htpc build-----multiple tvs -----different programs

You need to give more details in specifying what you want. First off what front end program do you want to use? There's Windows Media Center, XBMC and others. From there people can tell you what hardware and software you need. For example by downloaded movies do you mean video from streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon? Or do you mean pirated content from **********? Or do you want to copy (rip) DVDs to a hard drive? Do you want to play and/or rip Blu-rays?

And do you want to use a computer for all this or are you willing to use a Network Media Player like a Roku, WDTV, Boxee Box, Popcorn Hour, etc to do some of it? Network Media Players are small, low cost devices that play a variety of media but can't store or rip it. Some like the Roku can only handle streaming media from sites like Hulu, Netflix, Pandora while others like the WDTV can handle downloaded videos.

A lot of modern (less than 4 years old) TVs and Blu-ray players have streaming video support built-in. Also video game consoles have support for various kinds videos built-in. The Playstation 3 even supports Blu-ray playback


Generally speaking wireless is a bad idea when viewing video as it has lots of errors that require retransmission that are invisible when web surfing or during regular downloads but show up when viewing video.
Edited by highzone - 11/26/12 at 2:35am

What you are asking is certainly doable but there are a number of different ways of going about it depending on what you are looking to do. I'll give a few examples, then you can post back if any of them seem like they may work for you. In any case, to distribute content through the home, Cat5e or Cat6 wiring is highly recommended. This will give you the most flexibility in terms of hardware.

1. HTPC + WMC extenders.
In this case, you would have a single computer acting as a hub to store and distribute content. Extenders are either Xbox 360 or Ceton Echo which connect to the HTPC over ethernet. The HTPC would run Windows Media Center and would be able to store a media library of DVD/BR rips, as well as play and record Live TV. Live TV could be either subscription content via CableCARD or OTA/ClearQAM.

2. HTPC + other streamers / smart TVs (this is what I do)
Here you could have the same setup as above, but instead of the WMC extenders, use a combination of smart TVs and streaming devices like the WD Live. The media library on the HTPC can be shared (windows folder sharing) so the streamers can see it and the Smart TVs can access Netflix, Hulu etc on their own. To share the HTPC DVR functions, you could use something like MCE Buddy to convert the recorded programs to mkv / avi so the streamers could play them.

3. HTPC + other sources with HDMI over Cat5e matrix
This would be a bit different in that all the sources (HTPC, BluRay etc) would be in a central location with an HDMI matrix distributing the content to several TVs. The downside here is twofold: first, each source can only be duplicated, not played independently so if the HTPC was playing Live TV, everything tuned to the HTPC on the matrix would be playing the same channel (however, a true matrix can have each TV playing a different source). Second, you would need to figure out a control mechanism such as sending IR signals back to the media closet.

In the first 2 methods, the main viewing TV is connected to the HTPC directly (or through an AVR). Each method has different advantages and disadvantages. I do the second method as it was the cheapest for me to set up and works very well for my needs.

I'd also add a NAS for bulk storage.

There's a difference between downloading and streaming a video. Both send a video file over the Internet to your PC or Network Media Player or video game console or Smart TV. But with downloading a video you have to wait until the video is completely finished downloading before you can view it. So you end up with a copy of the video stored locally so can do what you want with it including viewing it again or storing it on another device or making yet another copy. But the legal downloading services like ITunes from Apple.(They have a program for Windows as well as the Mac) cost money and have ways to limit what you can do with the video you downloaded. The illegal ones don't limit you at all.

Streaming on the other hand allows you to watch the video even as it's being sent over the Internet but you don't get a local copy of it. Only a small portion of the video is stored locally in a buffer. Generally just enough to cover delays sending the video caused by the Internet and to allow you to do some rewinding of the video. The video is stored on the streaming site so if you want to view it again you will have to stream it again. Most streaming sites keep track of where you are time wise in a video so you don't have to start at the beginning.

Many streaming services also cost money (Netflix $7.99 a month for streaming, Amazon $79 for joining Amazon Prime) or require you to watch commercials like Hulu or have both a monthly fee and require you to watch commercials like HuluPlus. Still other streaming sites allow you to purchase a video you want to be streamed on an individual basis. But if you drop the streaming service you lose access to all the videos you have or want to stream.

If you want to store downloaded (not streamed) videos (however you obtained them) you will need to store them on a hard drive. The hard drive can be in a PC or it can be in a NAS (Network Attached Storage). A NAS is basically a small dedicated computer usually running Linux (a non Windows operating system) that just looks like a bunch of hard drives to other devices on the network like a PC or Network Media Player.

Size and budget? I think 55" is the sweet spot at the moment for pricing.

With a HTPC and a cablecard tuner you only have to rent the cablecard. With set top boxes you have to rent the box or DVR at a much higher monthly fee for as long as you keep the service. If you ever drop TWC then you can sell the tuner on ebay and use the PC for other purposes. If you rent TWC's hardware you've got nothing to show for your investment.

The other option is to downgrade your service to internet only and still watch the ClearQAM channels using a non-cablecard tuner (HDHomeRun Dual) for example. This way you still have the big networks and local news but can spend the savings on streaming services like Amazon VOD (Prime is only $80/yr and has tonnes of benefits), Netflix etc.

With CableCARD you'll get everything except on-demand programming. It plugs into the HTPC tuner and is much cheaper to rent from the cable co. ($2/mo). In terms of look and feel, Window Media Center controls everything and is just like a cablebox. You navigate with a remote, there is full guide information, record episode or series with various options etc.

ClearQAM is basic cable that is sent unencrypted over the coax coming into the house. The cable co. can encrypt it if they choose but some don't (comcast in my area for example). To access it, you would subscribe to internet only, then split the cable - one end going to your modem and the other to the tuner attached to the HTPC.

The other problem with option 3 is that PlayReady does not support displaying on multiple monitors. I tried to do this over the last year. Just want my HTPC to put out to the TV in the bedroom and the TV is the living room. Duplicating the display worked fine, but I kept getting issues were TV (recorded or live) would stop and I'd get a blue screan (not BSOD) saying something about not having a subscription or something along those lines. I even went back and did a full rebuild of the HTPC, but immediately duped the desktop on the two TV's. PlayReady wouldn't install at all, it kept telling me my display decices were not HDCP compatible, despite saying they were if I just enabled each on individually.

Even tried pushing the signal through my AVR that has a splitter and just had the same issues.

I think there is a device you can get to fix this that sits inbetween the receiver and the display and to prevent 'handshake' issues. There's lots of discussions on these issues on the A/V distribution forum.

That would be the HDMI Detecive http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=8005

A good device, but the problem is that it doesn't do anything for multiple TV issues like I described above. One of their splitters might.