The HTPC / Windows 7 Chronicles: You Asked, We Answer!

[Guest]

Very nice review!!!!

As a matter of fact since two month ago i run an ION based HTPC with Ubuntu. At an astounding 23*24*8cm this completely silent box actually works as my router, htpc, backup-, storage- and web-server. Hooked up to a 50" 1080p TV and a 7.1 AV-Receiver (both connected over HDMI, controlled over RS232 or equivalent) this is the ultimate solution.

Since the box functions as a vpn endpoint too, i can securely access it from anywhere. hey i can even use my remote (iphone) from abroad.... next step will be to hook up my heating, shutters, ...

Granted there is no more space for a tv-tuner inside (who records tv anyway?), only one gigabit ethernet, no other hi-def audio out than HDMI (means you still need a receiver! Looked all around but found nothing that would replace a receiver. In the end Maui is the ONLY solution that integrates an amplifier and thus can replace a receiver.)
But it has PAP/HDCP paths (well not when using linux but hell, i wouldn't need a 4TB raid5 array if i hadn't ripped all my dvds/blurays) and replaces many other devices.

* HFX micro M2 Case @ $300
* PointOfView N330 ION board with PCIe16 @ $150
* Areca 16xSATA Controller ARC-1300ix-16 @ $400
* 1x Intel X18-M 80GB SSD @ $400
* 10x 500GB 2,5" HDD @ $100 each
* 1x BD-Rom slimline @ $150
* picoPSU + 120W ac-dc psu @ $90
* Ralink USB WLAN Dongle to create an AP $30
* second ethernet : USB LAN Dongle @ $30
* USB tv tuner @ $50

* AND : one iphone to bind them... (sorry i use a custom built remote software that is quite hacked together and still rather buggy, but it exposes the htpc/tv/receiver combo as ONE device! no more unified remote where you have one remote but must actually control multiple devices using it... actually was by far the most time consuming task)

@ $2500 this fills all my needs besides tv&receiver, it goes far beyond a htpc, while making zero noise (except when accessing the hdds, but if you know linux, use your ssd as a smart cache) using as little as 120 watts and being not half the size of a receiver...

 

[Guest]

Great artikel! I would like to bild this bitchen htpc...but I already have bouht an Radeon HD 4850 wich I cannot return. not only systembilder, I am very pro in woodworking and metalshop tools. in my last cutting edge system I adapt a dule-processer tyan 1U serverbord by just file down the retail heatsinks to fit with a grinder wheele!

I have notice the hdd tray clearance on the radeon 4850 isn't to bad...reqwiring maybe only about 5 or 6 % of the pcb total area to be removed with a haksaw or a pair of tinsnips maybe. In turms of video performance this is like a decrease from 16x to 15x PCIe wich I think is prtty minor...anyone else try this?

 

[Guest]

Great article. I have been building a nearly identical system with nearly identical parts for about a month now. Two problems persist... 1. ClearQAM TV looks absolutely horrendous. I’ve tried 2 different cards now, including the one in this review. A third is on its way and I’m hoping that will be the charm. 2. Subwoofer output only works in PowerDVD 9 and not at all when listening to music in MC. So I have inconsistent behavior with the sound using the 5.1 board.

The promise of a true all-in-one Media Center is nearly there, but not quite. I look forward to the next installment!

 

[brw02005]

If your going to do linux I would suggest mythbuntu. It is not as easy to configure as windows though. Linux HDMI audio still needs a few more months to come up to par with ubuntu as I had to recompile ALSA to get it to work. I would suggest nvidia integrated graphics with a Hauppauge PVR-150 MCE tuner, IguanaIR usb IR blaster (requires recompiling lirc), and a Snapstream Firefly remote. I use multiple frontends XBMC, Boxee, and MythTV. If you see help with remote control and set up email me at benjaminrwebb@gmail.com. Linux is not easy but it is stable and can run on an old computer. Boxee is also the greatest linux HTPC program ever.

 

[niknikktm]

Nice follow up article. I am very pleased that this will be a four part ongoing project. The HTPC world is a very large and complex one, full of far too many variables and no easy answers. I look forward to the next article in hopes of being able to at least sort out a few of those variables and narrowing down some choices for my upcoming build. As the author noted in his closing statements that other operating systems will be looked at in a future installment (thanks for heeding my suggestion), I do have another suggestion regarding one type of build this should address in the end:

I believe that most folks who are at the point of starting their own HTPC build already have four basic cornerstones in place in their entertainment room: 1) A high definition TV or monitor. 2) An A\V receiver capable of surround sound (probably 7.1) with a speaker system set up accordingly. 3) A Blu-ray player. And 4) Some type of subscription television service like DirecTv, Dish Network, or cable. Most folks probably also have a network connection nearby, and perhaps a gaming console like a PS3.

I have all of the above with DirecTv and a PS3 which I primarily use as a Blu-Ray player. What I (and I assume many others like me with equivalent set-ups) am looking for in a build is the ability to be able to handle all the Blu-Ray player chores of a Blu-Ray player or the PS3 (gaming being a lower priority), but most importantly the ability to record high definition video to the HTPC like a DVR. I would also require it to be able to burn Blu-Ray discs from the DVR. That seems to be the sticky part. Thanks to HDCP the HDMI output is useless for this. However the component video output of a DirecTv receiver (or cable box) may possibly be used as an output to an analog capture card like the Black Magic Intensity Pro. This would give you up to 1080i quality HD recordings. An HD tuner card could possibly be used for off-air local HD channels as well.

I think there are an awful lot of folks out there who would like to be able to record the HD content they get from their local channels and basic subscription channels to their DVR's and make Blu-Ray back-ups if possible. It's simply the HD version of what we are doing right now with SD and DVD's.

You can buy Blu-Ray recorders with built in hard drives in Japan and have been able to do so for many years now. They're even starting to make a splash in Europe and the UK, but America is blacklisted it seems. We can't even get a standard DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner and internal HDD. Just go to Sony.jp (Japan) then to Sony.ca (Canada) then compare to what they offer us Americans here at Sony.com and you will see what I mean.

I want to get around this unfair blacklist against us Americans with my HTPC build. Is there any chance of focusing on that aspect of an HTPC build in one of the future articles? It sure would be nice, and I bet popular.

 

[niknikktm]

Just a quick update to my last post:

After much reading across a number of forums it seems that I was correct in that HDMI is pretty much out of the question thanks to HDCP. There really is no hack as of yet. Seems my thought on going with a component video capture device is the best bet. It also appears that the Black Magic Intensity Pro is probably not the best choice for this as it uses software encoding instead of hardware, and driver support is weak.

The Hauppage HD-PVR is the best answer. It happens to be a stand-alone box rather than an internal solution, but that is a small inconvenience. It encodes with an h.264 codec same as Blu-ray disc and should be a simple matter to author Blu-Ray discs in HD with a Blu-Ray authoring application. See as the price of blank Blu-ray media has tumbled dramatically in the last 9 months or so (around 3 bucks per disc), I'm going for it. Just ordered one from NewEgg for $204.00 yesterday.

You really should take a look at this approach.

 

[hella-d]

Heres An Idea.... A Passively Cooled 4670 Or 4650 Im Sure SOMEONE Produces Them, A Passivel Cooled 9500GT Would Do To Bad For Some Big Screen Gaming On An HTPC

 

[hella-d]

Dang Typos; Errata: "A PASSIVELY* Cooled 9500GT WOULDNT* Do Too Bad For Some Big Screen Gaming On An HTPC

 

[dreamer77dd]

i would love a home theater PC this is great hope to see more articles like this, benchmarks and soon. I never hear about new cards and things unless i am blind. i always hear about graphic cards. whats the future, or road map for these company's on these things? hmm the future always exciting.

 

[niz]

Ridiculous. You're proposing spending thousands for a pre-made product that doesn't even come close to the functionality you can get for pactically nothing.
You want the Perfect one-Box HTPC? Then don't even consider anything using windows.
Get a linux HDTV card for $99 (http://www.pchdtv.com/), download a MythTV-based Linux Distro like MythBuntu, and put it on an old PC you dont use anymore.

Compared to Microsoft, Linux+MythTV works better, has more features, is more configurable, has no DRM at all, is less prone to virusses, supports recording of full 1080i, and is absolutely free.

The one downside to this approach is you have to get off your ass and put it together yourself. Yes it is somewhat of a pain to configure but you only ever need to do it once,and you save yourself $thousands and get something that has no DRM and is way more useable.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]niz[/nom]and is absolutely free.[/citation]

It's only free as long as your time has no value.