Building a Media Center PC...

[HIJACKER]

I'm looking for some suggestions on what to put together.

To start

Case:
I want the height (ideally) to not exceed 5" and I want the case black. Would be nice to have a couple USB drives in the front for quick access. I'm consider these two:

Newegg.com - Moneual LAB Black Aluminum MONCASO 301 B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - HTPC / Media Center Cases
Newegg.com - nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - HTPC / Media Center Cases

Motherboard:
I will definetely need some help on this department. I would prefer a AMD and I assume the board will be a mATX. The only thing this PC will be doing is playing DVDs, Blu-Ray, MP3's, etc. So, audio and video output and quality is very important. I would LIKE to have an output connection with the red/white audio outputs if possible. I have not picked anything out, so suggestions are needed.

Processor:
Same as motherboard, clueless and could use plenty of help.

HDD:
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

BlueRay/DVD:
Decided between these:
Newegg.com - Pioneer Black 5X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-Ray Reader and 12X DVD±R DVD Burner Model BDC-2202B - Blu-Ray Drives
Newegg.com - LG Black 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Model GGC-H20L - Blu-Ray Drives


I'm sure I missed a few things, so please chime in. I've built a couple PC's before but each time is always a challenge - so I will admit, I'm far from a pro on this topic.

[FlashBlueRS]

I picked this motherboard up last month for my newest build. It has a good amount of audio and video outputs.
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA78GPM-DS2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

[Inferno]

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

If you need the red and white RCA audio connections, get a PC to RCA audio cable.

iPod Compatible 3.5mm to Dual RCA Cable - SALE PRICE: $2.98

Originally Posted by FlashBlueRS

I picked this motherboard up last month for my newest build. It has a good amount of audio and video outputs.
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA78GPM-DS2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

That's a good board as well, but the ASUS I linked is virtually the same and costs almost $30 less.

[HIJACKER]

Originally Posted by Inferno

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

If you need the red and white RCA audio connections, get a PC to RCA audio cable.

iPod Compatible 3.5mm to Dual RCA Cable - SALE PRICE: $2.98


That's a good board as well, but the ASUS I linked is virtually the same and costs almost $30 less.

Outstanding!! Both look like a great deal.

Do you think I will be fine with 2GB of RAM? That's what I have now in the curent machine and I was going to just move that over.

I don't need any additional video or audio support? What's on the board will be enough?

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by HIJACKER

Outstanding!! Both look like a great deal.

Do you think I will be fine with 2GB of RAM? That's what I have now in the curent machine and I was going to just move that over.

I don't need any additional video or audio support? What's on the board will be enough?

2GB RAM will be perfectly fine for what you do. The onboard video on both the ASUS and Gigabyte motherboard is a Radeon HD3200, which offers great H.264/AVC/Mpeg2 video acceleration, and will be plenty sufficient. The onboard audio is alright for most cases, but I did not recommend you a sound card because I'm not sure which case you will go with and what your speaker setup is like.

[HIJACKER]

Originally Posted by Inferno

2GB RAM will be perfectly fine for what you do. The onboard video on both the ASUS and Gigabyte motherboard is a Radeon HD3200, which offers great H.264/AVC/Mpeg2 video acceleration, and will be plenty sufficient. The onboard audio is alright for most cases, but I did not recommend you a sound card because I'm not sure which case you will go with and what your speaker setup is like.

The audio output will go into a Bose 3,2,1 System.

The video output will display to a 42" Sony Bravia LCD

[Inferno]

Ah okay. For the TV, you have an option of using either the DVI or HDMI. For audio, I recommend going with the digital optical connection.

[fryed_]

I use the Antec cases and love them.

Newegg.com - Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - HTPC / Media Center Cases



I use the Antec because I like the integrated volume/jog control. You can program it for near anything (under Linux at least). I installed three new push buttons under the volume control for extra commands as well. They're hooked in through a gaming box keyboard USB interface (basically it's a circuit board that hooks inline with a keyboard, or in place of one, that you simply hook up whatever kind of control you want to the circuit board and it will emulate a key, you assign that key a value within the MCE software). For example, when watching a DVD, I can press the center button and it will bring up the jog control where I can use the volume control on the front of the case to fast forward and reverse. Press it again and I can go slow motion different speeds. Press a third time and it will pause and revert back to volume.


I use LinuxMCE/MythTV combo to run my system as well. Fully functional muti-room system. Sound is hooked to a 200-watt per channel 12-channel multi-zone amp. I have 4 tv tuner cards in the backend/living room box (my main storage device and backend, plus front end for the living room system). I have two other front-end boxes (antec as well) in 2 of the bedrooms, and one of those all-in-one touchscreen LCD PC's on the wall in the kitchen. Have a pair of speakers in each bedroom, a pair in the kitchen and a pair on the back deck. (8 channels).

The amp is USB controlled with 2 inputs, so I can watch any combination from 2 sources on any of the rooms outside the living room. I have a separate 6 channel amp for the surround sound in the living room. The only things visible in my rack are the Antec box and two amps. The cable boxes and all that are hidden since they are USB controlled and no need to display them.

Works well for me. Unfortunately there's not a lot of support and a lot of custom stuff needs done since no two installations are the same.

Thing I like about LinuxMCE is it integrates with other devices in the house. I have it set to control the wireless lights (one in each major room), the thermostat and the alarm system, along with jukebox software (mainly used from the touchscreen in the kitchen). Everything is integrated and accessible from any TV in the house that's running one of the front-end boxes.

Also, the front-end boxes are all network bootable. So they are nothing more than older P4 boxes with 1Gb ram and older gforce4 video cards and no internal storage. The kitchen box is wireless-N and seems to work well, but does get choppy on HD programs, but works flawless for SD and music and is easily portable. When we have BBQ's out back, I just hang it on the wall outside and people use it as a jukebox to listen to whatever they want without opening and closing the door all day.

[HIJACKER]

I saw that Antec box yesterday at MicroCenter in Vienna. The only thing I have against it is 5.5" height, which would prevent me putting it where I want.

Also, I'd rather not go with Linux, considering I don't know anything about that O/S.

[fryed_]

If you go by and check it out again, you can unscrew the feet on it and use smaller ones (or none at all and put a pad under it) and that might give you the room you need.


If you have a spare drive (only need 20gb or so) I would recommend downloading linuxmce and playing with it, or dual-boot the setup if you can spare the space.

You really don't need to know much about linux to set it up. The setup wizard is actually pretty damned good for it, configuring pretty much everything from IR transceivers to tv's to cable boxes and everything. If it's plugged it, it should detect it. It detected my model and immediately got working the thermostat, IR remote, lights, TV, cable box and a few other things without ever having to drop out of the setup wizard. Just point and click with the remote or mouse and it worked out of the box.


Only options you have for the install (installs software, OS, packages, everything you need in one DVD) is which drive you want to install on. Everything else is automated and the setup wizard will automatically boot up after the install is done. Last time I set it up (about 4wks ago complete rebuild) I was up and watching TV within one hour of putting the DVD in the drive and booting the install.

[Jar]

I noticed you didn't mention any tuners. Where you planning on using as a DVR as well?

I've got 2 of these in my box, and they work great.

Newegg.com - AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe ATSC/NTSC/QAM TV Tuner Card (White Box)w/L-P Bracket 7 95522 96058 0 PCI-Express x1 Interface - TV Tuners & Video Devices

[Jar]

double post

[HIJACKER]

I wasn't planning on it - we already have a DVR built into the cable box and use that.

[fryed_]

Originally Posted by HIJACKER

I wasn't planning on it - we already have a DVR built into the cable box and use that.

FYI you really don't need it with a well-built HTPC.

With mine, it plugs into the cable box USB port (sci atl HD box) and controls the box completely. The firewire out sends a straight video feed out. Can use the digital out for sound. You program the HTPC which channels feed through the box and which come through the PC tuner card.

IE:

If 1-200 are standard digital channels you can pick up with the PC tuner card
200-250 are HD channels you need the cable box for
250-500 are standard digital channels again

You flip from 1-200 through the PC card, when you switch to 201 (on the HTPC) it will automatically divert the video and sound from the PC tuner card to firewire/digital (or however you have it configured). When you get to 251, it will automatically switch back to the PC tuner card.


The advantage of this is if you use multiple HTPC in the house. My example above, my backend and living room front end is all one machine. I have 3 other front ends.

If I record something from the main box, I can turn around and watch it from any front end in the house.

In turn, I can also record with any front end in the house and watch it from anywhere.

I have nearly 2.5Tb worth of drive space and have never even come close to filling up half of my usable space. I have, on average, 75-100 dvd's cataloged and more every time I watch a new one (it will automatically rip them down if you want the first time you put a new dvd in) and a TON of HD and standard programming.

[Jar]

Originally Posted by fryed_

With mine, it plugs into the cable box USB port (sci atl HD box) and controls the box completely. The firewire out sends a straight video feed out. Can use the digital out for sound. You program the HTPC which channels feed through the box and which come through the PC tuner card.

I assume you can only record one HD show at a time, right?

[fryed_]

Originally Posted by Jar

I assume you can only record one HD show at a time, right?

The encrypted HD channels yes. But some of the OTA cable HD channels (with my HD tuner, I can get 1080 HD channels, non premium channels) you can record for as many tuners as you have. I have a dual-HD and dual-SD (4 total) in my box.