[Teach Me] HTPC

R

Ravyn

Veteran XV
So I'm renovating pretty much my whole house. One of the things I want to do is setup a easy to use HTPC for the big screen in the living room. Below are my plans, but I'd like to hear from people who've done this type of thing before on whether my plans can be improved, or if they're just retarded to begin with, and what type of hardware/software you recommend to accomplish the task.

Setup would consist of 2 PCs which are in our office which we would use to download movies (purchased legally of course) etc to.

Wireless network access to the HTPC which would be stored in our newly built media center in the living room, all 3 PCs would likely be running Windows, as that's what the 2 work PCs use in the office, and I imagine it's easier to network them together if they're all running the same OS. Currently using Windows 7, but thinking perhaps Windows 8 for the HTPC for the mobile'esque interface?

Would then use HippoRemote to control the HTPC via our iPhone's and/or iPad from the couch to access the content via Windows Media Center etc?

Is there a better or easier way to set something like this up (keeping in mind that being able to control the HTPC via the iphone/ipad is needed, so we don't need to worry about where we'll keep a keyboard/mouse etc.)
Other software than HippoRemote and Windows Media Center that would be recommended?

And lastly, I have no idea what kind of hardware I would need on the HTPC end of things to stream the content smoothly without any hiccups, links to machines that are built for this sort of thing, or recommendations are very welcome.

Once I get the reno's started, I'll provide some photos of how the project is coming along, thanks for the help!
 
97edbd4e_Logitech_Wireless_Keyboard_K400.jpeg
 
Oho, another challenger has joined the game.

Am I better off going with a keyboard/trackpad combo such as the logitech one above, than dealing with an apple app for my phone etc?
 
nigafool said:
start by not doing this
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Am I better off just having it wired to the network, the office and media center will be sharing a wall, so it will be pretty easy to put in some outlets for doing that if it's going to make a noticeable improvement?
 
Ravyn said:
Am I better off just having it wired to the network, the office and media center will be sharing a wall, so it will be pretty easy to put in some outlets for doing that if it's going to make a noticeable improvement?
Click to expand...
802.11a/g/n/ac can stream high definition video fast enough, but why take the risk of signal interference or degradation when a cable run will eliminate practically all chances of that, especially if you live in a populated area where channel usage by neighbors is heavy.
 
feeboo said:
97edbd4e_Logitech_Wireless_Keyboard_K400.jpeg
Click to expand...

Yeah this thing is great. Super cheap, works great.

HTPC components...really you don't need much. You're just going to stream video? Are you trying to keep costs down? Are you trying to get it in a small case or would a typical PC case be okay?

I built an i3, 4gb ram system for under $300 and it streamed everything fine.

oh and IMO use XBMC for playing your tv/movies/music. 1000x better than Windows Media Center. And actually I'd just get a cheap USB infrared remote

Or you could just try out chromecast for $30...makes everything super simple but you lose a bit of versatility.
 
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- if you can't run a hardwire to the HTPC directly, use one of the powerline network kits from wherever your router is

they work really well and I'm surprised more people don't use them


- also yes you'll need some kind of keyboard/mouse to have when you need to some setup. You can keep it in a drawer or off to the side and use the ipad for basic TV/media controls but there will be times when you do need it


- Get PLEX media server and meda center installed and use that for watching Downloaded movies and TV shows. It has a little plugin that integrates right into WMC so you can easily launch it and go back and forth with the remote. It's the best media software there is and it's free
 
Ravyn said:
Am I better off just having it wired to the network, the office and media center will be sharing a wall, so it will be pretty easy to put in some outlets for doing that if it's going to make a noticeable improvement?
Click to expand...

like aldaron said, the first thing you learn about HTPC is that there are a lot of things that are 'technically' possible

but when you're sitting down to watch something with your family, it's a lot better if it works perfectly every time. wired works perfectly every time.
 
instead of letting this thread completely devolve we should say XBMC and PLEX are the two highly recommended front-ends and you should try them both and decide what you like best instead of arguing about which one is better.
 
It's 2014

Hang a roku from the back and subscribe to netflix\amazon prime.

If what you wanna watch isn't on there, go outside.
 
meh i have a PBO (kinda like a roku, it's one of the many realtek based video players) and a full HTPC and yeah, they both play videos and that's the point

but its like a luxury car vs a beater - they both get you where you're going, but the experience is so much better in the luxury car. i kinda dread being in the menus of the PBO but once a vid is playing it's fine

also my HTPC does so much more than just watch videos
 
yea i want a roku-like device but im not getting one until it's at least as good as an aspire revo is for me, at least in my living room
 
Thanks for all the replies, been doing a lot of reading outside of TW since I posted this to get a feel for the hardware components needed. It seems like a solid HTPC can be built for pretty darn cheap (sub $500)..

I'll definitely spend a little extra money and get a ethernet outlet between the office and living room so I can just hardwire the htpc to the network, as suggested.

Do I need to bother going the route of buying/setting up a NAS with a Raid1 or anything, or should I be fine just storing them on my current PC and external HD and streaming from those media devices via the network?

I'll take a look at both Plex and Xbmc when I get things up and running and see what I like best.. any suggestion between Windows 7 and 8? With both office PCs running 7, would I see any challenge networking between them and the htpc running 8?

Lastly, if I'm going to be storing/streaming from the HDDs in the office, should I go with a 120GB SSD rather than a 1TB SATA drive for the HTPC just to keep things fast and efficient?
 
roku 3 + plex = everything you need for $100.
Streams 1080p h.264 mkvs amazingly from your pc
Has Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix apps standard.

Try it, don't like it, take it back to the store.
 
Ravyn said:
Do I need to bother going the route of buying/setting up a NAS with a Raid1 or anything, or should I be fine just storing them on my current PC and external HD and streaming from those media devices via the network?
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any central storage will do, whether it's a PC or a NAS.

what i've done at home is basically switch to laptops, with 2 really good computers in the basement. one is our main storage/etc. w7 box that just sits there like a NAS, and one is our old 'family PC' that we'll do photo/video editing on over RDP. we have a docking station at a small desk so you can sit down and work with a monitor.

Lastly, if I'm going to be storing/streaming from the HDDs in the office, should I go with a 120GB SSD rather than a 1TB SATA drive for the HTPC just to keep things fast and efficient?
Click to expand...

yea you dont need shit for space on the front-end htpc. even 60gb is more than you need unless you're doing something i haven't thought of.
 
Fatman said:
roku 3 + plex = everything you need for $100.
Streams 1080p h.264 mkvs amazingly from your pc
Has Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix apps standard.

Try it, don't like it, take it back to the store.
Click to expand...

they do mkv?

hmmm... apple tv is nice but i might have to get roku for other tv
 
nigafool said:
any central storage will do, whether it's a PC or a NAS.

what i've done at home is basically switch to laptops, with 2 really good computers in the basement. one is our main storage/etc. w7 box that just sits there like a NAS, and one is our old 'family PC' that we'll do photo/video editing on over RDP. we have a docking station at a small desk so you can sit down and work with a monitor.



yea you dont need shit for space on the front-end htpc. even 60gb is more than you need unless you're doing something i haven't thought of.
Click to expand...

Thanks sir, I assumed I'd be fine without the NAS, and going with even a 60GB SSD will save a little extra cash, so good to know. I don't plan on doing anything with this PC beyond streaming to my TV, probably some browsing on the TV, and of course Netflix, can't think of any other uses off hand.
 
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