Geek cred check

[bonkers325]

i just plugged in my regular pc to my tv via dvi->hdmi... does that count?

 

[ivan2]

pc -> 360
pc -> PS3

imo HTPC is pointless if you don't implement DVR on it

 

[RedCOMET]

I hooked up my buddies old Dell PC to my projector. I watch hulu / dvd rips on about 98" 16:9 blank wall. Playing xbox 360 on it does a get a little painfull at times depending on the games lighting... think COD: Modern warfare.. Overall...awesome. Need to build a proper HTPC that can record live tv, but since i didn't have cable at my place when i used this setup, i don' tsee it as a big deal.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

I had a Shuttle HTPC but the Windows interface really doesn't lend itself to HTPC use. Now I just use my 360 to stream media and use the PC for PC things.

 

[Kaido]

HTPC + Projector here!

I use Plex on Mac (XBMC port that plays HD & Internet stuff like Apple Movie Trailers, Hulu, Youtube, etc.). Harmony 880 remote. Couldn't be happier

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I guess I have a HTPC? The rig in my sig is hooked up to my 42 inch lcd tv and I use it just like a HTPC (watch and record tv and play blu rays) I also use it to game. I guess it qualifies as a HTPC? A bad ass HTPC but my case is almost as big as my tv.

 

[Modular]

I've got one that I really enjoy timkering with. Built from old gaming parts Neo4 Platinum Mobo, AMD 3400+ and a 6600gt which will soon be replaced with a 4670 when I get my new TV. It has a Hauppauge PVR 150 and an HVR 1600 in it for HD and QAM tuning. All of it is held together by GB-PVR (damn great program) and streams to anywhere in the house through the GB-PVR client.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: Safeway
I have an HTPC, but I am ready to make a switch to something less shitty. I don't want to have to fumble with a keyboard and mouse. I don't want to have to boot up Windows. Grrr, HTPCs are so unrefined.

Set it to auto-login and launch a media center app. Then you can just use a remote or a controller.

Oh, and just suspend the computer and you don't even have to worry about booting.

And set up a VNC server on it and use a tablet or PDA to control the HTPC for more computery stuff.

 

[cthulhu]

I built mine in 2004 and love it. I don't remember all of the specs. In late 07/early 08, I added 2 x 1 tb hdd. It has two Hauppauge pvr 150's - IIRC. I use a belkin mediapilot for keyboard/mouse and gbpvr software. The case is ugly as hell. I plan on running some cat5 cable this winter to clear up my flaky wifi connectivity.

 

[effowe]

I have a piece of shit low end Dell that I installed Ubuntu Server on. I have about 750gb of storage to stream videos and music to the living room and my bedroom (both on original Xboxes running XBMC.) I also have Tversity running on my main rig to stream HD content to both rooms on the 360.

 

[Exterous]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Some day you'll be married and have a couch, a chair, rugs, end tables, and a plain old TV. Then you'll look back and say "Man...I wasted a lot of money back then".

Hey - I'm married and I have two HTPCs - One with a bluray player hooked up to a 56" samsung tv and Pioneer receiver with Boston Acoustic speaker system. The other is hooked up to an Onkyo 806 receiver with a PSB sound system, Epson Home Cinema 1080UB projector (101" screen), although I do plan on getting a Bluray player for the projector since the audio quality will be better than a PC drive

 

[LordMorpheus]

I have an old P4 rig running gentoo linux and MythTV.

It needs a hard drive upgrade (has 2 250gb drives in a 500gb raid array - which is way more trouble than it's worth) and more.

If I wind up with an HDTV in my next place it'll need a new video card as well. I think I'll probably just move to mythbuntu because it's much lower maintainence.

But it's great. I love the network features, I love the Tivo-esque features. It's just great being able to plop down on the couch and turn on any episode of futurama you care to.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: LordMorpheus
I have an old P4 rig running gentoo linux and MythTV.

It needs a hard drive upgrade (has 2 250gb drives in a 500gb raid array - which is way more trouble than it's worth) and more.

That's an understatement considering that its "worth" is negative. If either drive fails you lose all of the data, and the performance benefit is worthless in an HTPC. So you've gained nothing and lost reliability. I assume you set up RAID before you used it as a HTPC?

 

[chalmers]

If HTPC means I have my computer sitting next to my 46" LCD hooked up to it, and I switch inputs between cable and computer usager from my couch, and I use my computer to play Blu Ray movies through said TV, and I threw my desk away years ago, then yes I do.

 

[Iron Woode]

I am still using the one I built 2 years ago. I just updated the OS to win 7.

 

[n7]

I use my "Lian LAN", a smaller box i have hooked up to my projector.

It also sometimes gets taken to LANs, etc.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
I haven't had a traditional TV in years, using a HTPC/projector set up, with an extender so I can share recorded content in another room.

I drifted away from desktop PC's to laptops, the HTPC is the closest thing to a desktop I own now.

I have 4 HTPCs connected to LCDs and a server with 7tb of storage in the basement. I don't have a MythTV or Sage TV front end... just Vista Business, VirtualCloneDrive, and PowerDVD. Its nice because everyone knows how to use Windows Explorer, including the teenagers we hire to babysit the kids on date nights.

The upstairs HTPCs in carpeted areas have the Gyration Remotes. The downstairs area has a Logitech Air Mouse and a Cyberlink remote since the Gyration remotes hitting hardwood from couch height breaks the remote. The Air Mouse has been dropped at least 500 times by the kids, had shit spilled on it, and kicked under the couch and works as good as the day I bought it.

 

[LikeLinus]

We just use our Xbox 360 as media extenders and I have all of my content available from my home computer. No need for a PC!

 

[rsd]

Have built/been using an HTPC(s) since 2004.

I wouldn't consider media extenders/xbox/360's as an htpc or a great alternative personally since they are very limited in terms of codecs and file types supported.

Eventually though I imagine going with a media streamer (i.e. Popcorn hour of some sort) when they mature a little more for further ones.

An htpc is a hobby, and definitely not practical for most people and can be very time consuming and frustrating when it doesn't work and you simply want to watch a movie.

Oh yeah specs:

[*]*Current HTPC: e8400, BD/HD-DVD Drive, etc etc using Vista Media Center/Media Browser Plug-in, Arcsoft TMT3 for BD playback, HD Homerun for QAM HD recordings.
[*]*Separate Unraid server, 9TB storage (currently 6tb but got 3tb more to install now)
[*]*Onkyo 805 receiver.
[*]*Nothing special speakers (in a small condo right now)
[*]*Sharp 42" 1080p LCD
[*]*Optoma HD70 720p Projector (will upgrade when I buy a bigger place)
[*]*4x2 Component Matrix Switchbox (i.e. Play xbox on the projector and watch tv on the LCD simultaneously )
[*]*Xbox 360
[*]*Harmony Remote (I'm partial to the 360 edition of it since it has the 4 colored hard buttons which map very well to Windows Media Center)
etc etc

 

[lokiju]

Have two built right now.

Only using 1 though since I use my PS3 now on my main TV for watching movies/hulu.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: rsd
I wouldn't consider media extenders/xbox/360's as an htpc or a great alternative personally since they are very limited in terms of codecs and file types supported.

The server can transcode unsupported files on the fly.

 

[rsd]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: rsd
I wouldn't consider media extenders/xbox/360's as an htpc or a great alternative personally since they are very limited in terms of codecs and file types supported.

The server can transcode unsupported files on the fly.

You are still limited in certain ways aren't you? What exactly are you using for transcoding?

Does it support 1080p h.264 encodes? What about dolby or DTS audio or even DTS-HD/True-HD embedded tracks? m2ts or TS or ISO (BD or DVD) support? I'm sure it's fine for a lot of stuff, but I know those transcoding options tend to be very limited or break frequently depending on the file/container contents.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: rsd

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: rsd
I wouldn't consider media extenders/xbox/360's as an htpc or a great alternative personally since they are very limited in terms of codecs and file types supported.

The server can transcode unsupported files on the fly.

You are still limited in certain ways aren't you? What exactly are you using for transcoding?

Does it support 1080p h.264 encodes? What about dolby or DTS audio or even DTS-HD/True-HD embedded tracks? m2ts or TS or ISO (BD or DVD) support? I'm sure it's fine for a lot of stuff, but I know those transcoding options tend to be very limited or break frequently depending on the file/container contents.

Pretty sure PS3 Media Server handles all that (and serves to the 360 as well, despite the name). Can't say for sure on m2ts/TS, but I believe it should handle anything your PC can play. I went through a couple HTPCs and got tired of the hassle and just use my PS3 now.

 

[Steve]

I built one but never really finished it, so all it's good for is playing DVDs.

WinXP MCE 2005, Dell 2405 FPW
MSI K7N2G-ILSR, AMD Sempron 3300+, 2GB DDR400
ATI All-In-Wonder X800XT, ATI HDTV Wonder (Kram MCE drivers)
320GB HDD, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, floppy drive

It actually plays HD content nicer than it did with my old HD 2600 Pro. One of these days I'll get around to figuring out how to make it a DVR.

 

[Aikouka]

I use a PC with its own dedicated storage as a sort of HTPC. I do not use HTPC software on it as I found it too much of a hassle to get it to work properly and most the time it was quicker for me to access media the "normal way."

The PC is an older PC of mine, a C2D-E6600-based system with around 6TB worth of storage in it. It runs Windows Vista Ultimate and it also serves to play some of the PC-based games such as StepMania or Frets on Fire.

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
I just use the free unscrambled cable now

Hrmm?