How To: Build An HTPC (With Windows 7)

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[citation][nom]LuxZg[/nom]OK, I do have a few questions.First is - total price for hardware? I know it's from AMD, but I'm wondering if this Maui is anywhere to be seen as a complete platform, or do we have to hunt for individual components by ourselves.Second is - how about satelite cards? Technisat SS2 cards are very popular in my country, but there's no PCI slot on MSI board. So what can you suggest here as an addition to Maui HTPC so we can watch satellite channels as well?And last but not least, have you even tried using a discrete graphics card? Power supply from article is plenty even for HD4870 card (since this is almost all-ATI/AMD setup) which would alow for a good gaming session on big screen and surround, even on FullHD resolution. Problem is in dual slot cooler and how much would it interfere with rest of the add-in cards. It looks as a no-go because of MSI soundcard, right? So what could you suggest than - that's better than onboard, single slot, HDMI ready, not noisy when in 2D or playing DVD/BluRay etc. HD4850 maybe? Would it be good for HTPC setup in this platform?As for comments above regarding ripping collections of optical media - with 4 empty slots for 3.5" drives in that HTPC case, RAID support on MSI board, and 1.5TB drives out there - only problem is how deep are your pockets. Not to mention that you can always go the ways of NAS box in the other room with several more HDDs.[/citation]

Lux,

I was able to find all of the components for this one on NewEgg, if you want to build your own. If you want the complete platform, I linked to a pre-built machine from Ace Computer that we played with at CES. Further, Aspen Media Products, Life|Ware, Maingear, and Cannon PC all offer systems already configured. The benefit here is that you can use an OCUR tuner, since those vendors are able to get CableLABS certs.

As for a sat box, one of the above solutions would likely be your best bet for supporting a configuration like that and getting OCUR support.

I didn't try a discrete card, but if you really want a solid HTPC recommendation, I'd be fine with a Radeon HD 4670 card given the resolutions I'd be running on the TV. For this build, we didn't need anything beyond the IGP to accomplish our goal.
 
[citation][nom]ap90033[/nom]Will this record everything a satellite/cable PVR will record? I BET NO. Until you can record everything these units can whats the point???[/citation]

way to show your ignorance. if you ask a question, wait for the answer before sticking your foot in your mouth. there is hardware to do all of this and more.
 
[citation][nom]rlevitov[/nom]chris one thing i dont get. whats the differance? i have HTPC for almost 3 yrs now (with VISTA) and i have all above functionality... (minus the Dual Tuner cause in israel we have to use set top BOX to see HD and Cables) i also have a remote and so on and with my old pvr150mce i can also record while playing games and such...what does windows seven and all above gives beyond the old vista???[/citation]

Some of the differences include: content is still visible behind a new menu you pull up (if you're watching a recorded show, for example), there's the touch interface I mentioned in the story, the Play To shell functionality, virtual channels, which expand the Internet television capabilities of MCE (even if you don't have a tuner, you can watch shows that Microsoft is able to get into its iTV interface--we'll likely see more available there at launch), television content can be launched from the Start menu if you're on the Windows desktop.

There are a couple of other additions that are more aesthetic, but the ones above are the most interesting in my mind.
 
"How cool would it be," I asked, "if the next generation of remotes included touch screens for navigating the interface, since this is something Windows 7 will support?"
Click to expand...
I have found that the best remote control for a cobbled-together media center PC is an iPod Touch. There are scads of apps available that emulate button-based remotes, and there are VNC based ones like "Jaadu" (which is what I use - it works perfectly and costs less than 10 bucks).
 
[citation][nom]BBFATTS[/nom]You mentioned the Playstation 3 in your article, but have you ever tried the Xbox 360? It can connect to your PC too and the Windows Media Center interface that you love so much will come up right on your Xbox allowing you to browse and stream all your pictures, music, and videos as if you were on your PC. The only catch is that it doesn't support all file formats although it does support the most poular ones. The currently supported formats are: WMV, WMA, MP3, MPEG2, MPEG4-Part 2, Simple Profile, and Advanced Simple Profile (Xvid)(DivX). I have 11,000 Mp3s, about 30 T.V. seasons, and a gazzilion photos on my PC, and I 'm able to watch/listen to them all on my Big Screen through my Xbox. I can even open up my pre-made music playlists. I have never experienced any lag and I stream full 1080p video and HD audio which is supported through the Xbox's HDMI and Optical audio outputs. If your looking for a cheap solution to bring your computer's media to your front room try the Xbox for $199.99. Just beware of those high hardware failure rates... For more information go to: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware [...] center.htm[/citation]

Nope, no Xbox, but I have demoed Windows 7 using the Xbox 360 as an extender. In fact, with the 360 hooked up to the TV, you can use the same Play To feature on your PC to play stuff straight to the TV, so long as it's a supported file format.
 
[citation][nom]Jakt[/nom]Many of the issues brought up with the Televesion portion of this article have been addressed with Snapstream's "Beyond TV" software. I just wish that there was a way to more seamlessly integrate it with Windows Media Center. I have used Beyond TV for a couple of years now, and it makes Media Center's Television capability look like a toy. I try the MediaPortal (www.team-mediaportal.com) once in a while, and while it is getting better all the time, it still doesn't cut it for me.With an HP Mediasmart server running in a corner of my basement holding a my movie and music library, and Beyond TV's "Link" software on office PC, I would argue that a pc-based home theater is a truly viable and worthwhile project![/citation]

Jakt, thanks for pointing that out. In my previous HTPC builds, SnapStream was an incredible piece of software. I neglected to add it to this build in my focus to get Windows 7 working, but if there turns out to be a follow-up, I'll definitely make sure it's included as a point of comparison.
 
[citation][nom]barrychuck[/nom]Great review, and as to your question about remotes with LCD screens for media center, they do exist!! The support was included with VISTA known as Sideshow. To date, I only know of one manufacturer, Ricavision. The remote the Vave 100 http://www.ricavision.com/vave100.html. It works with bluetooth connectivity and has learning IR to run all of your AV equipment. Expensive but worth it for VISTA or Windows 7.[/citation]

Thanks Barry--checking this out.
 
[citation][nom]ncarty97[/nom]What are you using for a remote control? Is the receiver built into the case or sitting out separately?[/citation]

The receiver is a small Diamond USB Ir transceiver dongle. The remote itself is an ordinary MCE remote.
 
[citation][nom]noobinberg[/nom]Did I miss something? How much memory is in this rig?[/citation]

2 GB of DDR2-800. Nothing big--then again, nothing big was really needed. Could have added an extra 2 GB for 20 bucks more if it were necessary.
 
You paid a premium for a unique motherboard that has a price tag only justified by the inclusion of an onboard five-channel amplifier. Instead of using the one major feature that would compel someone to buy this board, you decide to hook it up via S/PDIF?

I understand that this article was meant to take a look at HTPC’s on Windows 7 but I would have appreciated another look at a somewhat interesting motherboard.
 
A few points:

First, for speakers/amp, I strongly recomend something as simple as the Logitech Z-5500, these are more than ample for home theater use and all they need is a coaxial OR toslink (optical) spdif output from motherboard. Which is hard to NOT find these days on a motherboard - also can easily cut your motherboard price in half. I got these and they work great. (you can find solace in the THX certification)

Second, to add to what you said about the mouse/keyboard/remote combo, Logitech Dinovo Edge. It is expensive, but its also pretty awesome. I got this and once I got over paying for it, have not regretted it once.

For the dvd playback in MCE vs PowerDVD, easy fix, I believe you can set the default program for DVD playback to be PowerDVD. Voila, both go to same program.

Now I venture into territory of something I have not done yet, the Logitech Harmony series of remotes (particularly the touchscreen 1000 and 1100 models). I cant believe you would not be able to find some kick a$$ applications for these in a HTPC. In the mean time, when the heck is someone going to pull their heads out of their "rear" and make a competent bluetooth (RF that is) MCE remote. I hate trying to aim my IR one when not dead on.

And a question I have, how is the ventilation and LCD/VFD readout on that case, I currently have my HTPC in an Antec Fusion 430 Black and love it, ONLY problem is you are limited to 2 hard drives - but eSATA and some cable hiding can help that along.
 
Why would you use a DRM-burdened OS like Windows 7, when you can use say, Mythbuntu (http://www.mythbuntu.org/)? Its free, and its designed specifically for HTPC usage.
 
One problem: how is that power supply going to drive a "5x100w" amplifier? Seems like that amp power rating is highly inflated. Granted, that level of power inflation is pretty common in budget amp/receiver setups. I wonder when it actually starts clipping, risking damage to tweeters?
 
I have just finished 80% of my HTPC... specs below:
Intel Q45 MB w/ HDMI Out
Intel E6850
2GB DDR3
on-board audio via HDMI out
LG Blu-Ray
Samsung HDD 750GB
Thermaltake DH101
 
Hello Chris,

Although for the most part a great review, I think you miss the essence of this platform, namely it's great audio quality combined with great onboard video quality. You say that you have used your own multi-channel receiver connected to the motherboard’s S/PDIF output. If you use this great motherboard like this, it's just another great motherboard with a few plusses.

To name one, the 780M chipset comes with an additional 128MB side-port memory. This allows the ATI Radeon HD 3200 access to its own graphics memory, instead of sharing memory with the processor, making the configuration more efficient and strips away loading access to the processor’s memory bus which will have a positive effect on playback of 1080p content.

The very, very special thing of this board are the audio capabilities. There are effectively 3 different audio codec's on this board. ATI for audio over HDMI. Realtek for the SPDIF (that you have used) and D2Audio for the analog amp or pre amp card. This last one makes the board special and is the reason you want to buy this board. On the board you will find the DAE-3 Digital Amplifier chip from D2Audio (recently taken over by Intersil).

D2Audio is a very well known chipmaker in the audio space; they make high quality class D digital amplifiers for folks like B&W, Polk, Control 4, Phasetech, Denon, Marantz, etc. This code provides much higher audio quality than traditional PC audio. Signal to Noise Ratio is 105dB or higher, Total Harmonic Distortion is 0.1% or lower. This is similar to fairly expensive Mainstream Amplifiers.

D2Audio specializes in Class-D amplifiers that achieve remarkable 93% power efficiency. This means that for every 100W of power delivered to the speakers, less than 7W is dissipated by the amplifier. Because of the way audio power is distributed between channels, the overall amplifier thermal dissipation inside the enclosure will typically be below 20W. This compares with the 40% to 50% efficiency of Class-A/B amplifiers which dissipate as much power inside the enclosure as they deliver to the speakers. That's why receivers are so heavy (a very huge cooling block and powerful PSU).

The 5-channel amplifier with a 100W peak power (at 8Ω or 200W at 4Ω) per channel can draw as much as 500W peak alone from the typical 300W ATX power supply. If such a high power were drawn from the supply in an uncontrolled way, the CPU voltages could not be maintained at correct levels and the system would crash. Having a digital media platform crash every time a loud sequence is played in a movie or game is obviously unacceptable. Fortunately, D2Audio developed real-time power monitoring and management firmware that runs on the embedded DAE-3 DSP to carefully monitor and control the power draw from the ATX power supply. With careful supply loading and local power storage, the system is able to meet the 500W peak amplifier demands delivering outstanding audio, while also protecting the CPU operating voltages.

If may do a suggestion, pull your speaker cables out of your receiver, including your sub and hook them up to the 5.1 AMP card that came with the board. I think you will be suprised.
 
[citation][nom]snarfies[/nom]Why would you use a DRM-burdened OS like Windows 7, when you can use say, Mythbuntu (http://www.mythbuntu.org/)? Its free, and its designed specifically for HTPC usage.[/citation]

What DRM-Burden would you be talking about? I am running Vista MCE that people say is DRM'ed also, but I have never found burdened by it, in fact I have never even seen its ugly face show up.
 
[citation][nom]FrustratedRhino[/nom]@wmt Apperently you haven't used a Tivo. I have a Tivo HD and it states a "80GB" storage. Well what it doesn't say is a free download on your computer allows you to download all the items from your Tivo to your computer... thus removing the limit from the Tivo. So please research your comment before making yourself look like you are just whining.[/citation]

ConstipatedRhino - keep playing with your Tivo... you obviously don't get it.
My point was to provide information on the device Chris mentioned in the last part of the article for those that might be interested. For those of us that have cable companies that are limiting the devices that can be connected and decrypt the HD channels sometimes the only workaround is the analog hole. The Hauppage HD PVR is a simple device with good quality and ease of use.
 
[citation][nom]snarfies[/nom]http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut [...] _cost.html[/citation]

Thanks for the reply. I read through it and it seems like since I am using hdmi w/hdcp on my system, I have no issues. Everything I try and playback works fine, without being degraded or blocked. I can see from that article that it would have been an issue in the past before hdcp, but not anymore, or at least not for the hardware I am using.
 
[citation][nom]snarfies[/nom]Why would you use a DRM-burdened OS like Windows 7, when you can use say, Mythbuntu? Its free, and its designed specifically for HTPC usage.[/citation]
I love Ubuntu and Myth is pretty cool in its own right... the author, however, expressed a desire to watch BluRay moves. Good luck with that on Mythbuntu. Good luck also *EVER* getting OCUR/Tru2Way working in-line without the "DRM-burden" that Microsoft included in Windows out of consumer demand. It's not like Microsoft WANTS to support the non-Microsoft DRM - but people have wanted it and RIAA/MPAA aren't making content available on systems that won't enforce it (without hacking their media, of course.)
 
They should be offering both and Microsoft shouldn't be pushing the half working os on people that don't know anything about computers. I am glad she did this. Who cares if she gets money or not maybe things will change. She could have been given the chance to purchase a home version most people don't even know the difference anyways. I only know about a few thing in the control panel that are different and I have been fixing computers for years.
 
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