The reality of streaming HD

I’m revisiting that perennial favourite, streaming media, expanding on a reader’s question about the possibility of streaming live and recorded HD content throughout their home.

Streaming HD content
PCW reader Charles Sinclair wrote to the Hardware column with several interesting questions concerning streaming HD content in the home. “When planning a new Windows Media Center Edition PC, I realised there are lots of points I’m not sure on. Can a Media Center PC stream live content, as well as recorded programmes? Can both live and recorded content be streamed in HD? (These streams will come from two Freesat HD cards.)

“Can one 100Mbit Ethernet network handle two simultaneous live HD streams? Finally, what would you need at the TV end to convert a stream coming over Ethernet into an HDMI output the TV can understand? Ultimately, can I watch live HDTV and any programmes I may have recorded from any TV in my home?”

Recording HD content from Freesat, let alone streaming it, is in its infancy at the moment, but much of the above is possible ­ or at least on the cusp of being possible. But first a disclaimer: much of what’s required involves considerable tweaking and isn’t officially supported, so look for a less ambitious solution if you want an easy ‘out-of-box’ experience.

Second, the software and tricks required are in a constant state of evolution, so by the time you read this, the goalposts for cutting-edge enthusiasts may have changed. There are several forums where you can read about the experiences of early adopters.

Taking this enquiry one step at a time though, it is possible to stream content, including live broadcasts, from a Windows Media Center Edition PC. The easiest way to do this is using one or more Media Center Extenders.

These are like set-top boxes, connecting to your TV (and hi-fi or surround system if desired), and communicating with your PC over a network. The latest Version 2 models can stream HD content and have the HDMI outputs required.