Putting a HTPC together?

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  • KennyG
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Sep 2000
    • 745

    Putting a HTPC together?

    I was thinking of using powerDVD as my HTPC operating system...then I read Jon's review and am not sure what to think. Some people think it's the best thing going right now, but others are on Jon's side of the fence with winDVD...can the hardware make a difference in the performance of these competing software packages? Will one work better than the other with scaling software?
    I'm going to take delivery of a good projector with hi-res capabilities in the next 3 weeks, and I need to start building a HTPC very soon.
    I'm beginning to gather facts. So far I've gather the need for high speed (at least 700mhz) a GeForce video card, a large hard drive because digital video recording is in testing.
    The questions I have are many, but one deals with flexibility: Is there a video switching system that can be added to the HTPC that will allow for a second or third video input...so those inputs can be scaled by the HTPC?
  • KennyG
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Sep 2000
    • 745

    #2
    Well, I was going to build one, but I found a used one that runs at 733mhz, uses a Asus p3v4x mother board, Elsa Gladiac GTS2 32neg ddr video brd, M-Audio Delta Dia 24/96 audio brd.
    The HD is a little small for future upgrades (it's 20 gig) but at the price it'll be a good start, and the main components seem like state-of-the-art...for today.

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    • ThomasW
      Moderator Emeritus
      • Aug 2000
      • 10934

      #3
      Kenny

      You don't need tons of processor power. My HTPC is a "hand-me-down" meaning it was Jon's first. It has a Celeron 300 overclocked to 450Mhz and it works just fine.

      It has the latest version of WinDVD and I've never had any problem playing any DVD.

      If you going to do digital video recording then Jon is recommending a 60gig HD. That's what he just bought for recording HDTV.




      theAudioWorx
      Klone-Audio

      IB subwoofer FAQ page


      "Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-Bresson

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      • KennyG
        Moderator Emeritus
        • Sep 2000
        • 745

        #4
        Thomas do you know what an HTPC built to the above specs would cost? I'd think the mother board and CPU would probably run around $500-600.
        I'm trying to determine if $900 is too much, or about right. Guess I need to go buy a "computer shopper".

        Comment

        • ThomasW
          Moderator Emeritus
          • Aug 2000
          • 10934

          #5
          Kenny

          Unfortunately "Computer Shopper" is a shadow of it's former self.

          Here's a URL to a online computer supplier I use frequently. Good pricing, great service.


          Yea $900 is close, depending on the case. If you want one of those fancy black rack mount jobs you're looking at $260 just for the case.

          Be sure to get something with a 300 watt or better power supply of you're going with an Athalon. Those combined with some of the high-end video cards suck up tons of watts




          theAudioWorx
          Klone-Audio

          IB subwoofer FAQ page


          "Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-Bresson

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          • JonMarsh
            Mad Max Moderator
            • Aug 2000
            • 15261

            #6
            Kenny,

            You know, as inexpensive as the "players" are (PowerDVD, WINDVD), there's no reason not to get both and compare for yourself. Often they're bundled with hardware, too; that's how I got my current copy of WINDVD 2000 (which can be upgraded by downloads) and my current working copy of PowerDVD (an ACER DVD-ROM bundle; the drive is an OEM'd Pioneer tray style drive- works nice).

            Overall, PowerDVD is more glitch free with difficulat authoring, but WINDVD has better image quality (particuarly red decoding, for some reason; shares that advantage over Cinemaster), smoother motion compensation, and less issues with sound sync and reproduction. Sometimes with different sound cards and different drivers, issues and fine tuning become more of a concern. With both, optimizing vcache settings, readahead buffering, DMA enabled, etc., will contribute to the most glitch free performance.
            I'm collecting pieces for a new HTPC, and thinking of writing a long "How To" when I put it together, to post before Christmas; I'm taking the week after next off, to clean and catch up on projects.




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