Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[imugli]

Haven't found a thread on this yet, so thought would start one...

Am interested in finding out what people are running their HTPCs with, how they're controlling them, what software you're running, planned future mods etc.

I'll kick it off...

P6750 Chip
Gigabyte ds3r Mobo
2gb DDR2 RAM
ATI XT2600HD Graphics
DVICO Dual Digital 4 DVBT card
Onboard 7.1 sound through Logitech x501's (crappy, I know, but they do alright in my small lounge room)
1*500gb HDD
1*1tb HDD

Running XP MCE using MC for all media.

Controlled via USB UIRT with the remote I got with the TV card.

Currently connected via s-video to a 68cm CRT TV. Soon to be connected to a 50" Plasma.

Future plans? Near term will hopefully see a barebones HTPC in the kitchen, then one in each bedroom.

[jmone]

After a couple of years, I'm now pretty pleased with my HTPC setup:
- Shuttle SG33G5, Vista 32-Bit, 2GB RAM, Dvico DVB-T+ Tuner, LG Multi Blu Drive, MS MCE Remote & Keyboard (fits into my AV Cabinet, is quiet)
- Gigabyte (ATI) HD4550 Passive HDMI card outputing 1920x1080 @ 24 / 50 / 60hz + 5.1 PCM sound to my AV Setup (Yami V2700, Axiom Speakers, Pio 60" Plasma)
- DVI Detective+ providing "Persistance" and HDCP passthrough from AV Setup to the HTPC
- MC13 for all Media Managment (incl Blu-ray / HD-DVD) and all DirectShow and CD Playback (with CCCP codec pack, and Nero Splitter)
- TMT for all Blu-ray / HD-DVD Playback
- Slysoft's AnyDVD HD / Reclock / Virtual Clone Drive and DisplayChanger / AutoHotKey for solving some HDCP issues, media frame rate detection and display frequency changing, and application switching from MC13 and TMT
- Media simply shared from a central PC with 4 x 1TB HDD

HTPCs are still a hobby in themselves are are way from being a simple Plug and Play device....
Nathan

[raym]

AutoHotKey for solving some HDCP issues, media frame rate detection and display frequency changing, and application switching from MC13 and TMT

Media frame rate detection? You mean automatically? If so, please, do tell...? 

[raym]

I've been building HTPC's for a while now (for me and others). I take the client/server approach where possible which means the client's themselves don't typically have (or need) a lot of storage or grunt. My server has a few TB's of storage and a pool of high-def tv tuners. I do all my ripping and media management there. Each client grabs a copy of the master MC lib from the server on demand and does not store any media locally -apart from tv timeshifting files. They can each schedule tv shows remotely (via WebSheduler) and use MC's auto-import to update the local library as new media is added to the server.

Even though things don't remain the same for very long I'm settled on the following combo for now:

- Antec Fusion M350 (slim, quiet)
- Any Intel P33/35 Media Series MB (coz I find these the most stable for this application) with: Intel E7300 CPU (or higher if required), 2GB RAM, Samsung 300GB SATA drive
- DVICO PCI-E DVB-T single HD tuner (for live TV only, not recording)
- ASUS EAH4550-DI-512MD3 GPU - HDMI / DVI out direct to flat-screen
- SP/DIF digital out to external surround amplifier
- Pinoeer DVD combo drive (havn't taken the BluRay thing too seriously yet... waiting on MC to handle it better ;-))
- MCE IR receiver, Harmony 525 universal remote
- XP Pro SP3
- Intelliremote (for RC control and misc macro functions)
- DVB Web Sheduler PRO
- Directshow bits: Cyberlink PDVD7.3, ffdshow, AC3Filter, SPDiffer, ReClock, Haali

[jmone]

Media frame rate detection? You mean automatically? If so, please, do tell...? 

EDIT - Moved details to a new thread at http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=50146.0

[raym]

Wow! Thanks. I did not know that. Reclock Rocks!