My cheap DVD/DivX TV PC project!

[bluemax]

I'm thinking of alternatives to the reasonable-but-too-expensive-for-me SFF machines. This is for a DVD/DivX player specifically, so it doesn't need to be fancy, just cheap.

A nice case like the Antec Minuet is elegant and looks better in the entertainment unit by the TV anyways! That case might be overkill, but still cheaper than any SFF!

But the missing link is a mobo with onboard video + TV out.

ASUS has the int. Radeon 9100IGP w/ TV but it's an Intel solution which means expensive CPU's. (I'd happily snag a first-gen P4 or Celeron if pre-Northwood processors work in this beauty!


You might have guessed, uATX (MicroATX) is also a must. Low cost is a bonus. Performance is not an issue, stability is.
Bear in mind the Antec Minuet is a Low Profile case!
I'm willing to consder cheap mobo + cheap LP video card w/ TV out...

 

[monzie]

Get a Yamada stand alone DVD/VCD/SVCD/MPEG4 player!

Yamada 6100 ...£80 (got one meself and they are brilliant)

or

Yamada 6600...£66

You wont even get close to these prices if your building a pc for divx/xvid/dvd.........and then theres the pc's achilles heel............whine. Honestly I would say my Yamada was the BEST piece of kit I have acquired in many a year.

Don't know if you can get them outside of Europe (I'm UK).

 

[bluemax]

They're pretty hard to find in Canada.... Liteon makes one (2002) which would have been good if they didn't just go and orphan it after only a year. No updates = useless when the next codec comes out. :|

But I've seriously thought about it!

Then there's the XBOX modding crowd.... that's kind of tempting too. [sigh]
If only money was no object.

 

[sandorski]

This might work. It's an NForce 2 based mobo with onchip TV out and integrated video.

 

[bluemax]

Hmmm... nice high-quality board. If the nephews ever wanted to play a game, it's nice to know they'd have some 3D capabilities. Nice selection.... perhaps a touch pricier than I'd maybe hoped for.


Any other suggestions? 3D not required.... just a uATX form factor with TV out. I'll probably stick it in a low-profile case and I'd prefer to not have to mod my own LP bracket. This is a movie-player, not a game-player. If it ever does any gaming at all, it would be MAME replicating 20-year-old arcade games.


If only the Radeon 9100IGP would finally come over to AMD like it was supposed to.....

 

[cjsketchy]

Maybe this one... I'm in a similar boat myself and I can't find anything under $100, it's tough to find a cheap mATX board with tv-out in Canada
edit. the Albatron KM18G Pro v2.0 also seems to fit the bill but it's about the same price.

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: cjsketchy
Maybe this one... I'm in a similar boat myself and I can't find anything under $100, it's tough to find a cheap mATX board with tv-out in Canada
edit. the Albatron KM18G Pro v2.0 also seems to fit the bill but it's about the same price.

I was just about to write back that I found that board. It's a little bit cheaper than buying a cheap mobo + cheap video card and I won't have to worry about low-profile since the S-vid jack is right there on the mobo back panel!

Now my only trick is to find a Canadian store that sells both that board AND a nice microATX desktop (like the awesome Antec Minuet) in the same location. I want to save on shipping costs by doing it from ONE place!

And that winds up being about $210CDN for a nice setup the size and shape of a VCR. $30 more would get the cheapest SFF machine, the Shuttle SK41G with far inferior graphics, louder noise, VIA 686B, and uglier sitting by the TV.

I think I'm going the right route for a DIVX box. I could get a standalone DIVX player for just under $200 but what do you do when it needs an update and the company doesn't put it out? It becomes near useless as a DivX machine.
(Like the orphaned Liteon 2002.)

Unless someone can come up with something better, the Chaintech 7NIF2 looks like a winner!

 

[monzie]

There was a chappy in the DVDR forums asking if anyone was interested in getting a Yamada in the US...don't know if he is still doing this but mebbe its worth a try?

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=3089&Search=Search&#comments

 

[WobbleWobble]

There's the Via EPIA solutions. It's pricey for the speed I think...

Via EPIA @ NCIX. They also sell the Minuet too.

I know you asked for an AMD solution, but you can build a smaller box with the Via

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
There's the Via EPIA solutions. It's pricey for the speed I think...

Via EPIA @ NCIX. They also sell the Minuet too.

I know you asked for an AMD solution, but you can build a smaller box with the Via

I have to factor in price. That EPIA mobo alone costs as much as a decent SFF machine. No thanks.
And besides, if I'm going with the Antec Minuet, I might as well get a cheaper mATX mobo to fill it!


I have a new worry now... once I find the case mobo (and/or mobo+ LP video card) I have to be concerned with noise.

DVD-ROM must be quiet operating, HDD won't be used much so it's no big deal, CPU should have a low-profile, quiet fan. This'll be a nice machine when we're all done. One step at a time though, I'll need the DVD-ROM drive regardless so it's #1 priority. Quieter AMD CPU can come later.

Windows XP Media Edition might be nice to try out.... Or is there a free Linux equivalent?

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: bluemax

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
There's the Via EPIA solutions. It's pricey for the speed I think...

Via EPIA @ NCIX. They also sell the Minuet too.

I know you asked for an AMD solution, but you can build a smaller box with the Via

I have to factor in price. That EPIA mobo alone costs as much as a decent SFF machine. No thanks.
And besides, if I'm going with the Antec Minuet, I might as well get a cheaper mATX mobo to fill it!


I have a new worry now... once I find the case mobo (and/or mobo+ LP video card) I have to be concerned with noise.

DVD-ROM must be quiet operating, HDD won't be used much so it's no big deal, CPU should have a low-profile, quiet fan. This'll be a nice machine when we're all done. One step at a time though, I'll need the DVD-ROM drive regardless so it's #1 priority. Quieter AMD CPU can come later.

Windows XP Media Edition might be nice to try out.... Or is there a free Linux equivalent?

That Epia includes cpu. All it needs is a power supply, drives, and a case.

 

[bluemax]

True about the Epia including CPU, but if a C3 were powerful enough to do the job (and I hear reports that it's NOT powerful enough to play DivX smoothly) there's some mATX mobos w/ s370 C3 "Gigapro" processors for a measely $65CDN. Why pay $200 more for miniITX when you can get a whole SFF machine for the same dosh?

Actually... if a 1.3 Gigapro can do DivX, I'd have a very cheap combo for my DivX PC. $65 is a yummy price!
But it doesn't have TV out so I'd need a LP PCI video card w/ TV out. That could almost negate the low price I paid for the mobo/processor. [sigh]

link to C3 mobo combo

Dang... price went up $20. Better stick to the original plan.... that Chaintech board with video right there on the back panel looks very snazzy! Wish more boards had similar, though I know it's a niche market so I can't expect it.