Hi all,
So far, my "home theater setup" has consisted in switching between connecting a Macbook Pro (for DVD and streaming) and a desktop computer (for Blu-ray and ripped DVDs) to my TV with an HDMI cable, but it has lots of drawbacks:
Here is some background:
I don't think a standalone Blu-ray player makes sense, because:
So I've decided that I should build my very first HTPC instead! But before I start shopping for components, etc, I wanted to make sure I was building the right thing, i.e. that it is neither underpowered nor overpowered. There are lots and lots of ways to go about building a HTPC, and I wanted to get some feedback on the suitable ways to go for the goals I want to achieve. I realize that I may have to forgo support for games like Stalker if I want the quiet / silent operation and the low power consumption. If that's the case, so be it - I'll move the gaming to another computer made of spare parts.
My goals:
My non-goals:
Here are some ideas listed in no particular order (some of them garnered from reading left and right about HTPC builds, so I'm not completely familiar with them):
My understanding is that some of my goals have clear implications on the choice of components / software:
Now, I have a whole bunch of questions:
Once I get that general sense of direction, I'll start exploring hardware specifics.
Thanks!
So far, my "home theater setup" has consisted in switching between connecting a Macbook Pro (for DVD and streaming) and a desktop computer (for Blu-ray and ripped DVDs) to my TV with an HDMI cable, but it has lots of drawbacks:
■ No unified device to do everything
■ I have to physically drag the computer in the living-room to play Blu-rays (that's not where it normally sits)
■ Setup is bulky
■ When using the desktop, it's also quite loud because of the fans
Here is some background:
■ I have lots (> 100) of DVDs in ripped (ISO) format, some supplemented with extra subtitles files (.sub, .srt, etc) that are not present on the ISO itself
■ I have also a few Blu-rays in that format
■ I have a file server to host these, that can sit in a separate room (connected via power line plugs for instance)
■ I have a TV that can take an HDMI input with sound (I may later upgrade to a full-blown separate sound system, but that's not part of this project)
■ I've built PCs before, but never HTPCs, so I'm not familiar with the trade-offs there
I don't think a standalone Blu-ray player makes sense, because:
■ It won't handle my ISOs
■ It won't handle the subtitles (at least, not without me burning a DVD merging the ISO and the subtitles, which is much harder and cumbersome than I want the setup to be)
■ I want something more customizable
So I've decided that I should build my very first HTPC instead! But before I start shopping for components, etc, I wanted to make sure I was building the right thing, i.e. that it is neither underpowered nor overpowered. There are lots and lots of ways to go about building a HTPC, and I wanted to get some feedback on the suitable ways to go for the goals I want to achieve. I realize that I may have to forgo support for games like Stalker if I want the quiet / silent operation and the low power consumption. If that's the case, so be it - I'll move the gaming to another computer made of spare parts.
My goals:
■ Support for Blu-ray (both physical discs and rips), DVDs (likewise), Youtube, Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm, the odd video file (mkv, avi, …)
■ Support for external subtitles files (.sub, .srt, …) for DVDs
■ Ability to view pictures, either by connecting a camera, inserting a card (SD, CF, …), or simply by going through a networked folder
■ Unified interface for as much of the media as possible (this may not be achievable for Blu-ray discs, which require a specialized player, and BBC iPlayer videos; decrypted Blu-ray rips may be in the cards though)
■ Enough firepower to play full-blown Blu-rays / 1080p HD streams from Youtube / HD streams from Netflix and Amazon
■ Receive, record, and replay Freeview TV through tuner (the HTPC can serve as a temporary storage area, but ultimately the recorded shows would end up on the fileserver)
■ Quiet, or even silent operation (so prefer low-power gear, passive cooling, and low-rpm large fans if necessary)
■ Power consumption as low as possible
■ Support for standby or wake-on-LAN desirable
■ Support for the following hardware: wireless mouse and keyboard, remote control (like Logitech Harmony)
■ Android / iPhone apps to substitute for the remote would be great
■ Audio and video through HDMI
■ Optionally: play some games (Sim City 3000, Baldur's Gate EE, Civ 5, perhaps even Stalker…)
My non-goals:
■ Storage (handled by separate fileserver)
■ Very demanding games
Here are some ideas listed in no particular order (some of them garnered from reading left and right about HTPC builds, so I'm not completely familiar with them):
■ Using a Raspberry Pi / Cubox / …
■ Doing an Atom build (or other System-on-a-chip)
■ Doing an AMD APU build (Trinity?)
■ Doing an Ivy Bridge build with integrated HD4000 graphics
■ Using a low-power PSU such as picoPsu or Nano150
■ XMBC as the front-end for my HTPC (+ PowerDVD or the like for Bluray)
■ Plex running on the fileserver, and PleXMBC plugin for the HTPC
■ mid-capacity SSD for the HTPC (100 - 200GB), no spinning hard drive
My understanding is that some of my goals have clear implications on the choice of components / software:
■ While I'd have loved to base my build on a Linux distribution, the support for Blu-ray discs pretty much requires that my HTPC run some version of Windows (I was thinking Windows 7). I could get around it by ripping Blu-rays separately, and play the decrypted ISO (I think VLC supports that just fine), but that doesn't allow a "pop the Blu-ray in and watch" kind of experience.
■ This de facto eliminate the Raspberry Pi, Cubox, et al (not mentioning the fact that attaching an external Blu-ray drive to them might be tricky due to power limitations)
■ I don't think Atom-based builds will be powerful enough for full-blown Blu-rays (but I may be wrong)
Now, I have a whole bunch of questions:
■ Do I need a powerful CPU? Is there a solid reason to go for Intel (and which series? i3? i5? i7?) or for AMD specifically?
■ Do I need a dedicated graphics card to satisfy my goals? Or would AMD's or Intel's integrated graphics be sufficient? I'd love to avoid the graphic card if I could, since graphic card = more power and more heat to dissipate. Although there are apparently some fanless half-height video cards...
■ [subquestion] What if I take out the gaming requirement?
■ Should I use a CPU with a low or very low TDP (35W / 17W respectively)?
■ [subquestion] My understanding is that the TDP tells you how much power the CPU can draw at maximum, but that it doesn't necessarily correlate with higher idle consumption or "normal operation" consumption
■ [subquestion] However, if I get a higher TDP processor, then I need a cooling system that can draw out more hear (so as to protect the CPU), a power supply that can deliver more power, etc
■ [subquestion] Can low or very-low power CPUs work with passive cooling? I'd love to avoid any fans if I can (but not by risking the integrity of the CPU)
■ Can a low-power PSU such as the picoPsu or Nano150 work for me? Intuitively, I'd want to say yes, especially if I go for a low TDP processor, and if I avoid the dedicated graphics card
■ How much space should I set aside on the HTPC for PVR recording (say, a couple hours). I'm thinking with Freeview HD, the stream is probably about 3 MBits / sec, so around 1 - 1.5 GBytes / hour. But maybe I'm underestimating?
■ What about an external eSata Bluray drive attached to a pre-assembled box such as a Zotac ZBOX?
Once I get that general sense of direction, I'll start exploring hardware specifics.
Thanks!
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