Here is the link to HTPC V1 http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/263309

Remember to goto the old thread on the first page, do a topic search at the bottom of the page, chances are someone had already ask the same questions you had...and someone else had answered it.


Summary info :

A Home Theater PC (HTPC) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PC or media PC is a convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer(PC) and a digital video recorder(DVR). It is connected to a television or a television-sized computer display and is often used as a digital photo, music, and video player, TV receiver, and digital video recorder. Home theater PCs are also referred to as media center systems or media servers.

HTPC Articles :-
Ars Home Theater PC Guide http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2010...tpc-guide-1.ars
How To: AMD Guide for the Assembly of an HTPC http://blogs.amd.com/home/2009/10/20/how-t...bly-of-an-htpc/
Watching 1080P x.264 / MKV videos completely decoded by your graphics card http://www.guru3d.com/article/accelerate-x...-the-gpu-guide/


Raspberry Pi running RaspBMC
Main site http://www.raspberrypi.org/
RaspBMC http://www.raspbmc.com/
Windows Installations http://www.raspbmc.com/wiki/user/windows-installation/
OS X / Linux Installations http://www.raspbmc.com/wiki/user/os-x-linux-installation/
LYN Discussions http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2247098



Pre-built Systems:-

Dell Inspiron Zino HD http://www1.ap.dell.com/my/en/home/desktop...cs=mydhs1&s=dhs
Apple Mac Mini HTPC Guide http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/21/ultimate-ma...guide-hardware/
ASRock ION 330 http://www.asrock.com/nettop/spec/ion%20330.asp



HTPC Chassis :-

Moneual : http://www.iuworld.net/pages.php?p=moncaso-chassis.html
XQBOX : http://www.xqbox.com.cn/
Antec Fusion http://www.anandtech.com/show/2637/6
Silverstone http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/enc...re.php?area=usa


Motherboards :-

AMD / Asus M4A785 HTPC http://my.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=uypox45wza0j3kz6
AMD / Asus M4A785-M (Micro-ATX) http://my.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ef0qgvMIwOUagAVl
AMD / Gigabyte 785G boards : http://www.giga-byte.com/FileList/WebPage/..._amd-models.htm
AMD / MSI 785G-E53 http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc...=1∏_no=1899

Intel Core i3/5/7 / ASUS P7H55D-M PRO http://my.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=qWmZUAdNKeozTOXb
Intel Core i3/5/7 / Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Mother...?ProductID=3309

** AMD 785G chipsets with ATI HD4200 GC is not HD Audio ( 7.1 channel ) ready.


Recorder Card / Video Input Card :-

WinTV PVR 150 Media Center Edition : http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_pvr150mc.html
A common card used by most people to record Astro channels via analog signal


HTPC Software / Codec / Media Centers :-

Windows :-
Media Player Classic Homecinema :- http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/
K-Lite Codec :- http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_lite_codec_pack.htm
Audio / Video Players http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/303752
LYN Multimedia section have lots of other multimedia software http://forum.lowyat.net/Multimedia

Windows / Linux / Mac : XBMC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBMC
Windows / Linux / Mac : Boxee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxee


HTPC Video Input/Output :-
Digital HDMI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
Analog VGA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector
Analog Component :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video
Analog S-Video http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-video
Analog RCA (Yellow = Video ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector


HTPC Audio Output :-
Digital Non-HD Audio to older AV Receiver :- S/PDIF http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/PDIF
Digital HD Audio HDMI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
Analog Audio RCA ( Red=right White=left ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector

HD Audio Definition :- http://www.hometheatermag.com/advicefromtheexperts/508audio/

HQV Benchmark 2.0 Analysis – ATi, nVidia and Intel
http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-...a-and-intel/43/

Graphic Card Tweak Guides :-
ATI CCC Tweak Guides :- http://www.tweakguides.com/ATICAT_1.html
nVidia ForceWare Tweak Guides :- http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_1.html


*** I am unbiased towards any brands, intel vs amd, ati vs nvidia or asus vs gigabytes vs msi or others... if you find any useful links or HTPC products to share with others, PM me and I will add them into the list for the benefits of others.

This post has been edited by stan001: Dec 6 2012, 10:15 AM

Short answer...

Normal audio for Home Theater is DD / DTS - 5.1 channel audio output ( most of today HT systems should support it including those Home Theater in a Box (HTiB) )

HD Audio - 7.1 uncompressed/lossless - HD DD / HD DTS, must use HDMI due to high bandwidth requirements

If you have a very good ( expensive) home theater setup, YES, you can / might tell the differences when the source of the sound/recording is good.

Like the example of mp3 compressed audio (128kbps/192kbps/320kbps) vs lossless audio ( tons of discussions on this topics ), the better the sound equipments (DAC/Amp/Speakers), you "can" hear the differences of mp3 vs audio lossless.

Unlike picture ( HD = higher screen resolutions ), sound is sometimes a bit difficult to "hear"

I think it is more of a combination of both HTPC and AVR...

For initial setup with minimal budget, desktop 5.1 does the job as most built-in soundcard supports it..

Later down the road, the path is to upgrade to a HTiB (HT in a Box) then to a proper AVR with separate speakers & subwoofers.

All depends on how much $$$ to spend..

HTPC is just more versatile ( flexible ) and with services like High Speed Broadband (HSBB), hopefully, one day we can just stream all the content directly from the Internet to our living room and cut off paid subscriptions for tv contents.

Lots of ISP are bidding for contents like BPL (football) to kickstart this trend that is happening in the US.

The fun in DIY HTPC in the process of doing the research for the different components, choosing the best specs you can afford, making sure they work nicely together and fixing any issues along the way ( like heat & cooling issues, software drivers and selecting wrong peripherals like cordless keyboard with very short range )...

It have been a very good and satisfied experience overall.. and still room for upgrades in the near future.. ( unlike commercial HTPC offerings )..

Don't really understand your question...

Cat 5E or Cat6 is for Gigabit Ethernet.. read the details here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_6_cable


I hv similar setup as I store all my content in a DNS-323 NAS...

To prevent from doing ugly wiring, I use a pair HomePlug Powerline Adapter ( 85Mbps or higher ) and connect to the NAS via mounted network drive..

With minimal power adaptors in between the two power points, I can get somewhere like 15Mbps pure speed, enuf to stream the HD movies content from the NAS to my HTPC.. no need speed until Gigabit Ethernet...

Just google for HomePlug.. I think there are newer models with 200Mbps or options with wireless...

I am using the Aztech brand.. my model 85Mbps is selling for like RM110 per unit in a lelong.com.my posting.

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Added on March 28, 2010, 1:38 amNice pics and HTPC setup!!!

I tried both Astro RCA Video and S-video to TV and TV Tuner card..

I find the picture quality is much better for S-video goes to the TV and RCA Video to the PCI card TV Tuner ..

Picture quality, especially the text on the TV is much sharper using S-Video cable to the TV.

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Added on March 28, 2010, 1:46 amHi, on my Dlink DNS-323 NAS, to achieve transfer of like 150-200Mbps , set both the NAS and the PC network card to use Jumbo frames ( 9000MTU ).

It will force yr PC or NAS to use 9000 MTU instead of the default of 1500 MTU when doing tranfer...

Read more about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbo_frame






This post has been edited by stan001: Mar 28 2010, 01:46 AM

I had a similar setup before I plug out my GC to another mobo...

When you plug in the HD5770, it will automatically disabled the on-board GC.. so all the hdmi/vga on the mobo are totally disabled..

There are settings on the BIOS on which graphic cards to select during boot time... usually PCI-E, PCI, IGP...

You can use still the HD5770 to connect to BOTH LG tv and LCD monitor with HDMI to LG tv and DVI to the LCD monitor....

The M4A785 ( Asus right ) can support 5 channels... 2 L/R, 2 RL/RR and centre and subwoofer from the audio out connectors...
Refer to the manual or d/l a copy of the user manual for details setup..

I think the O/S will goes bonkers managing two active graphic card... besides, why would you need 2 HDMI output ??

Those marketing hype about ATI Hybrid Crossfire is a bunch of marketing BS, only works if you have Vista or higher O/S and use those low end graphic card like HD 3000 series...

Anything faster than HD 3000 series, you should just go with the discreet GC, HD 5770 for everything... cos u hv like 2 DVI and 1 HDMI port..

The on-board ATI HD 4200 is no match for the HD 5770 , even tho the model is like 4200 series, the performance and spec is kinda like HD 3000 series.. ( another marketing hype )

Managing audio is also another challenge... cos u hv an on-board soundcard for 5 channels analog sound & digital audio via TOSLINK and another HD Audio soundcard inside the ATI GC that send sound output via the HDMI ( together with the video signal )...

If u select HDMI sound output and turn on yr LCD Monitor, the sound will come out of yr LG TV ( kinda silly ) instead of yr 5 channels analog sound..

It is pretty confusing at first....

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Added on April 6, 2010, 12:02 amI use a dedicated NAS, DNS-323 from Dlink, a 2 bays drive... does not use a lot of power and can act as an bit torrent client without leaving my PC on all the time..

This model hv lots of add-on s/w and mods... lots of support from the Internet community...

http://wiki.dns323.info/

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Added on April 6, 2010, 12:11 amThe connection should be :-

HTPC --- <HDMI> ---- AV Receiver ---- <HDMI> ----> TV

*** Assume yr AVR supports HDMI in & out ports.



This post has been edited by stan001: Apr 6 2010, 12:11 AM

Did you install the HD Audio driver for the ATI card ? It usually does not comes with the CCC package...

Hi, need more details on yr problems.

Mine have VIA HD Audio & ATI HD Audio in Device Manager..

In Control Panel, I can choose between HD Audio rear output ( analog or digital ) or ATI HD Audio for HDMI sound output together with video to the TV..

Is yr audio/video on HDMI or normal DVI / VGA ?

I hv my 2nd PC with an ATI card that connect directly to LCD Monitor via DVI, I could not find the ATI HD Audio cos the system did not detect a HDMI connection to HDMI Receiver or TV..

That could be the reason Sound in Control Panel did not allow you to choose ATI HD Audio ( HDMI sound output ONLY )

Dun think so... 100Mbps should be good enuf in the LAN for streaming with some buffering....

I stream a 1080p mkv from my NAS to my Mac.. max b/w recorded is only 12Mbps (buffering) over a 54Mbps wifi link... during playing time is only around 4-5Mbps...

I always have a Windows mini apps called NetPerSec running in the small icon to check the current b/w usage in bps.

Pls refer to the Article below :-

http://www.guru3d.com/article/accelerate-x...-the-gpu-guide/

It will offload all the processing to a GPU...

See this article below...

How to enable DXVA on MPC-HC..

http://www.guru3d.com/article/accelerate-x...-the-gpu-guide/

A lot of HTPC users also using the AMD 785G mobo and hv no issues watching 1080p with DXVA enabled..

or request the mediaportal developers to support DXVA ( DirectX Video Acceleration ) on their s/w...

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Added on June 25, 2010, 5:58 pmPost some pics of yr HTPC here....






This post has been edited by stan001: Jun 25 2010, 05:58 PM

Suggestion : There is a nvidia combo called ion ( atom cpu + 9400M GPU ) ... dunno if this type of mobo is available here.. best used for HTPC...

The weird config... memory is usually in pair, 2GB or 4GB.. but u hv like 3GB DDR2 ?

Hard disk so small only ? hehe

Nice HTPC setup..

Just curious, what OS r u using ?

Most ppl use hauppauge WinTV PVR 150 ....

Ir Blaster is to receive the signal from yr Media Center remote control and sent out the learned signal ( change channels ) to yr devices like Astro decoder..

I wrote something about it in my blog below...

With Astro byond offering PVR service, the above mention method is kinda obsolete....

Yes, that happens when u try to use a higher resolution that the supported resolution on yr LCD TV.

From yr descriptions, looks like yr native resolution is probably 720p instead of the higher one stated...

You can try to use a bigger font size to compensate the blur font cos it is pretty hard to read at a distance away.

What graphic card are you using ?


You must hv gotten yr Byond PVR upgrade for free promo to existing Max users... too bad I live in condo and cannot take up that free offer cos the internal wiring is centralized antenna.

Hi, I just notice you have ALMOST the same same setup as mine....

CPU (720 BE) /mobo/memory/casing.. even the Home Theater & keyboard/mouse also SAME brand!!!!

Don't you have heat issues with yr casing.. mine put inside the TV cabinet, very bad air circulation I have to put a 4" fan blowing cool air into the tv cabinet and change my CPU cooler to Zalman CNPS 8700 LED or else the stock cpu cooler runs at full speed 6000rpms...

If you have time, there are another 126 pages on HTPC V1 on the first posting... happy reading..

Remember, HTPC is different from a normal PC or gaming rig... need a balance between aesthetics, CPU power, size , cooling and noise...


Aesthetics - have a "nice" chassis as it is in the middle of the living room, looks more like hifi that PC chassis with LED displays

CPU power - need medium power in case you need to do a lot of video encoding or video conversion to other formats

Size - usually smaller chassis but more I/O slots at the front panel ( memory card readers , video / audio input , USB ports )

Cooling & noise - should stay cool ( if inside a tv cabinet ) and low fan speed to prevent annoying noise while watching tv / playing music

Using a PC in the living room is not everyone cup of tea.. hehe and using a windoze OS is also not an optimize solution...

BUT it is upgradable and flexible for ppl that also want to surf, play games the web and play media files... you can also easily install a Blueray Disc drive to turn yr HTPC into a Blueray Disc player... ( no need to buy individual BD player )...

Yes, it is sometimes much better to use those WD or AC Ryan as a dedicated media player... for those not into DIY HTPC stuff..

It is decision between flexibility & expansion vs single purpose dedicated appliance...

Just curious,

does everyone leave the HTPC on 24 hours ??

do you have a LCD monitor together with the LCD tv / Plasma tv ?

I like the Windows Media Center interface but it could not play .mkv format... what other media center look alike s/w do you use to play .mkv files ? I hv to manually goto Explorer and click on the .mkv and the Mediaplayer classic will launch..

I wanna compile a list of current HTPC users with h/w specs & htpc chassis on the first page and what common s/w do you use to power the HTPC...

This should give new HTPC users an idea what are the common h/w or s/w to use/install..