have gotten it to work but I don’t not see it as a viable option as this point in time. More development is needed, and I am a WARP supporter of Parsec myself.
If you DO want to give it a try, I have personally found that the Android APK version V3.150.046.00 seemed to be the closest to working for me across all versions. (You can find it online from APK resources) Coincidentally I noticed that this version of the APK has a lot of options that FUTURE versions remove. Not sure why they decided to remove thinks like the H.265 vs H.264, probably because compatibility wise it was better to just force H.264 and remove the option. Not sure just guessing. I did not have a lot of luck with the current V3.150.078.00 version. Which was a little disappointing but hopefully they are working on it. Even the App resolution is worse, the login screen from .046.00 version looked amazing, now its looks very pixelated like they dropped the main menu resolution.
WORKAROUND
What you need:
A windows based Parsec Host Machine
A windows based Parsec Client Machine
An Android tablet within the last decade, or an Apple Ipad of any generation
A Bluetooth controller of some sort
Bluetooth Headset of some sort
A Bluetooth 5.0 receiver (Sorry Bluetooth 5.0 is leaps and bounds better, get a 5.0 dongle)
Basic Theory:
Parsec Windows works better than any version of Parsec, so we need to ensure that both the HOST and client machines are Windows based. Preferable Windows 10 as this is what used. The client machine does not have to be very powerful, a cheap laptop is a good option, the reason is we are going to be setting this to the resolution of our tablet. Which is most cases is relative low.
After you have your client and hosts setup the next step is the workaround part. As we have said Parsec android is still far from a stable version, so we need to find a way to work around it for now while still using the Parsec software.
Now you have two options here. I would suggest you use both option depending on the game you are playing. Regardless install the following programs to your CLIENT MACHINE as well as your TABLET/IPAD.
Software to Install;
Spacedesk (www.spacedesk.net)
Splashtop Wired XDisplay (https://www.splashtop.com/en-ca/wiredxdisplay)
Once both of those are installed on your CLIENT PC and your TABLET/IPAD. Do the following;
For Splashtop Wired XDisplay you need to turn on USB debugging mode. Google this for your specific device, very easy to do.
For Spacedesk you need to open the application on your CLIENT and read the IP address of this machine (It will be listed on the main page), then on your tablet enter this IP address in the APP to create the wireless connection between your tablet and your Client PC.
Now that both of these tools are configured here is the fun part;
Using Splashtop Wired XDisplay (Wired, HIGHEST RESOLUTION, ZERO LAG)
If you are playing games where FPS and LAG are very important, IE when I play warzone for example. Use Splashtop Wired XDisplay from your client machine to the tablet.
This will basically let you use the tablet as the PRIMARY MONITOR (Make sure to set this in windows display “Only on display 2”) for your client windows machine.
I realize that you could just use the laptop as a the client and not need the tablet, but personally speaking Id rather have a laptop under my couch and just connect a cable with the tablet on my lap then use the laptop itself. In my case my client is a very small M73 Tiny so it basically gives me a display that is just as compact.
…Not the point as we are about to get to the wireless part that you all really care about.
Using Spacedesk (Wireless, Decent resolution, Minor LAG)
I have used spacedesk to play games like CSgo and Warzone but there is a bit of lag, I would say its playable in my opinion as the lag isn’t brutally bad or anything. For basically NON-FPS games I have no issue with the amount of lag here, I play a lot of RPG games in this mode and have no issues.
Start the Spacedesk Host program on your Client PC.
Open the Android APP and connect to the Client PC that we setup earlier when we put in its IP address.
You should now see your full desktop of your client PC, and be able to click Parsec and load into your HOST PC as normal. Except you now have the video feed directly to the tablet by Spacedesk.
Caviate:
To get this to work well you NEED a Bluetooth 5.0 received on the Client PC. I have a 5.0 bluetooth dongle I got off Amazon in my M73T. You setup your controller AND your audio through the client PC directly to your Bluetooth device. So you do not have any addition input lag then you work using parsec on the client pc directly, same with audio.
This means that the only thing the Spacedesk app is taking care of the is the video signal to the device, all the input and audio is direct from the client PC instead of through the tablet.
It just means you need to have the client PC you use (Just buy a cheap laptop and keep it closed at all times, basically using it as a server for Parsec) Both of these tools can be initiated from power on so you don’t actually need any screen. Like in my case I have the M73T Tiny that I can carry around as it is the size of a book, full 64bit windows 10 capable. I just power it on wherever I want to play and walk away from it, the tablet automatically grabs the video feed and gives me the login screen.
I recognize this is not an idea solution, as the ideal solution would be a stable Parsec Android app, but who knows when that will be. So for the time being THIS does work for playing Games Wirelessly as long as you have a spare laptop, or willing to invest very little money.
My M73T Tiny was $80, and it came with a 1TB drive. So basically free lol. They are everywhere, highly recommended as a client machine. Even on my full size 55” TV I stream 1440P through parsec and its flawless.
Example of me running warzone wirelessly.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1238JsH1vzgoMqtKXJzllPjKgCEqHy5DB/view?usp=sharing
with a wired Splashtop connection the quality is unreal. Try it.
Cheers,
Sniper Fox 22

Forgot to mention. Set your Parsec HOST resolution to that of your tablet. Set your client pc resolution to that of your tablet (most times this happens automatically when you connect to the apps on tablet) it helps that a tablets resolution is lower than most pcs as parsec will run smoother at lower resolutions. At this low a resolution switch from low latency to best quality on your HOST computer as well.