HTPC build, what's needed???

[Linux2003]

Not really sure if i should have put this topic in Video or here, but I'm sure someone will tell me. I'm looking at building a HTPC but I have no idea what need to be installed in it. I have buillt PC's before and know what's needed in those but I'm sure there are some differences between the two.

What components do I need for a HTPC other than mobo, CPU, case, fans, etc? How big of a hard drive should I get, or does it require more than one drive to record off the TV.

BTW this will be strictly for my television, not my PC.

 

[Tetsuo]

Biggest harddrive you can get
AMD/Nforce 2 is the best chipset/cpu to get
AIW ATI Radeon
DVD +/- Burner

A shuttle SN45g would be your best bet

 

[Cerb]

...and maybe add a real soundcard to it as well, unless you can do digital.

 

[Tetsuo]

Originally posted by: Cerb
...and maybe add a real soundcard to it as well, unless you can do digital.

That's why it's nforce 2 MCP-T encodes in AC3/DD

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

In general the two biggest places you can go wrong with a HTPC is noise (get the quietest cooling solutions and drives you can find) and video (you need a card with a good TV out, possibly component cable support or a transcoder, or DVI if your TV accepts it). The rest should come pretty easily, just ask yourself what you want to be able to do with it and buy the corresponding hardware. The real fun for you will come in when you start fiddling with software to make it do HTPC things. You should also probably look at the HTPC forum at avsforum.com to get an idea of the hardware & software other folks are using and what they are running into. There is good info there.

Edit: Also, just some handy things to know that I've found with my HTPC:
1. encoding in Xvid at a decent quality will cost you about a gig of hard drive space per hour
2. most DVD's can be ripped to take up 5 Gigs or so if you strip the extras & extra audio tracks.
3. Fat32 has a 4Gig file size limit, so go with NTFS if you can.
4. NMB makes quiet 80 mm fans that are cheap.
5. if you have the room go with an mATX or ATX desktop case.
6. vinyl dye works well for painting the plastic front on a case (i couldn't find a black case I liked so I had to go with beige and paint it).
7. nothing is going to work right your first try, so be patient.

 

[Linux2003]

Gonad the Barbarian, thanks for all the insightful information. I will take a look at avsforum.com, too. I looked at the Shuttle SN45g and that's a nice SFF unit, a bit pricey, though.

I remember seeing a Leadtek PVR card at the hot deals section, would that be a nice card for this build? I think this is it here.

 

[sumrtym]

No the the Leadtek.

My HTPC is also my main computer, so I use an AIW. For dedicated use, however, you'll be happiest if you use:

1. Hauppage PVR-250 (don't bother installing their TV app and stuff, because...)
2. SnapStream Beyond TV software
3. ATI video card
4. You may or may not need PowerStrip depending on your TV
5. Go with the Nforce with SoundStorm on it.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Also need to add, do NOT get a Radeon 8500/9100 if you are planning to use the s-video out. They have a problem that has never been fixed that causes a blurry 'film' at 800x600. There was a huge thread on this at rage3d.com and I think it has still not been fixed. That really should have been #1 on the things I learned from my HTPC list. I think the Leadtek would be OK for what it is, a cheap decent capture card. It has the same Conexant chip as my Prolink PlayTV PVR so it should give good-quality captures. It doesn't have hardware mpeg4 encoding like I think the PVR-250 does, but I don't think this works when encoding with Xvid anyway and IMO that's really the way to go. You can get really good quality captures and no dropped frames in real-time if you have enough CPU (2GHz should be more than enough) and won't have to worry as much about storing or re-encoding them. But then your computer will be pretty much off-limits while it's capturing so that's a trade-off you have to make the call on.

 

[Crusty]

If you give us more info about your Home Theatre setup i'm sure you will get better answers.

What kind of TV do u have? what inputs does it have?
What kind of reciever do you have?

 

[Goi]

Without knowing your exact usage and associated equipment, here are some general guidelines that you should follow:

CPU - get the fastest CPU you can afford. For HTPC usage, an intel P4 is better than an AMD Athlon XP, price nonwithstanding. I'm not sure of the A64s though. Video resizing and filtering takes a LOT of CPU power, so even a P4 3.2GHz can be brought to its knees.
Memory - you won't need globs of memory for HTPC usage, 512MB should be sufficient here.
Video card - you won't need an ultra fast one, but one with good image quality, overlay/video support and one that's quiet. A passively cooled Radeon 9600SE sounds like the best bang for the buck. All the HTPC features of the 9800 series, a fraction of the price and totally silent.
HDD - get the largest you can afford too if you intend to build a media library. Drive speed isn't that important since HDDs are plenty fast enough for even HD content AFAIK. A quiet drive is preferred though, and Seagate Barracudas are statistically quieter than other brands.
Soundcard - if you're using your HTPC for simply watching movies, then you won't need to spend much. Even the onboard sound would do as long as you connect the soundcard to your receiver/prepro via the digital output. However, if you're listening to music(CDs, sound files) then you might wanna spend a bit more on one that supports 24/96 or even 24/192. M-Audio is a price/performance leader here, but if you have a big budget and golden ears you might also wanna look at the solutions from RME and Digital Audio Labs as well.
DVD-ROM - speed doesn't matter, noise does, as well as whether it's region locked or not (if you intend to watch DVDs from other regions)
TV card - required if you wanna watch TV on your HTPC. There are the regular analog ones for regular cable, and then there are the digital ones for HD programs.
Case - get one that suits your own taste, blends well with the rest of your equipment (if you care about that), and has sufficient cooling without employing the use of too many noisy fans. A decent quiet PSU is required too of course
Input devices - either via a universal/programmable/learning remote control or a wireless keyboard/mouse combination.

Anything else I missed? Can't think of any right now...

 

[Zepper]

The Via integrated sound (with Via Codec - not CMI or Realtek) is as good as most implementations of the nforce integrated sound, plus you will save considerable money. So unless $$$ is no object, consider a KT600 based mobo.
. Unless you are getting ATI AIW w/ remote, you may want to look into the Ahanix iMod remote control kit ($5. rebate - www.ahanix.com) and the MyHTPC freeware front end software.
. Check out htpcnews.com for reviews and other info/links.
. Oh, and please enable your profile - just good forum manners.
.bh.

 

[hahher]

what gets you the best video quality output from comp to tv? ati has dvi to composite converter. but straight dvi is best right? if the tv has dvi, will any video card with dvi work or are there compatability issues?

 

[Zepper]

Generally only LCD monitors will have DVI. For TVs I guess the component connection is the best quality.
.bh.

 

[sumrtym]

There are compatibility issues on DVI. It helps if we know what TV you are talking about. The Samsung DLP sets have not only a DVI connection for TV equipment (which is slightly different than PC), but also a PC connector as well.

 

[Crusty]

Yes, please give us information about your TV.

 

[hahher]

Originally posted by: sumrtym
There are compatibility issues on DVI. It helps if we know what TV you are talking about. The Samsung DLP sets have not only a DVI connection for TV equipment (which is slightly different than PC), but also a PC connector as well.

i was just wondering in general