# Please Help HTPC & Projector setup



## erasma (Apr 18, 2009)

Hi all

I now have an optoma projector & am at a cross roads!!

I have an HTC PC with an 8800 Graphics card & Asus Delux 1.3 HDMI sound card!

My question is which is the best player one should use? TMT3 or Power DVD I have both!

Or do I buy an Oppo Blu Ray Player?

What do I do with the content on my PC how do I play that? do I use the PC as a Nas device & use a hardware player like the WD?

What to do?????

Thanks
Mark


----------



## panaman (Dec 16, 2008)

there are so many options here....
I myself have a hometheater PC also.... I use it to stream netflix movies, play um... movies in file format  and I also play mp3's on it
I have a file server in my basement... my HTPC is just on a 54mb wireless connection and has no problem playing movies over the air.

I use VLC to play all my movies...... its a free download...
if you want to put a blu-ray player in your pc you can... probably use the latest version of powerdvd.... or you can do what I did and just buy a standalone blu-ray player... they are pretty cheap now a days....


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

I guess it depends on where you have your computer and how you want to use it. Direct connection is generally better as it gives you full control of the PC. That will give you the ability to use your projector as a secondary/primary display for the computer and you'll be able to play games, use the internet, have direct access to the media player(s), etc. There would be no need to buy an external bluray player if you have a built in bluray drive. You could also stretch a good HDMI cable 25-30 feet and use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or RF) for the same effect. Going any more than 30 feet could be problematic however.

If your computer is farther than 25-30 feet away, or cabling is an issue, like in another room or on another floor, then streaming the media might be a better option although high bandwidth content like 1080p video needs a robust connection (ie: gigabit) to work smoothly. Wireless is generally not too good for higher bandwidth video content, but is adequate for music, DVD quality video/audio and pictures. I stream from my PC to my PS3 using Windows Media Player over a gigbit network and it works well for me. I don't have a blueray player in my computer but have streamed hidef content that I've downloaded.


----------

