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Not sure if this really qualifies as an HTPC or not, but it looks pretty sweet later on I may pick one up as a replacement for my trusty XBMC. Assuming it can do anything above 720p it's as good as a sale. Any thoughts? http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/archos-tv-plus-also-downloads-movies-surfs-the-web-268961.php http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/15/archos-tv-plus-details-hands-on/#comments SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Jun 15, 2007 |
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Jun 15, 2007 17:13
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I'm thinking about putting together some sort of HTPC solution, but not exactly sure which route I should go. Up until now, I've been using good old XBMC, but now that I have an HDTV, I think that's going to go into the bedroom which leaves the living room HTPC free. I'll have digital cable in a few days, but I don't want to pay for cablevisions lovely DVR. DVR functionality would be nice, but it's not really necessary. Mainly I just want something that will play DVD video_Ts folders, AVI, divx and such, plus music, maybe be able to handle torrents, but i dont really want ato use a keyboard and mouse on the couch. I modded a friend's apple tv but I just don't think the homebrew community is there yet. Then there's the Mac mini which is attractive with frontrow and an apple remote. I should mention that most of my media will be stores on my win xp box. Also might bump up to wireless N sooner or later. As far as hardware goes I'll have a xbox 360, but not sure I want to deal with zune WMP11 and tversity and such. I also don't want to spend a whole lot on hardware if I can help it. I want a fairly innocuous setup, since I'm used to the monstrous xbox 1.0. This is what attracted me to the appleTV, as I said. Linux and mythtv could be a good idea, although id have to find a fairly small case to put under my TV. Any ideas?
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Jun 24, 2007 18:34
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I've posted this question in a few places, but I figured I might get a better answer in this thread: Basically, within the next six months I'm going to be getting rid of my big old desktop in favor of a Macbook pro. I have a TON of media that I would like to keep on my network with an NAS network hard drive, I was thinking a Lacie or Western Digital. My criteria, in order of importance is as follows: --Small form factor, saw a Lacie that is about 6"x6", which is perfect. --Good power save options, can be turned on remotely or go into low voltage mode until I have a request. I'd like to leave this thing powered on 24/7, but don't want to worry about it overheating/burning down the house. --Decent capacity 300-500GB --Remote access. Media streaming via iTunes, FTP, HTTP or w/e. Mainly I want to have all my media available while I'm at work or away connected to Wi-Fi. --The ability to handle torrents (low priority, I can always handle this from my PC/Mac and set the destination) -- Decent transfer speeds, on par with USB, nothing crazy but enough so that I could stream video to XBMC, and maybe HD content later on. --Gigabit ethernet (low priority, I still don't have a gigabit switch, but I would like to be able to upgrade later.)
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Sep 13, 2007 23:06
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I'm interested in building a DVR/PVR for my parents for Xmas but not sure how to go about doing it. I know that I'll need a PVR-150 card and some software, most likely MythTV. I'd like to build a fairly compact rig as cheaply as I can while avoiding the TiVO subscription fees. How much should I expect to spend? Could I spend less than I would for a new TiVO which I think are around $300 with HD support? Also, my parents are not tech savvy at all, so would I be able to program the box to boot directly into the PVR software? Would a PVR Linux Distro be worthwhile? This is my basic list of Reqs: Compatibility with Dish Network with an assortment of premium channels Remote/IR blaster. Possibly a Harmony for Universal support. Decent sized HDD, CPU and RAM for HD Wireless support I basically know which parts I should buy, but is there any way I could conceivably build something like this for $200-300? The Harmony could go, I guess to keep the price down. Any thoughts on which way I should go?
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Nov 14, 2007 21:00
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I’m heavily considering building myself an HTPC. So far, I’ve allotted myself a budget of $600, but that can change depending on the recommendations in this thread. Essentially, my sticking points are cost and size. I’d like something that will fit inside my entertainment center that won’t make much more noise than my 360 with a decent enough front end not to make me cry for XBMC. Mostly, I’d like to use the machine for HD playback, 720p/1080i, (1080p would be nice but I’d rather keep the cost down than be able to play 1080p stuff) media/fileserver with a 500GG-1TB HDD. Also would like to do some MAME/Dreamcast Emulation, maybe some PC gaming but nothing crazy. No video recording or anything. I’d like to connect via HDMI since the 360 Is taking up my TV’s only VGA port and be able to wake the PC up on LAN or turn it on with my Harmony remote. So, can I do this within budget? I can salvage some parts from my old desktop like the HDD, (possibly) RAM and disk drives.
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Jan 4, 2008 22:02
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Wood for Sheep posted:$600 is more than enough to do this. What dimensions are your entertainment cabinet, so you can find the right case. I'd imagine that most cases you'll find to fit that will be microATX form factor, so here's a rough estimate of a new machine. I think I can get about 8 inches of vertical clearance and a foot or two deep in my entertainment center, roughly the dimensions of an old Xbox, which the HTPC would be replacing. I think the Antec Fusion is looking pretty good.
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Jan 5, 2008 06:26
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dfn_doe posted:Word of warning! The Antec Fusion is wider than most stereo components AND requires air space on both sides as well as the top. If your space is only big enough for an Xbox is definitely won't hold a fusion. Can anyone recommend a smaller case then? I figure I can clear about 5-6" height, 17" Depth and 10-12" Width. Are shuttle PCs any good for HTPCs? SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Jan 5, 2008 |
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Jan 5, 2008 15:38
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dfn_doe posted:Yeah, the display is kind of pain to get it to do anything worthwhile, at least on my revision the software availability is quite low and not very good. I'm using LCD smartie with the imon driver. I hear that the newest revision of the fusion has a better LCD and an IR reciever which can do more stuff and uses more standard drivers. That said, once I got mine working I'd say that aside from not having much REAL utility it does look pretty swank and is plenty bright and readable; although I've heard others complain about their particular display having too low of a contrast or not liking the color. You guys are talking about the Fusion 430? How do you find the IR receiver? I'm planning on using this HTPC with a Harmony remote and would like some confirmation that it will work under Ubuntu/MythTV/Windows.
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Jan 6, 2008 04:18
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sigma 6 posted:I am expecting the last of my HTPC components in the mail soon. Can someone critique my setup or suggest ways of putting it together? Wow, thanks for bringing this model to my attention! I was looking for a smaller case than the fusion and this one will fit nicely into my media center. Couple of questions, though: will the IR receiver on this shuttle work with my Harmony remote? I assume so with the included remote and Logitech's huge library of devices. Also, will the onboard graphics support any decent amount of gaming? I would guess not and will probably end up grabbing an 8600 for my needs. And one more thing...if I do put in a 8600 video card, I won't be able to pipe out video and audio through the HDMI port on the mobo, correct?
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Jan 8, 2008 00:14
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sigma 6 posted:You're going to want a discrete video card with HDMI. Although the onboard intel chipset CAN output HDMI, that is about all it can do (and just barely that - with the newest drivers). I would not use it for any 3d apps or gaming. See, this confuses me. So when you say "a video card with HDMI" do you mean one with a DVI output that I can use with a DVI->HDMI converter, or a video card that has a native HDMI? I haven't seen any 8600's with HDMI, or maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. edit: I'm an idiot SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jan 8, 2008 |
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Jan 8, 2008 05:31
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sigma 6 posted:I just got my Shuttle SG33G5M and popped in a Q6600 (2.4g quadcore) with 4 gigs of ram and it barely hums. Haven't put in a video card yet though. Would you mind posting pics of the shuttle? I'm thinking of buying one but I can never tell just how big they are. I mean, I know the dimensions but actually seeing it with a frame of reference would help me out.
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Jan 11, 2008 00:38
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Thanks for the pic. The barebones model you listed still comes with the remote and LED display? I really want to use it with my Harmony remote.
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Jan 11, 2008 17:44
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Will do. I actually checked the device database that comes with the Harmony software and Shuttle is listed right there under Media Center PCs, so I'm assuming that it should work just fine. Will find out for sure once I get my unit, though.
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Jan 11, 2008 19:54
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sigma 6 posted:LMK what you guys decide on in terms of a graphics card. I blew a lot of money on the projector + SFF so I am going to have to wait until next pay day for the video card. A passively cooled, high-end nvidia with HDMI would be ideal but I am most concerned that whatever card it will be will fit in the case. Not Nvidia, butI've been eyeing this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127298
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Jan 11, 2008 22:34
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mattfl posted:IMO Media Portal is leaps and bounds better than MC as a HTPC frontend. If you've ever used XBMC on an original modded xbox, media portal is essentially that on a pc. That's great to hear. Does MP offer anything over MythTV? The reason I ask is that I wanted to set up my HTPC for a dual boot with XP and Ubuntu with MP and MythTV. If there's no real difference between the two I might just use XP/MP exclusively. Does MP allow you to stream media remotely outside of your network, like listening my music at work? Anyone wanna critique my potential setup? Because I'm going with a shuttle PC case because of space, IR and display. It has an integrated 3100 chipset which is kinda crappy for my purposes. Probably going to dual boot XP and Ubuntu and use Media Portal/MythTV. Already have DVD and HDD drives. I'd like to try and keep the price down as much as possible. I originally wanted to keep it under $600. Is there anywhere I could cut costs without taking a performance hit? The only sticking points are the case and video card I think. I might consider axing the tuner card for DVR. Shuttle SG33G5M Intel Socket T(LGA775) Intel Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Duo / Celeron 400 Intel G33 VFD remote control Barebone - Retail -$10.00 Instant $369.99 $359.99 Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 150 MCE 274 PCI Interface Tuner Card - Retail $59.99 MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDMI HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Silent Heat Pipe Video Card - Retail $20.00 Mail-in Rebate $119.99 CORSAIR 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GB667D2 - Retail -$10.00 Instant $10.00 Mail-in Rebate $54.99 $44.99 Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E4500 - Retail $124.99 TOTAL Tax +Shipping $779.80 SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Jan 13, 2008 |
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Jan 13, 2008 05:36
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Can anyone recommend a cheap TV tuner that's compatible with Media Portal and will fit in a Shuttle SG5G33M?
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Jan 15, 2008 02:01
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SubCrid TC posted:I'm just going with the Hauppauge Win-TV PVR 150. I just need analogue, it looks fairly short in the pictures I've seen, and some european online stores that configure shuttles have them as options for the SG5G33M, so I'm assuming it fits. It's available with and without a remote, so I just got the non-remote one. It was about $75 Canadian through NCIX. I'm looking at that card. I should be able to record from the coax out from my cable box right?
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Jan 16, 2008 01:29
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sigma 6 posted:Yeah. I refuse to upgrade to Vista just to playback HD through the onboard graphics chipset. LMK which graphics card you get if you end up getting one. I have to wait until my next pay period. It is REALLY tempting to get one with HDMI however. That way I can plug the HDMI out from the shuttle straight into my 720p projector. Sigma, have you tried using the livechat function on the Shuttle site? They've been extremely helpful picking out compatible components and recommending PSU's, etc. I've pretty much settled on the 2600XT, but without the passive cooling since it won't fit according to the service rep. edit: also, did you try looking at 8600's with HDCP? SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Jan 18, 2008 |
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Jan 18, 2008 20:58
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I made some tweaks to my new HTPC rig. Basically, it's a replacement to good old XBMC for 1080p mkvs, DVR, playback plus some light gaming in 1080 as well, probably DC emulation and maybe WoW or Spore, if it ever comes out. Already have DVD and HDDs. Trying to keep it around $600. What do you guys think? Shuttle SG33G5M Intel Socket T(LGA775) Intel Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Duo / Celeron 400 Intel G33 VFD remote control Barebone w/ 250W psu $359.99 AVerMedia AVerTVHD MCE A180 HDTV Tuner Card / PVR (White Box) - OEM $49.99 ASUS EAH2600XT/HTDP/256M Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $106.99 Team Elite 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $39.99 Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E2200 - Retail $94.00 TOTAL w/ shipping: $669.69
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Jan 20, 2008 06:40
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sigma 6 posted:Just wanted to let everyone know that it is possible to play HD/Blu ray with the Shuttle SG33G5M. You have to run Vista + Intel's newest G33 drivers + newest version of Power DVD + update! After spending my entire day off yesterday working on it, I have success!! How did you go about buying RAM? There's a support list on the site for that box, but as fara as I can tell you can probably just plug in any old ram so long as it's 667 or 800.
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Jan 22, 2008 06:48
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Has anyone used their HTPC with a 360 controller? Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm building modest HTPC that I'm hoping to do some gaming on. I floated the idea of grabbing a bluetooth keyboard + dongle, but now that I think about it, I could just use my 360 controller if I pick up one of those wireless PC receivers plus a messenger pad for typing. This strikes me as a much more compact solution. Also, wouldn't the controller support voice chat for Vent and such if I use a headset? The idea of playing WoW with a gamepad, mapping all my spells to buttons and triggers might be enough to suck me back in.
SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Jan 23, 2008 |
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Jan 23, 2008 20:55
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vanilla slimfast posted:What is the brand and model of your cable box? The ones with firewire ports (on the back) are usually the Motorola DCH or DCT series. Hmm, just checked my own HD STB and lo and behold there are 2 firewire slots marked 1394 and a coax out on the back. Does this mean I don't need a cable tuner card if my PC has a Firewire jack? Would I also required an IR blaster for changing channles if I want set up some type of DVR functionality? edit: assuming that I go FW or PCI card, what are the chances I'll be able record from all the channels I get? (I subscribe to Cablevision IO digital cable basic package). I don't really care about HD since SD content looks fine on my Vizio. Mainly I just want to be able to record stuff off of comedy central, and G4. edit2: I'm probably going with the Hauppauge PVR 150 if that makes a difference. SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Jan 25, 2008 02:02
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vanilla slimfast posted:It means that you might be able to use the firewire output in lieu of your own tuner. And no, you wouldn't need an IR blaster as the channel change commands are also sent across the firewire cable. This, of course, is all dependent on whether the HTPC platform you are running supports firewire capture in the first place (it might not). Also, there is a possibility that the port is not active on your box, which would mean you'd need to get your cable co to replace it before the port could be used. Thanks for the info, I'm leaning heavily towards XP and Media Portal, any idea if that one supports Firewire? Also, how would go about determining if my firewire on my STB is enabled and what do I do if it is not? Also, assuming I get the firewire option working, does that mean I'll have the option of recording HD if I so choose? If I bypass the STB altogether with a tuner card, is it possible that I won't get access to all the channels I want to record? SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Jan 25, 2008 04:01
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Ok, I'm going to try out connecting my STB to my Powerbook via firewire over the weekend. Just one thing-- how can I tell if the jacks are 4 or 6 pin?
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Jan 25, 2008 17:35
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Well, I've just about given up trying to find out if Media Portal supports Firewire capture, at all. So can anyone recommend a media center platform that satisfies the following criteria: --SKinnable, needs to look as good if not better than XBMC --PVR functionality with Firewire capture option --Will serve up media files over the network, and preferably remotely (although, in a pinch I can use Orb) --Ability to read video RSS feeds like Crankygeeks, 1UP show, Webbalert, etc. --Preferably runs on XP since I'm going to be gaming and not really down with rebooting for Media/gaming. --Decent plugin library, web interface access I've looked at a few options like Sage, Beyond and GB PVR, still not sure which to get. I don't mind paying for the software if it will do everything I want it to do. SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Jan 26, 2008 |
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Jan 26, 2008 00:45
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sigma 6 posted:^^^ Sage has a great rep but I think you have to pay a monthly fee for the EPG. I could be wrong but don't MOST front ends make money off the Electronic Programming Guide? I know that MyHTPC did not somehow, and of course TitanTV is free with reg. I don't know about Meedio or Mediaportal and I don't use MythTV or Freevo cuz I am not a linux user. As far as I know the EPG is free with M$ MCE (not sure of the details with Vista MCE). Poking around the sit, it's like a one time purchase. I'm almost pissed that I sold my Xbox w/ XBMC since there's apparently a plugin that let's you use one as a media extender. Guess I'll have to pick another one up and mod it again for the bedroom. But yeah, SageTV is looking pretty rad so far.
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Jan 26, 2008 03:19
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Well, my firewire DVR experiment was sort of a half success. I was able to pretty quickly hunt down the drivers for my STB, install them and get it connected and streaming to my macbook via VLC player. Best of all, all of the channels both SD and HD came in crystal clear, although there was some jumpiness which I assume is due to integrated graphics. The downside is that most all of the media center software that supports FW capture requires some MAJOR hacks. I consider myself pretty tech savvy, but goddamn the FW hack comes with a frickin ten page documentation. I think it might be worth to just rent the effing DVR from cablevision. If anyone knows of a simple FW capture program w/ a programming data I'm all ears. Otherwise, I think I'm just going to build a PC and throw media portal it sans DVR. edit: hmmm maybe VLC supports program data and scheduling?
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Jan 29, 2008 04:53
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vanilla slimfast posted:Honestly, based on your previous posts and what you're looking to get, you'd be better off just getting a QAM-capable tuner card and record NTSC (analog) and QAM that way. The firewire approach is probably more trouble than it's worth for you if the DVR/HTPC platform you want to use doesn't support it gracefully. Yeah, I think I might set up a dual boot and give mythbuntu a try. Maybe install Vista on the other partition since the one thing I ever liked about Vista was its DVR functionality. Not sure how good the support of Firewire in Vista is though.
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Jan 29, 2008 05:56
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Is anyone else interested in the rumored Asus Eee All-in-one linux boxes? With a monitor and integrated TV tuner is sounds like it could be tailor made for a MythTV box. The $500 price point would be friggin sweet, too.
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Jan 31, 2008 15:11
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Little Brittle posted:Is there anything like Popcorn Hour but cheaper? I don't need HD output, just composite or s-video will be fine. All I'm looking for is something that can connect to network storage and play XVID files from my ReadyNAS on a regular 27" TV. My only other requirement is that it needs to have a remote and interface for browsing files. Does something like this exist under $150? As a last resort I can run cable from the nearest PC's TV-out, but ideally I'd like to have something where you can pause/play with a remote on the TV rather than going back to the computer. Perhaps something like this?
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Feb 1, 2008 21:45
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I've been a faithful XBMC user for very long time but the main failing that I've found with the software is that the plugin script support for video RSS is kind of lovely. The only plugin I've gotten XBMC to work with is G4TV and even then some of the feeds crap out and don't play. I've got a handful of other feeds like Ziff Davis, PBS, Cranky Geeks and such, but they all don't work. Can anyone recommend a good front end for viewing video, preferably something that could work with just Harmony remote control? I was thinking of Miro, but not sure how that would work without a keyboard and mouse.
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May 13, 2008 18:44
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I'm thinking about slapping together a combo machine for the bedroom HTPC/Media Server/Dolphin emulator. I'd hook it into my 720p LCD so I shouldn't need to much horsepower. Could I get away with spending around $400? I figure something like: i3 540 from Microcetner H55 microATX mobo ATI 5670 (will this be enough to run dolphin with SSAA?) 4GB DDR3 500GB-1TB Spinpoint F3 Wireless/Bluetooth dongles Rosewill R379-M Slim MicroATX Computer Case with ATX12V Flex 300W Power Supply Already have a copy of Win7 I'd also like something with an IR port for my harmony remote but I that may be asking a bit much. Was also considering Shuttle but their 1156 offerings start at $200+. Worth it?
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Sep 13, 2010 15:16
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Does anyone have a good solution for watching HBO Go through either Steam Big Picture Mode or XBMC? It's a bit annoying to have to switch back to the keyboard and type in the address.
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Aug 6, 2013 04:20
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