Inexpensive HTPC Options

NaweG · May 2009

Trying to save a little money, and it occurs to me that with Hulu and the other streaming options out there, it's kind of silly to pay to get cable over ip and ip over ip when I can get everything for one bill over ip. IOW, spending $80/month on top of $50/month for the Internet service seems more than a little like paying twice for the same thing.

Am thinking I need an HTPC solution. Doesn't need to be a powerful gaming machine or anything, but should be able to drive an HDMI or composite output. I was thinking about setting something up with Boxee, but I'm not clear on how much machine that takes, and I assume I have to get a video card with a video out that is compatible? Maybe I should look at something else like one of the Linksys Media Extenders?

Anyone here using such a setup? Recommendations?

eternalbl · May 2009

If you have a 360 or PS3, tversity and playon media servers both support Hulu. Although Tversity's support is only in their 'pro' version.

Unknown · May 2009

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exoplasm · May 2009

If you build a PC, do yourself a favor and get Windows 7 RC on May 5th and use the media center included. Get yourself a Gyration remote (optionally a keyboard as well) and you have yourself a bitchin' HTPC. Recommended plugins: Media Browser and Media Control. FFDShow Tryouts and Haali Media Splitter for all your codec needs.

For hardware get yourself a little micro-atx case that looks nice (I have a small Lian-Li that didn't set me back much) and a micro-atx motherboard. Don't forget a 400W+ power supply if the case doesn't come with one. Go with a motherboard for AMD chips to save money. I have a Gigabyte with on-board HDMI and it works great. Throw in a cheap dual core AMD chip and 2GB (or hell 4GB with prices now) and you're set. Just get yourself hard drives and you're ready to roll.

Unknown · May 2009

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exoplasm · May 2009

If he's getting rid of cable he won't need a tuner. If he wants a tuner for broadcast HD he would be wise to get an HDHomeRun or Hava for that. The power supply was just a guesstimate.

I veto the idea of OXbox. I had one with XBMC and it choked on HD episodes of Lost. Dropped frames so bad I could stare at the same frame for 5 minutes at a time while the audio kept on going.

Unknown · May 2009

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exoplasm · May 2009

Well Hava is more than a tuner. Do you know what slingbox is? It's like that, but HD. And it can be used as a tuner in Windows Media Center.

Hot. Shit.

vonPoonBurGer · May 2009

Here's my current HTPC build:

Core 2 Duo E6750
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x 1GB DDR2-800
Western Digital 1TB Caviar Green HD
fanless Asus Geforce 8400GS
Silverstone LC13B-E case
Nexus 430W quiet PSU
a whole lot of Zalman Fanmate fan throttlers

Don't be put off by the pricier components, the CPU I have in there is massive overkill for a HTPC. They're leftover parts from when I went to Core i7 in my main rig, and I thought it made more sense to reuse them to refresh my HTPC instead of buying new budget parts.

If I were building one from scratch, it'd probably be similar except for the CPU and mobo. I'd go with the cheapest dual core processor I could find if buying new; probably an Athlon X2 4850E for their lower heat dissipation. Then a motherboard to match that processor; I might try an ASUS M2N68-VM. It has HDMI included, which is kind of nice, and optical audio out too. It doesn't appear to have component analog out, though, which may be an issue for you depending on what inputs you have to work with on your TV.

If you've got an existing mobo with no video, or you opt for a board with no video, an HTPC-appropriate video card is super cheap. For a PCI-E motherboard, the fanless 8400GS is perfect for this. If you've got an AGP mobo, a fanless Geforce 6200 will work too. Neither of those cards should cost more than $40. Both have a breakout cable for component analog, or again you can use a DVI -> HDMI adapter for HDMI digital. Both cards support HDCP as well (as does the motherboard listed above), which could be important if you ever try to do BluRay using the HTPC.

One thing I will say, I don't like Shuttle cases, or any case that's mATX-only for that matter. I had a Shuttle case once and the build quality was decent, but it was a pain in the ass to work inside. Also, it had a seriously anemic 230W PSU that would emit a high-pitched whine if you stressed it at all. I opted for the Silverstone case because it gives me the option to put in a full ATX mobo if I want, and it's much easier to work inside. It comes with no PSU but mounts a standard ATX power supply, so I can pick one that has low noise and an appropriate output level for the gear I'm using. And finally, it looks like a piece of stereo equipment so it doesn't look at all out of place in my home theater setup.

I'm currently running Windows XP and MediaPortal 1.0.1 on the HTPC, and that's serving me quite well. I scavenged an IR receiver from an old DVD decoder card, and I use that in conjunction with a Logitech Harmony remote. I've also got a USB bluetooth adapter and a Logitech wireless bluetooth keyboard with built-in trackpad; really handy for when I need to do more than the remote allows. The keyboard was marketed as a PS3 accessory, but it works just fine with any Bluetooth-equipped PC. I especially like that it means one less piece of junk (a cordless mouse) hanging around my living room.

Unknown · May 2009

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desdinova · May 2009

I'd probably just get a mac mini and chuck xbmc on there. It's pretty damn hard to beat the form factor for the price.

vonPoonBurGer · May 2009

mcdermott wrote: »

Wow, the bolded is definitely a no-go. I hadn't really considered that, I guess I just kinda assumed the darn things wouldn't sound like jet engines. Noise is definitely the enemy on an HTPC.

I should mention, it wasn't a whiny fan noise, it was actually a high-pitched electrical noise. Which is probably even worse than fan noise, because not only is it noisy and distracting, it's maybe also supplying wonky voltage to your components! And of course all the Shuttle PSUs are non-standard units. They have to be to fit inside those little cases. So it's not like you can easily move up to a bigger PSU. I may have had a bum unit, or maybe Shuttle PSU quality has improved since then, but that was my one experience with them.

mcdermott wrote: »

I think I like the look of that case, actually. At first I was put off by the large form factor, but really if it's sitting on its own shelf or under my receiver it wouldn't look bad at all.

Yeah, I'm really liking this new Silverstone case. The body is steel, but the front face is brushed aluminum. The one off-note, aesthetically speaking, is the power and hard drive activity lights. They are blue LEDs, and really too bright for most HTPC applications. I just left those lights disconnected, I don't really need to see them anyway. It wouldn't be hard to replace them was lower intensity LEDs, though.

meeker · May 2009

Who can explain Tuner cards to me? I am looking to replace my cable completely with an HTPC. My three friends and I are planning on building these together. What do I need to get HD OTA? A Tuner card and an HD Antenna on my antenna cable?

Feel free to critique/steal my components.

exoplasm · May 2009

You need a TV tuner that supports ATSC for OTA. I think QAM is for unlocked cable channels (i.e. that channels that are typically OTA anyway, but cable companies are required to provide). Obviously this varies a bit internationally.

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