UPC Horizon - Twonky Server

Sleepy

I got the UPC Horizon box recently and discovered that it comes with licenses for Twonky media server.

I've installed it on a Windows 7 PC which is connected to the router with an R45 connection. Didn't take much effort to configure it to publish out my media and I can now play through the horizon box easily. The interface isn't the prettiest in the world (plain text on a black background) but it works through the UPC remote and is easy enough for Mrs. Sleepy and the kids to use.

Seemingly, the media published on Twonky can be played back by any "UPnP, DLNA, XBOX360, AirPlay, Roku or compatible media player for beaming". Our tablets can pick up and play the files easily enough over the wifi network. There's a 10/15 second delay before the video starts to play but that's perfectly acceptable performance for wireless playback imo.

We have a second TV in the kids playroom that they use for their Wii and it has a seldom used DVD player. I'd like to be able to play movies from the Twonky server on that too but it'd have to be over WIFI as there's no way of running an R45 from there to the server without drilling holes in walls and the house is a rental.

Anyone know if there's a Wii media player capable of playing back these files wirelessly?

Alternatively, I have an unused Pi. I know these can be installed to run a version of XMBC but it's my understanding that it plays the files back from a hard-drive rather than over a network and that it strugges with 1080p but it's been a while since I looked into it. I'm sure I'd need to pick up a wireless dongle for the Pi too and would need to look at either buying a usb hub and remote control of some sort (or finding an Android remote for the player to be run from a tablet).

Any suggestions? I'm using RDP (or the main TV and Sharemouse) to control the PC so I can run uTorrent on it and take advantage of the fact it's the only machine on the network that can actually utilise the full 200mb of my broadband connection. As such, I'm hesitant to look at turning the PC into a full-on media centre with a dedicated interface, another remote etc.

Johnboy1951

I would investigate using a LAN connection over the house (mains) wiring, and not wireless.

If your Pi is the 'B' model it should play back media as you wish ..... I use Openelec on the Pi for this purpose.

It plays files from my HTPC, or any other PC that is sharing, without problems ..... including HD TV (I did have to get a licence for mpeg-2 costing a few euro).

In my limited experience with the Pi wireless was not good enough for HD ....... but of course the wireless devices as well as the environment would have a great affect on the results obtained.

Trips

A few things I have issue with some minor some head wrecking...

Minor
TV user interface:
There's no year on the movies info which is ridiculous, it's usually one of the first things I and others I've spoken to look for and it's a pain in the butt for its absence
The flick between channels delay.
The next programme when flicking doesn't show automatically, you've to tap right, wait a sec, see, back again... needless nonsense, should be there with the current programme.
When you set channels to favourites and put them in a new order... there are no channel numbers shown. Not the new or the original. This one may be me, but I'm sure I've it right, please advise if otherwise.
Broadband:
I can't complain, good speed, wifi gets well around a two bed flat. Although, new Lenovo youa tablet appears to get poor signal in the bedroom.... might be the tablet.

MAJOR!

The Twonky is wonky!

TWONKY!... that sh*ts driving me nuts all last night and this morning! Any online setup videos appear to be on an old UI, videos are from 2009. And something called mytwonkey is discontinued or something.

Are there any up to date vids? UPC should have put these together or got wonky twonky to update them...

By the way, I'm not an IT guy, but this just seems messy for a reasonable know how

Sleepy

I replaced it with an XBMC install in the end. Still have to set up the Pi as a media player from the second room but it just seemed a more elegant solution all round.

Munsterbhoy

Download showbox for free movies and tv shows to any android device, install twonky beam from play store and stream thru xbox or roku device to tv.. I have upc broadband and roku supports twonky perfectly, content on showbox is unreal.