how many of you guys have a HTPC? is it not the best thing ever?

[amdhunter]

Yes.

 

[fleshconsumed]

It is great, but I had to give up on HDDVD/BluRay playback. Too buggy, too slow, some discs won't play correctly, etc, etc... MPAA made it such a pain in the ass to play high def on computer that it's just not worth the trouble.

 

[destrekor]

Been a long time since I had a TV tuner in my PC so I don't no but I believe that I do get all the locals, something like 12-13 channels. But then the only reason I would be interested in getting a QAM card would be to watch the other 50 channels lol. For that you still need the cable box.

QAM has only ever been able to provide like 12 additional channels or so as far as digital content is. Everything that is not basically a local channel and digital will be scrambled.

Everyone knows this? You were expecting free handouts from the cable company?

Get CableCARD as PCs can use them. Or wait for the new standards, whenever they get around to that.

 

[nageov3t]

QAM has only ever been able to provide like 12 additional channels or so as far as digital content is. Everything that is not basically a local channel and digital will be scrambled.

Everyone knows this? You were expecting free handouts from the cable company?

Get CableCARD as PCs can use them. Or wait for the new standards, whenever they get around to that.

cablevision is kind of a crock of shit with that.

even with a direct cable connection, there's a bunch of channels that you can't get without a settopbox or cablecard (they're basic cable channels too, not the 100+ stations on the dial)

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I just started streaming video, pictures and music from my PC to my PS3. Almost as good! I just wish they would add Matrushka support to the PS3. Though I admit a true HTPC would be better.

I used my HTPC for a number of years; I think I built my first in 2003 or 2004 and then upgraded in 2006. Now, it is sitting powered off in my man cave entertainment center. It was running BeyondTV 4.x, Beyond Media, the DVD Library plug-in, and had a bunch of other bells and whistles. I stored my DVDs as ISO files on my server and the HTPC could play them back through a nice, simple interface.

I elected to turn it off for a number of reasons:

1. Heat. I moved into a new house at the end of 2008 and my man cave is on the second floor. The HTPC was really helping heat up the room, as I am also running a server 24/7.
2. Since moving, I haven't set up my receiver and speakers. My receiver is older so I want to get a newer one. Therefore, I currently have no real place to plug in the HTPC (I had a 7.1 sound card with optical in it).
3. While neat, the HTPC was a little glitchy. I had to do a lot of custom scripting to get everything working and while it works well, it can sometimes be a little tricky controlling things.
4. We got an HD PVR from our cable company so I had no real need for the DVR feature of the HTPC.

What I am doing now is running the free PS3 Media Server on my server. It allows me to stream my DVDs to both my PS3 and my Xboxes and it works well. I am not 100% sure if it streams the audio as 5.1 sound or not, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Sure, the interface may not be as pretty as an HTPC, but it is easy to use and works flawlessly. Plus, with the major consoles now supporting Netflix streaming, there is even less incentive for me to run an HTPC.

I do have a Windows 7 Media Center virtual machine running on my server, as I was going to attempt to use Transcode 360 to stream my ISOs from it to the 360 through the media extender functionality. I have not been able to get that to work very well, and while I may work on it a little more, the PS3 Media Server will be hard to beat.

I still may bring an HTPC into the equation at some point and try something like XBMC, but right now, I don't think I am really missing HTPC functionality even though it is cool as hell having one.

 

[MovingTarget]

I have one, and I love it. I do have to use the source button on the remote to switch from computer to cable, but that will soon change. Turns out, when I upgraded from Vista 32bit to Win7 64 bit, I couldn't get drivers for my older tuner card. As soon as I get the cash, I'm getting a new tuner card and investing in BeyondTV 4.

My stepdad has a similar setup, but he has his directv box directly interfaced with the pc for recording (not just for viewing, but letting the comp switch channels by itself to record, use the guide, etc). That takes a lot of work, but is completely worth it.

 

[mooncancook]

Love my htpc (see sig). Used it to watch streaming and downloaded videos all the time that I don't have the need for cable anymore. Gaming at 1080p on my 4870 is real nice and easily beat the experience on my PS3. Now if only the quality htpc cases are cheaper...

 

[Homerboy]

Technically not a "HTPC", but I am and have been using XBMC for... well since it's been available. Nothing beats it.

 

[fatpat268]

I used to have an HTPC, but I didn't like running it 24/7. I also used to record tv, but I could only record basic cable + the QAM channels.

So instead, I have an HD PVR from the cable company, a PS3 for blu-ray and netflix, and a WD TV Live with a 1tb external drive for everything else. All take less power than the HTPC... none run 24/7 (besides the PVR), and none of them are a bitch to set up.

So no, HTPCs aren't the best thing ever. Sure, they've got their uses, but imo, there are better options.

 

[lokiju]

First one I built was in 2003 and I had different ones up until I got a PS3 a year or so ago. Now I just use that to stream media to my TV in all it's HD glory via PS3 media center.

 

[JEDI]

i finally put myself together a home theater PC... loving it...

ii would imagine this would be an OT post because its not about HTPC components or anything, just a question on your opinions on having one...


i put together a nice little setup in a microATX case to put in my home theater equipment rack, looks nice in there...the case i hae looks simalar to a HT receiver, only complaint is i got it in black instead of silver to match my receiver/DVD layer/BD disc player...it's just a Dothan 1.7GHz, 2GB PC3200, GeForce 5600GT machine, but it will playback any HD content i throw at it... im running digital coax out to my receiver, and component video out to my 37" display... movies look absolutely great on it... as of right now im storing any media on it, i just keep it all on my fileserver and stream it over my gigabit network.. i love how if i switch over to OTA hd stuff i can pull up the TV guide website and have a TV guide channel so to speak by just switching to the component input on my TV and leaving the TV guide websie full screened in IE....

anyway, anyone else loving your HTPC... i really need to get a nice TV tuner card so i can ue it as a DVR as well...that will be the next step.... i'm kicked back in my lazy boy posting this with a wireless keyboard/mouse too hehe... anyone have any suggestions for a good remote to control an HTPC?

HTPC?

huh?

<--------- noob

esplain

 

[Squisher]

HTPC?

huh?

<--------- noob

esplain

i finally put myself together a home theater PC... loving it...

ii would imagine this would be an OT post because its not about HTPC components or anything, just a question on your opinions on having one...


i put together a nice little setup in a microATX case to put in my home theater equipment rack, looks nice in there...the case i hae looks simalar to a HT receiver, only complaint is i got it in black instead of silver to match my receiver/DVD layer/BD disc player...it's just a Dothan 1.7GHz, 2GB PC3200, GeForce 5600GT machine, but it will playback any HD content i throw at it... im running digital coax out to my receiver, and component video out to my 37" display... movies look absolutely great on it... as of right now im storing any media on it, i just keep it all on my fileserver and stream it over my gigabit network.. i love how if i switch over to OTA hd stuff i can pull up the TV guide website and have a TV guide channel so to speak by just switching to the component input on my TV and leaving the TV guide websie full screened in IE....

anyway, anyone else loving your HTPC... i really need to get a nice TV tuner card so i can ue it as a DVR as well...that will be the next step.... i'm kicked back in my lazy boy posting this with a wireless keyboard/mouse too hehe... anyone have any suggestions for a good remote to control an HTPC?

this

 

[JEDI]

lol... yeah..

but whats a home theater PC?

<------- PC gamer

 

[fatpat268]

lol... yeah..

but whats a home theater PC?

<------- gamer

Yea, and a gamer who didn't know that Link is the main character of Zelda.

 

[Modular]

For those of you talking about the thing running 24/7, you do know that the basic windows power settings will allow the PC to enter hibernation when not recording or playing back right? It also turns itself on to record things. Saves a bunch on power bills.

 

[fatpat268]

For those of you talking about the thing running 24/7, you do know that the basic windows power settings will allow the PC to enter hibernation when not recording or playing back right? It also turns itself on to record things. Saves a bunch on power bills.

Maybe so, but I could never get it to work right in my system configuration.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Question: For those of you say you "stream" content from one local file server to your HTPC, you mean you are just opening that content from the file server and it plays on the HTPC? I just have always wondered if there is certain software you use to "stream" or if you just mean you are opening a file remotely.

 

[h8red]

Question: For those of you say you "stream" content from one local file server to your HTPC, you mean you are just opening that content from the file server and it plays on the HTPC? I just have always wondered if there is certain software you use to "stream" or if you just mean you are opening a file remotely.

I open it remotely...just browse over to network places and double click to start playing

 

[Locut0s]

Question: For those of you say you "stream" content from one local file server to your HTPC, you mean you are just opening that content from the file server and it plays on the HTPC? I just have always wondered if there is certain software you use to "stream" or if you just mean you are opening a file remotely.

Yeah I'm just opening it remotely across the network. There is software that will send the actually send you a video stream that is compressed in real time and or has its codec changed. This is called transcoding.

 

[Dari]

I was going to post something about HTPC but, to me, you will always be a drug user who breath smells like fart...

 

[Linflas]

If I can ever get mine to scale right and correct the overscan to be correct I am ready to fall in love. I have my DirecTV DVR hooked up to it through a Hauppauge HD-DVR so I can save my HD recordings when I want to and have the HD-PVR working with Media Center so if I can correct the 2 remaining issues I am set.

 

[zinfamous]

I've got my main rig near the living room so I have it as an HTPC on a secondary display.

OSX + Plex and using my ipod touch as a remote. Hooked up via digital coax to my receiver, and DVI to my 40" LCD. I love that I can get bluray->x264 seasons of shows and watch them all in a row. Plex is absolutely fantastic.

as much as I dislike many Apple products, that sounds pretty pimp.

Bet it works, too.

only problem for me is that you don't mention HDMI or BD functionality. Do you have any serious HD capability with this?

EDIT: oh, fuck me, I see you mention blu ray right there. but do you have HDMI anywhere in this?

 

[zinfamous]

I just started streaming video, pictures and music from my PC to my PS3. Almost as good! I just wish they would add Matrushka support to the PS3. Though I admit a true HTPC would be better.

my build plan over the last 5 years was always in that "my next build will be HTPC, nothing else."

then, well...spurred on by wicked deals and a desire to run Win 7 properly, I upgraded from Athlon 64 to Phenom II 965 (wanted Intel this time...but still too rich for my blood), and full-on desktop...still have shitty motorolla DVR from comcast.

sigh....I've been looking at those micro ATX boxes from CE, and now really want to do a cheap, tiny, HD-capable HTPC. the bug continues...but now that on-board HD audio is becoming standard, and cheap HD tuner cards start to proliferate, this is becoming more and more realistic

 

[zinfamous]

i put together a nice little setup in a microATX case to put in my home theater equipment rack, looks nice in there...the case i hae looks simalar to a HT receiver, only complaint is i got it in black instead of silver to match my receiver/DVD layer/BD disc player...

by the way...cracksmoker...

you'll be glad that you got black.

silver will wear down on you...QUICK. I went through that silver phase ~5 years ago, you know...like everyone did in the 80s, and it got as old as it did then.

Black is much, much better.

 

[zinfamous]

that sucks they scramble the qam channels... i have only one cable box in the house and it's in my home theater rack, i dont have any movie channels though, so no hd movie channels through cable...i just "acquire" hd movies elsewhere... i have a digital converter box for OTA hd stuff though so at least i get the locals in 1080.... and the cable channels are just in 480p, but it's good enough.... i need to get a good TV tuner card ASAP so i can at least record anything i need to... i mainly just use my HTPC for movies and HD content from places on the net...like justin.tv


but yeah HTPC's are awesome... my little bro rooms with me and he uses his 360 to stream stuff from the fileserver as well... man can you imagine 10 years ago we'd never thought we'd be able to do such cool stuff..

http://www.frys.com/product/5586570?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG