I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a HTPC, building from scratch. I have been doing my best to read up on the forums and educate myself on the issues here. Unfortunately I think my lack of knowledge is making me more confused than I may have been before I started. I also keep running into threads that are 2 years old or so when I am searching. So I am throwing myself out here for help.
I did see and read the guide that renethx put together on different set ups. Very useful! I can pick and choose hardware based on that I believe. Where I get confused though is all the talk I see about bitstreams, HD audio, S/PDIF and the like. So I thought I would try this: I'll list what I want to be able to do and maybe some kind folks here can confirm that if I get the basic HTPC (or a more advanced one if that what I need), I will in fact be able to do what I want.
Purpose of my HTPC:
1: Watch, pause, rewind and record HD programming (as well as standard def stuf) that is coming from my cable provider (Comcast).
2: Play DVDs and Blu-Ray discs and give me at least 5.1 (7.1 would be better) surround sound in all the fancy formats (TrueHD etc). I just picked up an Onkyo 607 AVR so this shouldn't be an issue right? Or is all this bitstreaming issue stuff enough of a problem that I should just buy a separate blu-ray player? (which would give me a good excuse to get a PS3, or just hold off on Blu-Ray for a bit)?
3: Allow me to surf the internet and stream videos from stuff like Netflix, youtube, hulu or whatever place I visit.
4: Store all my music (and obviously allow me to play it back) as well as play streaming on-line music (Pandora, iTunes radio, etc) on the nice new speakers I got via the AVR.
5: Be able to connect to my AVR (and thus the TV) via HDMI. I will just need to get the right motherboard (and CPU) that has an HDMI out right? Just one cable will be all that is needed?
That's really about it. I don't need to access a server, or stream to multiple TVs, rip and burn DVDs and BD or anything like that. The only thing I may do at some point would be play games, but I have a separate PC that is a gaming rig that I use right now. I don't see a need to build a second gaming rig, and I like the idea of having my gaming PC separate from the HT so the girlfriend can watch her silly girly shows while I play my dorky computer games.
Is there anything else I am missing, or things I should think about before I make a purchase? Is this all simple stuff that a basic HTPC can handle?
I did see and read the guide that renethx put together on different set ups. Very useful! I can pick and choose hardware based on that I believe. Where I get confused though is all the talk I see about bitstreams, HD audio, S/PDIF and the like. So I thought I would try this: I'll list what I want to be able to do and maybe some kind folks here can confirm that if I get the basic HTPC (or a more advanced one if that what I need), I will in fact be able to do what I want.
Purpose of my HTPC:
1: Watch, pause, rewind and record HD programming (as well as standard def stuf) that is coming from my cable provider (Comcast).
2: Play DVDs and Blu-Ray discs and give me at least 5.1 (7.1 would be better) surround sound in all the fancy formats (TrueHD etc). I just picked up an Onkyo 607 AVR so this shouldn't be an issue right? Or is all this bitstreaming issue stuff enough of a problem that I should just buy a separate blu-ray player? (which would give me a good excuse to get a PS3, or just hold off on Blu-Ray for a bit)?
3: Allow me to surf the internet and stream videos from stuff like Netflix, youtube, hulu or whatever place I visit.
4: Store all my music (and obviously allow me to play it back) as well as play streaming on-line music (Pandora, iTunes radio, etc) on the nice new speakers I got via the AVR.
5: Be able to connect to my AVR (and thus the TV) via HDMI. I will just need to get the right motherboard (and CPU) that has an HDMI out right? Just one cable will be all that is needed?
That's really about it. I don't need to access a server, or stream to multiple TVs, rip and burn DVDs and BD or anything like that. The only thing I may do at some point would be play games, but I have a separate PC that is a gaming rig that I use right now. I don't see a need to build a second gaming rig, and I like the idea of having my gaming PC separate from the HT so the girlfriend can watch her silly girly shows while I play my dorky computer games.
Is there anything else I am missing, or things I should think about before I make a purchase? Is this all simple stuff that a basic HTPC can handle?