Awesome HTPC alternative setup (good for your parents!)

[Kaido]

I just setup my parents with a new home theater system. Previously they were running an HTPC setup, but that proved to be slightly problematic at times (software bugs, lockups, reboots, etc.) and would require my intervention (coughTechSupportcough). Most of the time it was great, but I wanted a really bulletproof setup for them since they aren't as technical as I am when it comes to geeky stuff The setup consists of 2 players:

Sony BDP-S470 3D Bluray Player ($130)

Patriot Box Office Player ($90)

The Sony Bluray player: (disc playback & web streaming)

The Sony was a nice deal because it's a 3D Bluray player that sports Internet integration: Netflix, Youtube, Hulu+, Amazon Unbox, Pandora, etc. You can also use an iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote control, which is nice because it makes searches (like on Youtube) easy with a digital keyboard. My dad likes movies off Amazon Unbox and is also a fan of Hulu, and since I have a Netflix account, the Sony was the perfect choice for a combo disc player and Internet device. Youtube also works extremely well, which is really nice to be able to have without a full HTPC setup. Also it plays CDs, DVDs, and Bluray discs, so they're covered for any physical movies they buy or rent.

Sony makes 3 models - the S370, S470, and S570. The S370 has no 3D capability and currently costs the same as the S470, so it doesn't make sense not to get the S470 since you at least get the option for 3D. The S570 is $50 more and adds a backlit remote and built-in Wifi (the other two are Wifi-ready). I've tested my buddy's S570 with Youtube over Wifi and it worked pretty well, but I went with Ethernet for my parent's setup to eliminate any wireless streaming problems, so the backlit remote wasn't worth an extra $50 for me as they already have a Logitech Harmony remote.

The Patriot Box Office player: (LAN movie file streaming)

I own an Asus O'play player, based on the same chipset. It's basically a little streamer box that can play ISO's, HD MKV's, and so on. I use it exclusively for streaming movies from a file server over Ethernet, which has proved to be extremely reliable. I just picked the Patriot Box Office up from Newegg for $45 AR to see how it compared (same chip, but more connectivity options). I actually like the Box Office better because the menus are slightly faster, it has an "Instant Replay" button, and the remote is a bit nicer. There's also a lot more information available about it, custom firmware, hacking information, etc. available for it if you like to tinker. Although this does have the option for Wifi, I also went with an Ethernet connection on this player for stability reasons.

Currently I have them setup with a 2TB FreeNAS file server, which has been ridiculously stable for many years. This enables them to stream to all of their players (living room, bedroom, etc.). We have our DVD/BR collection copied onto it, as well as old family movies converted from VHS tapes and more modern family movies and events shot on digital cameras. Although they aren't familiar with ripping movies or copying home-shot movies to the server themselves, it's pretty easy to sync when I visit with a USB hard drive hooked into their computer to transfer new files to their server. At some point I'll set them up with Rsync or upgrade their server and put some remote cloning software on it so I don't have to manually copy movies (especially family stuff like grandkid birthday movies and so on), but most movie files are still a tad large to be syncing over the Internet at decent speeds, so that's for a future project.

Conclusion:

So far it's working out great. Really really easy for them to use. They can use my Netflix account to stream movies, browse Hulu, watch Youtube, buy a movie off Amazon, play a DVD or Bluray disc, or stream ripped or family movies from the file server, all from simple remote-control based interfaces. Plenty of options and fewer problems than supporting a full-on PC as a media player. Since it's only 2 devices, they know one is the "movie box" (the Patriot, for streaming from our collection) and the other is the disc player with the different movie channels, so it didn't require much training or confusion. They also downgraded to basic cable since they have so many alternative (and cheaper!) options available now for content. I have them setup with a Logitech Harmony remote for a single remote control and with the 5.1 Logitech Z-5500's for simple but great surround sound. Overall I'm pretty happy with this setup :thumbsup:

 

[velillen]

Nice, glad to see they like it. my parents are looking at options to cut cable (or maybe just keep the basic) so i get to be the one to figure it out for them lol. Granted its 2-3 years away its nice to see options other people use currently.

I know my dad always loves my HTPC. its easy to use and he likes how medabrowser has all the movies info and stuff. i just fear (like you mentioned) there would be to many issues with a straight htpc.

 

[Kaido]

Nice, glad to see they like it. my parents are looking at options to cut cable (or maybe just keep the basic) so i get to be the one to figure it out for them lol. Granted its 2-3 years away its nice to see options other people use currently.

I know my dad always loves my HTPC. its easy to use and he likes how medabrowser has all the movies info and stuff. i just fear (like you mentioned) there would be to many issues with a straight htpc.

Yeah, given that Hulu+ is $7.99 and Netflix is $7.99, you can get basic cable for cheap or free local TV, plus get both services for $16 a month, that can equate to a pretty big drop in the monthly bill. Using Netflix is just about as good as going down and browsing at Blockbuster nowadays - even though they don't have an unlimited selection (or even a completely modern collection, as far as movies go), there's always something to watch, instead of just endless flipping channels hoping to find something interesting. My only complaint with Netflix on the Sony is that it only plays your instant queue, so you need to use your computer or an iPhone to add movies (my Roku box allows me to search, which is nicer).

The HTPC is more flexible, plus gives you the option of surfing the web and also having a single, consolidated box, but there are some issues. Using a keyboard and a mouse on a couch, for one thing (although there are keyboards with touchpads, gryo mice, etc.). Reboots, software glitches, if the media center app crashes, if the OS crashes, if something updates that you didn't want it to, if you need a plugin for something, opportunities for spyware & viruses if they surf the net on it, etc. So it's not quite as completely "brainless" as a dedicated hardware player. While you miss out on some features, you don't have to think about it - just use it.

Overall HTPC's are pretty stable, but I wanted as much of a set & forget solution as possible. If something locks up on the Sony or Patriot, it's as simple as rebooting the device - end of story. They're appliances, which is what I love about them. It's not as fancy of a setup as my Plex-based HTPC stuff (XBMC alternative for Mac), but it does the job just fine for them. My only gripe right now is that I wish Internet upload speeds were faster so that I could remotely sync movies to their file server and not have to think about it or physically copy files, but that's not a huge deal.

I think it mostly boils down to how technically proficient the end user is. My wife has been married to me long enough to understand how to operate an HTPC and deal with the associated quirks (which really aren't too many, but at least she can handle them when they pop up for the most part), so it's not a big deal for our family, but if my parents ran into those issues, it'd be a showstopper and involve a tech support call and maybe a remote session. Not terrible by any means, but not a simple movie night like it should be.