Suggestions on building a pc to be used as a dvd/blu ray player for tv

[pavelbarchuk]

ok, let me explain.

i have a huge tv, a nice samsung blu ray player and a awesome denon reciever and polk speakers + 2 subs.

heres my problem though, i download alot of tv shows and movies off of the internet becuase i dont have cable anymore, and the only way to watch those shows is on a computer, or, burning it to a dvd and playing it on the samsung, or, transfering it to a external hard drive and plug it into the samsung, it works, but not all files are played and it has some issues playing some formats.

i thought by buying a 800 dollar blu ray player from denon might fix the problem, but, im still gona have to waist time burning to dvd's or transfering it to the hard drive.

why not custom build a small pc just for this purpose? keep it next to the tv and actually download stuff to it and watch it on the tv right from there, it might be a little cheaper, faster, etc...

what pc parts would i need to build something like that? like, what kind of proccessor would i need to pull blu ray files in 1080p flawlessly? what kind of motherboard would you suggest? sound card? super fast hard drive?

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance!

 

[Lmeow]

An Athlon II X2 should handle playing 1080p movies just fine, but might as well spend $15 more to get a triple core which future proofs it in the sense that it will be able to handle 1440p movies fine.

This is my suggestion...

AMD Athlon II X3 440 3.0 GHz - $76.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103843

ASRock 880GMH/USB3 & Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM Combo - $174.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437524.13-157-197

Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 - $47.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134785

OCZ Vertex 2 60 GB SSD - $165.00 after $10 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550

Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 64MB - $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136513

Corsair CX400W PSU - $29.99 after $20 rebate, $1.99 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

Cooler Master Centurion 541 - $49.99, $9.99 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119088

Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - $23.99, $3.99 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Total = $674.89 after rebates and shipping.

The operating system is included.

 

[mrhoshos96]

@Lmeow there is no need for an ssd in a htpc and there is no need for windows u can get ubuntu for free (great os for non gamers)

here is a build for $518.94 that includes a 2tb drive and a bluray drive in a smallcase

cpu+mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.436365

bluray drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151199

memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220453

hdd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136456

case+psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129039

this should be able to play 1080p bluray very smooth

 

[Lmeow]

SSDs are just meant to help with boot time. If OP doesn't want an SSD or Windows 7 then just simply remove $280, and add a faster bootup HDD like a Spinpoint F3 1 TB or WD Caviar Black 1 TB.

The reason why I didn't include the Blu-Ray player was because well... he has a Samsung Blu-Ray player already, and you don't need a Blu-Ray player to play downloaded Blu-Ray files, just the right codec/m2ts file players if I recall.

 

[mrhoshos96]

SSDs are just meant to help with boot time. If OP doesn't want an SSD or Windows 7 then just simply remove $280, and add a faster bootup HDD like a Spinpoint F3 1 TB or WD Caviar Black 1 TB.

The reason why I didn't include the Blu-Ray player was because well... he has a Samsung Blu-Ray player already, and you don't need a Blu-Ray player to play downloaded Blu-Ray files, just the right codec/m2ts file players if I recall.

yah but what if he bought another tv or something aslong that it's in the budget why not get it

 

[The Greater Good]

I would leave the BD drive in (for ripping and viewing BDs), take the SSD out (still too expensive), go with a Gigabyte MB, use an AMD or Intel low wattage dual core (less heat/power usage, unless you're planing on gaming) and add the ASUS Xonar sound card.

If you go with AMD, the 4200 and 4290 OBV will be fine for HD viewing and light gaming. Oh and... don't skimp on the power supply. Get a PC Power and Cooling or a Seasonic.

 

[mrhoshos96]

psu in the antec case is really high quality

and there is no need for a sound card they are a total waste of money especially that asus xonar the onboard is exellent

 

[The Greater Good]

psu in the antec case is really high quality

and there is no need for a sound card they are a total waste of money especially that asus xonar the onboard is exellent

I take it you don't have a high-end sound system... or listen to music/watch movies with headphones on... or game with headphones. If you did, you'd know that a discrete sound card is much better than on-board. Total waste of money? I think not.

 

[mrhoshos96]

ok do u have all those things you mentioned.

u must be using an old board that has awefull onboard sound.

the new motherboards these days have excellent onboard audio some actually have 10.1 hd audio and i have asus m4a89td pro/usb3 which has excellet audio and i have some logitech z's 5.1 sound system and it sounds great.

anyway soundcard or no soundcard it's the op decision.

 

[The Greater Good]

Sorry for the late reply...
Yes, I have a 5.1 surround head unit. Not anything fancy, but it gets the job done.
Yes I watch movies and listen to music through headphone and I also game with headphones.

I like how you assume that I have a crappy system. Can I assume you can't afford the 100-150 bucks on a quality sound card and sound system? I mean, that would be doing exactly what you're doing to me, right? Derp.

In case you're wondering'...
Gigabyte P45 UD3P
Q6600 (G0) @ 3.2GHz
EVGA GTX 260 C216
4GB DDR2 1066
2x WD 640GB AAKS in RAID 0
1x 750GB WD (storage)
Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Seasonic SII 550W

Hardly an "old system."

 

[mrhoshos96]

the reason i don't have a sound card is because it's a waste of money and the onboard is great.
nuff said.
soundcard or no sound card it's the op's decision.

also sorry i didn't mean to say that you have a bad system.