Best Home Theater Personal Computer - HTPC

Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:04:00 +0000

I had a 1 GB RAM which seemed sufficient for a HTPC. The Windows Experience Index gave my memory a decent score of 3.9. My machine, however, performed poorly. My CPU was always pegged and I thought of upgrading the processor.

I found that Win 64-bit OS has a minimum requirement of 2GB RAM to function properly. I got two 1-GB DIMMs from Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231047

I also used a 4 GB Sandisk Cruzer flash driver for ReadyBoost.

After the upgrade, my machine is very responsive.

Cost: $64.99 with coupon

Windows Experience Index: 4.5

Realtek High Definition Audio Codec

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:41:00 +0000

One of the hardware issues I had in migrating from Win XP MCE 2005 to Win 7 64-bit was that my SPDIF out didn’t work anymore and I had to resort to using the analog cable to connect to my audio receiver.

A High Definition Audio Codec for Realtek AC’97 Audio is now available that enables SPDIF again so you can now get the Dolby 5.1 experience.

http://download.cnet.com/Realtek-High-Definition-Audio-Codec-Windows-Vista-Windows-7/3000-2120_4-10788600.html?tag=mncol;pop

The AC’97 Audio Configuration has a Speaker Test which I haven’t been able to work although I get the Dolby experience when I listen to the music.

FTC Guidance - Testimonial

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:51:00 +0000

FTC released guidelines for bloggers regarding endorsements, et al.

This blog is a personal blog, documenting my work on my assembled HTPC. I have purchased all the items listed in the blog and have received no freebies. I have provided the costs of the items I purchased. I have no affiliations with any of the software or hardware companies so I am not a mouthpiece of any of their advertising machinery.

I hope this blog is useful to you!

New Video Card for Aero Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:43:00 +0000

The old nVidia 5200 graphics card on my HTPC produced a poor Aero experience. Video playback was shaky as also indicated in the low Windows Experience Index of 2.0. I decided to get a nVidia Geforce 6200 AGP card as it was the only of the series that didn't have a fan.

Moving to Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Its been almost 4 years now that I have been running my Windows XP MCE on my HTPC. I switched from using it for watching/recording TV shows from cable to simply watching Netflix on-demand movies, Hulu and listening to music. A lot of new MCE plug-ins like MyNetflix, MyMovies are now available on Vista+ OS, thereby limiting my options.

I also wanted to unveil the true computing power of the AMD Athlon 64bit processor, so I decided to give Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit a try. The Windows Experience Index gave a low 2.0 score mainly due to the graphics card, but it looks satisfactory otherwise.

I installed the RC which went through very smoothly. I have turned Aero off to conserve the graphics processing and also to make my machine run cooler and quieter.

Bigger Faster Quieter Hardrive

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Harder Better Faster Stronger ...

I have two issues with the hard-drive on my HTPC. It is running out of space - 250 GB can only hold so much. It is also very noisy. It makes this whirring, clicking sound that makes me turn off the system to retain my sanity. Oh it was also really slow, because it used the ATA/EIDE interface for data transfer.

I needed a disk that was a TB in size and quiet in operation. I got the Western Digital Caviar Green 750 GB drive. Its 'Green' because it has lower power consumption and also very quiet to use. My computer supports the 1.5 Gbits/s SATA interface which makes it a good fit.

Cost: $59.99 with coupon

Windows Experience Index: 5.9 (pretty good)

Streaming

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:44:00 +0000

The entertainment world has changed so much in just a few years. Gone are the days of recording TV shows using a DVR/Tivo/MCE. Now, its possible to watch everything online. Netflix and Amazon stream movies and shows, Hulu, Joost, ABC and Comedy Central host shows that you can view instantly at the click of a button. At the same time, Comcast continues to raise the rates for watching cable, requiring you to get PPV or a premium set of channels, which are simply exorbitant. Comcast didn't broadcast the NBA playoffs on regular cable, luckily, there was Justin.tv and Ustream!

So, I still have my Shuttle XPC as my media center. I need to move beyond the MCE interface to watch the shows online.

Hulu recently launched their desktop, which is accessible via the Microsoft remote. Boxee too is lining up its beta for Windows in summer. I am preparing to test them out.

In the meantime, check out this nifty tutorial on building a streaming, entertainment PC http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/maximum_tv

SyncToy

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:27:00 +0000

I found a nifty tool to sync my photos and music from my laptop to the Media Center.

Netflix Instant Watching

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Thu, 10 May 2007 15:51:00 +0000

Netflix has introduced a new Instant Watching capability which customers have lapped up...nearly 2 million movies have been watched in under 3 weeks since its introduction.

Check their demo.

My take...I love this functionality. media convergence has been a when rather than an if. I dont mind watching it on my laptop but I'd rather watch it on my television and work with the controls of my remote. It will be only a matter of time before TiVo and Microsoft MCE integrate Netflix functionality as plug-ins and extensions.

LinuxMCE on Digg

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:12:00 +0000

A post about LinuxMCE made it to the top 10 topics on Digg today, so I decided to check it out.

Heres their take on LinuxMCE vs Microsoft MCE in this Google video. The commentary is very monotonous and is clearly biased, so beware of the propaganda.

It seems like LinuxMCE is based on the MythTV project with some cooler skins and user interface. The video, however, has contradicted the philosophy they are touting - "Linux MCE maintains the philosophy that if you're using a Media Center PC, it's all about the media, stupid, not the PC". The on-screen guide has completely obscured the media played in the background, even though it is in full-screen.

I like the navigation functionality of the media - programming guide, music catalog, movies in Linux MCE. On Microsoft MCE (XP), browsing through a large collection is such a pain that I am sometimes only listening to music in the 'A' section. Search is definitely a good help if you know exactly what you are looking for, but a technique like the iTunes Cover Flow makes selection so much easier.

The video hasn't covered Microsoft Vista, its only fair to do such a comparison as Vista has a lot more to offer such as HDTV support. At my end, I need to try out Vista myself.

About add-ons in LinuxMCE like close-circuit cameras, controlling thermostats and controlling television using a blue-tooth cellphone, I really dont care about such features and don't know if such features constitute a media-center PC.

Place-Shifting via Orb

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 03:57:00 +0000

If time-shifting is the mechanism to record and watch TV programming at my convenience, then place-shifting is the mechanism to watch them on any internet connected device with a monitor at my convenience. I have been on the road a lot lately and I have to wait till I return home to watch my recorded shows. I needed a mechanism to stream my data from my HTPC over the internet so I could watch it on my laptop.

I read about slingbox and its capabilities in this regard and then I found out about Orb Networks which I could install on my Windows MCE . Considering my cost-cutting measures, I decided on the latter so I could recoup my investments on my HTPC (Slingbox ~ $275, Orb = $0).

Orb was easy to install and set up (See www.orb.com) and after the configuration I was able log in from my laptop and see all my photos, recorded TV programming, songs and videos.

I was able to watch the TV shows on Windows Media Player and Real Player, although at a much lower resolution, than in the original recording.

The compression implies viewing on a Wi-Fi network. This is too good to be true. Orb claims to be working on creating a client for PalmOS so I can watch the videos directly on my Treo 650 and drain my already short-lived battery out!

TiVo Series 3 HD DVR

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 05:29:00 +0000

My friend Jaideep & Manna (who works at TiVo) just got a nice looking TiVo Series 3 DVR. It has 2 CableCARDs that allow it to record HDTV programming simultaneously. Comcast is now obligated to provide CableCARDs to customers at no cost instead of the the set-top box, so you don't waste all the valuable space in the entertainment center. Unfortunately, these CableCARDs don't allow you to record Comcast OnDemand programming that is possible from the HD Comcast DVRs. The TiVo boxes however have THX digital sound capability to enhance the home theater experience. These boxes allow you to stream iTunes music from playlists on a computer on the same network but unlike a MCE you can not search for songs/albums/artists and small user interface issue that stops music playback once you go to another menu.

Pros:

Sleek Device with front-panel displays showing the shows being currently viewed/recorded
Good display of HD programming

Cons:

No OnDemand Recording (Got to wait for CableCARD 2.0 cards)
Expensive (~$800, lower if you are know a TiVo employee)

New Wishlist

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 03:34:00 +0000

My HTPC has been working great for almost 2 years now, and my foresight has enabled its longevity. However, some new technologies and products have caused me to think about some hardware and software upgrades.

I need a bigger hard-drive to accomodate my growing recorded shows, downloaded music and videos that I wish to keep. I have been eyeing deals on 500 GB Seagate drives on Frys and Newegg for a while now. I also need a quieter drive.
My surround-sound system doesnt have an optical/digital input (SP/DIF). I am using the headphones-out from my HTPC into the sound-system thus killing the dolby/thx effect.
I need a way to record HD programming
Lightscribe DVD-RW Recording Drives - To etch labels on the disks directly.
Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Combo Player Drives

Advanced Universal Remote

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 01:52:00 +0000

I bought a Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote so I could get rid of all the remotes that I use individually to control the Television, Cable Box, Sound System and the HTPC.

Pros:

Can program 'Activities' like 'Watch My TV', or 'Listen Digital Music' that can control the settings on Television, Stereo, Cable and the HTPC together. For example, can change the input of the TV to DVI, turn on the HTPC, switch stereo to the AUX input.
Sweet to use just one remote

Cons:

The Remote toggles the on/off state of the device when activated. Consequently if the TV was already on when you select 'Watch My TV', it will be turned off.
Charging the remote is a pain.

Cost: $141 from Comp-U-Plus

I have not added this to the total cost of the HTPC as I use it to control other devices as well.

Hidden Costs

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 05:47:00 +0000

nVidia PureVideo Drivers

Switching to Microsoft MCE

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 05:01:00 +0000

MythTV keeps crashing on me, even when I watch non-HD shows. I am done with downloading the latest code, rebuilding and restarting the computer. I have therefore decided to switch to Microsoft Media Center for Entertainment 2005 (MCE 2005), as I believe they have no software bugs whatsoever :)

Since the firewire option does n't work with MCE anymore, I am purchasing a dual-TV tuner from Hauppauge (WinTV-PVR-500MCE PCI-Tuner) to record programming. This TV tuner card allows me to record one show and watch another simultaneously or record two shows at the same time.

Cost: $133 (Buy.com)

Downcast with Comcast

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Tue, 07 Jun 2005 06:12:00 +0000

Comcast has more than one reason to bring me sorrow. I swapped in/out three Comcast HDTV receivers in the last month because they kept switching off randomly. In my last visit to the local Comcast store, I was pitched the new DVR Comcast HDTV receiver which only costs $5 extra per month. Although It doesnt provide any of the additional plug-ins like MythTV does (that I still havent gotten working)...the integrated viewing capability is very enticing. It provides 15 hours of HDTV and 90 hours of non-HD recordings with a maximum of two simultaneous recordings. Also, I records any HD content even from movie channels like HBO.

My biggest gripe is that my present Comcast receiver has disabled the firewire port that provided my MythTV box access to the unencrypted HDTV feed.

I am contemplating putting Microsoft MCE 2005...I hope things change before I do that.

Tad Tuner, 802.11g

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 22:06:00 +0000

The story so far...I got a backend AMD64 Linux machine connected to my Television. It records HDTV and non-HDTV content from the firewire connection okay but...
- Comcast deactivates the firewire when any of the movie channels including IFC are selected.
- Installing the new nVidia drivers has resulted in my Television display gone all awry. For the interim, I am watching the non-HD shows on my PowerBook.

To watch IFC and Encore (dont like many of their movies actually) I will need to get a TV Tuner card and connect it via S/Video. The Hauppauge 350 is an option although I have exceeded the budget.

I need to tweak with the display properties (xorg.conf)...for this I will finally need to read the television manual. I like the PowerBook option, but can not hope to use it with the HD recordings as I only have a 802.11b wireless router which supports a maximum 11 Mbps transfer rate...and my PowerBook doesnt support the 802.11g option.

Now I am staring at an 802.11g wireless gateway along with a PCMCIA card. The Apple Airport Base station and Airport Extreme look like good options although they are very pricey. If MythTV decides to support iSeeiTunes like TiVo, then it might be an interesting option.

Scope Creep - PowerBook Support

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 19:59:00 +0000

I originally intended to have only the Shuttle box in my living room...but with my Mom visiting I need to provide MythTV watching capabilities on my PowerBook as well so she can watch her Zee TV and I can watch my shows.

I tried the easy way by installing a VNCServer on my backend and a VNCViewer on my MAC OS X and running mythfrontend in a session. The GANT theme looked alright but I couldnt watch the shows or any recordings.

Luckily MythTV supports multiple front ends that can connect to a backend (very scalable). I followed the instructions in MythOnMacOsx. Instructions were easy to follow although a bit out-to-date regarding the mysql client part. I made the correction and also my first contribution to the MythOnMacOsx wiki.

Shopping Cart Contents

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 23:30:00 +0000

Here are the system specifications at the checkout counter...

Newegg.com
Shuttle XPC SN95G5 SFF Case with nForce3 Motherboard: $288
AMD Athlon 3200+ Processor: $190
Sony DVD+-RW Drive: $52
nVidia GeForce FX5200 Video Card: $53

Outpost.com
Seagate 200 GB HDD: $130

Crucial.com
1 GB DDR: $110

Frys Electronics
Firewire Cable

Living on the Edge - HDTV Support

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 20:45:00 +0000

"If you are not living on the edge, you are taking too much space."

To watch shows in HDTV, one first needs an HDTV input. I have Comcast's Digital Cable and get a few channels on hi-def. Some local TV stations air HDTV content terrestrially. This provides me with several options:

Use a TV Tuner card that supports HDTV content from Comcast
Use a TV Tuner card, like pcHDTV or Air2pc that allows me to receive terrestrial HDTV content using an antenna
Use the firewire output from the Comcast receiver containing the decrypted HDTV content.

I decided to go with #3 as it meets the cheap/inexpensive criteria. Firewire support was recently included in the latest 0.17 release of MythTV but is getting better in the top of the trunk. I have decided to use the freshest sources from the CVS repository to build my mythtv.

Very bleeding edge!

Choices...choices...choices

noreply@blogger.com (Maneesh) — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 04:57:00 +0000

"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice."

My quest for owning/building a Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC) is fraught with challenges. The biggest one of them is about making the right choices. From the overarching solution down to the processor there are multiple options:

Assembled boxes:
TiVo, ReplayTV, Microsoft Media Center for Entertainment Boxes, Comcast DVR
Do-It-Yourself:
MythTV, SageTV, Microsoft MCE

Processor:
Intel Pentium, AMD Athlon, AMD 64...

Computer Case:
Dell, Shuttle, Alienware, Mac Mini

TV Tuner Card:
Hauppauge, pcHDTV, Air2PC,

Ultimately, my options will be limited to and selected based on these criteria.

- HDTV Support
- Quiet/Noiseless
- Remote Control support
- Music Library
- DVD Library
- News Feeds
- $$$