Example of HTPC systems

[crazydrve]

Ok people i have been building my htpc for awhile now and thought i was done except for some software tweaking and finding a good remote setup but then i came across the following article.

(wilsonet.com/mythtv/fcmyth.php#hw)

this site had several various examples of building an htpc. and then it got me thinking.

so i would like people suggestions and or ideas improvements.

I my self am trying to do the dedicated all in one system. recording and playback.

as far as i can tell i meet the requirements.

Lian-li full tower case(pc-71)
Antec tpII 550 Watt
Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
P4 3.2G 800MHz 1MB Retail
geforce 6200 128
2gb 2x1024 DDR400 kingston
western digital 76 gig sata
6 x 500 gig hitachti sata (raid 5)
Sony 16x40 DVD/CD
sound on MOBO
3ware 12port sata

the only thing i am still haveing issues with is the sound. i want to be able to route 5.1 sound
so is it as simple as using S/PDIF out? would it record in 5.1 or analog.

i am not a rookie but this htpc thing has really got me confused. thank god for replay(tivo)
replay makes it so much easier at least for the pvr function.

i may try to avoid the pvr function and only hook up computer for dvd, songs, images, etc.

thanks for any help or suggestions.



crazydrve

[Ansuer]

Guess I'm not clear on what you mean by "route"?

Basically, Dolby Digital is AC3 encoding. So, you have to decide if you want your HTPC to decode the AC3 stream, or just pass it out to a reciever which would decode it.

Both my media centers use SPDIF -Out- to send the AC3 encoding straight to my reciever. In both cases I have a soundblaster and have to set the card to pass straight through without decoding it. Also, I have to use the software called AC3Filter to route anything else out. AC3Filter has an SPDIF setting.

As for recording 5.1 audio, I have an SPDIF -In- on my Beyond TV box. However, if you have an SPDIF In it will depend what software you use and if it supports it.

[crazydrve]

ok thanks for the replay. i am not too worried bout the 5.1 recording i will just use spdif.

my main confusing problem is... what type of htpc to setup.

These are following examples of what someone did.

# Dedicated Master Backend System (not used at all for viewing):
# High-Definition TV Capture and Playback System:
# Standard Definition Slave Backend and Playback System:
# Standard-Definition Remote Playback-only System:
# All-in-one Standard-Definition System:

why do u have 2 media servers? Can u give me an example of how u use them.

i already have 1 server and i am trying to see if i can make it an all in one server or do i need to make another computer as an htpc.

now right now i survive with my xbox and xbmc.

but i am trying to understand and get this going so when my replay dies or xbox i am setup.


thanks for any help.
crazydrve

[redwudz]

I went a different route. I have a server computer in a back room, connected to my other computers via a gigabit LAN. The server is in a full tower case with XP installed. No software playing programs on it except WMP, which I don't use. It has (5) 320GB hard drives, no RAID. The server does not have internet access, to limit the chances of malware getting into it.

My HTPC in the front room accesses the server hard drives over the LAN. For video playback I use VLC or Zoom on the HTPC out through component video cables to a video projector. The audio outputs from the HTPC via optical cable to a surround sound amplifier. I can also play back anything on the server from my laptop. The HTPC also doubles as a encoder computer and has full internet access. I use a 15" LCD monitor on my coffee table with the keyboard underneath on a tray. These are wired to the HTPC with 25ft cords.

For DVDs, I have (2) Sony 400 disc changers, also outputting through component and optical. I use a remote controlled component/optical switch to direct these and the HTPC outputs to the projector. A Sony universal remote controls it all.

[crazydrve]

do u do any tv capturing?
and its looking like the best option is to create a HTPC and integrate into a entertainment system and hook up by net. its would be much cleaner to.

i did some looking and it would be stupid to run another long coax to the server than back to the tv with a long component cable.

now stupid question.... via optical u mean spdif right? why the monitor? and what remote controlled component/optical switch do u use i am trying to find one.

i have been looking at the Audio Authority switches.

I am sorry for all the questions but your helping me understand better. i got confused when i saw those example systems.

thanks again
crazydrve

[redwudz]

Most of the time for capturing, I use a Pioneer 633H-S DVR. It has a TV guide feature that makes it easy to schedule the captures. I do have a ADVC-100, but use it mostly for VHS transfers. The HTPC has a MyHD HDTV card, but there's not much locally on OTA HDTV worth capturing. My cable modem is next to the server in the back room, so if I needed a cable input for it, that would be easy enough. But then I would need to remotely control it to set up the captures. The server is only for running the hard drives.

I had all the parts for the server computer, except the hard drives, laying around anyway. The hard drives I got for about $100US each, on sale for 320GB WDs.

On the HTPC, the optical is a TOSLINK fiber optic cable, off the same line that also has S/PDIF coaxial audio. My switcher uses optical, so that was an easy choice.The component switcher is this one: http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=1002&sku=40324 You can get it for less than $50 if you shop around a little. It has a credit card sized remote. For my system remote I use a Sony RM AV2500. It's one of the more inexpensive models, about $150, that has a programmable LCD screen and also learning capabilities. If you are interested in universal remotes, look to this site for reviews: http://www.remotecentral.com/

I use the 15" monitor as I also use the HTPC for regular computing. I don't want to fire up the projector just to work with the computer. Besides the projector needs a darkened room to work the best. And at least with my projector, computer text is is not easy to read. The monitor is much better. Both the projector screen size and the apparent size of the LCD monitor are about the same, the projector screen (5X8 ft) is further away.

The HTPC is in a desktop type case to keep from taking up too much room. It has 3 hard drives, about 400GB total, but I kept running out of space. The server makes a fair amount of fan noise to cool the drives, so I keep it in a back room. The HTPC is fairly quiet, you can barely hear the fans. It uses a AMD AM2 Athlon 3800+ CPU and 1GB DDR2-PC6400 RAM with a ASUS M2NPV-VM MB with component video/digital audio outputs. That's a good MB for a HTPC. The only downside is that it can only run one display at time, but my monitor switches off when I transfer the video out over to the projector.

There are a lot of ways to set up a HTPC. Building a Media Center computer yourself can be a real headache. If you want to go with that type of system, buy a manufactured unit. I didn't need that much automation and I have my own favorite player programs, so the Media Center idea was out from the beginning. My videos are mixed types, including Xvid, Divx, OGM, MPEG-1 and 2, RM, H264, Quicktime, and a few more. I really got tired of converting them to a more universal format, so I use VLC a lot for the player as it plays most any format. I use Zoom Player Pro for the more common formats because I like the multitude of settings to configure the output. I found no need for Power DVD or similar as those two do all it does and more.

[crazydrve]

ok thanks for the info. for now i think i will keep usiing my xbox with xbmc as my player for video, pics, mp3. etc. the control is not that great but it plays with 5.1 sound. and xbox is so small.

right now i dont have enough component ins to mess with this and keep my setup hooked up. i will never buy a manufactured setup as i belieive in full customizing and i always seem to get alot of parts lying around.

i had it working but i dont like haveing to use the keyboard and mouse to control my HTPC. cant get remote to work with the free apps. have to save up the money for beyond or the new replay software that will come out.

i will wait until i have a proper living room with hdtv, or projector and a much better reciever.
right now i use a 32in basic tv and my stereo has no component ins. tv only has 2.
my first goal should be better tv and receiver.

and u would think with all this hard drive space it would be enough but i have 3 Terabytes and still need more.


thanks again for all the info. i have a better idea of what to do.

crazydrve