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Teach me about htpc's.

#1
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3/10/09 at 5:32am
  • Joined: January 2001
  • Post Count: 73
I searched but didn't find anything too recent on the topic.

I am toying around with the idea of building a htpc. First a few of the requirements I have.
1. Case - I want a case that looks more like a receiver/dvd player than a typical computer "case". I prefer black.
2. I want to be able to rip movies. Playback of 1080p, etc.
3. Gaming - I want to be able to play COD: WaW.
4. Decent sound card (on board, or PCI if there's enough slots)
5. Cheaper the better but I know I'll have to invest $500 or more.

I have no plans to record live tv but I guess I would leave the idea open for later by adding a tv tuner card, right?

Blu Ray - I do not have a blu ray player and would like to add one if possible. I'm just not sure how easy it will be to use. IOW, I guess it will run a regular OS so how user friendly will this be to boot up and start a Blu Ray? Mainly asking because the wife and kids will use it too.
Any thought?
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#2
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3/14/09 at 6:09pm
  • Joined: December 1999
  • Post Count: 89

Re: Teach me about htpc's.

Blu-ray playback on PCs is unfortunately still in the pretty early stages. It's possible but is a headache sometimes. It's also pretty rewarding, though.
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#3
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3/16/09 at 9:27am
  • Joined: March 2002
  • Post Count: 437

Re: Teach me about htpc's.

Here's a good article about HTPCs:

Coding Horror: Building Your Own Home Theater PC

Read the comments too.
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#4
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3/16/09 at 11:14am
  • Joined: March 1999
  • Post Count: 1,080

Re: Teach me about htpc's.

Word of advice: Get large HDs for storage in addition to the one you put the operating system on. I have an additional 500GB and a 750GB drive for my movies files.

Get a nice Haupauge card for your DVR, and I use Beyond TV for my software.

I have recently discovered that PowerDVD plays my larger movie disc images way better than WinDVD, plus it allows me to use my mouse function on some menus.

One of my methods to become debt-free. Thanks, Dave Ramsey!
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