# [Build] New HTPC Upgrade/Build - Pics included (not 56k friendly)



## dhrandy

*Current Setup*
*Updated May 22, 2011*

*COMPUTER SPECS:*
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H 780G Motherboard
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Processor - 45 watt
G Skill 2GB Memory
430 Watt Mad Dog PS
500 gig SATA hard drive
320 gig SATA hard drive
250 gig IDE hard drive
160 gig SATA hard drive
120 gig IDE hard drive
SATA DVD writer
Hauppauge HVR-1800 HD tuner
Hauppauge PVR-150 tuner with IR receiver - just use the IR for the remote.

*SOFTWARE:*
1) Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Link
2) Boxee Link
3) Hulu Desktop Link
4) Unified Desktop Link - used to control my HTPC with my Android Smartphone.
5)Tversity - Link - used to stream media to the Xbox 360 located in a bedroom.

*1) Windows 7*
I finally decided to upgrade my HTPC to Windows 7 64. I felt like Vista was just holding it back. I would get video stutter when trying to get Hulu Desktop to work. I didn't have nearly the problems getting my remote control to work like I did with Vista. In Vista I had to install the drivers in a certain order. In Windows 7 I installed the software for the IR receiver, copied over the irremote.ini file (it has my key commands) and it worked right away.

I setup keyboard shortcuts and added them to my irremote.ini so that I could launch Boxee and Hulu from the desktop with the Harmony remote. I don't care for using a keyboard with my HTPC when I don't have to.

*2) Boxee*
I decided to go with Boxee this time for ease of setup and the ability to watch other programming. It was setup and running in less than 5 minutes. I also use it to play my movies, tv shows, music and pictures.

Many times I use the Boxee Android App to control Boxee.










Link to App

*3) Hulu Desktop*
Adding this app was a no brainer. Hulu is no longer supported in Boxee. It's great to watch your favorite shows in HD. Very easy to setup as well.
*
4) Unified Remote*
This a little piece of software that allows me to control my HTPC with my Android Samsung Fascinate. I use the Boxee app just for Boxee and this one for controlling everything else. That is when I'm not using my Harmony remote. I usually always have my phone on me and use it when I'm too lazy to get the remote.

*DVR*
I finally made the jump to Dish Network and now use the DuoDVR ViP 722k HD DVR. It's nice to finally see TLC, Discover, Discover Science...etc in HD. And I was able to combine my phone, cable and internet and save money. I also like having all digital channels.

*HDDVD*
I now let my XBox 360 play my HDDVDs. Still haven't decided if I want a blu-ray player.

*TV AND SOUND SPECS:*
42" RCA 1080P LCD HDTV
Pioneer Receiver and surround speakers
Sony Powered Subwoofer - just used for movies.
Harmony 550 remote control - USB port stopped working so I just use this for the HTPC now.
*
HTPC SOFTWARE I'VE USED IN THE PAST*
1. Yahoo Go! TV
2. Meedio
3. XBMC

You can scroll down to see pictures of the build.

*Screenshots*

Desktop Wallpaper









Boxee Home Screen









Boxee My Movies









Hulu Desktop









------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Original 780G Setup*
*Updated March 29, 2010*
Built March 2008

*My Goals* All Accomplished
1080P (HDMI) output
DVR with recording 2 shows at once (Beyond TV)
DVR Record HD Clear QAM (Beyond TV)
Commercial Skip (Beyond TV)
Music Jukebox (XBMC)
Photo Album (XBMC)
Play ripped .ISO dvds (XBMC)
Play avi files (XBMC)
Show Weather (XBMC)
RSS Feed Ticker (XBMC)
Play HD DVDs (PowerDVD)

*TV AND SOUND SPECS:*
42" RCA 1080P LCD HDTV
Pioneer Receiver and surround speakers
Harmony 550 remote control

*COMPUTER SPECS:*
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H 780G Motherboard
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Processor - 45 watt
G Skill 2GB Memory
430 Watt Mad Dog PS
500 gig SATA hard drive
320 gig SATA hard drive
250 gig IDE hard drive
160 gig SATA hard drive
120 gig IDE hard drive
DVD Rom IDE drive - unplugged for now
Hauppauge HVR-1800 HD tuner
Hauppauge PVR-150 tuner with IR receiver
Xbox 360 HD DVD player
Linksys RangePlus 802.11B/G Wireless PCI Card, WMP110 - not in use

*SOFTWARE USED:*
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate
Beyond TV DVR software with custom skin- $69.99 (price at the time I got it)
XBMC PC(Atlantis) with Confluence- Free
PowerDVD - For future HD DVD and future Blu-ray - $99.95
AutoIt - wrote script so that when XBMC closes, Beyond TV starts and vice verse - Free
GFI Backup Home Edition - free software I use to backup my music and photos from one hard drive to another - Free

*FUTURE UPGRADES:*
Blu-ray drive
Corsair Power CX400W Power Supply or equivalent.

*DETAILS ON SETUP*
*XBMC*

XBMC was pretty easy to setup. The only plug-in I added was the one that allows you to launch external applications like PowerDVD. Link. I added some shortcuts in the Keymap.xml file that is located in the XBMC/system folder.

Code:



Code:


<y>XBMC.System.Exec("C:Program FilesSnapStream MediaBeyond TVBTVD3DShell.exe")</y><t>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyMusic)</t>[U]XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyPictures)[/U]<n>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyVideoLibrary,movietitles,return)</n><g>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyVideoLibrary,tvshowtitles,return)</g>

This added shortcuts for Music, Pictures, Movies, TV series. The first shortcut is a direct link to launch Beyond TV from the remote control. You can make remote shortcuts to launch any program. I could have did one to launch PowerDVD and still may in the future. Don't get this confused with the launch external applications plug-in above.

*Beyond TV*

You just use the Beyond TV setup shortcut to setup Beyond TV. Very simple to setup. The only things I did with Beyond TV was with the appearance. I installed the widescreen icons that someone made on the Snapstream forums. I also made my own custom skin for Beyond TV that resembles MCE.
Widescreen Icons Link

*PowerDVD8*

I use PowerDVD to play my HD DVDs. If you have upgraded to the newest version, you'll notice there is no support for HD DVD. Luckily there is a mod to get this to work. Link for HD DVD support. I just read where this don't work for the latest version. I believe it only works for the first version that came out after they quit supporting HD DVD. I backed up my Cyberlink folder and tried the updated and sure enough it didn't work. Here is the cool part. I was able to just rename the original folder and now I can still use PowerDVD to play my HD DVDs.

*GFI Backup*

GFI Backup is one of the greatest backup services I have used. I chose this one because it allows the software to send you an email once a backup is complete. This is great because I never actually see the desktop of my HTPC. I have GFI setup to backup my music and photos 3 times a week onto a separate hard drive.
*
The Remote Setup*

For my remote I use the Hauppauge PVR-150 IR receiver. It's so easy to customize for any program. At one time I even had it customized for a screensaver. I'm not going to go into detail here on how to customize the buttons because it's going to take a lot of space. I'm just going to put a link that I made on another forum.
How to setup the Hauppauge 45 button remote to work with other programs link.

To get my Harmony 550 remote to work with my receiver all I had to do is program it to work with the 45 button Hauppauge remote. For the TV,Radio,Music,Pictures and other button that aren't on the Harmony 550, I created shortcuts for the LCD window and then edited it in the remote.ini file for the PVR-150 receiver.

I also setup a shortcut for the remote to launch XBMC when it's on the Windows Desktop. To do this I edited one of the default buttons in the remote.ini file to launch a autokey script shortcut that I made to start XBMC. I had to do it this way beause the remote.ini file does not allow spaces when launching a program. You can see me launching XBMC from the desktop in the video.

*LINKS*
Beyond TV
XBMC
XBMC Confluence Skin
GFI Backup
Old PVR Budget Build (No Longer In Service)

*Old Video*












*XBMC Screenshots* - with Confluence skin - actual screenshots as of 3/29/2010

  
   

*Beyond TV Screenshots* - with my own custom skin - actual screenshots as of 3/29/2010 - old setup

  
  

*THE BUILD* - this is from the original post from March 2008.

Just got the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H (780G) motherboard in. Should get the rest tomorrow.
  
 

Rest of the parts are in.

  

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Got it setup on the table and have Vista Ultimate installed. Next will be Beyond TV and Meedio. My son is helping out.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've got Beyond TV and Meedio back up and running. The HVR-1800 tuner works great. Of course the OTA HD programs are shrunk to fit the screen. Everything is working so far. This PC runs cooler than my P4. I post so many pictures because I know I like to see lot of pictures of peoples systems. Here you go.

  
 

Currently using my 7600GT with the S-video out. I will be using HDMI when my TV returns.
 
 

I love my Harmony remote. That is my old TV.


Feedback welcome. Let me know if you have any questions.


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## MnMCap

I have the same case, not for HTPC, but I really like it. Sounds like a very capable machine. I've used my HTPC for 5 years now and couldnt imagine not having it.


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## pheonixsingh

motherboard is a very wise choice! should be very happy with it mate!


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## dhrandy

Getting ready to order the parts this weeks. Just saw the motherboard is out-of-stock.


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## Locool676

I wish i had 760 gigs of ram with a P4









Humor aside, looks nice.


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## DuckieHo

What cooling?

The 45w BE are about $25 more and might be worth it to run near passively.


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## pheonixsingh

you could also try:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131273

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813135075

both have the same chipset so will do the same job


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## dhrandy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DuckieHo* 
What cooling?

The 45w BE are about $25 more and might be worth it to run near passively.

Stock cooling, it's not going to be overclock, so no need for extra cooling. The case has a 120mm fan in the back, 80mm fan in the front. The PS has a 120mm on the bottom for pulling hot air off the pci slots.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pheonixsingh* 
you could also try:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131273

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813135075

both have the same chipset so will do the same job

The ECS A780GM-A is a full atx motherboard, so that one's out of the question.

The only difference I see in the Asus and Gigabyte is that the Gigabye supports 16 gigs of ram and has an optical output. I have a sound card, so I don't need the optical output. I seriously doubt I will ever use 16 gig of ram. The Asus has 6 sata compared to the 5 on the Gigabyte. That don't really matter because my media is stored on a separate server. I also have the option of just getting the Gigabyte elsewhere. Decisions, decisions, decisions....


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## DuckieHo

The Gigabyte 780G: $87.55 + $2.99 Shipped + Free Game.

http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4830739


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## dhrandy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DuckieHo* 
The Gigabyte 780G: $87.55 + $2.99 Shipped + Free Game.

http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4830739

I think I might have to go with this site. That's a great deal. I forgot to mention in the other post that the Gigabyte also supports 10/100/1000Mbps, the Asus only has 10/100.


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## DuckieHo

BTW, I just read that there's a price drop on the Athlon BE. I want that 2350.... its HSF can be pretty much stop off when idle.

http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-43...-X2-4850e.html
Athlon X2 4850e (2.5 GHz) -> $89;
Athlon X2 BE-2400 (2.3 GHz) -> $78 (now $104)
Athlon X2 BE-2350 (2.1 GHz) -> $68 (now $91)

Oh, I contact MotherboardPro and they're going to send me a quote on the Gigabyte 780G. Hopefully, it'll be less than ClubIT.

....Oh, there are different revisions of the 780G... A11, A12, A13. The earliest version is an engineering sample that has issues with Phenom. Also, a Phenom CPU with a HT3.0 seems to improve image quality.


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## dhrandy

Keep me updated DuckioHo. I almost ordered the parts today. Guess I'll be holding off for a little bit. Thanks.


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## dhrandy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DuckieHo* 
BTW, I just read that there's a price drop on the Athlon BE. I want that 2350.... its HSF can be pretty much stop off when idle.

http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-43...-X2-4850e.html
Athlon X2 4850e (2.5 GHz) -> $89;
Athlon X2 BE-2400 (2.3 GHz) -> $78 (now $104)
Athlon X2 BE-2350 (2.1 GHz) -> $68 (now $91)

Oh, I contact MotherboardPro and they're going to send me a quote on the Gigabyte 780G. Hopefully, it'll be less than ClubIT.

....Oh, there are different revisions of the 780G... A11, A12, A13. The earliest version is an engineering sample that has issues with Phenom. Also, a Phenom CPU with a HT3.0 seems to improve image quality.

I'm confused, is there suppose to be a price drop?


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## balake777

think he was just showing cpus that don't use much power and one of them was cheaper than normal.


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## dhrandy

I think I'm going to go with the AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core. First post updated.


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## DuckieHo

Quote:



Originally Posted by *balake777*


think he was just showing cpus that don't use much power and one of them was cheaper than normal.


There's a new EE X2 that was just released last week but hasn't trickled to retail yet.

Two of the three BE CPUs will be getting a price drop.

The rest of the normal X2 will get a price drop in April.


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## dhrandy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DuckieHo* 
There's a new EE X2 that was just released last week but hasn't trickled to retail yet.

Two of the three BE CPUs will be getting a price drop.

The rest of the normal X2 will get a price drop in April.

How soon in April? I'm wanting it now.


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## DuckieHo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dhrandy* 
How soon in April? I'm wanting it now.









It was posted in news a few days ago. I believe April 11th?

I researched the difference between the 45w and 65w TDP Athlons. At idle, they consume the same amount of power. At full load, the 65w versions use 20w more.


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## dhrandy

I've not had the best of luck the past couple of days. First, my 37" HD LCD tv stops working. I cut on the power, no picture and it won't cut off. I just had it a little over a year, so it's out of manufactures warranty. Luckily I bought the 2 year extended warranty. I called up and now have to wait for a shipping label to ship off the tv to get repaired.

Second, I had a hard drive go out that's in my server. It's also the hard drive that has the OS on it. The good thing is that it's only a 250 gig hard drive and I have my music and pictures backed up. Right now I'm using the disk utility to try to save some of my files. I had just put Meedio on the server and had it hooked up to a 27" tube tv.

So now I'm using a 20" flat screen tube tv and get to stare at my new computer parts until my tv comes back. Right now I still have the HTPC hooked up to the 20" tv using S-video. The new motherboard doesn't have S-video, so I can't use it for now.

I'll also be ordering another 500 gig hard drive for my server soon.


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## lordikon

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dhrandy* 
*Current HTPC*
-2.4 P4
-*760 gig of generic ram* (3 sticks)
-9600XT w/tuner
-40 gig 5400 rpm IDE hard drive
-Case
-430 Watt PS
-250 gig IDE hard drive
-DVD Rom IDE drive
-AuzenTech XPlosion 7.1 Sound Card

*What I will be using from old HTPC*
-Case
-430 Watt PS
-250 gig IDE hard drive
-DVD Rom IDE drive
-AuzenTech XPlosion 7.1 Sound Card
*
PARTS ORDERED*


760gigs of RAM with only 3 sticks?! Hook a brotha up!


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## DuckieHo

Ouch... you're angered the tech godz!?!?!


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## dhrandy

My motherboard came in today. I also managed to save some data off my hard drive that quit.


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## dhrandy

Here are some photos of my Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H (780G) motherboard. I should get the rest of the parts tomorrow.


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## deskjockey

can you use meedio with linux?

reason I ask is my htpc build has been put on hold for the last few days (8) because of xp pro issues, first it wouldnt load, then it wouldnt load properly then it wouldnt see the hard drive...on and on.

I think, if I can, just to use linux and forego the headache they call Windows


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## dhrandy

Meedio is Windows only. Sorry. Linux does have some pretty good htpc options. Check the link "List of HTPC software" in my sig. It shows some linux options.


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## deskjockey

hmmmm....maybe I'll stick with windows right now. I just have never had this much problem loading an OS...and it figures its an open box MOBO from newegg.

I'll try and drink so much beer tonight that the windows install goes clean. Then we'll see what happens


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## dhrandy

Rest of the parts are in.


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## dhrandy

Got it setup on the table and have Vista Ultimate installed. Next will be Beyond TV and Meedio.



Here is my son. He helping.


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## deskjockey

cool Dh, looking good.

on a side note...your son looks a little cold, you could probably overclock him a few more hundred MHZ









edit: I see why hes running cold...hes liquid cooled LOL (look at his shirt)


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## will25u

Nice camera work. What cooler are you using? I cant wait to get back from this deployment to start work on mine. That Gigabyte motherboard has everything you could possibly want for a HTPC. Blu-ray players are headed down in price. Around $120-$140. Hopefully by the time I build my HTPC they will be down below $100.


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## dhrandy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *will25u*


Nice camera work. What cooler are you using? I cant wait to get back from this deployment to start work on mine. That Gigabyte motherboard has everything you could possibly want for a HTPC. Blu-ray players are headed down in price. Around $120-$140. Hopefully by the time I build my HTPC they will be down below $100.


I'm just using the stock cooler that came with the Brisbane. I'm not worried about an aftermarket cooler for this system. I've read other complaints about the stock cooler being noisy at low speed, but I haven't heard of any such problems.

I'm also waiting for the price of Blu-ray player to come down in price. Then I'll start renting Blu-ray from Netflix.


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## dhrandy

I've got Beyond TV and Meedio back up and running. The HVR-1800 tuner works great. Of course the OTA HD programs are shrunk to fit the screen. Everything is working so far. This PC runs cooler than my P4. I post so many pictures because I know I like to see lot of pictures of peoples systems. Here you go.







Currently using my 7600GT with the S-video out. I will be using HDMI when my TV returns.





Here is what my HTPC is currently hooked up to.


Here is what my HTPC will be hooked up to when the TV comes back. Right now it's out for repair. This was the old P4 in action.


I love my Harmony remote.


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## moses51149

I just built a new media center based around the asus M3A78-EMH HDMI with an amd x2 4400, 4gb corsair ram, and 2 500gb wd hard drives. I am using onboard audio and video. Running Vista ultimate 64. I am using coreavc for the video codec and ffdshow for the audio. When playing 1080p mkv files the audio is out of sync and the video stutters also my cpu usage maxes out. When I uninstall the ffdshow audio codec the video plays like butter the cpu usage doesnâ€™t go higher the 50% on both cores, but no sound if I install the ffdshow I get audio but then I get the stuttering on playback. I am using the latest coreavc codec and ffdshow 2000. Any suggestions would really be appreciated. I am pretty sure I should be able to play back 1080p files with no problems with my system specs.


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## moses51149

I just built a new media center based around the asus M3A78-EMH HDMI with an amd x2 4400, 4gb corsair ram, and 2 500gb wd hard drives. I am using onboard audio and video. Running Vista ultimate 64. I am using coreavc for the video codec and ffdshow for the audio. When playing 1080p mkv files the audio is out of sync and the video stutters also my cpu usage maxes out. When I uninstall the ffdshow audio codec the video plays like butter the cpu usage doesnâ€™t go higher the 50% on both cores, but no sound if I install the ffdshow I get audio but then I get the stuttering on playback. I am using the latest coreavc codec and ffdshow 2000. Any suggestions would really be appreciated. I am pretty sure I should be able to play back 1080p files with no problems with my system specs.


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## DuckieHo

Quote:



Originally Posted by *moses51149*


I just built a new media center based around the asus M3A78-EMH HDMI with an amd x2 4400, 4gb corsair ram, and 2 500gb wd hard drives. I am using onboard audio and video. Running Vista ultimate 64. I am using coreavc for the video codec and ffdshow for the audio. When playing 1080p mkv files the audio is out of sync and the video stutters also my cpu usage maxes out. When I uninstall the ffdshow audio codec the video plays like butter the cpu usage doesnâ€™t go higher the 50% on both cores, but no sound if I install the ffdshow I get audio but then I get the stuttering on playback. I am using the latest coreavc codec and ffdshow 2000. Any suggestions would really be appreciated. I am pretty sure I should be able to play back 1080p files with no problems with my system specs.


*sigh* In my other thread, I told you to start your own topic.... It's for your own benefit. Also, what's with the _triple _re-posting?


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## moses51149

I hit the button three times thinking it was'nt going thru. Thanks.


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## dhrandy

I hope it ships Monday. Can't wait to get my tv back from repairs.


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## dhrandy

Everything is working great. HD tuner is sweet. I even hooked up my xbox HD dvd player up and tested it out. Looks amazing. Here is a pic of the meeTvshows module in Meedio.


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## dhrandy

Finally ran into a problem. I knew being trouble free was too good to last. Whenever I enable spdif output with my Auzentech Xplosion sound card, it tends to make my PC lockup when I'm using Beyond TV. Everything works fine when using analog output. I'm going to try to use some older drivers in a couple of days. I'll post back the results. I really wanted to use the coaxial output on this card. Currently my Xbox 360 is using the optical input on my receiver.


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## Spart

Did you think of maybe getting an Optical Audio Switch? Here's a cheapo one I found.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013HP90K?...0&linkCode=asn

I haven't read any reviews though. Just a thought.


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## dhrandy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Spart*


Did you think of maybe getting an Optical Audio Switch? Here's a cheapo one I found.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013HP90K?...0&linkCode=asn

I haven't read any reviews though. Just a thought.


That's probably what I'll look into if I can't get the problem solved.


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## dhrandy

I've now tried the on board sound and it's not as great as my Auzentech Xplosion. I have now submitted a ticket to Auzentech support with the problem. I hope to get this resolved soon.


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## DuckieHo

Have you noticed any IQ improvements?


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## dhrandy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DuckieHo*


Have you noticed any IQ improvements?


I can't tell a whole lot of difference with regular content. Of course HD is amazing as always. But of course I have a 720p TV.


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## kineticimpulse

.....


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## DuckieHo

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kineticimpulse*


if i were to only install the wintv-hvr-1800 i can only record tv as long as i am not watching it correct? that is because there is only one tv tuner right? with this tuner card am i able to record hd channels? im on basic cable but i do have hd channels that are free with my service since i have an hd box which is not the same as a dvr.


This is a dual-tuner so you have one HD tuner and one SD tuner. Use a digital cable splitter so you can connect cable to both tuners on the card. Since you have two tuners, you can watch SD cable channels while recording either the same SD channel or any HD channel. Vice versa, you can watch any HD channel while record the same HD channel or any SD channel.

This card can only decode free HD channels under 100. You can get a listing by your zip code here: http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels


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## kineticimpulse

.....


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## Raptors06

dh, did you get the issue resolved with your sound? I was curious since I just picked up the same motherboard and was considering a sound card to add on.


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## dhrandy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Raptors06*


dh, did you get the issue resolved with your sound? I was curious since I just picked up the same motherboard and was considering a sound card to add on.


I ended up just using the on-board sound. I got tired of dealing with it and now I don't have an extra slot for the sound card.


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## Raptors06

Alright, thanks dh.


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## dhrandy

Updated the first post. If you've seen it before, it's completely revamped. I just have a couple more things I'll be adding.


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## 6053377

I have the same case,and I like it.


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## dhrandy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *6053377*


I have the same case,and I like it.


It's not the sturdiest case in the world, but I got it at a great price. My brother bought the same case.


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## dhrandy

Just thought I'd give an update on my HTPC setup. I'm still using XBMC and Beyond TV and I'm very happy with the setup.

I have combined my HTPC and server to save on the electric bill. I was in the military and didn't have to pay the electric bill before. Now I'm cutting cost where I can. I stuffed 3 hard drives from the server (5 all together) into the small case. I did have to unplug the internal DVD drive because I need the IDE cable for 2 of the hard drives. That's OK since I still have the external Xbox 360 HD-DVD player hooked up.

I'm using clear QAM instead of the antenna for my HD tuner and Beyond TV. You have to manually program the channels to get the guide to work with it. I made an excel spreadsheet to help me in the future.

I was having problems where when I started XBMC and then started Beyond TV on top of it, everything was going fine. When I would exit out of Beyond TV, I would lose sound on the XBMC. I would then have to restart XBMC to regain sound.

I have now wrote a script with AutoIT that will start Beyond TV when I exit out of XBMC. Then when I exit out of Beyond TV it starts XBMC. Problem solved.

I also changed it so that the AutoIT exe file starts XBMC instead of putting XBMC.exe shortcut in the start menu.

And the last thing I had to do is change my remote control so that when I press the start Beyond TV key, it just shuts down XBMC, which with the AutoIT script, starts Beyond TV.

Sorry if I have any grammar errors, I'm really tired right now. I'll update the first post with this information later. No need to update the pics, it still looks the same.


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## dhrandy

*Update
*

HTPC is still going strong. I am using a different skin for my Beyond TV. The House one got old after a while.

I"ll be getting a new house within the month, so all my setup will have to be moved. It'll be fun having to sort all the wires again. I'll post some new pics when I get moved in. I'm just moving to the next city over.


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## Mudfrog

How do you like XBMC vs Media Center? I've toyed with XBMC but utilized MC.


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## dhrandy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mudfrog* 
How do you like XBMC vs Media Center? I've toyed with XBMC but utilized MC.

I like the features and layout of XBMC better. I used it back when it first came out on Xbox 1 and liked it ever since. It was a better choice and easier to setup to play ISO movies. I've tried MC several time and haven't cared for it much.


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## dhrandy

Just added another 320GB SATA hard drive for DVR recording. I'm up to 5 hard drives in this case. I also finally setup clear QAM for where I'm currently living. Now I can record HD.







I have changed from Mediastream on XBMC to Confluence. I'm still very happy with my build.

I still debating on adding a blu-ray player or just buy a on-shelf unit.


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## GaminProject

hey guys, im lookin to get into a htpc build n was wondering whats the cheapest cpu n gpu i could get in order to have smooth 1080p playback Thnx


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## dhrandy

Emergency CPU fan replacement just a little while ago.







Had it changed in about 10 minutes. The CPU temp got up to 174C.







Everything is normal again.


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## dhrandy

First post updated to reflect any changes to my HTPC setup. I also updated the screenshots. Enjoy.


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## dhrandy

Updated the first post with my current setup.


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## dhrandy

Updated first post. I'm still using Boxee and Hulu (Mostly Boxee). I did open up the case and blow the dust out with an air compressor. I've probably needed to do that for a while now.


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## kujon

so is this setup able to record digitally encrypted media?


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## dhrandy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kujon*


so is this setup able to record digitally encrypted media?


I have a Dish Network DVR for doing that. If you mean any other media I can't really discuss that in this forum.


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## kujon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dhrandy;13531091*
> I have a Dish Network DVR for doing that. If you mean any other media I can't really discuss that in this forum.


oh i see, you connect your pc to your set top box. didnt know you could do that these days lol


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## dhrandy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kujon*


oh i see, you connect your pc to your set top box. didnt know you could do that these days lol


My htpc is connected straight to my tv. I use to have tv tuners in my htpc connected to cable and recorded the unencrypted hd channels plus the regular cable channels. Of course the unencrypted hd channels were just the basic channels.


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