Soup to Nuts Information Needed

[kalyko]

I believe I am ready to make the push into HTPC land.  This is completely new territory for me.  I am fairly savvy when it comes to building PCs in general.  I have been building high end gaming PCs for myself for quite some time.  However I don’t think that heavy of a hand is necessary for an HTPC, which is leaving me a little baffled when it comes to component selection.

As far as components go, I do want the Ceton InfiniTV 4 and I’d like to make use of all 4 HD streams, mostly the ability to 3 record and watch 1 live stream simulatneously.  Possibly adding an Xbox360 to extend in the future.  I have an unused copy of Windows 7 Ultimate so I’d want to use Windows Media Center.  I would also like to be able to watch BD and SD content as well (this requires software?).  System noise is also a consideration since this will be in the middle of the main living space in my home.

So, where to start…  I’d prefer an Intel CPU, from what I’ve read on this and other sites an Intel i3/i5 paired with an Intel DH67BLB3 motherboard is a very solid place to start.  I don’t know if I would need discrete video/audio cards.  Is the onboard sound on motherboards suitable for connecting to a home theater setup?

Any help is appreciated, I am very excited to get started.

[swoon]

I have an i3-2100 running on a DH67BLB3 board with an InfiniTV 4 and BD drive. The system has plenty of power for handling all the HTPC duties I ask of it. The stock HSF has a reasonably quiet noise level. The only reason why you would want a more powerful CPU is if you will be doing something processor intensive such as commercial skip analysis, gaming, etc.

For audio, I am using i3 HDMI audio to an AVR. There’s no need even for on-board audio when that is the configuration. If you’ll be using S/PDIF, you can use the on-board audio. If you’ll be using analog, this is a case where you may decide that a discrete card might be warranted.

You’ll certainly want a discrete GPU if you’ll also be gaming on the machine, otherwise, in most other cases, the i3 IPG is going to perform well for video decoding and presentation.

For storage, I recommend using SSD for OS drives. For HTPC, it will make loading the guide, movie library, rebooting, etc. much snappier. It is a luxury though and not required.

Since you may have extenders and considering DRAM pricing, build with 4GB at minimum.

You’re looking at a very good board/CPU combo for HTPC. I would recommend you also spend a good deal of time looking into chassis that will fit into your living room. Since you’ll probably use it for multiple builds, it is not a place to skimp IMO.

You will need BD playback software. Often times, BD drives come with an OEM copy of CyberLink PowerDVD or ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre, but they will probably be older versions and may not have all the features you need. You can likely get an upgrade price from those OEM copies if you decide you want to upgrade. For 7MC, TMT5 is the most native look and feel though PDVD11 is not bad.

We’ve got reviews on both BD software packages as well Core i3/i5 processors and the DH67BL board, so check those out to get a better feel.

[phoneguyinpgh]

I second TMT for BD playback.  You may also need AnyDVDHD to crack DRM.

[SpacemanSpiff2000]

I’m in the same position as kalyko. Need soup to nuts, know some building, don’t know entertainment tech at all and am overwhelmed. I was excited to get started months ago, but now I’m exaperated and desparate at the learning curve time and feel barely closer. The best primer I’ve seen so far I found on this site, but that was 3 years old and clearly out of date, esp. if only OEM HTPCs could function with cablecards back then.

But one of my main questions, and difference from the OP, is that I want to know how a PVR card works in this mix, with or without a Ceton-type card.  Like, should I choose a Hauppauge 1414 (or similar, whatever is similar) because I want to re-record off my Verizon DVR’d shows and my VHS kid videos?  And could that be my new DVR and get a plain set top box?  If so, can the 1414 or similar record channels I’m not watching?  How does a PVR card with a tuner but not a cablecard figure into this?  And do I even need a PVR if I go with a Ceton (and still digitize VHS)?  Do I need a Ceton if I get no premium channels, but want DisneyHD/NickHD/UnivisionHD?  I’m having a devil of a time finding this kind of basic, what-its-like-in-the-family-room info in the Internet haystack.

Or do you want me to open my own thread for this one?

Otherwise, I’m listening intently to other component info, as well.

[swoon]

Can you start a new thread. I’m sure we can help answer your questions, but let’s not hijack this one 🙂

[Ganjagadget]

You can check out the never-ending guide over on AVS Forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972

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