Look for advice on proposed setup

[xyzoptics]

I'm really excited about the project that's coming up. Looking for any advice before I pull the trigger.

We're going to hang a 27" or bigger monitor on the corner of our kitchen/dining room area with the ability for it to be moved and visible from about 270 degrees. The monitor will be hooked up to my 2012 MacBook Pro that'll be running almost all the time with all of our media (~500+gb of photos, several movies/tv shows and thousands of mp3s) on it. I was thinking all along I'd get a monitor with a touchscreen or maybe a 4k monitor, but the price still seems too high on those to make it worthwhile, meaning I'm planning on getting a normal monitor. We have two Apple TVs in other areas of the house that will pull media off that computer quite often. The computer will be hooked up to a receiver that will play music in two other areas of the house, which will be a very common use of it. I'll also be using it to create marketing materials quite often.

Anyone have success stories on similar projects that can help give me confidence?
Any suggestions on a monitor / wall hinge?
Any software I should use to make the situation better?
Anything else I should be aware?

Appreciate the help!

 

[Mac... nificent]

The computer will be hooked up to a receiver that will play music in two other areas of the house, which will be a very common use of it.

For music other devices currently on the market can do this much easier, like Sonos speakers or even a Hi-Fly multi-room adapter (http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/hi-fly-multi-room). For movies a simple NAS would work and give you more control. Do not skimp on a wall mount. I've seen customers do this and learn a valuable lesson afterwards.

 

[Alrescha]

For music other devices currently on the market can do this much easier

Given that the OP appears to already have the Mac, the Apple TVs, and the receiver, how exactly could buying and integrating third-party products be "much easier"?

To the OP, I have multiple Apple TVs with iTunes on OS X as the hub and have always been happy with the results.

A.

 

[d21mike]

I would continue to use the Apple TV as the primary device for getting content. We are now using the Apple TV 4 as the only box on all of our TV's including the one in the Kitchen. We have 8 TV's. However, I just have it setting on a stand that I can manually swivel to point to the pool room when needed (24" but may upgrade). But have considered the mount like you are doing.
For your content you might want to consider an inexpensive NAS (I use the WDMyCloud - starts at $129) instead of relying on your Laptop if the data is not DRM Protected. Nice small always on device.
We also get all of our Live TV using the Channels App with a HDHomeRun Turner setting next to the NAS. Also, beta testing the DVR. Going with this all you need to do is add a Apple TV 4 to any TV that needs support going forward.
And of course all TV's have the 1 UI and 1 Remote and the same content.

 

[off_piste]

For music other devices currently on the market can do this much easier, like Sonos speakers or even a Hi-Fly multi-room adapter (http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/hi-fly-multi-room). For movies a simple NAS would work and give you more control. Do not skimp on a wall mount. I've seen customers do this and learn a valuable lesson afterwards.

It seems like most of the time some idiot has anchored their tv to drywall and not the studs. I only purchase mounts under $50 (usually even 30) and they've all been solid. The larger ones I got from Monoprice and they had large lag lots that weren't going anywhere.

 

[Mac... nificent]

how exactly could buying and integrating third-party products be "much easier"?

You apparently missed the part where they asked "Anything else I should be aware?". Using an Apple TV is a great way to go. I have one and love it, and reccomend the TV 4 to everyone I know. It's great and getting better with each new update, but a NAS would offer more flexibility. They don't have to buy a high-end NAS like a Synology, QNap, etc. They could get a cheap NAS like a WD MyCloud, Buffalo LinkStation (75.00), Vantec NexStar (76.00), LaCie CloudBox etc. I have gone the computer/receiver route and by far prefer the convenience of the NAS. There are many options to do what they want to do, using a NAS is one of the newer options that many use
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It seems like most of the time some idiot has anchored their tv to drywall and not the studs. I only purchase mounts under $50 (usually even 30) and they've all been solid.

Yes a good wall mount doesn't have to cost a lot. People just need to make sure it's the right mount for the job and that they take the time to install it properly. Drywall is no substitute for wall studs. The most expensive wall mount in the world mounted to drywall, won't work as well as a cheap mount to studs.

 

[Alrescha]

You apparently missed the part where they asked "Anything else I should be aware?".

I do not know what gives you that impression, but it is not relevant to my question, which was: given that the OP already has this equipment, how can buying and integrating a suite of third-party equipment be considered "much easier"?

A.

 

[xyzoptics]

NAS
I had a terrrrrrribbbbblllleeeee experience with the WD MyCloud. I went through four of them in a year (all replaced on warranty) before finally just selling it and moving on. I'm -hoping- a computer will be more stable while also allowing me to actually use it as a computer because when I want to. I'll definitely keep it in mind, though, especially if they've improved (have they?). Adding a third Apple TV and installing a better NAS might be a better solution, then just airplay to the monitor from the laptop if that's a desire. But for now that would be more expensive, so I'll probably run with the hardware I already have. Maybe a late 2016 upgrade depending on how things are going with current devices.

 

[d21mike]

NAS
I had a terrrrrrribbbbblllleeeee experience with the WD MyCloud. I went through four of them in a year (all replaced on warranty) before finally just selling it and moving on. I'm -hoping- a computer will be more stable while also allowing me to actually use it as a computer because when I want to. I'll definitely keep it in mind, though, especially if they've improved (have they?). Adding a third Apple TV and installing a better NAS might be a better solution, then just airplay to the monitor from the laptop if that's a desire. But for now that would be more expensive, so I'll probably run with the hardware I already have. Maybe a late 2016 upgrade depending on how things are going with current devices.

I have had zero problems using the WDMyCloud for my HDHomeRun DVR Solution. Others on the HDHomeRun Forums are reporting the same thing. And I am using the Personal Single Drive Model with 4TB. But my TV Recorded (temporary) data is not that important. You might consider a NAS with 2 drives for a RAID type configuration. With your bad experience you might consider a higher end one from Synology or others. I use Synology for work and they are nice but more expensive then I need for my purpose.

 

[Alrescha]

I'm -hoping- a computer will be more stable while also allowing me to actually use it as a computer because when I want to.

If you are a fan of saving electricity, be aware that if you turn on Wake for Network access you can sleep your computer and the Apple TVs can wake it up on demand.

A.

 

[xyzoptics]

I have a theory that the box kept crashing because of power or wifi instability. Neither of those issues would shock me at my house, I'm in a pretty remote area. It has definitely left a sour taste in my mouth regarding the whole thing.

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm getting out of this that I need to make sure and carefully select and more importantly install the wall mount. Good to know.

I'm feeling pretty good about how this should work out. Now onto finding the right monitor/wall mount!

 

[LiveM]

WD MyCloud would be quite adequate for photos. If you have concerns (I haven't had any problems) then I recommend an Airport Extreme to which you can attach an external hard drive. Both read at aboutnthe same rate.

This then provides the foundation for a home sound system via Airport Express units, which can also host a printer. They have outstanding analogue converters and can also output digitally. You can send to Apple TV at the same time, and audio will keep in sync with everything across the network. If you have Apple TV3s, you will have optical audio out plus Conference Room Mode which plays audio and video to multiple ATVs, again in sync, via Airplay from your Mac or iOS device.

4K at 27" is unnecessary.