How cool is your HTPC setup? I love showing off my setup!

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › How cool is your HTPC setup? I love showing off my setup!

GamerOC

439 posts

Ultimate Geek

#93345 18-Nov-2011 14:59

Hi there thanks for reading this post I figured I enjoy showing off my setup to my mates and inviting them over to watch movies.

Firstly I got a TV that was going to be thrown out in the rubbish due to only one side of the screen working...elbow grease at my garage and it is now my tv then I bump unto a post of all the things you can do with a HTPC lol.
I purchased two tunners at cheap price on trademe then now with WMC in W7 im running the tv, tv3 and tv2 on demand on the big screen and surf the web and even use twitter while watching tv. I love that I can record and watch tv or scheducle while im away.
but one of my favorite parts is I can use skype and google plus+ with just adding a nice webcam to the screen and the most important part I can game on the big screen is flipping awesome specially with the wireless key that keep all tidy.
I nearly forgot to tell you guys that I also made my own HDTV antenna with bits and pieces from the garage and it all works fine with two tunners. I know is not the flashes but I had heaps of fun putting this HTPC. Also I addes some ambience light behind the tv for the movies and lol nice.

The most incredible thing is even my wife can use it without issues and i scored some points there as she never misses a show now.. haha I will see if I can up load some picks of my setup.

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1081 posts

Uber Geek

#546963 18-Nov-2011 15:49

I'd be interested in more details and pics. I've been thinking for a while of building a HTPC to do away with the 5 devices currently connected to our TV. Do you have an infrared remote control?

Also interested in your UHF antenna construction. I've been thinking of building a very high gain one for my parents who can almost receive Freeview HD (Kordia mux only with heaps of breakup).

GamerOC

439 posts

Ultimate Geek

#546983 18-Nov-2011 16:14

Hi there mine is just my old gaming rig running tv

dual core cpu 3ghz
2GB 800mhz ram
x1 500GB hard drive for tv recording
x1 320GB hard drive for games
x2 Hauppauge HVR 3000 hybrid cards
logitec webcam for laptop and i place it on top of the screen
USB Wireless Key
DVD writer for watching dvd or music
DVI to HDMI cable to get HD signal from GPU to TV
5.1 Surround speakers getting imput from Creative sound card
Wireless keyboard and mouse for gaming
my favorite part the IR Hauppauge remote that came with the cards
HDTV antenna and cable plus a spliter and all works beautiful.

I placed a rimu chest then placed LCD screen there and I hide the PC behind it and I just placed the IR remote receiver on the the tv and all works great.

I will put up some pics or upload a you tube video of my HDTV antenna maybe tonght.

Andy

blur

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#548767 23-Nov-2011 09:52

I think it's about time that we had a "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" thread again.

I'm all for this - I'll take a pic of my setup and upload it tonight.

I also throw down the gauntlet to all other users to do the same!

My HTPC - Case Antec Fusion Remote, MOBO Intel DH67BLB3, CPU Intel Core i5-2400S 2.5 GHz, RAM 8GB DDR3 1333, HDD 120Gig Corsair Force Series 3 SSD system | WD Caviar Black 2TB data, Tuners Black Gold BGT3595 dual DVB-S/S2, dual DVB-T, Video nVIDIA GeForce GT 520, 1024MB, Sound Intel® High Definition Audio (onboard), OS Windows 7 x64

GamerOC

439 posts

Ultimate Geek

#548769 23-Nov-2011 09:56

Blur: I like the idea and I promise some pics but my camera not working however I will try to take pics with the webcam and upload them today. So please anyone else that would like to show us your setup that will be great!

cheers,

Andy

geekiegeek

2513 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#548788 23-Nov-2011 10:22

I'm currently running:

Core i3
4GB Ram
120GB SSD (OS/Apps and timeshift)
640GB HDD (Recording)
1x HVR2200 Dual DTT (Freeview)
1x Nova-S DST (For SBS)

Running Mediaportal.

Connected to

Sony 1200ES receiver
Panasonic 720p projector
Viewsonic 24" monitor (second room via HDMI splitter).
B&W CM9 Fronts, CM Centre 2, CM1 Rears and a Wharfedale 10" Sub (Main room)
Wharfedale Diamond 9.5 (Second Room)

No CD's, no BluRay, No DVD. All media is downloaded and stored on a Windows 2008 R2 Server under the house. Only use the HTPC for TV and Video and use a Squeezebox touch via a Beresford Caimen DAC for music (all Lossless).

The HTPC is hidden in a entertainment unit so not much point in a photo of that but heres the view from my couch anyways

Screen is just painted MDF.

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/f48fa8aaf5fbdb1373f9a9b42710b65b.jpg

GamerOC

439 posts

Ultimate Geek

#548794 23-Nov-2011 10:28

Geekiegeek: OMG! what a cool setup it looks sharp.

Andy

blur

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#548795 23-Nov-2011 10:30

Doh!

I just went to the effort of listing my HTPC specifications in my signature, only to discover that you need to have 500 posts under your belt for it to display!

Perhaps Mauricio could assist us here?

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

CYaBro

4586 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#548814 23-Nov-2011 10:54

I won't show pics as it's nothing special to look at.
Maybe when we move into the house we are about to start building :)

I have a basic server that sits in the corner of the room where the satellite feed comes in. It has all our shared data & media stored on it.
Specs:

AMD Phenom II X4 840
4GB
2x 1TB
1x 2TB
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
2x Nova-S PCI DVB-S cards
1x Tevii Dual DVB-S2 PCIe card
MediaPortal TV Server
Omnikey 5321 Smart Card Reader

HTPC:
Asus EeeBox
Atom Dual Core - Can't remember the exact model
Nvidia ION graphics with HDMI connected to 32" Toshiba - no seperate sound system :(
2GB RAM
250GB
Microsoft MCE Remote and iR receiver that has programmable buttons for TV power & volume
MediaPortal client

The HTPC plays all media without a problem, SD or HD.
I also have the mediaportal client on my laptop so can watch TV pretty much anywhere in the house.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Azzura

603 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#549048 23-Nov-2011 20:28

How many watts does your HTPC draw? That is directed towards all those posting in thread with HTPC build.

geekiegeek

2513 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#549055 23-Nov-2011 20:49

Azzura: How many watts does your HTPC draw? That is directed towards all those posting in thread with HTPC build.

No idea, its only on when watching or recording and hibernates the rest of the time. It only has a 450watt power supply though so I doubt its much - not compared to the projector and amp anyways :-)

CYaBro

4586 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#549134 23-Nov-2011 23:32

My little Asus EeeBox only has a 19V - 2.1A power supply so only 40W.
Then there's the 32" LCD TV and the server in the other room.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Azzura

603 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#549195 24-Nov-2011 08:39

Mine uses about 100watts running 24/7. Cost per month - Rough estimate and at .315 cents per KW $22.68.

HTPC-
E5200 (powerful enough to run Air Video for streaming to Ipad and for viewing any 1080P video on XBMC)
MSI P45 NEO3
2GB OCZ, 200GB
2x2TB WD Raid 1
2x2TB WD Raid 1
2x1.5 Seagate
2x500GB Seagate JOBD
1x320GB Seagate OS Drive
ATI HD4650
RF FireFly Remote
Hauppauge HD-PVR - This allows the Sky STB to work flawlessly on my Canadian PlasmaTV...I tired everything to plug directly from Sky STB to TV. It just wouldn't work without the HD-PVR.

HTPC also does weather station duties/collects data from a Vantage Pro2 Plus with Fan-Aspirated Radiation Shield

Data is uploaded to Weather Underground every 10 min - http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/hdfForecast?query=dargaville

Someday I hope to stream weather data live.....once I get a faster connections, if that ever happens.

TV and Audio (This part of setup is not factored into the HTPC for power draw, as it is not on 24/7)
Panasonic Plasma 50" Plasma TH-50PX60U - max 500 Watts... during a TV show or a movie 150-225Watts on average - using a simple power meter at the wall to measure.
Yamaha YSP4000 Sound Bar
Kewood 12" Sub

I looked at something like the Asus EeeBox for HTPC, but i figured with the amount of HD's I want to run in a couple of external Drobo units. I figured the power draw would almost be as much as just running the E5200 system and once I factored in the expense of a Asus EeeBox and Drobo units...not worth it for me. The E5200 basic setup without so much in it...runs like approx 50-75 watts.

I setup my wife with my MSI Netbook Atom cpu...it draws like 40 watts ($9 a month running 24/7). It's awesome little systems these Atoms, does what she wants/needs.

Reason I became so power concerned...we had a $700 power bill =S in August. Mind you we did have 3 x 2200Watt heaters going in the house before we got the wood stove in. Bill is much better now $150 now.

sfrasernz

227 posts

Master Geek

#549481 24-Nov-2011 16:35

Azzura, what HTPC software are you using? I'm interested in learning about your AirVideo setup. I'm guessing your not using WTV files from Windows MCE.

dan

1134 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#549578 24-Nov-2011 19:33

I upgraded mine just recently, decided to get something with hair on its chest

AMD 6 Core 3.2Ghz
16GB DDR1333
Crucial 64GB SSD
2TB HDD
Nvidia GT 430 GFX w/ 1GB
500W Silverstone Modular PSU
SilverStone GD06 Micro ATX HTPC Case
Hauupauge Dual DVB-T Tuner PCIe

Software:

Mediaportal Front End
Argus TV Server

Im using 10GB of the above ram as a ramdrive for timeshift. It cost 115$ for 16GB so why not.

Azzura

603 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#549760 25-Nov-2011 08:55

sfrasernz: Azzura, what HTPC software are you using? I'm interested in learning about your AirVideo setup. I'm guessing your not using WTV files from Windows MCE.

I really only use XBMC its so pretty/eye candy and a lot of plugins. Quick response from the remote. It's pretty cool...there is even one plugin that you can setup to play movie trailer (grabs from the net) before the movie you selected plays. I think it can also grab trailers from movie database you have and play 3 of those trailer's before the movie you selected plays.

The biggest reason for my using XBMC...was the simple ease of setting the thing up. You just run the install, point it to the movies folder, tell XBMC these are movies, select what scrapper (IMDb - for example) and it goes scraps the data. Do it all over again for TV Shows. Some movies or TV Shows it might get wrong...but it is just as easy to fix an error.

Couple of other things about it, the remote setup - no messing around trying to get the buttons to works...they all work like they are on the remote (for me). There could be a little bit of searching for the file XBMC requires to properly operate the remote you have (chances are it is already in xbmc). Most of the plugins just simply work without having to do anything to them (plugins auto update..this could be good or bad).

Oh and one more very very important thing about XBMC....my wife can't break it! And she can use it with ease ;)

I have spent countless hours in the past (yrs ago) trying to get other programs like XBMC working...like MediaPortal...myth and others I can't even remember the names of. One of them had me pretty pissed after hours/days of trying...you pretty much need a university degree to get it working..I think it was Myth (I could be wrong). Scrappers wouldn't work..plugins wouldn't work...cause the freaking things were broken. Even the guys on the forums agreed it was crazy pita to setup, if you could get it setup. Perhaps it is easier to setup today.

For watching SKY I just use Total Media Extreme to get it up for viewing onto the TV and use the SKY box to record/playback (for now).

In Canada I was using BeyondTV and SageTV for pvr on the system. Have to figure out how well the BTV or Sage works here in NZ. Hard part is/will be getting the guide working. I may end up using Windows Media Center. I think Myth TV can be integrated into XBMC...that's an option as well (hopefully it is easier these days).

I am really hoping I can get Beyond TV working the most out of the options....it just worked so well for PVR. It is just so simple to navigate. I could run it for months on months no reboots, some guys claimed to have not rebooted their BTV system for 2 years.

Sorry to be so long winded...

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