Official HTPC Thread

[xtop]

anyone have one? throw up pics and specs.

i'm gonna make this thread your go to thread to know what to buy. so give me some time..and suggestions

Popcorn Hour:
Popcorn Hour C-200



$299

Playstation 3:

$349
HTPC:
$80

785g mobo + amd x4
ati 5770 for gaming

$400ish. $500ish for gaming version

Nettop:
Lenovo IdeaCenter Q110

A compact 6 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches, the Q110 uses Intel’s single-core Atom 230 1.6GHz processor with 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard-drive and Windows Vista Home Premium 64; an upgrade to Windows 7 upon its release next month is also included in the price.

$399

those are your 4 easy options

*note* this is going to be a slow update process, and a lot will be stolen from other forums, but actually get updated over time

 

[xtop]

reserved

 

[xtop]

reserved1

 

[Sirjump]

Just finished a self-built HTPC. With XBMC software (freeware). I highly recommend =)

 

[surfury]

I have to admit they are great fun until the TV card stops working for whatever reason, then it's major heartache.

 

[jamesjmorton]

I have used a mac mini (running Plex) for years now. Haven't seen a tv advert is years!

 

[NazguL66]

Using my Apple TV2 jailbroken with XBMC, works great!

 

[Psytrix]

Have been pulling my hair out with the bug-ridden Boxee Box the last couple of years, though have just purchased a "Little Black Box" Which is a linux build of XBMC

littleblackboxna dot com

I know the specs don't sound all that exciting, but it's priced quite nicely and seems to have very good dev support from what I've been reading.

 

[Lone Crusader]

My Setup

ASRock VISION HT 323B Intel Core i5-3230M Mobile Ivy Bridge Processor
$660


Synology DS1812+ Diskless System DiskStation NAS System (up to 18 HDD's)
$930


Running Windows 7 and XBMC v12.2 “Frodo”
I'm using the Aeon Nox 4.0 Skin

With this setup I have almost limitless storage for movies using H.264 codec and an awesome HTPC to boot.

 

[Jason Bourne]

^^^ Man that looks awesome Acid. I have been thinking of setting up a HTPC and your setup looks mighty rad.

 

[Lone Crusader]

^^^ Man that looks awesome Acid. I have been thinking of setting up a HTPC and your setup looks mighty rad.

It's pretty nice to say the least, also I just got the Synology in on Friday with only three 4TB HDD's and it's rockin' right along. Before I only had a WD MyBookLive NAS that was only 2TB max and was shared between my desktop PC and my HTPC. Now I'm pretty much not limited by size anymore as the drives are removable and the Synology can be scaled up to 18 Drives with the Synology DX510 which can up it to 72TB. That is massive!

I have over 1500 movies and right now I was capped out at about 200 at 1080p and 5.1 surround plus my desktop PC backed up as well. Now I can start converting more for the HTPC. Also with XBMC it's like having your own video library at your fingertips too.

Here's a video of the Aeon Nox 4.0 skin to give you an idea of how good xbmc is.

 

[ash333]

Great setup Acid!! XBMC truly rocks! That Synology is definitely a great NAS especially with room for 18 HDDs

 

[Lone Crusader]

On the ASRock VISION HT 323B I would upgrade the 500GB HDD to an SSD similar to what I did. I upgraded it to the Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB which is a value line series. If your running just the OS (Which I recommend Win7 and NOT Win8 which I'll get into further down) and XBMC then your golden.

The reason I would upgrade the HDD to an SSD not only for it's increased performance but because the stock HDD sits right over the CPU heatsink and just sits there and cooks. Anyways I had a few BSOD and immediately found it as an heat issue due to the HDD heating up. SSD's can handle heat issues a lot more sensibly than a typical HDD can.

I also replaced the stock 4GB DDR3-1600MHz (2x2GB) memory modules for Crucial 16GB DDR3 SDRAM Low Profile Server Memory Modules 16GB (2 x 8GB) and maxed out my memory capacity which allows Win7 to run more proficiently, especially under load.

Some people reported noisy optical drives so you can also replace the front slot loading Blu-ray burner for a model that is a little less noisy but I didn't as I rarely use it and primarily use the NAS as a media server. It is an option though.

Also the case top can be easily removed with the press of a button on the back close to the top that allows the lid to be easily and effortlessly removed.

Setting up Software
As stated previously, this is a Windows build. Linux paired with OpenOLEC is a fantastic HTPC solution in certain situations, but it doesn’t play Netflix easily due to the Silverlight plugin (that could change as Netflix shifts to HTML5), setting up Blu-ray playback is complicated and gaming can be an issue. I prefer sticking with Windows 7 and using a combination of Windows Media Center and XBMC to watch stored media as well as live television.

Why use Windows 7 over Windows 8? Windows 7 includes native DVD playback and live TV recording while the application that replaced Windows Media Center in Windows 8 has become somewhat crippled without paying for Windows Pro Pack. In addition, I can easily boot directly into Windows Media Center in Windows 7.

There are a couple advantages to a Windows 8 HTPC, though. Specifically, boot times are significantly better when paired with a SSD drive and the Metro-style interface for video apps is relatively easy to navigate with a remote. Unfortunately, remote control support within Windows 8 applications can be spotty and often requires moving back to keyboard / mouse controls. Basically, if you plan to record live television, Windows 7 is the way to go.

In order to access all the video content I’ve collected over the years, I use XBMC; it’s a gorgeous media center that allows you to browse and play movies, television shows, music and other media. It offers an incredible number of custom options, has a thriving, enthusiastic community and provides excellent functionality for the HTPC owner. It’s also completely free, however donating to the developers is definitely encouraged.

When setting up XBMC, you basically point the software in the direction of where your content is stored, be it on a hard drive within the HTPC or a NAS home file server. While the software takes inventory of your media, you can use the software’s data scraping tool to pair information about a movie or television show with the appropriate cover art, plot summary and other details relevant to the content.

The easiest way to accomplish this effectively is to work through your library prior to using XBMC and assign supported name formats for each piece of content. This can be take a bit of time if you have a huge library of files, but the payoff in XMBC is absolutely fantastic.

In addition to cover art, you will also see a high definition promotional still related to the movie or television show splashed up on the screen. You can also customize these graphics one at a time, but that requires lots of additional time and effort. Be sure to check out the huge collection of user-generated themes for XBMC that can give your home theater display a unique look and make it easy for anyone in the household to locate and play media.

Regarding additional functionality: You can stream a variety of Web content through XBMC, stream content over Airplay from an iOS device, watch Blu-ray discs through the XBMC interface and use Advanced Launcher to play games or read comics. If you have multiple XBMC installations on computers around your home, you can even sync media playback in order to pick up where you left off on a movie or television show. When set up correctly, XBMC can provide a home theater experience that is unmatched when compared to set-top boxes and gaming consoles.

Anything Else?
Be sure to pair your HTPC with a solid indoor or outdoor home theater antenna for crystal clear, over-the-air high definition content.

HTPC accessories like remotes, wireless keyboards and mice can also be important in making your system family friendly. Logitech has a variety of interesting solutions, specifically the K400.

Consider connecting your HTPC to a NAS home file server using a gigabit router and wired connections. When accessing high definition video files, faster transfer speed are an absolute must.

Set a budget for your build. While a fancy HTPC case might be fun to show off to family and friends, going with a cheaper case and investing in a NAS box will provide more functionality for the home.

All in all, there’s definitely a learning curve to the technical aspects of building a HTPC and setting up the software so everything works properly. Be sure to do your research before jumping in, and talk with the other members of your household to see what their needs are before investing in the hardware. That being said, adding a HTPC into your home theater is a fantastic way to catalog and access stored media, record high definition television programming and streamline the viewing experience of digital content.

I just thought I'd throw all that out there for those beginners that are going in blind. I did and could have used a simple guide such as this to get me on my way. Hope this helps.

 

[domalorite]

Great post! Spot on. Thats pretty much how I have my HTPC setup.

 

[Lone Crusader]

Here some more images taken from xbmc. It really is the best HTPC software out. I just added a theme to the Aeon Nox skin. It's called Brushed Aluminum and you can see it throughout these images.

Also here's an actor profile that the software scrapes from the web. What the weather looks like and also the music interface of it. xbmc is truly a work of art and would be a great addition to anybody's HTPC. Everything and I mean everything is customizable from within xbmc.

I mean look at the movie image, that little bar where it says 'Earth Will Fall' is the tagline bar and can be displayed or not, it's all up to your discretion. The logo in the middle upper right can be changed to a logo/clear art or just as a logo or nothing at all.

 

[Lone Crusader]

I think I might have jumped the gun when I bought the Synology. Don't get me wrong, the Synology is a bad ass piece of hardware. I didn't do all my homework when I came to deciding. I only looked at two brands, the Synology and the Qnap SMB NAS units.

What I missed out in my homework was a completely different brand that appears to be better suited for what I want and less expensive too. It also has some automated features that I like. It's called the Drobo 5N.

What I just found out about the Synology is that as I add more drives to it I have to span my data out on it manually which is a lot of work and time. Not only that but what I didn't realize until I got it was that the drives don't just slide in and your good to go. Each drive mount has a HDD caddy that the drive has to actually be screwed on to. Not as hot swappable as I was hoping for.

The Drobo 5N is truly hot swappable and once a drive is removed or inserted the software immediately and automatically starts to span the available space to the new size whether it be smaller or larger and as long as you don't remove more than two drives it will still retain your data and rebuild and span a new volume for you. Called single and dual drive redundancy. Now that's bad ass.

We'll the Synology is only a week old so I'll be returning it and buying the Drobo 5N instead. NewEgg's return policy is pretty good. Anyways I've included a couple of videos on the Drobo 5N.





Also I forgot to mention that the Drobo 5N will also accept an mSATA on the bottom of the unit dramatically increasing the performance of the unit while still allowing all five HDD or SSD to be put in the unit. If your not sure what an mSATA card is, there extremely small SSD cards that fit in things like Ultrabooks and other small form factors.

 

[Lone Crusader]

We'll I'm selling my AsRock Vision HTPC to my uncle. He saw how my setup was and was floored at how good it is. He got a little disappointed though because he said he couldn't afford one and a NAS. I offered to sell him my HTPC for about half the price I paid for it and told him that he didn't have to buy a large NAS but maybe like a two or three bay unit and it would be cheaper.

This gives me an opportunity to buy a new one. For the last three days I've been doing research trying to find a unit that would serve me well for what I need more so than the AsRock did. When I bought the AsRock I wound up replacing both the HDD and the RAM and I didn't even use the Blu-ray player except to install Windows 7.

So I set out to find a unit that's basically a bare bones unit and will allow me to initially install my own HDD or SSD and RAM right up front instead of having to replace ones that are already installed. Believe it or not there are a lot of them to choose from, hence why it took me three days of researching to find which is best for my needs and that's reasonably priced too.

I finally decided on the Zotac ZBox ID83 for only $340 at NewEgg.

There are two versions of the ID83, a bare bones edition and a Plus edition. The Plus edition already comes with a HDD and RAM and that's not what I wanted so I decided on just the bare bones edition.

Also unlike the AsRock HTPC, Zotac specialize in making HTPC's and the placement of the components are better placed than the AsRock's were. At least the drive doesn't sit directly over the CPU and cook.

Also the Zotac does not have an optical drive so your probably wondering how I'm going to put an operating system (OS) on there without an optical drive? I know that some of you won't even use an optical drive so I'll explain how to do that further down for those that are not familiar with how that works.

I also decided that I was going with an SSD for the drive. The drive is super easy to remove too. All that holds it in place is a single thumb screw and once removed the drive just slides right out. Also the RAM is placed away from the drive and the CPU and makes it simple to switch out should I ever want to upgrade.

I've decided on the 240GB Samsung 840 Evo SSD drive. Samsung make really good drives plus all the components are made from them. They even have there own controller which I like.

I'm also going with G.SKILL 8GB 204-Pin SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 RAM. It's basically laptop memory so it has a smaller form factor.

I plan to go with OpenElec for an OS rather than Windows 7 but I'll explain both procedures below. I'm also still staying with XBMC as well as it's just the best media software there is.

Setting up software and an OS without an optical drive.

Download a software called PowerISO.
Obtain a copy of Win7 or Win8. You'll need to have your own registration product key though.

How to Setup Windows 7 or Windows 8 from USB drive?
Step1: Create Bootable USB Drive:

Start PowerISO.

Insert the USB drive you intend to boot from.

Choose the menu "Tools > Create Bootable USB Drive". The "Create Bootable USB Drive" dialog will popup. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7 / 8 operating system, you need confirm the UAC dialog to continue.

In "Create Bootable USB Drive" dialog, click "..." button to open the iso file of Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Select the correct USB drive from the "Destination USB Drive" list if multiple USB drives are connected to the computer.

Choose the proper writing method. "USB-HDD" is recommended.

Click "Start" button to start creating windows 7 / 8 bootable USB drive.

If no errors occurred in the above process, you should now be all set to setup Windows 7 / 8 from USB drive!

Step 2: Configuring the BIOS:

You should now reboot and go into the BIOS configuration to boot from USB. Instructions for doing so wildly from system to system, but generally entail the following:

Reboot the system.

While booting (before Windows starts loading), get into the BIOS configuration screen by hitting something like F1, F2, Delete or Escape. Hotkey instructions are generally provided on the screen.

Go to the section that contains your boot devices.

With your USB drive plugged in, the USB drive should be listed. If it isn’t, your system might not support booting from USB. Assuming that it is supported (as is the case with virtually all modern hardware), promote your USB drive to the primary boot device.

Exit from the BIOS configuration, saving all changes.

Step 3: Booting and setup windows 7 / Windows 8 from USB drive:

Assuming that you properly configured your BIOS and your USB drive supports booting, Windows 7 / 8 setup should now load. Depending on the speed of your USB drive, this may take a while.

If it isn’t working, then double-check the following before making a scene:

Is your BIOS properly configured for booting from the USB device? (Is the USB device listed and does it have top priority?)

Have you correctly prepared the USB drive in step one? (Restart the procedure.)

Does your USB drive properly support being booted from? (Try another one!)

OpenELEC and why?
Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center (OpenELEC) is a small Linux distribution built from scratch as a platform to turn your computer into an XBMC media center. OpenELEC is designed to make your system boot fast, and the install is so easy that anyone can turn a blank PC into a media machine in less than 15 minutes.

It's completely free
A full install is only 80-125MB
Minimal hardware requirements
Simple install to HDD, SSD, Compact Flash, SD card, pen drive or other
Optimized builds for Atom, ION, Intel, Fusion and more
Simple configuration through the XBMC interface
Plug and Play external storage
File sharing out of the box
Boot straight into XBMC

I know there are people that are not as familiar with this as I am so that's why the semi-tutorial. Also if you have any question about Win7 or Win8 just shoot me a PM. Good luck.

 

[Jason Bourne]

My minds mush after reading this thread, LOL. But keep posting anyways Acid... invaluable information in here IMO for anyone that cares about this stuff.

 

[Lone Crusader]

My minds mush after reading this thread, LOL. But keep posting anyways Acid... invaluable information in here IMO for anyone that cares about this stuff.

Thanks. I know, the Zotac only has an i3 Intel processor and the AsRock has an i5 so why did I decide to go that route. Well I'll tell you, I'm only going to be streaming from a file server and that i3 is plenty fast. It's Intel's 3rd generation i3 and I've seen videos of people benching it against 1080p video without any lag whatsoever.

Also to be perfectly honest because I'm throwing OpenELEC on the drive it has such a very small footprint and demands such a small amount of memory I could actually go with a 64GB SSD and only 4GB of RAM and that would be plenty. In fact I still might do that since I'm waiting until payday to make my purchase I just haven't completely decided yet.

If you have any questions just give me a shout.

 

[Lone Crusader]

If case anyone is interested in the setup that I'm going with I've included snapshots of my NewEgg wish lists and links to the actual products.

Zotac ZBox-ID83-U
Samsung 840 EVO SSD
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Drobo 5N Diskless System Storage Array
Crucial M500 120GB SATA mSATA SSD
Seagate NAS HDD 4TB 64MB Cache SATA III

Having a mSATA in the Drobo is not absolutely necessary but if you do want a performance increase and decide that you want a cheaper mSATA you need to be aware that if you get one that it does not have a SandForce controller because they are incompatible with the Drobo.

All the Mushkin mSATA SSD's have SandForce controllers. Crucial though have Marvell controllers.