What parts would you use?

nantony98

Im considering building a htpc. I looked into it a couple of years ago but was put off because of having to use an ir blaster and have 2 set top boxes to have something that could touch sky+.
Ive since seen dvb-s and dvb-c cards and wonder if it is now possible to build a pc the can destroy sky+. I would love to keep the spend as low as possible and the following are conditions
WANT:
Watch one channel and record another.(so two tuners).
Two outputs(one for lcd tv one for in72 projector).
Be quiet.
DONT WANT
Two sky cards or ntl cards(not that big a deal, its not too expensive)
Doesnt have to be all singing all dancing, prefer good value.

So over to you, would you use a satellite with dvb-s cards, or use cable ntl. what operating system would you use and what graphics card etc.

SouperComputer

well, you will need two viewing cards for two tuners even if they are internal.

Personally, I think 2x STB's buries Sky+, in terms of capacity scalability and of course the ability to take out ads from programmes but thats only one mans opinion!

When you say two outputs, do you mean independant of each other? If you just want them cloned (same setup I had in Ireland: TV and Projector at same time), you just need a dual display graphics card. They are cheap and as "common as muck". If using windows MCE, you need a graphics card that supports DX 9, otherwise it gets messy. The FX5200 is a good, cheap solution
If so you will need an extender, Xbox 360 (assuming you are going for windows MCE) is the best way to go.

Windows MCE 2005 (IE the XP version) is a doddle to setup, so if you want the least hassle, I would go for that. You may also consider the free alternatives:

Media Portal
GB-PVR
MythTV (my favourite, but you will need to know/learn linux to get it setup)


PC wise, as I have said before, anything above 1.7Ghz is acceptable, in fact you could get away with considerably less. 512Mb RAM will do the job well, 768 will do it even better. Buy a used system from adverts, and if needed, buy some quietening part for it.

Heres a couple of machines that you could use, depending on how aesthetically pleasing you want the PC to be you just need a bigger HD. Of course you will want to consider how many PCI cards you will be stuffing in the machine as well as suport for AGP:

1.7Ghz/256 95GBP

Nice 2.8Ghz SFF, not sure if it takes 3.5" HD's though, so check!

Neat 2.4Ghz IBM

2.8Ghz Optiplex


You will also want this

nantony98

Thanks for the reply. I agree sky+ is very limited but very easy to use. That would be important. MCE would probably be the way to go but I have heard very good things about GBPVR. Its free so would be worth a try.
As for the output that graphics card looks fine as i use a mac mini at the moment and if I want to switch from viewing on lcd to projector I have to unplug and replug if you know what I mean.
The pc's you suggest look fine but wouldnt they be limited if I was using 2 pci slot for the tuners they dont seem to have room for graphics card.
Anyway I have a big old ugly tower, reasonably fast pentium M from dead laptop(easier to cool), wireless kb and mouse. So with a new mboard 2 tuners and the graphics card you sugested I should be up and running.
What route would you go cable or satelite. Cable seems far easier. What tuner cards do you suggest. Hauppage seem to be dominant but you have built a HTPC, what did you use.
Sorry for all the questions, just want to get it right first time.

nantony98

So I've been window shopping

Mboard
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=327806

HD
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=307913

Tuners
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=302290

Would these tuners be suitable for MCE?
Not too bad for sub 400.

SouperComputer

Im about to head to bed so, ill be quick.

Be sure the prospective motherboard will work with your mobile chip, not all boards do. You may have to dig deeper that the board maker's documentation to establish this.

Before you choose your card, you need to decide if you want to use NTL or sky. Ive build, supplied and installed lots of HTPC's over the years, but I do not have 1st hand experience with DVB cards and suchlike. 8T8 can probably help you with that and explain how it all works in terms of compatibility. I do know that the cards that work directly with the likes of sky plus and NTL cost in the region of 200euro. If you search the board for NTL you will most likely come across the card that you need. Unless you just plan receiving FTA (free to air) sattelite channels?

Go for a bigger drive than 250GB. Id say go for 400GB, gives you plenty of room for videos, ripped DVD's and music. Not to mention possible HD content.

nantony98

Thanks for the haeds up on the CPU. Im determined to use it for silence and cost 0euro. So went looking for suitable board and found this
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article311-page1.html

Looks like a great board for a HTPC. loads of video outputs and onboard sound. The price is about 115 dollars now too. No need for graphics card sound card!!!
Have read also that using two dvb cards with XP is a problem. Does anyone know why this is or if it is true?

SouperComputer

nantony98 wrote:

Thanks for the haeds up on the CPU. Im determined to use it for silence and cost 0euro. So went looking for suitable board and found this
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article311-page1.html

Looks like a great board for a HTPC. loads of video outputs and onboard sound. The price is about 115 dollars now too. No need for graphics card sound card!!!
Have read also that using two dvb cards with XP is a problem. Does anyone know why this is or if it is true?

Just be forwarned that the video chip that is onboard will not be up to much if you plan running any sort of games, not to mention aero if you are running vista. Also, 1080P content could be an issue.