Let's build a Blu-Ray player/Media Centre [Archive]

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biosc1

01-08-2009, 12:56 PM

My hobby choice of the year is to build a mATX Blu-Ray "cube".

I'm going for a mATX cube case to replace my PS3. I want my PS3 back in my gaming room. Currently, I don't game enough on it because it's attached to the main tv watching hdtv. The PS3 is only used to stream music and video from my desktop and to play Blu-Rays.

So, I'm hoping to build a sub $1000 machine that can play Blu-rays and stream video and music. It would be an added bonus if I could make a machine that can also record tv shows (a MythTV/Vista Media Centre). This machine would then have to be able to record a show to the hdd while watching a Blu-Ray...which may require something beefier than normal to accomplish.

I'll probably not complete this until the end of February (as I recover from holiday spending), but I thought I would start brainstorming here because I've never built a TiVo like machine before...

...and before anyone mentions that it would be cheaper to buy a second PS3, I'm doing this for the joy of building as much as the functionality.

So.

Requirements:

So easy to use that non-computer people can just pop a disc in and it plays...or they can just start up music or videos.
Blu-Ray playback (HD-DVD playback would be nice too)
Mini Case (mATX or mITX)
Quiet
Cable video card w/ HDMI out.
5.1 Surround Sound Card
[BONUS]HDTV capable TV card that is able to send remote IR signals to a spare HDTV cable box (because up here in Canada, we don't have CableCards).

Things such as HDD's and keyboards and mice are pretty generic...

List of parts so far in my mind:

Cases: mATX (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?minorcatid=104&subminorcatid=44) or mITX (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?minorcatid=104&subminorcatid=531) (haven't decided, need to see in person and read reviews)

Blu-Ray Drive: LG GGC-H20L BLU-RAY HD-DVD Reader (http://forums.ncix.com/forums/index.php?mode=showthread&msg_id=1657415&threadid=1657415&forum=103&product_id=26553&msgcount=11&overclockid=0#msg1657415) $150

So...what I really need is a suggestion for a quiet HDMI out video card that is ideal for Blu-Ray and home theatre conditions (where it can get a little hot).

Parts so far:

Western Digital WD10EADS Caviar Green 1TB SATA 32MB (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35676&vpn=WD10EADS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD&promoid=1030)

LG GGC-H20L BLU-RAY HD-DVD Burner/Reader (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26553&vpn=GGC-H20L&manufacture=LG%20Electronics&promoid=1030)

Nmedia HTPC-5000B Desktop Media Centre Case mATX Black 1X5.25 4X3.5INT Card Reader No PS (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35507)

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 3MB Retail Box (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31411&promoid=1030)

Scythe Mini Ninja Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S478 S754 S939 80MM 2300RPM 32.2CFM 24.2DBA (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25517)

Gigabyte GA-EG45M-DS2H mATX LGA775 G45 DDR2 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA RAID Video Sound GLAN HDMI Motherboard (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=32267)

Crucial Rendition 1GB 1X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 240PIN DIMM Memory (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24504&vpn=RM12864AA800&manufacture=CRUCIAL%20TECHNOLOGY&promoid=1030) x 3

Corsair CMPSU-400CX 400CX 400W ATX 12V 30A Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33357&vpn=CMPSU-400CX&manufacture=CORSAIR)

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 01:05 PM

my suggestion is keep the ps3...I've had nothing but headaches building mine. But, if you'd like to do it anyway, be prepared to tweak...a lot! :) :)

Here's basically what i've got.

Hardware:

xfx 8200 nvidia board http://www.xfxforce.com/en-us/products/motherboards/GeForceseries/GeForce%208200.aspx?lang=en-us
AMD DC/QC
3Gb of Ram min
Vista OS (for DirectX 10)
500G Hard Drive min
ATI 4850 (pretty darn quiet imo) (HDMI 4tw) http://www.visiontek.com/products/cards/retail/4850_512_PCIe.html
Gyration Keyboard/mouse set (or some kind of RF mouse/kb set) http://www.gyration.com/?l=en#productDetail/office/goMouse <--link to the remote...I just got a set that had the keyboard too.
Hauppage WinTV 1250 at min (one cable connection/source) (if you want to record AND watch, you'll need to buy something that has two cable connections on it) Make sure whatever you get you have Clear QAM, ATSC, and NTSC on it.

Software:
PowerDVD ultra 8 (for 5.1 out)
AnyDVD HD
BeyondTV

biosc1

01-08-2009, 01:32 PM

What brand ATI did you go with?

What sort of tweaking issues did you encounter? Sound card on that board good enough?

Tron

01-08-2009, 01:40 PM

Will it do lossless audio?

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 02:14 PM

Visiontek Radeon HD 4850
Both the 4850 and the onboard 8200 can do hdmi for sound. But, if you don't have a HDMI receiver, the onboard sound is good too (not best, but really...it's good enough).
I tried to explore an optical solution but it resulted in the sound/video tearing apart which made the video/audio not sync. So, you'll either need to go higher end for the optical (something I didn't explore) or stick with the analog route (which works fine, but doesn't output the absolute best sound you can get). If you have an HDMI receiver that is probably the best bet.

Make sure that you have an HDCP compatable monitor to output to and even if you do, expect occasional HDCP handshake issues (well documented online). I purchased AnyDVD HD to circumvent this problem (BR movies won't play in 1080p w/out a digital connection). You can purchase all the correct equipment and have this problem. AnyDVD solves it. I hate owning it (because it's basically illegal to have/use), but that's the price I've paid for owning this equipment.

Also, Blu-Ray isn't yet an exact science. Be prepared to have them work and not work depending on the day of the week. Another problem AnyDVD solved was it stripped the protection off of the BR discs and made things that SHOULD HAVE WORKED IN THE FIRST PLACE work. Iron man was a great example of this...it took putzing around with the disk for a full hour to get it to finally play consistently right. Cyberlink's support is terrible btw, so be wary. The biggest issue is that it's Cyberlink or nothing really...Everything else is a resource hog/has caused trouble with my PC.

honestly...I had a lot of trial and error in my build, but you won't have nearly the trouble as you can benefit from what I faced.

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 02:18 PM

Will it do lossless audio?

with HDMI it should:
http://www.cyberlink.com/eng/press_room/view_1725.html

I don't have lossless equipment, so I'm not the best person to give out advice on this.

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 02:44 PM

As for ease of use.

I setup PowerDVD to autoplay whenever a disc is inserted (something I'm still tweaking is remote controls...but that's just an ongoing "struggle"). BD isn't consistent about how to control the menus, so you might be able to control with a mouse, or keyboard, or remote. I'm working on editing the .ini file on the hauppage remote I have to allow for perfect playback using a remote only, but that'll take time...and that is about the very last "issue" I'm dealing with.

Beyond TV runs in the background, can be set up like Tivo to record and can pull recordings online. My wife can use it...so no issues there.

Haven't really touched the music aspect. But right now I've defaulted everything through iTunes. That may change...or it may not.

hunterx280

01-08-2009, 03:01 PM

Have you thought of just buying a second PS3? I know it won't record TV but it'll be a lot cheaper.

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 03:17 PM

Have you thought of just buying a second PS3? I know it won't record TV but it'll be a lot cheaper.

The free tivo-like service alone makes the build worth it.
besides, BR won't be problematic forever...it just is right now for us early adopters.

biosc1

01-08-2009, 03:29 PM

The one thing I'm looking forward to is a better music and video streaming interface. The PS3 is functional, but a media centre has much better album cover layout, search, etc...

Wraith

01-08-2009, 03:37 PM

Is an HD 4850 really necessary for 1080p video?

If it was also being used for gaming, then maybe. But wouldn't a cheaper, cooler, quieter card work better in this case?

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 03:37 PM

you're probably also going to need a front end to (unless you're going to use it for gaming functions).
MS Media Center is okay, but you'll probably end up having to go to one of the more intarweb savy places to get connection between all your programs.

also, make sure to use the demos available to 100% test your setup vs. the software. I purchased WinDVD w/out looking at the demo and had to return it within a couple of hours because it made my computer studder.
beyondtv, sage, Powerdvd ult, anydvd HD, and a couple of the other programs you're going to want to look at all have 21 day trials...use them seriously!

OH, and I just got hold of a program to sync files between computers that's free and (although MS) pretty good.
sync.live.com

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 03:39 PM

Is an HD 4850 really necessary for 1080p video?

If it was also being used for gaming, then maybe. But wouldn't a cheaper, cooler, quieter card work better in this case?

No, with a little massaging the onboard nvidia 8200 can do 1080p. But, you should really consider something with a little extra oomph to it. the 8200 can BARELY handle 1080p w/out a studder. Another reason to look higher end is to get access to the newer drivers that support ATI and Nvidia's high-end HD playback software.

Wraith

01-08-2009, 03:59 PM

Maybe something like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121287)?

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-121-287-TS?$S180W$ http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-121-287-S03?$S180W$

*Edit* Actually, some threads (http://www.arcsoft.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1196) would indicate a 4350 is a bit underpowered for blu-ray...

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 04:02 PM

yeah, that looks pretty good.

Wackman3000

01-08-2009, 04:19 PM

Why not look into something like the Popcorn Media Hour? It should be capable of doing everything you are looking for.

http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/

biosc1

01-08-2009, 05:08 PM

Why not look into something like the Popcorn Media Hour? It should be capable of doing everything you are looking for.

http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/

I've looked into that before, but it lacks any disc based media options...ie. no Blu-Ray.

As for remotes, I'm hoping to get an IR Receiver and hook it up with my Harmony remote...more research may be needed. It really needs to be seamless for my "lady-friend".

Wackman3000

01-08-2009, 05:13 PM

I've looked into that before, but it lacks any disc based media options...ie. no Blu-Ray.

As for remotes, I'm hoping to get an IR Receiver and hook it up with my Harmony remote...more research may be needed. It really needs to be seamless for my "lady-friend".

But it's probably the most "seamless" method you could get, especially for someone who just wants point and click. If a disc based media is needed, blu-ray players have dropped in price considerably. Sure you have another piece to add to the puzzle, but again, seamless and easy for anyone to just turn on.

biosc1

01-08-2009, 05:34 PM

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 08:11 PM

Ahhh...but you're missing the fun of the adventure that way ;)

I like to get angry at builds and cut my finger on metal. Plus, I really like the looks of this dual Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player...it means I don't have to get rid of all my HD-DVD's...though I guess I could technically hook up my 360 add-on to a pc...
you're going to need a full version of something that can play HD-DVD...which I understand is harder and harder to do.
I think a copy of Powerdvd 7 should do ya well...and it'll co-exist with your copy of v.8
If you figure anything else out about the whole HD DVD thing, I'd love to find out more...I've got a 360 HD DVD player sitting around that I could put to good use on some $5 HD DVDs.

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 08:30 PM

*Edit* Actually, some threads (http://www.arcsoft.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1196) would indicate a 4350 is a bit underpowered for blu-ray...

I do not see this problem with PowerDVD 8.
The problem is that every HD viewing program I've looked at outside of PowerDVD Ultra 8 is a real resource hog. Trust me, I've been through them all.
WinDVD studdered/was a resource hog. (plus no Demo...fucking boo to that)
Arcsoft's TMT was a resource hog and had a "bug" in my setup that would keeping holding those resources until I restarted my computer (70%+ of CPU plus most of my RAM)
I don't much care for Cyberlink as they seem to not have a really good CS dept...but their program runs well and is easy on the resources...so it wins by defualt.

Stmfuller

01-08-2009, 08:48 PM

As for remotes, I'm hoping to get an IR Receiver and hook it up with my Harmony remote...more research may be needed. It really needs to be seamless for my "lady-friend".
Hauppauge's remote is supported by harmony.

Edit: sorry about all of these extra posts and stuff. I feel like I've got a lot to add here as this is a very similar situation that I just went through.

Bingley Joe

01-08-2009, 10:19 PM

Hmmm... doesn't quite meet your exact specs, but have you considered just grabbing a Mac-mini and swapping the stock drive for a BR drive?

You could probably use something from EYE-TV (http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/home.en.html) for all the sundry cable stuff you want, and it would pretty handily solve the ease of use factor (Perian (http://www.perian.org/) + Front Row = all you need).. especially if you install something like Remote Buddy.. (http://www.iospirit.com/index.php?mode=view&obj_type=infogroup&obj_id=24&sid=8787787G6888e98b2fdc02c5)

biosc1

01-08-2009, 11:49 PM

Stmfuller

01-09-2009, 07:22 AM

mac minis have crappy laptop vid cards and there isn't yet offical support for BR
so I'd say no.

Bingley Joe

01-09-2009, 10:03 AM

Well...I was actually looking at a Mac Mini and, essentially, what I want to build is a Windows-based Mac Mini...I wonder if the stock drive can be replaced? What's the Blu-Ray support on Mac Mini's? I didn't think they could handle 1080p?

mac minis have crappy laptop vid cards and there isn't yet offical support for BR
so I'd say no.

Actually, they can handle 1080p just fine (http://blog.adamnash.com/2008/01/24/yes-you-can-get-1080p-out-of-a-mac-mini/) -- there's a ..'quirk' (which may have been patched by now) in the Displays preference pane that was causing lots of people confusion about 1080p support, but it's easy to work around if you know about it, and 1920x1080 h.264/.mkv playback is smooth as can be. At least on the 2.0 Mini :)

As for Blu-Ray drives, it seems as though selection is somewhat limited because it needs to be slot-loading and IDE/ATAPI, but the Panasonic UJ-225 (http://www.powerbookmedic.com/xcart1/product.php?productid=17116) seems like a nice drive that will work. Swapping drives (HD and optical) is a piece of cake, and there's plenty of info out there.

There isn't currently official support in the OS for BR playback, but I'm sure it's coming in the not too distant future, and in the meantime you can just use the BR drive to make h.264 rips to a giant NAS volume (gigabit ethernet and all).

Then run Remote Buddy with a Wiimote for full mouse support and trouble-free control of any and all apps from your couch!

I'm borderline going to pull the trigger on this exact setup myself.. which is why you should build one and then tell me how sweet/broken it is :p (it'll work great though, believe me)

Stmfuller

01-09-2009, 10:12 AM

I'm borderline going to pull the trigger on this exact setup myself.. which is why you should build one and then tell me how sweet/broken it is :p (it'll work great though, believe me)

If you seriously do this, I want gory details. I'm totally beyond interested right now.

Ancalagon

01-09-2009, 10:16 AM

What about an HD 4670 instead? From what I've heard, the 4850 is too power hungry and hot to be HTPC friendly.

Also, have you considered a bigger case? Like a Silverstone LC17B?

biosc1

01-09-2009, 10:41 AM

Currently, I'm looking at a small case. I really want an mITX case because they look nice and slim and small. The cabinet I have has narrow depth shelves. I've put venting into the back, so nothing gets too hot in there. The beauty is, I have doors on the front, so noise is minimized (using a IR receiver/blaster combo to spray the inside components).

Eventually, if this works and we move into a better place, I'll be getting an HTPC rack installed in one of the closets somewhere...dare to dream...dare to dream :)

here's a nice site centered around htpc builds: http://www.missingremote.com/

This looks nice:

http://www.nmediapc.com/HTPC%205000/6000b1.jpg (http://www.nmediapc.com/htpc5000.htm)

Bingley Joe

01-09-2009, 10:41 AM

If you seriously do this, I want gory details. I'm totally beyond interested right now.

Shhhhh!! We're supposed to be tricking biosc into being the guinea pig :p

(not that there's any part of my plan that won't work perfectly, mind you!)

biosc1

01-09-2009, 11:10 AM

There is only so far I would go...$699 trayless Blu-Ray + Mac Mini cost may be going a bit overbudget for me :o

Bingley Joe

01-09-2009, 12:22 PM

There is only so far I would go...$699 trayless Blu-Ray + Mac Mini cost may be going a bit overbudget for me :o

Fair enough.. the money thing is mostly what's been holding me back as well. I don't really have much interest in a BR burner, but can't seem to find a straight-up drive that would do the trick..

That case you found looks incredibly badass though. You could always grab one of those and put a hackintosh inside it..** (http://lifehacker.com/software/hack-attack/build-a-hackintosh-mac-for-under-800-321913.php) Full-size parts means full-size savings! ;)

**this article is seriously out of date by now -- I'm sure the price/performance ratio is way better these days

Stmfuller

01-09-2009, 12:31 PM

that's a really nice box. Mine just sits in a huge metal computer case :(
nothing nearly as sexy as that.

muddi900

01-11-2009, 02:02 PM

The Answer (http://lifehacker.com/5128408/six-best-dvr-applications) to (almost) all your questions!

biosc1

01-11-2009, 02:40 PM

The Answer (http://lifehacker.com/5128408/six-best-dvr-applications) to (almost) all your questions!

Ooo...I had forgotten about SageTV...that looks right up my alley :)

Stmfuller

01-11-2009, 03:11 PM

Ooo...I had forgotten about SageTV...that looks right up my alley :)

meh, beyondtv is better.
Of course that's because I couldn't get sagetv to work for me so..YMMV

biosc1

01-14-2009, 12:29 PM

Okay...grabbed my HD-DVD/Blu-Ray player / burner.

Anyone have any experience with mATX motherboards?

I suppose the flavour of the month is Gigabyte...so, I was going to go with this one:

Gigabyte GA-EG41M-S2H mATX LGA775 (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35118&vpn=GA-EG41M-S2H&manufacture=Gigabyte)

http://img.ncix.com/images/35118_l.jpg

I'm going to be putting in new video card, but the on-board video will help me test it out in the beginning at least. HDMI out is a nice feature as well, though once I figure out what I'm going to do with regards to a video card, I may just go with the model down and save $20 because the HDMI will be pointless.

Gigabyte GA-EG31M-S2 mATX LGA775 G31 (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30494&vpn=GA-EG31M-S2&manufacture=Gigabyte)

I only need 1 PCI slot, really. I need to put in a wireless expansion card for the location this device will eventually go. Considering my PS3 is acting up now and refusing to log into the PSN store or connect to a media server (yet still can browse the internet), this project is getting more urgency.

Chip-wise, I'm considering the Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Wolfdale 2.66GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual-Core Processor (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115132)

I will not be doing a lot of transcoding with this device, that's something my main pc can do before hand before sending it to this machine...so, I just have to check benchmarks on this chip to see how it handles HD video...it does run cool, which is a bonus.

Stmfuller

01-14-2009, 02:40 PM

my first suggestion is be careful of the heat sink you buy. I bought a huge-ass 'sink so that it would be quieter/cooler, but I can't use all four of my RAM slots now. :(
As for the HDMI, can that output HDMI sound on the board? if so it might be worth going "higher end". You could split up the two should you have to.
Also,
fyi, I'd stay away from wireless networks as I've heard that it'll bite into your ram/playback. If you can stay corded...do so.
CPU looks good.
final concern might be the placement of the PCIE x16 port. Make sure your video card isn't too big :)

biosc1

01-14-2009, 03:24 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I would love to keep it wired, but my girlfriend is not really of the same mindset of me when it comes to drilling holes and running cable ;)

Video card is a big if still. I think I'm going to get that case I linked up above...and I'll check into the sound over HDMI.

Found my hdd:

Western Digital WD10EADS Caviar Green 1TB SATA 32MB (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35676&vpn=WD10EADS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD&promoid=1030) on sale for $120. Usually $160.

Jackel

01-15-2009, 03:04 PM

GigaFuzz

01-15-2009, 03:08 PM

I think I have the same LG drive. Has worked fine for me so far.

biosc1

01-15-2009, 03:31 PM

Yah, the drive showed up today. I'm debating throwing it into my main desktop while I figure out the case and mobo for the HTPC...but I really hate opening my P182...everything is just so nicely tucked away in there.

Stmfuller

01-15-2009, 03:34 PM

I just purchased the same LG disc drive as you did. I'll be giving my first Blu-ray discs a try on it tonight. It came with a copy of PowerDVD 7.3 that it claims can play both HD-DVD and Blu-ray....so I'll see how that works and let you know.

if you're planning on running it through a surround system, you're going to need to buy it from Cyberlink. I believe it's $99

Jackel

01-15-2009, 04:12 PM

if you're planning on running it through a surround system, you're going to need to buy it from Cyberlink. I believe it's $99

I haven't had any problems using the Surround setup yet. Simply went to Audio configuration and chose 6 speaker setup and its given me everything I need. Am I missing something?

And besides, if I have to I'll just rip the images of my discs to the HD and play them with Mediaportal. Then I can use AC3Filter for the audio, and the cyberlink codec of the video.

Stmfuller

01-15-2009, 04:46 PM

I haven't had any problems using the Surround setup yet. Simply went to Audio configuration and chose 6 speaker setup and its given me everything I need. Am I missing something?

And besides, if I have to I'll just rip the images of my discs to the HD and play them with Mediaportal. Then I can use AC3Filter for the audio, and the cyberlink codec of the video.

everything I've read says it only encodes to 2 channels.

Jackel

01-15-2009, 06:05 PM

biosc1

01-19-2009, 04:29 PM

Stmfuller

01-19-2009, 07:09 PM

Stmfuller

01-19-2009, 07:18 PM

Okay...getting close to pulling the trigger....

Nmedia HTPC-5000B Desktop Media Centre Case mATX Black 1X5.25 4X3.5INT Card Reader No PS (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35507)

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 3MB Retail Box (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31411&promoid=1030)

Scythe Mini Ninja Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S478 S754 S939 80MM 2300RPM 32.2CFM 24.2DBA (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25517)

Gigabyte GA-EG45M-DS2H mATX LGA775 G45 DDR2 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA RAID Video Sound GLAN HDMI Motherboard (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=32267)

Solid review of the board (http://techgage.com/article/gigabyte_eg45m-ds2h)

Just working on finding a nice quiet, low power PSU that will run the machine and some RAM...this project is beginning to suffer from cost-creep ;)

looks good, but check your sizing up on the heatsink vs the board. But make sure it's not too big.
They cram a lot of shit on those small boards, you don't want to run the risk of any overlap.

As for Ram, go economy brand...3G should be $60 or under (that's American money, not goofy canuck money ;) ) Max it out as close to the 32-bit max as you can...you won't regret it.

biosc1

01-19-2009, 07:31 PM

As for Ram, go economy brand...3G should be $60 or under (that's American money, not goofy canuck money ;) ) Max it out as close to the 32-bit max as you can...you won't regret it.

I was wondering about what sort of performance I need out of RAM? I can throw in Kingston Value RAM at about $10 a stick...not high performing, but probably not a necessity, right? 3 sticks would suffice.

Stmfuller

01-19-2009, 08:59 PM

If you can afford it, throwing more money at your PC is always better.
But I personally bought some value RAM, and I think it's just fine.

biosc1

01-20-2009, 04:52 PM

Western Digital WD10EADS Caviar Green 1TB SATA 32MB (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35676&vpn=WD10EADS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD&promoid=1030)
Nmedia HTPC-5000B Desktop Media Centre Case mATX Black 1X5.25 4X3.5INT Card Reader No PS (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35507)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 3MB Retail Box (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31411&promoid=1030)
Scythe Mini Ninja Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S478 S754 S939 80MM 2300RPM 32.2CFM 24.2DBA (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25517)
Gigabyte GA-EG45M-DS2H mATX LGA775 G45 DDR2 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA RAID Video Sound GLAN HDMI Motherboard (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=32267)
Crucial Rendition 1GB 1X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 240PIN DIMM Memory (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24504&vpn=RM12864AA800&manufacture=CRUCIAL%20TECHNOLOGY&promoid=1030) x 3
Corsair CMPSU-400CX 400CX 400W ATX 12V 30A Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33357&vpn=CMPSU-400CX&manufacture=CORSAIR)

Clicked "buy" today. Last day to get this weeks deals in from the store I'm buying from. Ended up being a bit pricier than I expected, but it does come in near the $1000 I had budgeted myself for this project.

This will be what I'll play with for the next 2 weeks or so. Next paycheque, I'm going to add:

Scythe Mini Ninja heatsink - to lower the fan noise, but I'll test the stock one first.

Linksys Wireless card - may upgrade to wireless N.

TV Card - HDTV card with an IR blaster to control the spare HD cable box I have.

IR Receiver and remote.

Front LCD display for the case I got. The front LCD was an optional accessory. At $40, I figured I may as well wait until I do my next batch order.

I'll be testing this in my games room until I feel that it is ready for "primetime"*

*primetime = the abuse my girlfriend will throw at it.

Stmfuller

01-20-2009, 08:48 PM

looks good buddy...I'm sure you'll have a good time building it.

biosc1

01-20-2009, 11:24 PM

Thanks for all your help. It's always great to be able to bounce ideas off of other people. I'll be sure to document the building process :)

Stmfuller

01-21-2009, 07:22 AM

Strange, because like i said.... its working for me (screenshot) (http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=b6q9zb&s=5) Notice the scrolling title says 6CH and the Audio configuration also allows 6CH.

And my receiver says it is getting 5.1 Dolby Digital.

I'll have to do a bit more testing to see what is really happening.

edit: Seems they released an update for certain OEM versions, that enables it to encode 6CH.

yeah, and since I've only a got blu-ray drive, that kind of screws the pooch for me. Which is probably why I had to pay for the ultra version.
Oh well.

I still need to get the remote programmed correctly for the computer...cause it only does a couple of the functions. But I've been putting it off as it's really me sitting down and editing a .ini file (something I hate doing). I know the pain it's going to take me to do it is still going to be cheaper than just buying another IR remote.

Jackel

01-21-2009, 06:31 PM

yeah, and since I've only a got blu-ray drive, that kind of screws the pooch for me. Which is probably why I had to pay for the ultra version.
Oh well.

I still need to get the remote programmed correctly for the computer...cause it only does a couple of the functions. But I've been putting it off as it's really me sitting down and editing a .ini file (something I hate doing). I know the pain it's going to take me to do it is still going to be cheaper than just buying another IR remote.

Well if it makes you feel better, I think that i might just be doing AC3, and not full DTS in this version. I haven't been able to get it to play DTS yet, which is odd as when I use Media Portal and AC3Filter, DTS comes out no problem.

biosc1

01-30-2009, 04:54 PM

And...it's begun :)

Finally got all the parts in today, after waiting for the case for far too long. I actually ended up getting a slightly more expensive case of the same brand without the acrylic shiny (fingerprint attracting) front and went with a model with a brushed aluminium.

Putting it together went pretty smoothly. The case came with mounts in all the right spots. The only issue was cable management, which, due to the confined space, became a bit of a pain. Also sticking with the stock heatsink/cooler combo right now just to get the machine up and running. I still need to order an lcd display for the front of the case and take measurements for the CPU fan, though the stock one is very quiet.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5972/20139777dd5.jpg

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/2945/53478958xg0.jpg

Such a tiny little motherboard.
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/226/89477074ld0.jpg

A little irked by the tight fit of the CPU heatsink and the motherboard heatsink, but it works.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7420/15610018ta3.jpg

Full sized PSU fits perfectly
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1505/77257582ea8.jpg

Cable heck...lots and lots of cables. I should have bought a modular PSU, but went with a cheaper non modular one.
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7527/20625700mu4.jpg

And it's done:
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8370/15160584jt8.jpg

So far so good. It's a nice quite machine so far. Now it's driver installation time. Vista Ultimate SP1 is all installed now.

Final steps will include:

Getting Blu-Ray/HD-DVD drive playing HD discs
Getting an information LCD for the front.
Checking noise levels and insulating/installing quieter fans as needed.
Installing wireless card.
Setting it to sync from my main computer so that it pulls down all music and media whenever something new pops up.
Getting remote working...going IR so that I can use Logitech harmony.
Deciding on a wireless mouse/kb combo.