HouseBot

Need some advice from you HouseBot old-timers!!



Was going to setup a new media server today for Meedio Media files & server. Well Im still going to set it up!



But my question is:



Put Housebot Server on same machine as Meedio Media Server or on a separate machine.



I've got a shuttle 1 gb celeron with 512 and a 40mb hdd Im not using I could use as a HouseBot automation server and throw a modem in it.



So whats the best setup when using a meedio media sever also



Both on same machine, HouseBot on it's own machine?



TIA



Jeff

I'd suggest starting with them both on the same machine. HouseBot generally doesn't require much CPU, so you should be able to have it coexist. If you find that there are problems, it's easy enough to move to a separate machine.



In the future when there are integration plugins available, if they are on the same machine they won't have to talk through the network. That should save you a nano-second or two

Gotta save those nano's!!



When researching the other software options "SSSSHHHHHH! (Mainlobby and Homeseer) the general opinion was to have the automation on a separate machine from your media for stability since the automation is mission critical.



Come to think of it, nothing is more mission critical than the media :twisted:



Maybe their software combo didnt place as nice together as they would like!



I'll put it all on one server, in anticipation of HouseBot/Meedio becoming more unified! and use the shuttle as a client in the garage or something.





Thanks for the advice!



Jeff

wordgasm wrote:...the general opinion was to have the automation on a separate machine from your media for stability since the automation is mission critical.

If you plan on rebooting your media server often or if you find it running at 100% CPU from the media processing, you might want to consider moving it to a separate machine. I'm just saying I'd start with one machine and then move to another if needed. It entirely depends on your own configuration.



Typically, Housebot spends most of its time idle waiting for something to happen, so it consumes very little CPU. Most of the tasks it does don't require much time to complete or much CPU. Of course it really depends on what you will be doing with it, but it only takes a nano to turn on a light.

Are there any tutorials on setting up a HouseBot Media Server?



Thanks.

Not just yet. The next version of HouseBot will include plugins and sample Themes that will allow you to connect to Meedio Essentials from HouseBot.

next version?



i purchasedthis version because i thought this would be implemented. will there be a free upgrade?

teekster wrote:next version?

i purchasedthis version because i thought this would be implemented. will there be a free upgrade?

Yes there will be a free upgrade.



Victor

Can you provide us with an overview of how a media server (MEedio or other) will integrate into Housebot? I've tried several approaches, pre-Meedio, with HB, and have not been satisfied with the results. So currently I run Winamp on the HB server through VNC from another PC and control what little I can of Winamp (volume, EQ, stop/play) from HB remotes using a Winamp plugin. But I was unable to integrate the file mgmt (play lists, etc.), hence the use of VNC to control WInamp directly. Yes, I know - goofy; but functional.

Steve,



Once the plugins are complete, HouseBot will be able to monitor and control Essentials just as it does any other 'Device' in the system. Since the integration is simply using the established Device model, most of the Meedio media capabilities will be controllable through HouseBot Tasks, Modes, and Software Remotes/Themes.



Since Essentials is far more comprehensive than a simple media player, the new capabilities will provide the ultimate medial solution for HouseBot.

Scott, thansk. I downloaded Essentials when we first migrated to Meedio and played with it a bit. Frankly, I didn't think it brought anything new to the party. But I'll commit to giving it another look, especially if it and HB will be able to play together.

If control of your media isn't of interest to you then Essentials may not be of much use to you. HouseBot can still stand on it's own as a remotable automation controller. It seems as though managing media is one of the more popular things folks might want to do with HouseBot. Particularly if they are running a HTPC.

Scott, what I'm looking for is a way to use a HB remote to directly control a Winamp-like application running on the HB server. and it seems that all the pre-Meedio, Cebotics era, ways of doing that fell short one way or another. I Worked with Jim McDougal's Jukebot for quite awhile but never got it up and running properly. Then came Meedio. Basically, what the media server would need to do is be able to emulate all Winamp (or WInamp-like) functions using the HB interface. So I'm looking forward to what Meedio can do with HB!

Thanks,

I have a question about the next version that will be able to control Meedia Essentials. Will I be able to have Housebot remote running on a 2nd (7" touchscreen) monitor and Meedia Essentials running on my primary screen (in the same PC using 2 different cards at 2 different resolutions)?



Please tell me yes!



Thanks

Rob

The HouseBot Software Remotes are just standard applications that present HouseBot Themes for the user interface. They generally run on separate CPU/Monitor platforms and, therefore, can use whatever resolution that you need.



If you are running two monitors off the same machine (Essentials + HouseBot + Software Remote), you wil lbe at the mercy of the video cards on the machine. You can certainly run a Software Remote on the same machine as the HouseBot Server.