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Assassin's Simple/Beginner HTPC Buying Guide - Page 316

post #9451 of 15479
1/8/12 at 4:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Something else to consider --- do you need the reset switch? I understand wanting to get what you paid for. But you don't really need it. My 2 HTPC cases don't even have one.

Just something to consider. You can always hold the power button down for 5 seconds and that turns off your PC manually (not recommended unless needed of course).

BTW I also don't attach the HD Activity leads to the motherboard on my own personal builds. The flickering light is a distraction on my HTPC.

I've never used the reset switch on any of my HTPC builds either, including my 3rd build once my parts arrive. If its on 24/7 anyway that RS will never see any use.
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post #9452 of 15479
1/8/12 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hallpas View Post

what's the most affordable 2tb HDD atm? Internal would be better.


This is the best I could find . If I take your question literally then this would be the currently best price

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Digi...item4ab2960310

You can search around a bit for some external drives and harvest the innards and get a little bit better deal if you search a bit
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post #9453 of 15479
1/8/12 at 5:50pm
I thought I would pass this along. I was looking for an alternative to the default Recorded TV in WMC. The downfall is the price ($19.99) but it does come with a free trial version, and so far I like i

I would like to know people's impressions? Or if anyone has come across an alternative to the default Recorded TV then I would like to know.

http://www.recordedtvhd.com
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post #9454 of 15479
1/8/12 at 6:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flocko View Post

This is the best I could find . If I take your question literally then this would be the currently best price

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Digi...item4ab2960310

You can search around a bit for some external drives and harvest the innards and get a little bit better deal if you search a bit

Yeah I haven't seen them better priced than that....
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post #9455 of 15479
1/8/12 at 7:38pm
Are there any 80mm fans that you guys can recommend for an HTPC. I will be using the Silverstone Milo case, you can install up to 4 all down one side. Would this be too many?
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post #9456 of 15479
1/8/12 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

BTW I also don't attach the HD Activity leads to the motherboard on my own personal builds. The flickering light is a distraction on my HTPC.

Funny, I had this discussion with someone about an equalizer (DSP1124P). He likes the blinking lights. Mine's BEHIND the wall unit!
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post #9457 of 15479
1/8/12 at 7:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AVTechMan View Post

I've never used the reset switch on any of my HTPC builds either, including my 3rd build once my parts arrive. If its on 24/7 anyway that RS will never see any use.

Thanks, but I don't plan to keep it on 24/7. Of course, at the moment, it's not on at all!
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post #9458 of 15479
1/8/12 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hallpas View Post

what's the most affordable 2tb HDD atm? Internal would be better.

This is actually $2 less than it was last week when I bought one:
http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=218219991
Sign up with Extrabux and get 3% back.
And use a credit card that gives you another 1% back.
My net price last week was $141.50.

I have no idea how long it will take for production to get back to what it had been before the disasters overseas. In the meantime, prices will be higher.
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post #9459 of 15479
1/9/12 at 5:50am
assassin

Is the i3-2105 which has the hd3000 graphics compatible with madvr? I notice that your guide states to use it you would need a discrete vid card, but I could swear I've also seen you mention here that the hd3000 and madvr would work?
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post #9460 of 15479
1/9/12 at 5:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mandophish View Post

assassin

Is the i3-2105 which has the hd3000 graphics compatible with madvr? I notice that your guide states to use it you would need a discrete vid card, but I could swear I've also seen you mention here that the hd3000 and madvr would work?

You can use it with some settings. Renethx has many more posts about this.

For the best use of Madvr I recommend the NVidia 430 or 440.
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post #9461 of 15479
1/9/12 at 6:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StiCy View Post

Are there any 80mm fans that you guys can recommend for an HTPC. I will be using the Silverstone Milo case, you can install up to 4 all down one side. Would this be too many?

It depends on what sort of air flow you need. I would add one at a time until you feel temps are good.

As for what brand. I like the Nexus ones, but I am sure there are other good ones out there.
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post #9462 of 15479
1/9/12 at 6:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

You can use it with some settings. Renethx has many more posts about this.

For the best use of Madvr I recommend the NVidia 430 or 440.


Thanks for the clarification. Nvidia it will be. Thanks!
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post #9463 of 15479
1/9/12 at 6:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by riffer View Post

It depends on what sort of air flow you need. I would add one at a time until you feel temps are good.

As for what brand. I like the Nexus ones, but I am sure there are other good ones out there.

Nexus and Noctua make great fans for HTPC.
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post #9464 of 15479
1/9/12 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

You can use it with some settings. Renethx has many more posts about this.

For the best use of Madvr I recommend the NVidia 430 or 440.

I am a little confused... What does MadVR give you? What are the benefits?
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post #9465 of 15479
1/9/12 at 10:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbilliel View Post

I am a little confused... What does MadVR give you? What are the benefits?

That's a whole can of worms so to speak. There are threads on AVS about it. I have discussed it a bunch in other threads so try to find those if you are interested.
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post #9466 of 15479
1/9/12 at 11:51am
Have another quick question.

My parts should be arriving tomorrow to where I can build my mini-ITX system. Regarding the setup of codecs...

Since this will be a bedroom HTPC, I have no need for surround sound. I have a 2.1 speaker setup that I will plug into the analog jack on the PC. Though the 24" monitor I will be using does have HDMI input, I will be using the DVI connection instead.

Would it be better to use Shark's 007 codecs for WMC since most of my media is in MKV or would it be better to simply install LAV separately? Since I will not be bitstreaming I've read the instructions on Shark's website on setting that up.

I've used WMC+MPC-HC combo as well which works great but was debating for this build to just use WMC alone with Shark's codecs for seamless video viewing and just call it a day.

This will be my 3rd HTPC and excited about building it tomorrow! It will be my last one for awhile, because now it will be time for me to focus on saving to build my i7 workstation for my studio.
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post #9467 of 15479
1/9/12 at 1:31pm
Hi All,

I posted a few days about about mkvs (DVD rips) not playing in WMC. Sense then I uninstalled LAV, and reinstalled the new version, 0.43. I ran through the Assassin Paid Guides again and got it set up quickly. Loaded MediaBrowser and hit play...and it worked! This was to my 720p plasma via HDMI and my AV receiver (DD only) over optical. I tried a couple of different mkvs and they all worked.

I tried to play those same mkvs later (the PC was just left alone and untouched, but the HD did power down) and suddenly they didn't work. WMC7 would just sit there with the spinning icon, but the mkv wouldn't start. After a reboot, the mkvs worked again correctly.

Have any of you had issues with movies sometimes starting and sometimes failing to start from within MB?

And there is not special about this HTPC, it's very similar to the Assassin recommended models.

-Pak
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post #9468 of 15479
1/9/12 at 3:22pm
I have a HP USB MCE remote & IR sensor on the way, Can anyone point me on where/how to set-up my harmony remote for use with my assassin style HTPC?

I see the harmony mentioned repeatedly, but no info on how to set it up. I am guessing logitech has some generic Win MCE device I would load up? I have an entry set-up on my harmony for HTPC already, but I need the correct device added to control. Right now it is just for setting the AVR/TV modes and volume control...
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post #9469 of 15479
1/9/12 at 3:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pakaderm View Post

Hi All,

I posted a few days about about mkvs (DVD rips) not playing in WMC. Sense then I uninstalled LAV, and reinstalled the new version, 0.43. I ran through the Assassin Paid Guides again and got it set up quickly. Loaded MediaBrowser and hit play...and it worked! This was to my 720p plasma via HDMI and my AV receiver (DD only) over optical. I tried a couple of different mkvs and they all worked.

I tried to play those same mkvs later (the PC was just left alone and untouched, but the HD did power down) and suddenly they didn't work. WMC7 would just sit there with the spinning icon, but the mkv wouldn't start. After a reboot, the mkvs worked again correctly.

Have any of you had issues with movies sometimes starting and sometimes failing to start from within MB?

And there is not special about this HTPC, it's very similar to the Assassin recommended models.

-Pak

That's a really strange issue. I haven't run across that one before.

I am linking the new LAV right after I type this message (I update the guides all the time, btw). So try that one to see if it fixes the issue.
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post #9470 of 15479
1/9/12 at 3:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lembrey View Post

I have a HP USB MCE remote & IR sensor on the way, Can anyone point me on where/how to set-up my harmony remote for use with my assassin style HTPC?

I see the harmony mentioned repeatedly, but no info on how to set it up. I am guessing logitech has some generic Win MCE device I would load up? I have an entry set-up on my harmony for HTPC already, but I need the correct device added to control. Right now it is just for setting the AVR/TV modes and volume control...

I have the codes that I use somewhere buried in this thread. Let me know if you can't find them. I have used 2 and the most recent one I list works the best for me.

Edit: Here you go. I am here to serve! http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1#post20890491
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post #9471 of 15479
1/9/12 at 3:54pm
So I just finished setting up sickbeard and wow is it an amazing program. Took plenty of trial and error to figure it all out, but it seems like everything is working great. If anyone has any general questions, I'll do my best to help but note I still know very little about it. I set it up on a windows also so linux and mac users I probably wont be much help.
Regardless, check it out!
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post #9472 of 15479
1/9/12 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LastButNotLeast View Post

So much for the best laid plans.
Back to Amazon it goes.
Parts stay on the dining room table another week.

Desperate times call for drastic measures.
The good news is that everything seems to work, so I can start cutting out UPCs for the rebates. When the replacement case arrives, at least the OS (and the several hundred "critical updates") and drivers will be installed.
For the time being, I guess it's a real "desktop PC."


Michael
LL
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post #9473 of 15479
1/9/12 at 4:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LastButNotLeast View Post

Desperate times call for drastic measures.
The good news is that everything seems to work, so I can start cutting out UPCs for the rebates. When the replacement case arrives, at least the OS (and the several hundred "critical updates") and drivers will be installed.
For the time being, I guess it's a real "desktop PC."


Michael

Awesome. I have done something similar multiple times to troubleshoot problem HTPCs.

FWIW I would have kept your case and just not connected the reset switch. Like I said 2 of my HTPCs don't even have a reset switch button at all.

But at least you have everything setup and ready to go!
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post #9474 of 15479
1/9/12 at 4:20pm
Reminds of a PC I used to have that was just like that except mounted on the wall. Got some strange looks from people for that one.

-Pak
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post #9475 of 15479
1/9/12 at 5:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jobber8742 View Post

So I'm not really liking the XBox 360 as an extender for anything other than live TV/DVR. It too unresponsive in Media Browser and the picture quality is too compressed (I know you told me so Assassin). So, it looks like I'm probably going to build another HTPC for the bedroom. Here's the specs I'm looking at. Any input would be appreciated.

MB: ASRock H61M/U3S3
CPU: Intel Pentium G620
Case: hec 7K09BBA30FNRX
PSU: 300 W Included in Case
DVD: Liteon iHAS324
Hard Drive: Crucial 64Gb SSD Drive
RAM: Kingston KHX-1600C9D3-4G x 2
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Desktop MK320
Remote: Harmony One - Already have

This build will be hooked directly to a 1080P 37" TV with no receiver. It will mainly be used to stream from Media Browser and the web. One question I have is about switches. Right now I have this switch TRENDnet 8-Port Gigabit Switch hooked up to my router and all the computers hooked up to the switch via Cat 5e cable. Putting this comptuer in the bedroom will necessitate another switch at the end in the bedroom so that the 360 and the computer can both be hooked up. If I hook this switch TRENDnet 5-Port Gigabit Switch to the existing switch, will I suffer any adverse bottlenecking in my network as a result? I'm not really too versed in networking, so I'm unsure how this will affect everything. I'm hoping everything will function smoothly.

I was thinking of buying a used Xbox 360 to use as an extender in the bedroom (HTPC in living room). Other than another htpc, is there sometime better than a 360? The extender will be used 40% to watch live tv off of the ceton infinitv 4 in the HTPC, 40% recorded tv from the HTPC, and about 20% movies on HTPC hdd.
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post #9476 of 15479
1/9/12 at 6:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilky13 View Post

I was thinking of buying a used Xbox 360 to use as an extender in the bedroom (HTPC in living room). Other than another htpc, is there sometime better than a 360? The extender will be used 40% to watch live tv off of the ceton infinitv 4 in the HTPC, 40% recorded tv from the HTPC, and about 20% movies on HTPC hdd.

The 360 as an extender is extremely limited. Plenty of discussion on this at AVS.
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post #9477 of 15479
1/9/12 at 6:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilky13 View Post


I was thinking of buying a used Xbox 360 to use as an extender in the bedroom (HTPC in living room). Other than another htpc, is there sometime better than a 360? The extender will be used 40% to watch live tv off of the ceton infinitv 4 in the HTPC, 40% recorded tv from the HTPC, and about 20% movies on HTPC hdd.

The 360 is limited in its Movie playing capabilities.

Edit: assassin beat me to it
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post #9478 of 15479
1/9/12 at 6:44pm
Dear assassin;

I am looking hard at an HTPC build. Have read up on the recommendations - plan to buy the guide. I am comfortable with the Sandy Bridge video capabilities. It is audio that I am not so sure about.
I am looking at the ASUS XONAR Essence audio card, but I am a bit confused by some of the intricacies of getting it to work with an HTPC setup. It has an SPDIF digital output, which is fine by me. However, I understand that SPDIF is limited in bandwidth - that BluRay HD audio 7.1 is too much for SPDIF outputs. Not sure about 192kHz audiophile type recordings - or even 96 kHz multichannel recordings. It would be most convenient to be able to do the audio in the fancy audio card with the Burr Brown opamps and such - but how do you get the fancy audio to the receiver? Is there a way to route this audio to the HDMI on the motherboard? Is this something your setup guide addresses?
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post #9479 of 15479
1/9/12 at 6:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DHF View Post

Dear assassin;

I am looking hard at an HTPC build. Have read up on the recommendations - plan to buy the guide. I am comfortable with the Sandy Bridge video capabilities. It is audio that I am not so sure about.
I am looking at the ASUS XONAR Essence audio card, but I am a bit confused by some of the intricacies of getting it to work with an HTPC setup. It has an SPDIF digital output, which is fine by me. However, I understand that SPDIF is limited in bandwidth - that BluRay HD audio 7.1 is too much for SPDIF outputs. Not sure about 192kHz audiophile type recordings - or even 96 kHz multichannel recordings. It would be most convenient to be able to do the audio in the fancy audio card with the Burr Brown opamps and such - but how do you get the fancy audio to the receiver? Is there a way to route this audio to the HDMI on the motherboard? Is this something your setup guide addresses?

For HD Audio (DTS-HD and TrueHD) why would you want your sound card or HTPC to decode anything? Just send it to your expensive preamp or AVR bitstreamed and let it do the conversion for you.

The new Sandy Bridge with Win7 using WASAPI is awesome audiophile quality. For audio many use J.River to take advantage of the WASAPI interface/playback. But for HD Audio in movies you can bitstream these to your AVR/preamp without any additional software. The latter is all in the guides and this is as good as it gets for HTPC movies.
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post #9480 of 15479
1/9/12 at 7:04pm
Kind of the direction I thought you would steer me.

With regard to the on board audio - is it capable of 192kHz bitrate?
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