• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Storage/HTPC, advice on components and idea

M

MGully8

Member
Here is the deal and is what I currently have in mind for a media outlet in my home theater systme. This is going to be a work in progess and components will be added throughout the process.
I am working on building my home theater system around an Xbox (orginal). I have already modded it and currenly running XBMC with success. I have an old 500 mhz system with 90 gigs as my test server currently and it works just fine. In the house we use three laptops for general use on a wireless network. I am hoping to put the server in closet and use XPs built in remote desktop functionality to do whatever I need to on the server with the laptops as the access point (is this a bad idea?). I do alot of traveling for work and would like to be able to access the server to tell it to download something and eventually record a show for when I return home another reason for the remote desktop.

Now for my ideas to upgrade (the order correspondes to the time line):
Upgrade the server to for additional disk space
Upgrade the CPU, motherboard, memory
Add TV recording functionality

I am trying to spend as little as possible and I don't believe I need top of the line components for the server system since it wouldn't be doing any hardcore graphics. It could possibly be used for DVD-Ripping my movie collection so that the physical movies don't need to be ever touched.

So I'm looking for suggestions that I could upgrade my system and set myself up for the future upgrade of the functionality I would like. This would hopefully be happening within the next 6 to 10 months.

Is this doable and what kind of specs are required for TV recording and dvd-ripping? Any other thoughts or suggestions more than welcomed.

 
I don't know much about this kind of thing but in the next year or so I plan on building something similar to what you are doing now.

HTPC site

I usually browse the forums there to get ideas. Sorry I can't be of more help but I know the guys over there will be better able to answer your questions
 
DVD ripping takes a lot of space and time. You'll want RAID5 if your time is valuable to you. (My buddy got a Hitachi 500GB, and after ripping all but 5 of his DVDs, the drive failed, and he lost all that time!) That means at least 3 large identical hard drives. I'd suggest three or four WD4000YRs. You'll also want a decent ripping drive.
 
Yes you're going to want storage space. I reccomend maybe 2 Seagate 7200.9 500GB drives and you could do RAID0 and still have 500GB left for storage, or you could do another RAID and get a terabyte.
 
Thanks for the thoughts people. I think I'll probably just hold off on the DVD-ripping till a later time and pick up one large storage drive and add as I go with the possibility of raid at a later point.

Any thoughts on using remote desktop?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top