well..does anyone besides Rv know about this whole Home Theatre PC thing? sorry Rv, i've excluded you because you know dick about computers :lol: :P :lol:

the most i know about it is:

1) I can setup a "TiVo" but, it's free
2) I can store my DVD's on it and pretty much set up an "OnDemand" type deal
3) It costs a lot of money (mostly for storage)

can anyone else fill me in on the aspects of HTPC? (i've looked at wikipedia and am still confused.

Without researching it too much here are my thoughts:

1) runs on windows media (xp media version truncated for media.. duh)
2) its a frikin pc
3) Use wireless
4) storage... hmm why pay a G if you can buy a 300 G external for pennies.. on the dollar

With the above said, I built a Media PC for about... 400 bux. Bare bones that allows me to look at movies or listen to the Radio or Music without turning the PC on. Its compact - bout the size of a shuttle or smaller and is asthetically pleasing. Only Drawback is that if you want to put a snot knocking video card you lose the Movie/Music avenue. Onboard video is sufficient to look at movies on a plasma :) and do regular stuff... gaming - not. Takes up to 2gigs of ram; and as much as a 3.4 ghz P4/800FSB. Can take up to two HDs - tight fit; two drives and a 3.5". Its easy to set up ect... I originally set up 2 160g SATAs; ended up taking one out for my comp when it was giving me probs (if you remember that). Onboard sound is good as well... believe its 5.1 minimum.

- Barebones pc came w/mobo, sounds, vid - APPX $140
- I had to buy HDs, had a proc (2.4 gig p4/800) and a gig of Ram already - 2 160 SATAs appx 200 at the time.

Best Option IMO is to get one SATA (my set up) then use externals for your storage; hell internal IDEs are cheap enough and you can buy a external kit for about $70. That gives you ultimate portability for your media - or if you go wireless you can access it from whereever you are in your house.

PC sound and Video out can be run through your surround sound and bam your done. Hell you can even run wires to all rooms for sound.

Pretty cheap build actually - but I guess if your "into" liscenced software and canned "name brand" packages you can spend as much as you can stand.


Thats what I can think of for now...

ooooh...thanks buddy.

basically, from what i've gathered...i want to be able to:

1) upscale TV to near-HD quality
2) play DVDs at near HD quality
3) timeshift (record live TV and play them later)

also, i'm confused about how to maintan DTS surround sound and shit from my DVDs...

ah well...i guess i'll read some forums.


if anyone is knowledgeable enough...i'll fly you out to Sacramento and you cna help me build my PC...

nah, maybe not.

All you really need is a basic box with a good amount of storage. TV Tuners can cost anywhere from 30 to 150. The price dictates shit like how many tuners are available (2 tuners means you can record one while watching another), whether or not it does HD, blah blah.

The biggest issue is the software that you're going to run to capture video, time shift your shows, and browse through your video/music library. I've heard lots of good stuff about MythTV. The only drawback is that if you're not familiar with Linux, it could take a little longer to setup. There's tons of tutorials out there, so it shouldn't be TOO terrible.

Have a looksee here. MythTV.org

For a small fee....i can tell u anything u need to know.



ntwrkp|mp
still rapin.......

yeah...i just considered your application...


ummmm.....denied. :lol: :P :lol:

I know this is an old thread but I thought I might still be of some help.

With an HTPC you can play HD content on your HTPC. You just need the right hardware/codec’s and stuff like that. There's already a Blu-Ray PC drive out. A HD-DVD drive will be available in the near future. You will need a HDCP compatible video card in order to playback protected HD content & a monitor/tv that supports HDCP.


Here is a list of HDCP video cards:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1071342

Here is a cheap (and good) HDCP PC monitor that is under $300

http://www.dell.com/content/products/produ...s=04&l=en&s=bsd

Here is a good HDCP 1080P TV

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-EK317fPsC2T/c...estinghouse+LVM


You can play all your MP3’s

You can play all of your Emulators/ROMS. I’m 98% sure you can hook upto 4 wired or wireless controllers. (although going wireless would be harder I think)


You can stream media from another PC to your HTPC, You can stream internet radio, you can use a HTPC has a DVR, you can install dual TV turners (so you can watch 1 show and record another at the same time), you can install HD TV Tuners, which lets you record OTA (over the air) HD content. DVD playback, View Pictures, go on the internet, play computer games, and pretty much anything else you can do on a PC.

Also, you don't need Windows Media Center. Here is a list with quite a few of the apps you can use instead of Windows Media Center.

http://eirikso.com/2005/10/25/the-media-ce...-software-list/

Here's a link to a few apps that might help you with your build. The HTPC apps are half-way down the list.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=399319


You might also want to read this.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=523614
http://www.htpcnews.com/index.php

HTPC Store
http://www.pcalchemy.com/index.php/cName/h...f9fac16aabcb450

I hope this helps.