I’ve had many people ask me how my home multimedia system is set up. It might be because I haven’t owned a DVD Player (with the exception of the optical drives in my computers) for over 6 years, or it may be that I no longer pay for cable. It may even be that almost any of our children (ages range from 2 to 13) can browse for and play any parent-approved movie at any time, with no swapping out of media. Regardless, I feel like I have a very cool (and convenient) system, and I believe it’s the way that everyone will do it eventually. I happen to be an early adopter, and you can be too... for cheaper than you think.

First of all, let’s go through the equipment I have in place for my home multimedia distribution system:

1. -Sharp Aquos TV x 2
   

2. -Apple TV (2nd generation) x 2
   

3. -Mac Mini x 1
   

4. -Various computers running iTunes
   

5. -iPad
   

6. -iPhone
   

The TVs, Apple TVs and at least one iTunes-capable computer are required. All other equipment is optional. Each Apple TV is attached to a TV, and the two TVs I own are located in the Living Room and Bed Room (mounted on a wall).

Before I continue, refer to the following diagram:

In my case, the primary (child-friendly) iTunes library is located on the Mac Mini. That library is not only accessible on the Living Room TV, but also on the Bed Room TV and any iTunes-capable (PC or Mac) computer on the network. This is all done using industry-standard wireless networking, but can also be done over wired networking (if desired).

I also have a secondary iTunes library with a different set of content (more for mom and dad) on my McBook Pro. As with the Mac Mini, that library is also accessible on any Apple TV or iTunes-capable computer on the network.

In addition to iTunes sharing, I also have the capability to share still photos, video and audio from my iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc) using Apple’s AirPlay technology. This content can be streamed from an iOS device to any Apple TV on the network. This also works well for visitors who have an iOS device that want to stream content from their device to one of my Apple TVs. And the best part, there’s no configuration required.

As far as content goes, I get my content from a few different places. For live TV, I purchased a $35 HD receiver. It works great for local channels. For “older” movie and TV content, I pay $13/month for Netflix. That gives me full access to their entire streaming library, as well as two DVDs at a time. Netflix, of course, is an integrated feature on the new Apple TV, and there is also an iPhone/iPad app (free). For newer movie and TV content, I use iTunes. I usually have the option of Standard Definition or High Definition video, iTunes Extras (the additional content normally found on DVDs), etc. It also gives me immediate delivery. If all else fails (i,e: the movie I want isn’t available on Netflix or iTunes), I resort to using Redbox.

So how do I view all this content? Digital delivery is straight forward. Once I have downloaded the content, I simply copy it to either the primary library (on the Mac Mini) or the library on my MacBook Pro. At that point, it’s immediately available on all devices. For physical media (DVDs), I go through a quick process of ripping the disc to a digital format (a file), then proceed to add it to one of my libraries for house-wide distribution. To rip the content, I use Handbrake (a free download). Note: if you are renting physical media, it is legal to rip the movie, watch it once, then permanently delete the file from your library. Additional viewing or distribution is illegal and should be avoided.

With a system like this, you’re probably thinking this will cost you thousands of dollars. That’s the great thing about this setup... it’s cheap, and you probably already own almost everything you need. I’m assuming you already own at least one computer. I’m also assuming that computer already has iTunes installed and running (if not, you can download it here). You do need an Apple TV for each TV in your house. They run $99 each. Cheap, for what you get. The iPad/iPhone, etc is optional, so you don’t need to have that, but if you already have one, it will make your experience even better. The content will cost you, but no more than it costs you to purchase the physical DVDs now.

I love my IP-based multimedia system, and honestly can’t imagine managing content any other way. What am I missing with this multimedia system? Since I don’t pay for Comcast or DirecTV, I miss out on CNN, ESPN, etc. For the way we consume content, that’s not a big deal. If you rely on sports and world news in that way, you can still have a setup like I’ve described, but just add the service of our choice to the mix (and you can skip out on purchasing the HD receiver for local channels).

If you still have questions, or don’t quite understand part of this post, feel free to contact me.