I’m trying to make a solution to use my media in a car.
Hypothesis are :
Client is iOS
I want to use Plex if possible. So I need a PMS in the car. Easy solution could be a mac mini but 699€ is little bit expensive whitout the hardrive for media.
Do you think this is possible with a reasonable price ?
Reasonable price is in the eye of the beholder but 700 euros ain't cheap. An alternative approach is a cheap windows box and xbmc /ios. The issue with apple is their devices are expensive. One thought if you want to keep it in the family is to buy a 2009 Mac Mini used (instead of the newer pricey one).
Of course a 3G iOS device can also allow you content on the go if you have an all you can eat data plan, but that would be limited to the iPhone I assume unless you're interested in Android. Right now, the iPhone 4 cannot support video HDMI out, so bigger screen won't work if you want one. But it's possible on some Android phones to do HDMI out. not sure if that would work with Plex IOS, but it's a creative solution that does not need a lot of mobile hardware.
Are you looking for something to install in your car or have access to your home media in your car?
If you are looking to replace your stock stereo, there are some companies that make a all in one pc that will fit as a replacement. Or a pc is install in the boot of the car and you connect to multiple displays in the car.
OS wise there is a custom skinned linux and windows version that are made specifically for car use, with gps support etc.
However, all these custom solutions nowadays seem to have gone out of fashion as recent cars have factory options for all this and small portable media devices are much more capable than a few years back.
If you go with the portable media device solution, the only draw back I think would be its capacity. Maybe an ipod classic with video out to an LCD panel? As suggest above if your mobile data plan is reasonable then a ipad with 3G might be a good solution.
Personally, I don't use that car enough to justify an in car solution, my portable stuff works well plugged into the car's audio. For long trips I keep the kids quiet with my old laptop.
2009 mac mini solution seems to be a good solution.
I really want a solution embedded in a car, but the better could be able to take the system out and use it in a holiday house renting for example.
All Plex system seems to be expensive. Perhaps a solution with a UPnP NAS and the iOS associated app could be better according to the performance/price rate.
I was thinking a headless PMS in the boot running a wireless hotspot. Some sort of small motherboard with one of these automotive PC power supplies and an SSD instead of a spinning disk.
Then the clients could just be iOS devices - I’ve been using the iPad on the dashboard and it’s pretty sweet. But my main use case would be for the kids in the back
hey oncleben31, i am not much aware about this. So could you elaborate it. You know why i am asking it because you mention car word in your post and me have 2 luxury cars. So i think once i understand it exactly then i would place it in my both cards....or if you tell me about the seminars particular for that so i try to join that. waiting for your response...
Has nobody done this yet? - I'm very keen to try this out. I'm fed up with loading the iPads up when we travel - I'd really like to take our film collection with us when we travel long distance.
Here's what I do. I run my PMS in my home with myPlex enabled, on my Mac. I have my iPad (iOS) mounted in my car (and I use my android phone also), and they're connected to a 4G network. Logged into myPlex on both clients, and can access all my content. Success! No need to put a computer in you car, just use one in your home, and get as many clients as possible that will run plex...if your iOS clients do not have 4g access, buy a mobile hotspot. That's all you need...unless you don't have a computer at all, then yes, you'll have to buy one...the Mac mini is great.
Have you considered the use of a car PC. If your media is already in a format that all your (unspecified) devices can play directly then something low power with SSDs means you have no moving parts. You just have to work out how you're going to sync between your master Plex server and the one in your vehicle.
Trying to wake this thread up again. I started to look at a little mini pc with a 12v dc power supply, some local storage and a WiFi adapter for the same reason. Take it in the car for road trips or use it during vacation. I don't want to stream (speed/coverage/data) from my home server or load multiple devices with content (different OSes, not enough storage, lot of work). I just want to grab a copy of my last seasons of shows and movies onto a drive and then take it with me on a little portable Plex Server. I think this would be ideal. Anyone traveling with me could then access it.
Options:
1) Some router with external storage -> No Plex Server
2) A basic NAS device, probably with a router -> expensive and not really all in one
3) Basic "car" mini PC. This seems like the best solution running either windows or Linux. Pulling the plug every time I get out of the car might be an issue.
4) Some other kind of "appliance"
I can't believe it either that nobody has done this yet.
Trying to wake this thread up again. I started to look at a little mini pc with a 12v dc power supply, some local storage and a WiFi adapter for the same reason. Take it in the car for road trips or use it during vacation. I don't want to stream (speed/coverage/data) from my home server or load multiple devices with content (different OSes, not enough storage, lot of work). I just want to grab a copy of my last seasons of shows and movies onto a drive and then take it with me on a little portable Plex Server. I think this would be ideal. Anyone traveling with me could then access it.
Options:
1) Some router with external storage -> No Plex Server
2) A basic NAS device, probably with a router -> expensive and not really all in one
3) Basic "car" mini PC. This seems like the best solution running either windows or Linux. Pulling the plug every time I get out of the car might be an issue.
4) Some other kind of "appliance"
I can't believe it either that nobody has done this yet.
Folks have gotten PMS running on the recently released Raspberry Pi 2. Planning on using that for this project.
Here's the current part list for my planned setup:
Raspberry Pi 2
PiBow Ninja
Edimax EW-7811UN
Samsung 32GB Class 6
WD My Passport Ultra 2TB
Anker 40W 5-Port USB Car Charger
(optional) TP-Link WR-702N Wi-Fi Router
Everything can be powered via USB 5V. I plan on using the Pi as wi-fi access point but I already have the TP-Link anyway so I can start with that during initial testing. Just setting up Raspbian + PMS first and then I'll add on the other stuff later.
Folks have gotten PMS running on the recently released Raspberry Pi 2. Planning on using that for this project.
Here's the current part list for my planned setup:
Raspberry Pi 2
PiBow Ninja
Edimax EW-7811UN
Samsung 32GB Class 6
WD My Passport Ultra 2TB
Anker 40W 5-Port USB Car Charger
(optional) TP-Link WR-702N Wi-Fi Router
Everything can be powered via USB 5V. I plan on using the Pi as wi-fi access point but I already have the TP-Link anyway so I can start with that during initial testing. Just setting up Raspbian + PMS first and then I'll add on the other stuff later.
I like your build, just one question how do you plan on shutting down the PI when the car is turned off ? Manual shutdown or just drop the power or just leave it running all the time ?
I like your build, just one question how do you plan on shutting down the PI when the car is turned off ? Manual shutdown or just drop the power or just leave it running all the time ?
Good point. Hadn't thought about that part. For now, just manual shutdown via SSH using my smartphone or tablet will do.
There seems to be several battery backup/power projects for the Pi including MoPi, BattBorg, Pi UPS, etc. I'll have to see which one will work best. Mind, I already have the Anker 2nd Gen E5 16,000 mAh so I might just power it off that and see how long it will last. If it's not satisfactory, I can also research if there are external batteries that allow simultaneous charging while powering other devices.
Hmm, thinking about it, I think I prefer the battery route if it can do a sustained 10 hours or so. If I can have the whole unit self contained, I can just dump everything inside a small plastic container or something so there are less cables and equipment making a mess.
Keep in mind that your standard mechanical hard drives aren't really ment for situations where they're constantly exposed to jarring while the drive is running. Ideally a car centric system would use an SSD instead of a mechanical disk.
Anyways, given all the issues regarding portability, power, and motion, have you considered a notebook?
