HTPC Critique & Question

[GTaudiophile]

Question:

Is a tuner necessary to allow a HTPC to DVR OTA signals? Or can it simply DVR the signal coming IN through the HDMI cable? (I don't know if such cables are actually bu-directional.)


HTPC:

MicroATX HTPC Case
MoBo: MSI 890GXM-G65 MicroATX
CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 555
RAM: G.Skill 2x2GB PC1600 DDR3
HDD: 2x Western Digital 1TB 7200rpm drives (RAID 0)
Samsung 12x Blu-Ray drive
PSU: Corsair 520w

Price: $735.00

(HTPC will most likely be connected via HDMI to a Samsung 46" LED-LCD TV. It will run Windows7 64 Professional.)

Goals for the HTPC:
-Netflix/web content surfing
-Blu-Ray player (software needed for this)
-Media server
-Media ripper (CD, DVDs, Blu-Ray to hard disk)
-DVR? (lower priority)

In the future (a year) I plan to add a nice receiver and a 2.0 or 2.1 speaker setup but for now will reply on the sh!tty tv speakers if I can.

I do not currently have cable nor immediate plans to get it. I also do not plan on gaming on this setup, otherwise I would probably spend around $500 more on an Intel system with a discrete videocard.

 

[Modelworks]

You will need a tv tuner to record OTA content.
I like the ATI based tuners, but any win7 certified will work.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I am Intel/AMD agnostic but for HTPCs an Intel system would not cost much more and provides a few advantages, one being that the H55/H57 chipsets have PAP so they support bitstreaming. Because of your lack of speakers that's not a big deal at this point. However, if you decide to go 5.1 or 7.1 in the future it would be.

Another advantage is that the i3 will consume less power than the AMD system, saving you electrical costs over the long run. Newegg has a very good combo deal for an i3-530/H57 motherboard that is not much more than you're planning to pay for the AMD combo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.511565

Your PSU choice is overkill. Since you don't plan on gaming you could go with a 300W or even a 250W and still have plenty of headroom. Neither system would stress those PSUs.

For your BD drive you might want to look for one that includes playback software. If not you'll be dishing out another $75+ for TMT3, WinDVD, or PowerDVD. Even if you decide to use MPC-HC, which is free, you'd still need AnyDVD which runs $100.

The case you picked is rather large for a microATX board HTPC setup. It's nice for someone who wants a full size ATX w/ full height cards but you could probably find a smaller mATX case with a PSU included that would cut your costs a bit.

For a TV tuner card I'd recommend the Hauppauge 2250. Pricey but runs rock solid in 7MC.

 

[Fallen Kell]

HDMI is a one-way signal feed. So you would need a tuner to record from a video source. There are a few devices which can record from HDMI itself, however, these are either studio grade (with the studio prices) or very prototype grade with little to no support for using the device with things like Media Center, SageTV, MythTV, etc, and you will need to use whatever they provide for recording, and in most cases this means there is no way to have it say, change the channel to Fox to record the football game at 1:00pm on Sunday (it would be like the first VCR's, you manually change the channel and hit record and it records whatever is being shown until you hit stop).

 

[GTaudiophile]

I am Intel/AMD agnostic but for HTPCs an Intel system would not cost much more and provides a few advantages, one being that the H55/H57 chipsets have PAP so they support bitstreaming. Because of your lack of speakers that's not a big deal at this point. However, if you decide to go 5.1 or 7.1 in the future it would be.

Another advantage is that the i3 will consume less power than the AMD system, saving you electrical costs over the long run. Newegg has a very good combo deal for an i3-530/H57 motherboard that is not much more than you're planning to pay for the AMD combo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.511565

Your PSU choice is overkill. Since you don't plan on gaming you could go with a 300W or even a 250W and still have plenty of headroom. Neither system would stress those PSUs.

For your BD drive you might want to look for one that includes playback software. If not you'll be dishing out another $75+ for TMT3, WinDVD, or PowerDVD. Even if you decide to use MPC-HC, which is free, you'd still need AnyDVD which runs $100.

The case you picked is rather large for a microATX board HTPC setup. It's nice for someone who wants a full size ATX w/ full height cards but you could probably find a smaller mATX case with a PSU included that would cut your costs a bit.

For a TV tuner card I'd recommend the Hauppauge 2250. Pricey but runs rock solid in 7MC.

The advantage of the AMD setup is the the IGP. I would also need an add-on GPU for the Intel system.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

The advantage of the AMD setup is the the IGP. I would also need an add-on GPU for the Intel system.

The i3-530 has on-CPU graphics. No need for a dedicated video card.

 

[BornStar]

I agree with TastesLikeChicken on his recommendation for an Intel CPU. The dual core i3 and i5 processors have on-die GPUs (you'll need a H55 or H57 board) and it's adequate for playing back BDs and will bitstream audio when you decide to upgrade to better audio.

Also, have you considered how noisy this HTPC is going to be when it's built? Why do you think you're going to need the performance of RAID 0 in a HTPC? If it were me I'd go with a SSD for the OS and a WD GP drive for data.

 

[Aikouka]

-Blu-Ray player (software needed for this)

Yeah, that's another $75-100 right there .

I agree with TastesLikeChicken on his recommendation for an Intel CPU. The dual core i3 and i5 processors have on-die GPUs (you'll need a H55 or H57 board) and it's adequate for playing back BDs and will bitstream audio when you decide to upgrade to better audio.

I'm actually not a huge fan of the Intel built-in graphics. I recently built a system using an i3-540 on a Gigabyte H55N-USB3 Mini-ITX board and the stupid graphics drivers keep resetting my resolution to something like 1280x1024 when I'm on a 1080p TV! I have another HTPC that uses a Radeon 5450 (720p, so the 5450 works fine), which does not do this. If I knew the drivers would be this annoying, I would've just built an AMD system using a $50 Phenom X2 and use a Radeon 5570 (works better with 1080p), which would cost the same given the i3-540 is ~$125.

 

[BornStar]

That's funny, I'm actually really frustrated with the drivers for my 5450. Every time I reboot the HTPC it resets the overscan scaling so only part of the display is set. The really weird thing is the slider bar is still where it's supposed to be, I actually have to increase the scaling from 0 and then move it back to use the entire screen. Incidentally, I use the 5450 on a 1080p TV and haven't run into any performance issues although this is an upgrade from G33 so it didn't need to be a whole lot better to live up to my expectations.

edit: After complaining I decided to see if they had updated the drivers and they had a week ago. I installed them and the problem seems to have disappeared.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Yeah, that's another $75-100 right there .



I'm actually not a huge fan of the Intel built-in graphics. I recently built a system using an i3-540 on a Gigabyte H55N-USB3 Mini-ITX board and the stupid graphics drivers keep resetting my resolution to something like 1280x1024 when I'm on a 1080p TV! I have another HTPC that uses a Radeon 5450 (720p, so the 5450 works fine), which does not do this. If I knew the drivers would be this annoying, I would've just built an AMD system using a $50 Phenom X2 and use a Radeon 5570 (works better with 1080p), which would cost the same given the i3-540 is ~$125.

Reading the newegg reviews you're not the only person unsatisfied with the onboard graphics...

 

[electroju]

AMD graphics software sucks. nVidia is still the best on software compared to others. Intel is alright, but they also have poor software. In Windows, who cares about bit streaming. Windows still mangles with the audio until the drivers and media players uses ASIO. If you care for bit streaming, Linux and Mac are better route to go.

Sure the Intel i3 and i5 processors have built-in graphics but it is still IGP. It is not any different than AMD's or nVidia's IGP. AMD IGP has a performance advantage compared their competitors with side port. This helps increase the memory bandwidth of the graphics and give back some memory bandwidth to the CPU.

The AMD Phenom II X2 555 BE is over kill for a HTPC. It is great in games, but not for HTPC or for general usage. A better processor is AMD Athlon II X2 240e.

The Samsung is OK for optical drives, but not noiseless. ASUS makes noiseless optical drives and they are built well. ASUS optical drives are more expensive, but they are worth the extra cost. Watching movies using a HTPC is a lost cause, so I suggest do not spend money including Blu-Ray in HTPC. Use stand-alone unit or PlayStation 3 to watch movies. PlayStation 3 is future proof when Blu-Ray adds more features in the future. Also Netflix supports PlayStation 3.

The memory speed DDR3-1600 is over kill for a HTPC. DDR3-1333 is all you need and any higher speeds than this will have an increase power consumption and more heat output. I think DDR3-1333 is also over kill, so DDR3-1066 is good to keep the heat low.

Have you consider Apple Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server. All you need is a Blu-Ray drive if you want to rip movies. It includes dual hard drives and uses a lot less power when using AMD or Intel i-core processors.

You will need a video capture card or device to grab over the air channels. Sure you can use a video capture card or device that can record from HDMI, but only if the signal is not encrypted. There are exceptions if you use a device from HD Fury, but use it fairly and be responsible. A good device for ATSC is Silicon Dust HD Homerun. There are internal cards, but the software is the problem when trying to use them.

 

[Aikouka]

That's funny, I'm actually really frustrated with the drivers for my 5450.

Oddly enough, my Samsung DLP has the PC with the Radeon HD5450 hooked up to it, and I don't know if it's properly adjusting for the computer input, but I don't really have any overscan... well, as long as you ignore the fact that only about 20 pixels are off the screen on the top... which it used to be this way on the bottom before I switched my DMD panel in that TV, so I assume it's an issue with the TV.

AMD graphics software sucks. nVidia is still the best on software compared to others. Intel is alright, but they also have poor software.

I don't really have any problems with AMD's CCC, but I do think nVidia has a better Overscan adjustment setting. However, if you can't get AMD's just right, you can always adjust it in your HTPC software. I know XBMC has a good setup for adjusting the overscan.

Sure the Intel i3 and i5 processors have built-in graphics but it is still IGP. It is not any different than AMD's or nVidia's IGP. AMD IGP has a performance advantage compared their competitors with side port. This helps increase the memory bandwidth of the graphics and give back some memory bandwidth to the CPU.

Well, the IGP itself isn't bad... my problem is with the software. The one saving grace is that XBMC is set to load on start-up and it automatically sets the resolution to 1920x1080. Although, similar to starting a game in a different resolution, it just goes back to normal (or in this case, abnormal) once you go back to the desktop .

The Samsung is OK for optical drives, but not noiseless. ASUS makes noiseless optical drives and they are built well. ASUS optical drives are more expensive, but they are worth the extra cost. Watching movies using a HTPC is a lost cause, so I suggest do not spend money including Blu-Ray in HTPC. Use stand-alone unit or PlayStation 3 to watch movies. PlayStation 3 is future proof when Blu-Ray adds more features in the future. Also Netflix supports PlayStation 3.

I have an ASUS blu-ray drive and it really is nice and quiet... as is my ASUS DVD-RW. I was quite surprised.

And I'd go along with your advice... I don't even use my blu-ray drive for movies... it has a DVD in it right now :\.

The memory speed DDR3-1600 is over kill for a HTPC. DDR3-1333 is all you need and any higher speeds than this will have an increase power consumption and more heat output. I think DDR3-1333 is also over kill, so DDR3-1066 is good to keep the heat low.

You can always set the DDR3-1600 to 1333 and it should work fine. I was surprised that they were only $80, which is pretty decent for 1600. Although, I didn't check the timings . I have G.Skill DDR3-1600 CL7 myself and it works pretty well... although, I also have some G.Skill DDR3-1333 and the stuff was bad when I got it :\. I'm really not a huge fan of their RMA process either and their customer support only seemed "alright" so far.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

AMD graphics software sucks. nVidia is still the best on software compared to others. Intel is alright, but they also have poor software. In Windows, who cares about bit streaming. Windows still mangles with the audio until the drivers and media players uses ASIO. If you care for bit streaming, Linux and Mac are better route to go.

Sure the Intel i3 and i5 processors have built-in graphics but it is still IGP. It is not any different than AMD's or nVidia's IGP. AMD IGP has a performance advantage compared their competitors with side port. This helps increase the memory bandwidth of the graphics and give back some memory bandwidth to the CPU.

Windows mangles the audio? Tell that to all the folks over at AVSForum who are using bitstreaming and Windows with their HTPC. Linux and Mac for bitstreaming? lol. True bitstreaming is locked down with DRM via the PAP. Because of Linux's complete lack of any DRM capabilities it will never truly be able to bitstream because it cannot be done in the audio drivers without an OS that supports DRM. The Mac supports uncompressed 8 channel LPCM but does not do true bitstreaming yet either at this point (no TrueHD or HD DTS Master).

As far as IGPs, sure, they suck for gaming. Anyone who wants to game, whether it be HTPC or desktop, is going to get a powerful, dedicated card anyay. Relatively modern IGPs are more than adequate for pure HTPC (non-gaming) requirements and that has been true for some time now. My system uses a 9300 IGP and has no problems with HD resolutions or playing back blu-ray.

The Samsung is OK for optical drives, but not noiseless. ASUS makes noiseless optical drives and they are built well. ASUS optical drives are more expensive, but they are worth the extra cost. Watching movies using a HTPC is a lost cause, so I suggest do not spend money including Blu-Ray in HTPC. Use stand-alone unit or PlayStation 3 to watch movies. PlayStation 3 is future proof when Blu-Ray adds more features in the future. Also Netflix supports PlayStation 3.

Plenty of people watch BDs on their HTPC. There seems to be this internet meme where folks automatically claim it to be a lost cause and I have to question if many or any of them have actually have a BD player in an HTPC or are simply repeating something they heard or read? Blu-ray playback problems may have been the case 2 years ago. It is not the case now. Watching BDs on a HTPC is not an issue and can be easily done.

Have you consider Apple Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server. All you need is a Blu-Ray drive if you want to rip movies. It includes dual hard drives and uses a lot less power when using AMD or Intel i-core processors.

You talk about problems with Windows for an HTPC and then recommend a Mac for that purpose? lol. I'd suggest that anyone wanting to use a Mac as an HTPC go visit AVSForums and read up on it. For HTPC purposes a Mac does not "just work." If you want to jump through a number of hoops and miss out on features already available for HTPCs in Windows though, help yourself.

 

[Aikouka]

You talk about problems with Windows for an HTPC and then recommend a Mac for that purpose? lol. I'd suggest that anyone wanting to use a Mac as an HTPC go visit AVSForums and read up on it. For HTPC purposes a Mac does not "just work." If you want to jump through a number of hoops and miss out on features already available for HTPCs in Windows though, help yourself.

What about Dell's Zino HD?

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-zino-hd-410/fs

The only negative aspects that I had about it were the Radeon 5450 and Windows 7 Home Premium.

Radeon 5450: I talked about it earlier, but according to the Anandtech studies on the 5000-series as HTPC cards, they found that the 5450 has almost all post-processing disabled (by AMD) when outputting a 1080p stream. So, if this is rather important and you'll be putting it on a 1080p TV, it might not be good enough.

Windows 7 Home Premium: Out of the box, Home Premium doesn't support remoting into it using Terminal Services. I believe it is possible to hack in support, but I think you don't get audio with this work-around. The problem is that to upgrade from Home Premium to Professional, Dell will tack on another $100... which is pretty crazy considering the $30-40 difference at NewEgg between the two.

Just a thought.

 

[electroju]

Windows mangles the audio? Tell that to all the folks over at AVSForum who are using bitstreaming and Windows with their HTPC. Linux and Mac for bitstreaming? lol. True bitstreaming is locked down with DRM via the PAP. Because of Linux's complete lack of any DRM capabilities it will never truly be able to bitstream because it cannot be done in the audio drivers without an OS that supports DRM. The Mac supports uncompressed 8 channel LPCM but does not do true bitstreaming yet either at this point (no TrueHD or HD DTS Master).

As far as IGPs, sure, they suck for gaming. Anyone who wants to game, whether it be HTPC or desktop, is going to get a powerful, dedicated card anyay. Relatively modern IGPs are more than adequate for pure HTPC (non-gaming) requirements and that has been true for some time now. My system uses a 9300 IGP and has no problems with HD resolutions or playing back blu-ray.

Do not need DRM to extract TrueHD. Just need to decrypt the audio content and direct it to the digital output. Mplayer has support for TrueHD, but I do not think it has on the fly decrypting. In Windows has an audio layer that the digital audio have to pass through and on the fly decrypting. This audio layer mixes other sounds, so you are not going to get true bit streaming when using Windows. A Mac Mini (2010) for example has three options for digital, but I doubt any software supports the ability to access the TrueHD track. LPCM is not any different than TrueHD. They are both lossless and it is still in digital land, but you have to be careful on layers it is going through. Sure you can use HTPC for movies, but there is a lot of catch-22 with them, so I prefer stand-alone units.

I did not say anything about gaming for IGP and of course they are capable of 1080p because they are plenty of video RAM handle the information.

Plenty of people watch BDs on their HTPC. There seems to be this internet meme where folks automatically claim it to be a lost cause and I have to question if many or any of them have actually have a BD player in an HTPC or are simply repeating something they heard or read? Blu-ray playback problems may have been the case 2 years ago. It is not the case now. Watching BDs on a HTPC is not an issue and can be easily done.

People ONLY use Windows for HTPC because there is ONLY software for Windows. Windows is a pieces of shit operating system. It is already obsolete for me. I hate, hate, hate, hate Windows, so I will never use it for computers. Windows never works out the box, so there is always configuring and troubleshooting to just get it to work as a HTPC. Watching Blu-Ray movies on a computer sill have problems, so I do not want to deal with them. I will deal with using PlayStation 3. I am not going to change to say HTPC is possible option. At this time HTPC are becoming obsolete because there are tons of options for set top boxes.

You talk about problems with Windows for an HTPC and then recommend a Mac for that purpose? lol. I'd suggest that anyone wanting to use a Mac as an HTPC go visit AVSForums and read up on it. For HTPC purposes a Mac does not "just work." If you want to jump through a number of hoops and miss out on features already available for HTPCs in Windows though, help yourself.

If using the Mac Mini and Linux, it makes a good option. It uses less power and it is looks better, but it is costly. I did read the thread that explains about using Macs for HTPC at AVS Forum. Everybody wanted is digital audio over HDMI. Everybody knows that this limited using nVidia graphics that Macs are using. There is another option that could work, but you have to do another run for audio and you will have to buy an adapter in order to use the digital from the 3.5 mm connection.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Do not need DRM to extract TrueHD. Just need to decrypt the audio content and direct it to the digital output. Mplayer has support for TrueHD, but I do not think it has on the fly decrypting. In Windows has an audio layer that the digital audio have to pass through and on the fly decrypting. This audio layer mixes other sounds, so you are not going to get true bit streaming when using Windows. A Mac Mini (2010) for example has three options for digital, but I doubt any software supports the ability to access the TrueHD track. LPCM is not any different than TrueHD. They are both lossless and it is still in digital land, but you have to be careful on layers it is going through. Sure you can use HTPC for movies, but there is a lot of catch-22 with them, so I prefer stand-alone units.

So when I'm bitstreaming from an HTPC and my receiver lights up with TrueHD or HD-DTS, Windows is somehow tricking it into believing it's a real bitstream when it's not? Can you elaborate on that and point me in the direction of where this information originates?

People ONLY use Windows for HTPC because there is ONLY software for Windows. Windows is a pieces of shit operating system. It is already obsolete for me. I hate, hate, hate, hate Windows, so I will never use it for computers. Windows never works out the box, so there is always configuring and troubleshooting to just get it to work as a HTPC. Watching Blu-Ray movies on a computer sill have problems, so I do not want to deal with them. I will deal with using PlayStation 3. I am not going to change to say HTPC is possible option. At this time HTPC are becoming obsolete because there are tons of options for set top boxes.

Erm. K. Due to your obvious bias you'll have to excuse me if I find it difficult to accept your claims about Blu-ray playback on a Windows HTPC, since you don't even use one.

If using the Mac Mini and Linux, it makes a good option. It uses less power and it is looks better, but it is costly. I did read the thread that explains about using Macs for HTPC at AVS Forum. Everybody wanted is digital audio over HDMI. Everybody knows that this limited using nVidia graphics that Macs are using. There is another option that could work, but you have to do another run for audio and you will have to buy an adapter in order to use the digital from the 3.5 mm connection.

I have nothing against Macs. If people want to use them as HTPCs, that's fine. I'm pointing out that someone who tries it shouldn't expect the usual Mac experience.

As far as using less power, if that's a concern then an Atom-based system would be an even better choice, particularly if you're running Linux.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

What about Dell's Zino HD?

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-zino-hd-410/fs

The only negative aspects that I had about it were the Radeon 5450 and Windows 7 Home Premium.

Radeon 5450: I talked about it earlier, but according to the Anandtech studies on the 5000-series as HTPC cards, they found that the 5450 has almost all post-processing disabled (by AMD) when outputting a 1080p stream. So, if this is rather important and you'll be putting it on a 1080p TV, it might not be good enough.

Windows 7 Home Premium: Out of the box, Home Premium doesn't support remoting into it using Terminal Services. I believe it is possible to hack in support, but I think you don't get audio with this work-around. The problem is that to upgrade from Home Premium to Professional, Dell will tack on another $100... which is pretty crazy considering the $30-40 difference at NewEgg between the two.

Just a thought.

iirc, the article on the 5450 was updated to further currect information about the post-processing issues and that at 1080p it wasn't really a problem. I've heard both good and bad things about the 5450. I'll find out on Monday. For $25 AR/FS on NE it was too good of a deal to pass up.

btw, what is your reasoning for wanting to use Terminal Services on an HTPC?

 

[GTaudiophile]

This all may sound like a headache...may just get the Sony Google TV/BR box for $399.

 

[electroju]

So when I'm bitstreaming from an HTPC and my receiver lights up with TrueHD or HD-DTS, Windows is somehow tricking it into believing it's a real bitstream when it's not? Can you elaborate on that and point me in the direction of where this information originates?

Windows could fake the signal and could have overlap the audio signal. Windows has a lot of layers that the audio may not be intact when it first extract the audio the audio track of the movie or audio. A lot of sound cards are software dependent, so playing back multiple streams of audio will have to be mixed in software. If drivers and programs does not support the API that provides a direct link to the sound card, you are getting mangled audio. IMHO, Linux has more pure sound quality compared with Windows. However, SPDIF does not have any rules, so anything can happen and software for your surround sound processor or AV receiver may not distinguish stereo and True HD or DTS HD.

In Windows, you get want you get, so see any audiophiles to get good audio from a movie.

Erm. K. Due to your obvious bias you'll have to excuse me if I find it difficult to accept your claims about Blu-ray playback on a Windows HTPC, since you don't even use one.

I doubt anybodies Windows HTPC works with out any problems. There are problems even though you say you do not have any problems.

Yes, I do not have Blu-Ray, so why does it matter to you. I do not care for Blu-Ray since it is too costly.

I have nothing against Macs. If people want to use them as HTPCs, that's fine. I'm pointing out that someone who tries it shouldn't expect the usual Mac experience.

As far as using less power, if that's a concern then an Atom-based system would be an even better choice, particularly if you're running Linux.

What is the usual Mac experience?

To me the usual Mac experience is the software or Mac OS X. It does not nag and it does not scream like Windows. Sure it can just work or recognizes new devices, but this is not always true because it does not support a lot of hardware. If you want something to just work, Linux is a better example to that thinking.

Suggesting an Intel Atom processor when it does not have a near performance rating as Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 is being stupid. Playing back a TV show at hulu.com in full screen sometimes stutters. An Intel Atom will play the TV with constant stuttering. Sure the Intel Atom processor will work OK for playing back H.264, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV, but only if I am using a nVidia graphics card that is compatible with VDPAU.

 

[ZetaEpyon]

I'm actually not a huge fan of the Intel built-in graphics. I recently built a system using an i3-540 on a Gigabyte H55N-USB3 Mini-ITX board and the stupid graphics drivers keep resetting my resolution to something like 1280x1024 when I'm on a 1080p TV! I have another HTPC that uses a Radeon 5450 (720p, so the 5450 works fine), which does not do this. If I knew the drivers would be this annoying, I would've just built an AMD system using a $50 Phenom X2 and use a Radeon 5570 (works better with 1080p), which would cost the same given the i3-540 is ~$125.

I'm wondering if that's something to do with that particular board. I've got an i3-530 running on an ASRock H55M Pro, and have had no issues remotely like that with the video drivers. Maybe it's some sort of funky HDMI handshake issue between that particular board and your TV?

IMO, the i3/i5 is the ideal cpu for an HTPC if you can use HDMI out.

 

[electroju]

This all may sound like a headache...may just get the Sony Google TV/BR box for $399.

That is an option, but it has some limitations and problems. It supports some codecs, but it can not figure out what decoders to use for what codec. Hulu.com blocks it because they say it is not computer. It has problems with searching. If you can work around of those problems, then it should be an OK option.

Tekzilla at revision3.com episode 164 has a short review of Logitech Revue and Google TV.

 

[BornStar]

This all may sound like a headache...may just get the Sony Google TV/BR box for $399.

This isn't the headache a certain member here is trying to make it sound like. My Windows 7 Media Center PC handles all of my media needs except for playing 360 games. I use it for .mkv, .ts, .avi, blu-ray, all cable content (including encrypted content using a Ceton InfiniTV 4), Netflix, Hulu, and any web content I'm interested in. You name it, my HTPC will play it. As far as enabling all of those items, obviously some were hardware (the InfiniTV is a core piece of my HTPC although you seem less interested in a TV tuner) but the rest are using free software. I received a copy of PowerDVD 7 with my blu-ray drive (horribly out of date but I'm cheap) and I use the Shark007 codec pack for enabling the rest of my playback (.mkv and .ts don't work out of the box but that's easy to fix).

In my opinion you wouldn't be on this forum if you weren't at least slightly computer literate and that's all this project will take. Electroju has huge (unfounded) biases against loads of things but he only states the aftermath of the bias, not what led him to that decision. I would ignore everything he has to say.

 

[Aikouka]

btw, what is your reasoning for wanting to use Terminal Services on an HTPC?

Mostly just accessing the computer without having to turn the TV on. I use DLPs and I don't feel like waiting 15-30 seconds for the TV to turn on just to make some small change in windows. But I also have to hack Terminal Services (regardless) to enable concurrent sessions, or else I have to either log out the account that's running on the TV or lock it (which means I need a keyboard to unlock it).

Oh and here's the paragraph on the 5450:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3601/the-final-word-on-the-best-radeon-htpc-card

With that said, there is one catch: the 5450 doesn’t have enough compute power to do any further post-processing on 1080i video besides Vector Adaptive deinterlacing. Just doing the decoding and that deinterlacing requires everything the 5450 can squeeze out, which means there’s nothing left for edge enhancement, de-noise, dynamic contrast, etc. So while the 5450 is a very capable HTPC card (more so than we first thought), it is not the perfect HTPC card like the 5570. If you need every last bell & whistle, the 5450 isn’t quite up to the task. But with Vector Adaptive deinterlacing working, it’s a reasonable expectation that the 5450 offers enough for most people – compared to Vector Adaptive deinterlacing, it’s in our own experience that the other post-processing features go unused most of the time.

I'm wondering if that's something to do with that particular board. I've got an i3-530 running on an ASRock H55M Pro, and have had no issues remotely like that with the video drivers. Maybe it's some sort of funky HDMI handshake issue between that particular board and your TV?

IMO, the i3/i5 is the ideal cpu for an HTPC if you can use HDMI out.

I wasn't sure if the board could even cause an issue relating to the computer misunderstanding the resolutions. The amusing part is, the Intel drivers even pop up a dialog saying "This resolution ____ isn't the optimum resolution for your display!" after Windows boots in the incorrect resolution.

The HTPC also runs through an AVR (Denon AVR-1910). But my Radeon 5450-based PC is running through an AVR as well (Denon AVR-1610).

 

[electroju]

In my opinion you wouldn't be on this forum if you weren't at least slightly computer literate and that's all this project will take. Electroju has huge (unfounded) biases against loads of things but he only states the aftermath of the bias, not what led him to that decision. I would ignore everything he has to say.

I am stating some warnings of setting up a HTPC. I critique things harshly. HTPC is OK for playback but quality is not its thing. I state things that are true. Why is everybody have a problem me stating my opinions?

 

[BornStar]

I am stating some warnings of setting up a HTPC. I critique things harshly. HTPC is OK for playback but quality is not its thing. I state things that are true. Why is everybody have a problem me stating my opinions?

Opinion != truth

You state your often incorrect opinions very aggressively and it clearly rubs a lot of people the wrong way.