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EL CHEAPO HTPC

T

trueimage

Senior member
help me build one.

I dont need DVR, I have satellite that I cant really record anyway.

I want to be able to play 1080i or 720p .ts files, and moreso 720p or 1080i divx/xvid files. h.264 as well.

My modded xbox is starting to show its age. and component vs dvi/hdmi sucks.

My tv is a 720p native dlp with hdmi, dvi, vga and component inputs. My receiver has optical and toslink in, so I'd like to have good surround.

I'd like it to be cool and quiet. A core duo seems pricey, so I was thinking a celeron or sempron or something. Also I'd like a cheap SFF case. setting up a remote would rock but not 100% required.

Just trying to get a feel for how cheap I can do this. My xbox works fairly well for now, but I don't play games at all, and I'm wondering if selling it and getting a dedicated SFF/HTPC for my needs would be a better idea, since I could then play the newer codecs and higher res/bitrate stuff.

Also, XBMC supposedly does upscaling of DVDs to HD resolution (in my case 720p). Is there anything in Windows MCE or another frontend (linux-based??) that does this?

Thanks
 
i really think it is very reasonable project. You may have to buy some used components, or your own recycled ones. If you go theroute of MCE, that would be your most expensive purchase. I would definately get a h.264 card, perhaps a x1600 or use purevideo with a 6600. Can find those on the forums.

Don't expect full power and functionality with a budget build, but you will get a lot of mileage from your build.

A overclocked celeron or sempron will be adequate, especially if you are able to offload to the graphics card. Another consideration is heat and silence.
 
Cool and quiet on a budget, eh?
1. Sempron 3100+ and okay motherboard combo from Outpost.com. 90$.
2. 1GB of PC3200 from NewEgg. 80$.
3. Decent heatsink with Panaflo fan. The XP-120, at 40$, is a nice (albiet expensive) option.
4. El Cheapo case. I get mine curbside.
5. Fortron 400w psu. 30$.

Just a few reccomendations.
 
The main advantage of MCE is it has support for 2 or a dual HDTV Tuner/hardware encoder card. The drawback is that some networking and more advance options found in Winxp Professional are not in MCE. MCE is more like Win XP Home Edition. I guess everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

Some hardware has no drivers for MCE and some hardware has drivers only for MCE.

When you look at the hardware, look to see what software comes with it. Often TV Tuner or Video/TV Combo cards come with the software you need. Some versions of the same product may be slightly more expensive, but come with better software. If you are going to import the satelite signal as TV or HDTV there has to be some way of importing it even if it is the signal from the VCR or TV out.

On the sound there may be an option for upscaling that with a sound card. Probably want one with an input of the type that you will be using like Optical, Digital, analog, mini-stereo, or whatever. Some motherboards have extra sound card input boards that go in a PCI slot. Depends if you want integrated sound or an add-on card.
 
It would have helped to give us a budget. But, I can safely recommend this, then add this (use the DVI-out to your TV) this and this. Add $20 for nVidia Purevideo, or for upscaling, Theatertek/Zoomplayer (both payware) and ffdshow(requires some serious hardware) and your software front-end of choice.

MCE is a whole new OS and will require formatting, while you can just use Beyond or Meedio on top of the default install.

Oh, and if you have an s-video output on your Dish/DirecTV STB, you can DVR your satellite. I do it on my HTPC 😉

On the case recommendation: Find something that fits your budget and looks(use pcalchemy to look at cases, then compare them to egg or ZZF for price), and simply transport everything from the Compaq above into it (including the PSU, it's all standard mATX). The compaq has a Digital Coax out on the mobo, but it's only going to pass stereo PCM or DD/DTS from DVDs to a reciever. You'll have to use AC3Filter to get surround sound from DiVX/Xvid or WMVs with 5.1.
 
I suggest shopping around for a HTPC. $460 (Circuit City, eMachines PC with MPEG2-in-hardware tuner, PCIe-expandable graphics, 1GB, 200GB, etc.) gets a lot nowadays, with fully licensed MCE2005, remote control, and all the normal extras - and DVD burner too. Oh, and AMD 64 3500+.

It's tough to bother putting one together with those prices. If you need DVI or other interfaces, it's just a PCIe cardaway...
 
Originally posted by: dclive
I suggest shopping around for a HTPC. $460 (Circuit City, eMachines PC with MPEG2-in-hardware tuner, PCIe-expandable graphics, 1GB, 200GB, etc.) gets a lot nowadays, with fully licensed MCE2005, remote control, and all the normal extras - and DVD burner too. Oh, and AMD 64 3500+.

It's tough to bother putting one together with those prices. If you need DVI or other interfaces, it's just a PCIe cardaway...
Click to expand...

true true. lacks in the looks, makes up in price.
 
My el cheapo HTPC is an old Compaq S6000Z I bought a few years ago - AMD XP 3000. I paid $300 or $350 for it. It has 750M of RAM, IIRC, (worth $50 if that), plus I've a Hauppauge PVR-500 (dual analog recorder, $150), plus an ATI HDTV Wonder digital recorder($100). Added a $100 300GB HDD, and I'm off to the races, with 3 channels recording at once.
 
Next upgrade for the el cheapo system will be a second HDTV Wonder; HDTV OTA signals have gotten much better (and I positioned my antenna better) so I now get more stations. That will allow me to record 4 channels at once, plus watch a pre-recorded show at the same time.
 
Originally posted by: dclive
Next upgrade for the el cheapo system will be a second HDTV Wonder; HDTV OTA signals have gotten much better (and I positioned my antenna better) so I now get more stations. That will allow me to record 4 channels at once, plus watch a pre-recorded show at the same time.
Click to expand...


Dude, you take your TV serious.
 
Total cost is what - $850? $900? That's not that much. Add $100 for two HDTV antennas, and it's still at just $1000, for a *lot* of functionality and flexibility.
 
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