ryanjoachim

I guess I was more worried about those times when I might have to do some transcoding of 4k content.

lol...thanks for all the obvious tips guys! Here's where I have issues "trying" 4k...first off, my TV doesn't have a DisplayPort (also according to my mobo specs, the DisplayPort it has only supports a maximum resolution of 2560×1600@60 Hz). Secondly, the HDMI is only 1.4. Thirdly, I can't get the PC to output anything higher than 1080p (even tried dropping the framerate to 30hz, although the only option was 30i oddly enough). This is in Windows 10. Feel free to shine some light on my stupidity, as long as some possible solutions are included as well EDIT - I suppose I could actually tell you guys what TV I have... VIZIO M55-C2 55-Inch 4K

Attached you'll find the most relevant parts of my current HTPC. It's served me well over the last 2 years as a general purpose 1080p HTPC, handling concurrent 1080p/720p/transcoding to various devices. Now that I've upgraded to a 4k TV (not because of 4k, but my 1080p Samsung TV was dying, and I got this one for a decent price so...why not?), I want to look at the possibility of streaming 4k content from my HTPC to my TV. I know the mobo I have only supports HDMI 1.4, so that's a barrier...what's the smartest option for me to get this machine ready? New Mobo/CPU (Intel probably)? Keep my current setup, but buy a 960 or other HDMI 2.0+ compatible card? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

The school district that I work for is in the process of consolidating all of it's school techs (it used to have one at each school, and has been cutting back for years), and putting us all together into a helpdesk-type situation. I've worked in other helpdesk jobs before, and one tool I've always found useful for communication was IM programs. I'm mostly experienced with Microsoft Lync, but that's much too expensive of an option for a team of less than 10. Does anyone have suggestions for programs that offer PC/Android/iOS versions? AD integration (LDAP or otherwise) would be great, but not totally necessary. Free is best (technology funding isn't a high priority in schools right now), but for-cost options are welcome as well!

I've seen this done before, but for the life of me I can't figure out how. Do I need to create a VB script or a macro of some sort for it? In Outlook (and in CMD or just Run) I can simply type in the UNC path to the printer, and it'll install for the user. Obviously it isn't this simple for Excel or for Word (2010). Any suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestions so far. My goal for now is to keep the current hardware that I have now (as much as possible) and simply transplanting it into a smaller case.

No, I picked an APU for this media PC. At the time, the PC was going to be handling transcoding, ripping, and other duties. It is a media server right now, not a NAS.

With the crappy performance (4.4 and 5) of the Note 4, and the complete lack of root support from Samsung, I'll probably be done with them after my contract is over.

Statements directly from Mega.co completely contradict everything that Kim Dotcom is saying though, so I'm taking this as one of those "he said, she said" arguments. Besides, this is basically Kim saying "Hey guys! My first 2 grand ideas failed spectacularly, but this 3rd one is sure to succeed! Come on over!".

I've added some details of the hardware I'm currently using for reference in images. I want/need to condense my media server into a much more compact case, preferably without having to buy smaller hardware (besides the case, obviously). Here's where I'm stuck - Suggestions on small but "pretty" (not flashy) cases, and suggestions as to how to handle the 4 HDD (+1 SSD) drives currently in the machine. Is it feasible to expect to find a case that is much smaller than the one I already have, but still be able to have room for all the hard drives? If not, would I be looking at building a NAS-type box for the drives instead? This is specifically a media box, with 720p and 1080p (4MB-12MB/s bit-rate) content. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Do you use any wireless ac adapters? I'm using an Edimax AC USB 3.0 adapter, but I'm not entirely impressed with it.

I have serious issues with performance on the 5GHz band (huge packet loss, lag spikes, etc), which makes it difficult to get a strong signal across different levels. What has been your experience with signal strength?

The wife isn't going to let me tear up carpet or even skirt board to lay wire myself, which is why I have to wait on the electrician. I'm confused as to why some of you are saying it straight-up just won't work...everything I've read shows it to be a pretty simple process. I hook one adapter to the coax downstairs, connect it to my modem (it has a passthrough) and my router. Then put the other adapter upstairs and connect it to the coax and my computer. Is this incorrect?

I just bought a house, and can't afford to wire it yet (Home Insurance requires a licensed electrician to do it). I have my computer and my media server that I need to wire, but they're going to be on separate floors. I'm planning on having my modem and wireless router on the ground floor, connected to my media server. That leaves my personal PC upstairs, with a wireless AC adapter. I'm not positive of the strength of signal my router will be able to manage upstairs, so I need to look at alternatives. And since I have a coax jack in my bedroom, I was thinking a MOCA adapter might work. Does anyone have any experience with Ethernet over MOCA adapters?