meuge Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 I have built a couple of media PCs lately, so I decided to share my experiences with the community. Here's a quick parts list, which can be used to build an awesome HTPC or Jukebox. All prices are courtesy of Newegg.com Basic Design ---------------------------------------- CASE:Nmedia HTPC 100 (microATX w. power supply) - $110 The case includes external USB ports, as well as a built-in flash-card reader. CPU: AthlonXP 2600+ - $73 MOTHERBOARD:MSI K7N2GM-V (nForce2 w. integrated video) - $54 MEMORY:PNY 512MB SDRAM (2x256MB, DDR) - $43 HARD DRIVE:Samsung Hard Drive (160GB, IDE133) - $83 SOUND CARD: Chaintec AV-710 (w. optical out) - $25 CD/DVD BURNER:NEC 16X DVD-R/+R/RW (Dual-Layer capable) - $56 Sub-Total: $444 ---------------------------------------- Options TV-OUT/DVI-OUT: Connect3D Radeon 7000 Video Card (AGP Interface, S-video/DVI Out) - $29 TV-TUNER/PVR:Leadtek TV2000XP/Expert TV Tuner (Composite/S-video/FM Radio in, IR Remote) - $49 ALL-IN-ONE CARD:ATI All-In-Wonder Pro 9700 - $165 WIRELESS KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Logitech Cordless Combo - $24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted May 16, 2005 Author Share Posted May 16, 2005 I will add info on what software to use and how to best organize your files as the discussion progresses and I have more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddvj Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 I like the case. I just wish it had 2 external 5.25" Drive Bays. Here is the one I've got my eye on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonecj Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 meuge: What is the working range on the logitech keyboard? I have tried a few different units only to find out they work 4-6 feet, & I am at least 10 ft from my system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted May 17, 2005 Author Share Posted May 17, 2005 I did not use that particular one. My friend got the bluetooth model, which is like $200, and its range is outrageous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddvj Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Another good option for a Keyboard is Gyration. Long range (supposedly 30 ft.) RF, and you can use the mouse in the air. I have one and like it a lot. While we're on the subject, Can you hook up more than one keyboard to a computer? And, is the range of the IR keyboards limited by the keyboard itself, and not the sensor? The reason I'm asking is, I'd like to buy a cheap wireless keyboard, and program some of the keys into my pronto remote, to work with my Zoom Player. Or should I just buy a HTPC remote? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Try and demo the Gyration before you buy and make sure you like it. We have one in our conference room at work. When it works it works ok. Most of the time it stinks. I would not my spend my money on one. Maybe they have imporved over the last year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScorpsFan Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Thanks for the parts list, keep us up to date on upgrades as this is a "to do list" project for me. By the way, anyone see these cases? Thoughts? http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/pName/uneed-x15e-htpc-case-with-lcd-touchscreen-black Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 This is what I have going on: In my equipment rack, I have a ROKU SoundBridge M1000 This was about $250 and allows for both wired and wireless access (included a CompactFlash wireless ethernet adaptor). It has both analog and digital output (coax and optical). It has a remote as well. Since the router was nearby, I hooked it using a wired ethernet connection. The music is stored on an older tower that I recently resurrected. It is a 850mhz Athlon with 256 megs of PC133 RAM running Windows 2K and all the updates. The thing contains about 1/2 terabyte of harddrive storage (thus acting as my file server for the whole network, not just as a music jukebox). To access the music, I use SlimServer, although I need to use version 5.4, since, for some reason, the SoundBridge wont work with the latest version. This allows me to play just about any format, although it will not play DRM'd AAC formats (iTunes). One of the nice things with SlimServer is that not only can I control the SoundBridge using it's own remote, but I can also control it from any PC that has a web browser installed. Thus, I can listen to and change the music right at the PC without having to getup and change CD's and such. And since the music collection is on a server connected to a network, any of the machines connected to it (I currently have three) can rip music and store it to the server. Thus, I can have 4 machines (the server itself included) all ripping CDs at the same time. For an audio only setup, this is working out very nice for me. For more than audio, a full-on HTPC would be nice, and is something that I am definitly interested in eventually doing. In fact, I do have enough spare parts that I'd like to look into building an HD-capable DVR for recording OTA HD programming (such as 24 on FOX network). Current commercial HD-capable DVR's are too friggan expensive ($1,000 for the HD DirecTiVo, for example). ROKU does have a PhotoBridge device that will allow you to access photos, videos, etc over the network, which could very well work out nicely, thus leaving the PC itself in another part of the house. However, if you want TiVo-like capabilities, than a true HTPC is a must (or just get a TiVo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddvj Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 ---------------- On 5/18/2005 7:36:32 AM rplace wrote: Try and demo the Gyration before you buy and make sure you like it. We have one in our conference room at work. When it works it works ok. Most of the time it stinks. I would not my spend my money on one. Maybe they have imporved over the last year or so. ---------------- I bet you no one has even bothered to try a different channel on the thing. That would probably solve all the problems. That, and make sure no equipment around it is causing interference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 meuge - Any insight on a HDTV tuner card? Seems to be a few front runners - myHD, Fusion, ATI HTDV Wonder... Yes, you can have 2 keyboards and mice connected at the same time to a PC, one via regular connections and another via USB. Also, I've heard but never tried that you can use a powered USB hub and build a really long USB cable out of CAT5 by splicing the USB ends onto it. That could work as a keyboard extension versus cordless, I suppose. Again, never tried this nor verified that it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted May 20, 2005 Author Share Posted May 20, 2005 ---------------- On 5/20/2005 1:23:12 PM dougdrake wrote: meuge - Any insight on a HDTV tuner card? Seems to be a few front runners - myHD, Fusion, ATI HTDV Wonder... ---------------- Unfortunately, HDTV tuner cards are pretty much useless at this point. They can only accept broadcast HDTV, which is usually the networks only. Commercial HDTV, such as what you get via cable or satellite is encrypted, and needs to be decoded by the box. Unfortunately once it's been decoded, the amount of raw data is too much for any current TV card to handle in real time. There are no TV cards with component or DVI inputs that are able to handle a full HDTV stream, simply because there is neither a chip that can handle it, nor is the PCI bus capable of streaming this data into the main CPU. That being said, with the introduction of PCI-Express, with its insane bandwidth, and the defeat of the broadcast flag legislation (which would have essentially declared TV cards illegal in the first place), we can expect real useful TV cards to appear within a year or so. At this point, I'd recommend sticking with a good but inexpensive TV card such as the Leadtek, and waiting for HDTV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 If anyone's looking for a Gyration keyboard and mouse, it's on sale at CompUSA for $70 after $60 rebate, this week. Stock number 304386. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I bet you no one has even bothered to try a different channel on the thing. That would probably solve all the problems. That, and make sure no equipment around it is causing interference. ---------------- Actually we have tried all the channels with the same results. I am less then impressed. However, I don't think anyone has looked for updated drivers...not even sure if there are any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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