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burmart posted:I just want to be able to stream MLB.TV and 1080p movies from a laptop/netbook to my 52inch TV. Would anything with a HDMI out pretty much do the trick? I'm looking to go cheap as possible. Mostly it's for MLB.TV. The AppleTV supports MLB.tv and is both incredibly slick and cheap. Doesn't help you on the movies front, but if MLB.tv is the main priority there you go.
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Feb 28, 2012 04:12
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Here's the build I've got scoped out, in my cart on Newegg, waiting for me to not be a pussy about it. Any thoughts/critiques? Again, my plan is to use this box to run XBMC as a front end, run SAB et al, and potentially live-tv via tuner I already have. Part list permalink CPU: AMD A4-3400 2.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A75M-D2H Micro ATX FM1 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg) Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.11 @ CompUSA) Hard Drive: OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($59.99 @ Newegg) Case: Antec NSK2480 MicroATX Desktop Case w/380W Power Supply ($110.17 @ NCIX US) Total: $339.25 (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) (Generated 2012-02-28 15:09 EST-0500)
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Feb 28, 2012 21:11
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I am planning on cannibalizing my old gaming rig into an HTPC and have some questions. I would be connecting the HTPC to my Pioneer VSX 1021 receiver. 1.) I am debating between using an EVGA GeForce 8800GTS or a Sapphire Radeon HD5450 as my graphics card. Major drawbacks to the GeForce are that it doesn't have HDMI (S-video only) and its loving huge. Major drawbacks to the HD5450 are that it's much less beefy in the graphics department and that it tends to run hot. Which makes the most sense? 2.) If I were to use the 8800, would I still be able to deliver 5.1 surround sound to my receiver via a second sound card? 3.) Would my card choice be affected one way or another if I wanted to put a Blu-ray drive into the HTPC as well?
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Feb 28, 2012 21:27
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Mikey Purp posted:I am planning on cannibalizing my old gaming rig into an HTPC and have some questions. I would be connecting the HTPC to my Pioneer VSX 1021 receiver. You'll need a sound card with a digital output that will send 5.1 over it. I had one in the past that had the connection but could only coax 2.0 out of the thing. If you use the GeForce I suggest using its DVI output rather than s-video since you'll get HD that way. According to NewEgg it should be HDCP compliant, so no issues with respect to BluRays there, though you'd have to check and see if BluRay penalizes you for using non-HDMI for audio. Really, though, you'd save yourself a lot of headaches just using the HD5450, since it'll do everything over HDMI and you really don't need much "beef" for an HTPC.
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Feb 28, 2012 23:53
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If you'll be running Windows 7 the HD5450 supports DXVA so you'll be able to playback 1080p content with minimal CPU usage so I'd go for that option for the reasons TheScott2k mentioned (everyone over HDMI is much easier and trouble free). As for Bluray playback, the 5450 will handle it just fine, but my personal experience (on Windows) is that it probably easier and cheaper to just buy a dedicated hardware bluray player, you may or may not come to the same conclusion when you do your own research.
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Feb 29, 2012 00:05
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Scratch2k posted:If you'll be running Windows 7 the HD5450 supports DXVA so you'll be able to playback 1080p content with minimal CPU usage so I'd go for that option for the reasons TheScott2k mentioned (everyone over HDMI is much easier and trouble free). Seconded on the BluRay player. Until BluRay playback becomes as everything-does-it as DVD playback is on the PC (don't hold your breath) it really isn't worth the effort. The players are poo poo that constantly either bark at you about "updates" that involve re-downloading and installing the entire thing, or nag you about buying a new version, and when it does work you're still sitting through all the same crap that set top players have to sit through. It's integrated into nothing with a decent lean-back interface, and those that add a launcher to Windows Media Center still gently caress up 1/5 of the time. I got into the habit of ripping and remuxing all my BluRay movies as MKVs as they arrive and putting them on a shared hard drive, haven't looked back since. The discs are basically backup copies.
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Feb 29, 2012 00:16
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So I was using XBMC in Windows 7 on a Zbox AD10 (e-350 nettop). I had a weird issue where it would occasionally lock up while watching something and I couldn't fix it without doing a hard reset. I switched to OpenELEC and it's pretty awesome so far. Everything worked right out of a fresh install and it boots right into XBMC. It also only took about 30 seconds to install off of a USB stick, but I am using an SSD. I can do 1080p playback with no problems at all. For reference, I'm playing the mkv's off of my NAS, not the HTPC. I also have sab/sickbeard running on a separate box as well.
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Feb 29, 2012 02:02
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This is probably a stupid question but is there any way to use HDMI control ("HDAVI control"? is that it's non-proprietary name?) on a Windows 7 PC?
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Feb 29, 2012 04:06
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TheScott2K posted:Seconded on the BluRay player. Until BluRay playback becomes as everything-does-it as DVD playback is on the PC (don't hold your breath) it really isn't worth the effort. The players are poo poo that constantly either bark at you about "updates" that involve re-downloading and installing the entire thing, or nag you about buying a new version, and when it does work you're still sitting through all the same crap that set top players have to sit through. It's integrated into nothing with a decent lean-back interface, and those that add a launcher to Windows Media Center still gently caress up 1/5 of the time. I got into the habit of ripping and remuxing all my BluRay movies as MKVs as they arrive and putting them on a shared hard drive, haven't looked back since. The discs are basically backup copies. Agreed, I bought a Blu-Ray reader for my HTPC but later got a PS3 and only ever use that to play them anymore. The BR drive's now in my regular PC for ripping.
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Feb 29, 2012 05:37
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Samurai Sanders posted:This is probably a stupid question but is there any way to use HDMI control ("HDAVI control"? is that it's non-proprietary name?) on a Windows 7 PC? http://www.pulse-eight.com/store/products/104-usb-hdmi-cec-adapter.aspx
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Feb 29, 2012 07:04
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UndyingShadow posted:http://www.pulse-eight.com/store/products/104-usb-hdmi-cec-adapter.aspx
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Feb 29, 2012 07:06
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A Harmony is significantly less of a pain in the rear end to set up than getting HDMI-CEC working, especially across different brands.
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Feb 29, 2012 14:07
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This might seem a little crazy, but I'm looking for a way to simultaneously control 45 class room media players. All will be connected through wifi / ethernet and need to be able to start the same video from a local source(usb drive or sd card) and play at the same time. Currently we have 45 mac minis running an automator script that starts the videos at a certain time, but holy gently caress $30k for these computers is a little crazy. Anyone have any script or anything that can be created for less than 30,000 dollars that would control 45 boxee boxes or xbmc? I'm at a loss since the guy who is overseeing this is an apple fan boy and is so bent on "omg apple products solve the world's problems"
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Mar 1, 2012 17:03
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I apologize if this is a stupid question, but I went back a few pages and didn't see anything really. Is there a go-to cablecard tuner? I'd prefer USB and cross-platform support, but if it's cheap enough PCIe and Windows-only is fine. I'm currently using a clear QAM card but would like to get more channels than C-SPAN and PBS... Also something that comes with software to stream content to an iPad/iPhone wouldn't suck. I know Hauppauge does this as they're what I'm currently using.
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Mar 1, 2012 22:23
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Can someone peruse this and tell me if I done good? I haven't put together a computer since I was in high school, and well lets just say that was over a decade a go.  Case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GGUAUE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Motherboard: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LDEQHA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Memory: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003GSLDH2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Power Supply: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009MIP8I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER DVD Drive: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057FRTPW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Hard Drive: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461G3MS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Basically I just want it to watch things in various video formats, and probably use something as a front-end to watch Netflix. The only real requirement is that it needs to have HDMI and optical out, which the board does.
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Mar 2, 2012 00:55
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ddogflex posted:I apologize if this is a stupid question, but I went back a few pages and didn't see anything really. Is there a go-to cablecard tuner? I'd prefer USB and cross-platform support, but if it's cheap enough PCIe and Windows-only is fine. I'm currently using a clear QAM card but would like to get more channels than C-SPAN and PBS... Also something that comes with software to stream content to an iPad/iPhone wouldn't suck. I know Hauppauge does this as they're what I'm currently using. Cross-platform CableCard isn't about hardware compatibility as much as software compatibility. No Linux software is licensed to decode Copy-Once video streams; they're limited to Copy Freely (non-DRM) streams. Some cable companies won't do anything in Copy Freely. Others, like Comcast, will do many non-premium channels as Copy Freely, but definitely not all. The only software that will handle Copy Once DRM TV on a CableCard tuner is Windows Media Center on Windows 7, and it requires an HDCP-capable monitor, video card, and interconnect (i.e. DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort cable). Anyway, as for specifics, I currently use a Hauppauge WinTV DCR-2650 USB dual tuner and I'm quite satisfied with it. If I'd had more money, an HDHomeRun PRIME would've been swell - watch TV on my laptop and all - but it wasn't worth the extra bucks to me. Internally, both are roughly the same hardware and are Linux compatible. The Prime supports tuning adapters, if you need that, where the Hauppauge does not. Dobermaniac posted:This might seem a little crazy, but I'm looking for a way to simultaneously control 45 class room media players. All will be connected through wifi / ethernet and need to be able to start the same video from a local source(usb drive or sd card) and play at the same time. Currently we have 45 mac minis running an automator script that starts the videos at a certain time, but holy gently caress $30k for these computers is a little crazy. Anyone have any script or anything that can be created for less than 30,000 dollars that would control 45 boxee boxes or xbmc? I'm at a loss since the guy who is overseeing this is an apple fan boy and is so bent on "omg apple products solve the world's problems" Have you considered having a number of dumb boxes that can tune into a video stream, with one master box spitting out the video from VLC? Factory Factory fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Mar 2, 2012 |
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Mar 2, 2012 00:57
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I honestly didn't think that 1 computer or 1 10/100 network could keep up with 45 to 50 streams at once so local files would be on each computer
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Mar 2, 2012 01:10
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Dobermaniac posted:I honestly didn't think that 1 computer or 1 10/100 network could keep up with 45 to 50 streams at once so local files would be on each computer Multicast it. It ought to be cheaper to rejigger the room's LAN with 45 cheap stream devices than buy 45 fairly overpowered PCs.
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Mar 2, 2012 01:19
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Factory Factory posted:alotofinfo Thanks for all that, I've been eyeing the WinTV-DCR-2650 already so I think I'll just pull the trigger. My video card and monitor are both HDCP compliant so hopefully that isn't a problem. Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it. I'm mostly wanting this so I can stream live TV to my iPad and copy-once doesn't sound like it would work for that at all. Not that I even know what would be marked as that... Hopefully not sports? I've done a little googling for it, but not finding any lists or anything.
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Mar 2, 2012 01:21
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ddogflex posted:Thanks for all that, I've been eyeing the WinTV-DCR-2650 already so I think I'll just pull the trigger. My video card and monitor are both HDCP compliant so hopefully that isn't a problem. Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it. I'm mostly wanting this so I can stream live TV to my iPad and copy-once doesn't sound like it would work for that at all. Not that I even know what would be marked as that... Hopefully not sports? I've done a little googling for it, but not finding any lists or anything. Only way I've run across was in trying to watch recorded TV on another PC - doesn't work for Copy Once, works fine for Copy Freely. Unless you're certain about how to get from tuner to iPad already, I'd get the HDHomeRun and the iPad app for it. It's pricier and only supports SD channels, but it'd definitely work. MythTV's app doesn't have streaming yet, and I can barely imagine the hoops you'd have to jump through for other streaming solutions, given the controls on CableCard tuning.
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Mar 2, 2012 01:34
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Porkchop Express posted:Can someone peruse this and tell me if I done good? I haven't put together a computer since I was in high school, and well lets just say that was over a decade a go. My second HTPC is based on a E350 motherboard and runs Win7+XBMC and plays back 1080p content without a problem (using DXVA). However, the XBMC GUI can be a bit laggy compared to my other HTPC (which is based on a E5500 - 2.8Ghz), if you can put up with a little GUI lag (or you're running Linux) then the E350 is perfect. That motherboard takes full sized DDR3 RAM, not the SODIMMS you linked, you may want to change that (also, get 8Gb, it's so cheap). You may want to spend a little extra for a larger HDD, the price difference between 500gb and 2Tb is not significant in the grand scheme unless of course you will be storing your content on a NAS/Server. Do you REALLY need a DVD drive? Will you be playing physical media? All the other bits look ok.
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Mar 2, 2012 01:49
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Factory Factory posted:Only way I've run across was in trying to watch recorded TV on another PC - doesn't work for Copy Once, works fine for Copy Freely. Another option not mentioned is the Ceton box (either PCIe or USB) which recently got a price cut to $200, pricey but I think it's now the cheapest per tuner (4 tuners). You don't get the flexibility of the HDHR on the network but if you keep everything for the HTPC that shouldn't be a big deal. And if you don't mind only watching recording shows on the iPad (i.e. no live TV) there's a few apps for that. I use StreamToMe but it looks like Remote Potato can do it too, the latter says it let's you do recording scheduling for MCE too.
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Mar 2, 2012 03:51
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Scratch2k posted:My second HTPC is based on a E350 motherboard and runs Win7+XBMC and plays back 1080p content without a problem (using DXVA). I hadn't realized I had selected the wrong memory, I was price comparing Newegg vs. Amazon and selected it in a hurry, I will find an alternate. I am not to worried about lag, as long as the media itself plays fine I can deal with it. As for the DVD drive I am not entirely sure how often it will get used, but since they are so cheap I might as just well throw one in. I mean I do like the idea of condensing my DVD to a digital collection some day, even though I know full well I will probably never get around to it.
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Mar 2, 2012 05:24
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Scratch2k posted:My second HTPC is based on a E350 motherboard and runs Win7+XBMC and plays back 1080p content without a problem (using DXVA). I'd recommend bumping up your budget and getting an a6-3500 and an a75 motherboard with hdmi out. It'll give you smoother interfaces (an ssd would help more too, if your shits on a nas somewhere, get a 64gb m4 or something), and do netflix hd.
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Mar 2, 2012 17:41
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Tedronai66 posted:I'd recommend bumping up your budget and getting an a6-3500 and an a75 motherboard with hdmi out. It'll give you smoother interfaces (an ssd would help more too, if your shits on a nas somewhere, get a 64gb m4 or something), and do netflix hd. Any recommendations as to a good board fitting this? The last time I put a computer together they were still running at about 300 Mhz, so needless to say I am not up to date on the latest technologies. 
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Mar 2, 2012 17:55
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Porkchop Express posted:Any recommendations as to a good board fitting this? The last time I put a computer together they were still running at about 300 Mhz, so needless to say I am not up to date on the latest technologies. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131769 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157260 should suit you fine. If I weren't waiting to see what ivy bridge brings, I'd likely get the same setup. oh, and some ram like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 (doesn't have to be this, 8gb is overkill for htpc anyway) Tedronai66 fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Mar 2, 2012 |
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Mar 2, 2012 23:42
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Alright, so I bought a Logitech Harmony remote recently, and I am still programing it all. I also have an IR receiver for my HTPC that runs Windows 7. That receiver did have a remote, and it's own software with it too. However, I'm wondering what's the best way to go about installing something on the computer to make it see the IR receiver, and then how to best program my remote. Does someone have a guide that works well without installing a million hacks or 3rd party programs?
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Mar 3, 2012 18:41
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If the receiver is USB try just plugging it into your HTPC? If windows still doesn't recognize it you will have to get the correct drivers from the receiver manufacturer. As far as the harmony remote, windows has a standard media remote interface and you should be able to pick something like "windows HTPC" as a device in the harmony software.
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Mar 3, 2012 18:45
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If you setup the remote as a MCE remote in the Harmony software, it should work without too much fiddling. Otherwise Event ghost is a great program for advanced remote needs.
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Mar 3, 2012 18:55
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What's the best htpc solution that: 1. Is already built. I don't mind mucking with the software, though. 2. Has remote control support. 3. Low power/noise. 4. Can run xbmc while hooked up to a NAS. 5. Has no stuttering/jerking. I was really interested in the Apple TV 2 for a while until I read that it has tons of stuttering problems...
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Mar 5, 2012 00:40
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"Tons" is a bit much. It doesn't run some of the heavier themes with lots of detail and transition animations very well. The default theme runs very well, though. Recent releases have apparently gotten better, but I'm still on beta 2. My real HTPC can do some additional poo poo, like emulators and live TV recording, but an ATV is brilliant for the price and ease of use. I'd wait to see if they announce a new model next week before buying anything, though.
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Mar 5, 2012 01:28
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IUG posted:Alright, so I bought a Logitech Harmony remote recently, and I am still programing it all. I also have an IR receiver for my HTPC that runs Windows 7. That receiver did have a remote, and it's own software with it too. However, I'm wondering what's the best way to go about installing something on the computer to make it see the IR receiver, and then how to best program my remote. Does someone have a guide that works well without installing a million hacks or 3rd party programs? Assuming your IR receiver is "RC6" compatible (i.e. it emulates the genuine MCE Remote) then you will be fine, otherwise you will be doing some tomfoolery with learning commands and messing with your keyboard.xml file. Here is a list of most of the common remotes and which ones will work out of the box with XBMC: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Remote_control_reviews (I initially purchased a $5 hong kong special which was not RC6, and it worked but only if I used the included remote, it would not work with my harmony unless I wanted to mess around with it, so I spent the extra on a proper RC6 compatible (this one: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Remote_control_reviews#HP_Pavilion_HDX_Remote) and it worked out of the box as per below, I stored the actual remote away and just use the IR receiver with my harmony. You need to add a "MCE KEYBOARD" as a device in your Harmony config, then you can simply map keyboard keys to buttons on the remote. Global Keyboard mappings should be enough to get you started: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Global_Keyboard#Common_platform-independent_keymapping NOTE: You can also add "MCE REMOTE" as a device but I found when I did this my actual XBOX kept turning itself on whenever I sent a command which it interpreted as "hey, someone is using a MCE Remote, turn myself on" so I just removed the device and everything works fine with the MCE Keyboard alone. Another option, as discussed at length in this thread is to get a FLIRC, it is not only a RC6 compatible receiver but it allows you to program the receiver with remote codes allowing you to use ANY remote as a universal remote. EDIT: drat following the XBMC and HTPC thread at the same time, I always assume anyone building a HTPC will run XBMC but I know that's not always the case so this advice may or may not work for you (if you're not running XBMC). Scratch2k fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Mar 5, 2012 |
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Mar 5, 2012 01:44
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EC posted:My real HTPC can do some additional poo poo, like emulators and live TV recording, but an ATV is brilliant for the price and ease of use. I made a full HTPC and then only used it for watching movies, so I feel like my next one should just be something simple and cheap.
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Mar 5, 2012 01:51
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tarepanda posted:What's the best htpc solution that: I'm looking for something similar but haven't settled on anything yet. My only addition is I want to be able to run emulators. The Acer AspireRevo AR3700 looks pretty good and doesn't seem too expensive considering it comes with an OS installed. I'm also considering building my own but I really like the small size of the pre-built ones. No idea if anyone has had any bad experiences with it though.
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Mar 5, 2012 02:05
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quote:NOTE: You can also add "MCE REMOTE" as a device but I found when I did this my actual XBOX kept turning itself on whenever I sent a command which it interpreted as "hey, someone is using a MCE Remote, turn myself on" so I just removed the device and everything works fine with the MCE Keyboard alone. You probably figured this out already but for any others reading you can disable your Xbox 360 from waking due to MCE events in the 360 system configuration.
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Mar 5, 2012 21:31
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I bought a bunch of gear mid last year to make a HTPC and then I put it in the cupboard until I had some more spare cash and time, which ended up being the last few weekends. Thought I'd post my setup just in case anyone is remotely interested... Antec ISK 300-65 mini ITX case Asrock E350M mini ITX mobo with integrated ATI graphics 4GB Ram and a 60GB SSD Compro videomate card and MCE remote Running Windows 7 and XBMC Eden at the moment Put it in the bedroom and it's wired through the roof to my NAS Will have a slimline DVD drive soon so the girlfriend can play DVDs if she wants Played some 720p MKV files last night that looked good with only a tiny bit of frame skipping. I used to have an old xbox 360 streaming from a PC using PS3 Media Server which hated MKVs. This is a tiny bit louder, but if you aren't watching a silent film it doesn't really matter. I originally put that XBMC live on it from a USB thumb drive install, but I found out that it did not play nice with AMD branded stuff, so now I've chucked Windows 7 on it instead. I haven't fiddled with the shell to make it boot directly to XBMC yet because I figure there's some fine tuning to do. Need to fiddle with the remote settings a bit too and I probably won't bother with live TV. Glad I got around to it in the end. The only negative is the case is really cramped and limited in what hardware you can fit in there.
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Mar 6, 2012 04:39
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Captain Matchbox posted:I bought a bunch of gear mid last year to make a HTPC and then I put it in the cupboard until I had some more spare cash and time, which ended up being the last few weekends. The new xbmcbuntu disc might do better, but I find loving with linux tiresome, especially when it comes to xbmc. Being a wired connection, you shouldn't really have any frame skips, at all. the e350 will handle uncompressed bluray just fine (m2ts ripped, i don't know if it can do anydvdhd decrypting on the fly AND do that)
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Mar 6, 2012 17:25
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Have my HTPC up and running, using Media Browser with WMC and very happy with it. My next question though, what is the easiest way to be able to also watch content from my HTPC in another room on another TV? It looks like we need a "media extender" but we do NOT own a 360.
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Mar 7, 2012 23:42
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Thrawn200 posted:Have my HTPC up and running, using Media Browser with WMC and very happy with it. Buying a 360.
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Mar 8, 2012 00:42
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What do you guys use for NAS? I've been looking at the Drobo FS. Power efficiency is important to me. Building my own isn't really an option -- parts are so expensive here and often I have problems finding things that are easy to get in America.
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Mar 8, 2012 00:51
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