Hey all,
So I have dabbled a lot in HTPC but always end up with a half-a**ed kind of thing. lol. Well my g/f is starting to use it and the way I have it setup is just too complicated for her, so here's what I'm looking for.
I basically want it to function like AppleTV. I won't have any tv/cable inputs to it since I have DVR from my cable company and don't need it on my htpc. I want her to just be able to turn it on and do everything from the remote. I plan on having only a very small harddrive in it, so really I just need it to act more like a client that just checks my server on the network and streams everything from there.
My only two restrictions are that it has to be Windows based as my server is Windows and it needs to stay that way for other applications, and it has to be able to stream h264. My biggest request though is for it to be freeware / open source (read: free. ) And finally, I will currently be using it with a 3ghz comp but in the future I will probably be building one using a mini itx with only a 1ghz comp or so. So one that uses little resources would be a bonus.
So my question is... what software would be capable of doing what I am seeking? Would it be easier for me to just get an xbox + xbmc or appletv? lol. Thanks in advance!!
So I have dabbled a lot in HTPC but always end up with a half-a**ed kind of thing. lol. Well my g/f is starting to use it and the way I have it setup is just too complicated for her, so here's what I'm looking for.
I basically want it to function like AppleTV. I won't have any tv/cable inputs to it since I have DVR from my cable company and don't need it on my htpc. I want her to just be able to turn it on and do everything from the remote. I plan on having only a very small harddrive in it, so really I just need it to act more like a client that just checks my server on the network and streams everything from there.
My only two restrictions are that it has to be Windows based as my server is Windows and it needs to stay that way for other applications, and it has to be able to stream h264. My biggest request though is for it to be freeware / open source (read: free. ) And finally, I will currently be using it with a 3ghz comp but in the future I will probably be building one using a mini itx with only a 1ghz comp or so. So one that uses little resources would be a bonus.
So my question is... what software would be capable of doing what I am seeking? Would it be easier for me to just get an xbox + xbmc or appletv? lol. Thanks in advance!!