Crestron SW-WMC & Media Centre

domhampton · **27th January 2008, 07:51 AM**

I am just about to embark on a new (and expensive) project for my media center. I am going to be buying a crestron AES which will distribute the audio (and video with some clever switching gear) around my house.

I plan to control the mce using crestrons sw-wmc plug in for mce and then use IR to control a netgear extender giving me 2 channels of video / audio to send around the house. Later i'll add the rest of the home automation - but not just yet

Has anybody had any experience of using the control software or crestron for that matter? Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.

My current shopping list is:-

AES (Crestron) - can't afford the AMS-AIP
6 x APADS (Crestron)
TPMC-4X (Crestron ) - very cool looking remote
2 x VP-720xl (Kramerelectronics)
A new HD Plasma (size and make to be discussed with the wife)
1 extended mortgage (halifax)

ExtremePC · **27th January 2008, 09:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by domhampton

I am just about to embark on a new (and expensive) project for my media center. I am going to be buying a crestron AES which will distribute the audio (and video with some clever switching gear) around my house.

I plan to control the mce using crestrons sw-wmc plug in for mce and then use IR to control a netgear extender giving me 2 channels of video / audio to send around the house. Later i'll add the rest of the home automation - but not just yet

Has anybody had any experience of using the control software or crestron for that matter? Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.

My current shopping list is:-

AES (Crestron) - can't afford the AMS-AIP
6 x APADS (Crestron)
TPMC-4X (Crestron ) - very cool looking remote
2 x VP-720xl (Kramerelectronics)
A new HD Plasma (size and make to be discussed with the wife)
1 extended mortgage (halifax)

I have, used to do HT & Automation for a livin'. It's going to be frustrating, you're going to want to off yourself halfway through ..... and then it gets hard.

But when you're finished it'll make you sick just looking at it.........and after all that you're going to ABSOLUTLY LOVE IT!

No matter what just keep at it, and at it and at it.

Yeah I could help with some of the programming if you need it.

PS have you had a look at the xantech range of goodies, I believe they come in cheaper than Cre$tron for the same functionality, nice choice with the Kramer gear though.

domhampton · **27th January 2008, 07:10 PM**

Thanks. I have a close link to a crestron dealer who i'm hopping will get me some cheaper gear.

I can only sell this to the wife if i provide functionality in the kitchen for internet (to download recipies & look at facebook) whilst watching the kids on cctv in bed!

The internet in the kitchen was annonced on me last night and as i see it i have 3 options:-
Add a more complicated switch for the extra vga input and use the second monitor on my MCE to run firefox / ie7
As above but use my server which runs Small business server 2003 (so firefox only)
Get a TPMC-8X and some how stream the video to it

Any thoughts would be appriciated. Does MCE run well in dual monitors?

PCgeek · **28th January 2008, 09:28 AM**

How about a MiniITX box running XP or Linux for firefox hidden in a kitchen cupboard???
Cheap graphics on the integrated board, and small case, 1gb or ram and a P4???

Just an idea??

domhampton · **29th January 2008, 11:10 PM**

A good idea for the internet, but how do i stream the video from the crestron system too it. An input card would be the obvious route but this means a fairly clunky interface and no real total automation from the crestron, or were you thinking of another way?

arne_san · **11th February 2008, 09:13 PM**

heh this is the massive problem with control systems - not quite there. The crestron will simply replace the remote control - not much else. You could use RTI or similar and do much the same task, including the matrix switching...

Now to push my own barrow (but I'm not pushing, lets just be clear

) but have a look at www.digitalhomeware.com for an alternate solution. Network based control and EPG solution...

Oh and by the way, the new linksys mce extenders are a _really_ good option for extra zones, mini-itx as suggested before are still noisy (in general) and have much the same problems of larger form factors. Plus, its really hard to compete on price - $300 is such a bargain. Oh, and they're embedded.

The ultimate solution really is a big fat central recorder and very thin network clients, then puff goes the matrix!! And your control solution comprises a simple IR remote at each endpoint. So so long as you don't intend to mix other sources in, you'd be sweet. If you do, cheaper to do it at the endpoints.

DHW make a 1ru mce machine, based on a mini-itx too, but again, heat (and therefore noise)! Hush are great too, but hellishly expensive.

Anyway just my 2 cents.

Arne

domhampton · **12th February 2008, 07:03 AM**

I hope the crestron does more than replace the remote at the price i'm paying! That said buying from the US is much cheaper than the uk.

The digital homeware looks intresting - but i've made my choice now, bought my apad just before i read this post! How does it compare in cost? Also since all my rooms are close together one of the main reasons that i chose a non network solution is so that if 2 rooms are watching the same channel there is no lag or delay between the two.

I assume the new linksys extenders don't work with mce xp?

Thanks to all for the advice and comments, i move into the house on friday and am building a new study to put all this in as soon as i move in so i'll be up and running in a month or so!

domhampton · **4th March 2008, 11:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExtremePC

Yeah I could help with some of the programming if you need it.

YUP i need help!

Got the system alright. The AES is an awsome bit of kit and the amp sound nice too. I tried to generate a program from scratch and had some success but when my apads arrive from the states i am worried that i won't be able to keep up. I used system builder to make a starting point for my SIMPL programing but hit an error.

SW_WMC template cannot be found

Sure enough when i look in the system builder template file there is no such file, but there is an apad one and a aes one.

I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling but no luck. Any ideas??

Cheers

domhampton · **30th October 2008, 04:15 AM**

Just thought i'd update this post as i have nearly finished.

The crestron module used to talk to the mce is discontinued and i had to use a program called autonomic which is a bit more powerful although a little harder to code.

My biggest problem has been with the krammer switcher. The picture in picture is limited and and it had to go back for a warranty repair!

The rest of the kit is great, the remote is expensive but based on what it can do it is very useful and the distributed audio is a nice add on to the house.

However the total cost was more than expected, about £5500 by the time all the cabling was in. Just need MCE to support HDTV over freesat and the setup would be complete, possibly wait for windows 7 for that one...