HTPC Help..

[jpkishere]

Alright, so I have spent the last few nights/weeks/etc. surfing the net looking for information on how to setup a HTPC..

Couple comments about what I am looking for:

I am not looking to do PVR stuff as I have a cable supplied DVR for that purpose.. I am looking to be able to play lots of MP3s through the HTPC as well as the occasional ripped dvd or wmv file.. It might also like to do a slideshow through the pc as well w/ jpg's etc stored on the HD..

So here is what I have floating around (i.e. don't need to purchase):

P4 - 2.4ghz (533FSB) Processor
2 x 512mb PC3200 RAM
2 x 160gb SATA drives

This is the case I am need/want: Ahanix MCE301

As for motherboards, I was leaning towards is: MSI 661FM2

I believe that the above motherboard has an available S/PDIF adapter so I should be able to use the onboard audio.. It also seems to have RAID support which is how I want the drives configured (mirrored)

So I don't have a need to get that motherboard, just have to get one that is MicroATX, supports the processor, has SATA Raid and good enough on-board audio..

My TV is a Samsung HD tv that supports DVI inputs..

So I am looking for a little guidance regarding the following:

o Is the MSI motherboard a good choice (I believe the CPU works fine w/ it)?
o What type of CPU cooler will I need that is quiet?
o Can I just buy a AGP video (low profile) that has DVI and connect that to my TV? Is there a certain resolution I need to be able to run? TV is 50"

I don't really see myself playing games, etc. on the PC either, will mainly act as a MP3 server..

As for software, not sure that I want to shell out $125 bucks for MCE05, so will try a variety..

 

[IVB]

I don't know much about mATX mobo's, so can't help you with the first 2 questions. However, for the vidcard question, what type of TV do you have? Do you know the model # and it's native resolution? [i.e., not whether it's HDTV compatiable/720p/1080i, but rather how many pixels does it actually have].

 

[jpkishere]

I have a Samsung HLR5067

I believe it does: 480i,480p,720p,1080i

Pixel Count: 1280 horizontal x 720 vertical

 

[Mike]

If you will use MCE, you need an approved video card and you will need a dvd decoder as well (I bought the nvidia one).

I have to run and get some sleep but I posted the link here under Home Automation for where the list of approved cards is if you need it.

I have used ASUS motherboards for all my computers including my MCE machine.

For those types of cpu's I've preferred the swiftech coolers with lots of pins (and are very effective). It takes an 80mm fan on top of it.

I have my MCE machine hooked up to a Samsung DLP tv using VGA inputs.

For resolution it it takes a PC input I would assume you are ok (not sure on all the requirements). I believe mine is at 1280x720 currently.

As far as MCE, I have been real happy with it. Interface is clean and the wife is accepting of it... I have not played with a lot of the alternatives though or the unix based ones.

You will also want a tv card. The hauppague one is the one I got. Recommendation: Get the dual tuner one or two single tuner ones, I regretted that later.

Must sleep. Good luck!

 

[electriclight]

As a MCE alternative you might want to look at Beyond Media.
http://www.snapstream.com/

 

[jpkishere]

As a MCE alternative you might want to look at Beyond Media.
http://www.snapstream.com/

I'll take a look at Beyond Media; electron pointed out a freeware one as well.

Even Yahoo has a freeware download one know based off of Meedio I think..

Still trying to make sure this MB/CPU combo will work without burning down my house... :lol:

 

[jpkishere]

If you will use MCE, you need an approved video card and you will need a dvd decoder as well (I bought the nvidia one).

I have used ASUS motherboards for all my computers including my MCE machine.

For those types of cpu's I've preferred the swiftech coolers with lots of pins (and are very effective). It takes an 80mm fan on top of it.

I have my MCE machine hooked up to a Samsung DLP tv using VGA inputs.

For resolution it it takes a PC input I would assume you are ok (not sure on all the requirements). I believe mine is at 1280x720 currently.

As far as MCE, I have been real happy with it. Interface is clean and the wife is accepting of it... I have not played with a lot of the alternatives though or the unix based ones.

You will also want a tv card. The hauppague one is the one I got. Recommendation: Get the dual tuner one or two single tuner ones, I regretted that later.

Must sleep. Good luck!

Thanks for the comments.. I am a little concerned about heat since the case is very small without a lot of ventilation.. Add to that, it will sit below my Time Warner DVR which generates a fair amount of heat already..

For video, was wondering if someone makes a VGA - DVI cable since most of the mobo's I have looked at already have on-board video..

My only issue w/ MCE is the cost.. I already have XP Pro, but to get MCE i have to shell out 100 clams.. Seems like BeyondTV, Meedio, etc. might be better suited for this solution..

I posted on htpcnews.com, which has some good forums, etc.. We will see what they say... I will report back..

Geesh, I must be getting old since I can remember the old days when all I had to choose from was a 286 or 386SX with 30-pin SIMMS.. Much more complicated these days..

 

[Mike]

For heat, the swiftech coolers were the ones I used but this goes back awhile now. Similar to the following:

http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/Swiftech-MC...-V-p-16313.html

However, it seems that this type of approach seems to beat it out now:

http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/ThermalRigh...0C-p-16133.html

I have not checked the reviews to find the reigning champion at the moment though.

You may want to look at Vantec stealth fans. They are quieter than normal, perhaps look to see about using them in multiple spots (if your case supports that). I swapped out the fans on the PC I had for my wife when she complained, afterwards she was quite happy.

http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/Vantec-Stea...an-p-16261.html

If the board you are using has measurements on it, you might want to test it out though first. I have not worked with small cramped cases, but typically unless you are trying to go fanless or overclocking or otherwise go for 'non-ideal' setups then I have not seen heat be an issue. Your issue might be as easy as putting fans in all the available spots (which some case manufacturers do not populate all of them). Regardless, running the tests will let you know for sure, you might not have a problem.

Another option is to get a bigger case. I was looking at the Thermaltake ones such as:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...ductCode=371278

Sounds like you already have all that though, so this probably wont help. My setup is still in a tower case until I figure out how I want it setup and where the MCE machine will sit (LR or downstairs).

I am not sure about the MCE equivalents, but the video card (and output if onboard) has to be 'compatible'. For example, I had a TI4800SE in the machine and it did not work properly until I found the compatibility information and replaced it with a compatible card.

 

[jpkishere]

OK, so it is months later, but finally got my HTPC built and up and running..

All in all is very kool.. Does have some bugs, etc. but not bad at all..

The biggest headaches I ran into was that I needed a DirectX 9.0 compatible video card to play videos, etc. in MCE..

The other huge headache I had was getting my SPDIF stuff to work -- had to download various versions of drivers, etc. until I got it to work -- but not it does and I am very happy..

Complaints at this point:

The My Audio portion is extremely slow, I have about 50gbs of MP3s now and it takes 30 seconds - 1 minute every time I try and play or search or look at different genre's etc..

Seems to jump back to the OS and then jump back into MCE every once in a while, not sure what the deal is there..

Other than that - it is really kool -- I don't do any recording of movies at this point since my Time Warner DVR takes care of that -- but the ability to play all my MP3s, MPEGs, etc. is really kool..

I would guestimate I spent around 800 total for everything although the case and powersupply were close to 300 total..

 

[Mike]

I would make sure you have it updated (have the rollups for MCE and the like). I vaguely remember that os screen issue from way back but I dont have it now and I believe I only saw it briefly. Also make sure all your drivers are up to date.

Could you describe where the delay is on the music? I have 45GB of music and don't think I've seen the same thing (although I don't use that too often and havent used it much recently). If you explain where that delay is coming in specifically I can check mine. Also how long has this been running (is the music loaded into the database fully).

 

[jpkishere]

I would make sure you have it updated (have the rollups for MCE and the like). I vaguely remember that os screen issue from way back but I dont have it now and I believe I only saw it briefly. Also make sure all your drivers are up to date.

Could you describe where the delay is on the music? I have 45GB of music and don't think I've seen the same thing (although I don't use that too often and havent used it much recently). If you explain where that delay is coming in specifically I can check mine. Also how long has this been running (is the music loaded into the database fully).

I believe I have all the rollups installed, but I will check again.. I didn't install the Windows Genuine Advantage piece on my PC - so now it gives me fits when I do windows update.. As for the drivers, the video is up to date - i actually had to downgrade the audio drivers to get the spdif stuff working, but I believe everything else is good to go..

As for the delay, when I click on My Music, everything I do seems to hit delays.. Well, I add music once a week or so, but the box has been up since aboubt 3am yesterday (I need some sleep) when I finished getting "her" up and running..

An example would be to browse by genre, it takes sometimes 15 seconds to scroll down the list more than what is displayed on screen (i.e. hitting remote's "page down" button)

How can I check on the database and whether it is loaded?

I did see some posts where people had .wma files which worked fine, but .mp3 files made it slow.. All the music is stored locally as well..

Just installed My Movies 2 and seeing how that works with ISO files - you using that at all?

 

[Mike]

It may still be catalogueing it. I think you can check by going into Windows Media Player and looking at the library. See if everything is in there. At the beginning I do remember it being slow.

I was playing with JRMC in preparation for 'the next phase' and it did have more to offer than MCE in regards to music and the like. They have a 30 day trial if you want to play with it.

I think your music delays will go away once it gets caught up. Do the scan for music under windows media player (Tools | Search for media files). I havent used this much but I think (I could be wrong) this is actually how MCE handles all this, so if that is done and you still have delays we can look elsewhere. It may also be trying to get album art as well.

I used My Movies a bit at the beginning. I had stopped using it when I had video issues (later found to be related to the ATI card I had) but I did not go back yet and used My Videos for a simpler solution. I have been meaning to go back and play with the updates though. It is a very nice piece of software.

 

[jpkishere]

It may still be catalogueing it. I think you can check by going into Windows Media Player and looking at the library. See if everything is in there. At the beginning I do remember it being slow.

Seems to be a bit better now, it looks like i have over 12000 MP3s now, so I suppose that might take a while to index..

As far as it's autosearch/playlist ability - boy that needs to be better.. I guess alot of folks focus on the DVR porition and like that - but I wish the music integration was better.

All in all, I have to say I am very pleased with it -- just need to buy a new (much, much quieter) CPU fan and I am done w/ this for awhile..

Thanks for all your help and suggestions..