Which HTPC and NAS to get?

Nagin

So I want to setup my little entertainment center, I have my Samsung LED tv and xbox360 but im looking for a good HTPC and NAS.

In relation to the HTPC I want something small, fast, powerful and to be some way portable if needs be. Ill be using it to watch HD movies, downloading (using jdownloader) and ill be installing XBMC on it. The side of the hard drive size isn't that important to me as I aim to keep all my media on external drives.

There's a few HTPCs im considering,
(1) Acer revo r3700 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Desktop-Graphics-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B0056PDKXI/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321905195&sr=8-1-spell
Probably my favourite out of the 3, acer always deliver quality products in my opinion


(2)Zotac NANO-AD10-B Z-Box Nano AMD E350 Mini PC 220e
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-NANO-AD10-B-Z-Box-Dual-Core-Processor/dp/B005LM3EQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321905438&sr=8-1
Id upgrade it to a 4gb and change to a 7,200 rpm hard drive, the Seagate Momentus or something similar

(3)ASUS Eee Box EB1501P 379e http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ASUS_Eee_Box_EB1501P_994205.html
Pretty pricey and to be honest I dont think id ever even use the disc drive, usb 3.0 and esata is nice to have but not sure if its worth it.

As for a NAS im still undecided if I really need one. Would I be able to get 1080p quality being transferred to my laptop in a different room?. If not id prob just stick to a regular hard drive as its mostly just gonna be hooked up to the HTPC connected to me TV

As for NAS, here's what im considering,

(1)Verbatim 47591 1TB Gigabit NAS LAN + USB 2 120e
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verbatim-47591-1TB-Gigabit-NAS/dp/B002OEBNHE/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1321903614&sr=1-1

(2)Netgear Stora 1TB Home Media Server 165e
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-Stora-Home-Media-Server/dp/B002SNBCSQ/ref=dp_return_2?ie=UTF8&n=340831031&s=computers

I dont too much about them so any other suggestions are greatly welcomed

If its just an external hard drive im looking at

(1) Freecom 34138 Hard Drive XS 2TB USB 3.0 163e
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freecom-34138-Hard-Drive-2TB/dp/B0034U7GDW/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1321907926&sr=1-1

(2)Western Digital Elements 2 TB External Desktop Hard Drive (USB 2.0, Black)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Elements-External-Desktop/dp/B003IPC21Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1321908079&sr=1-2

(3)Seagate Expansion 2 TB External Hard Drive, USB 2.0
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-Expansion-External-Hard-Drive/dp/B002I3BINU/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1321908079&sr=1-1

I know USB 3.0 is the future. But will 2.0 or 3.0 make any difference to playback of media. Obviously 2.0 is adequate for playing all HD media but would the transfer speed of 3.0 improve playback quality, (noob question, i know)

Any tips or recommendations are appreciated as Im knew to setting up this type of stuff. Ill say a price range of under e500 to get what I need. Ill sort out audio some other time.

Thanks

tommycahir

Have a look at this thread for some other options on a NAS

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056442364

Nagin

Thanks Tommy

The QNAP TS-212 NAS looks pretty good alright. Its a bit pricey but I suppose that's what you gotta pay for reliability

Id there any particular brand of hard drive you would recommend for it. Ill probably go for 2 x 1tb drives when I have the money. For now ill just get 1tb and use my old WD harddrive to keep things backed up

The western digital caviar blue and green decent for the price as well as the Sea gate barracuda green

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-WD1002FAEX-Caviar-Internal/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321975815&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-ST31000524AS-Barracuda-7200rpm-Buffer/dp/B004HBAGSO/ref=pd_cp_computers_1

tommycahir

Have a look at the compatibility page on the QNAP site as there are some issues with WD green drives Link

I have 2 of these (Link) running in mine at the moment in RAID 1 and only had an issue with them once where the RAID became degraded but a rebuild sorted that.
wow drive have got expensive! I got mine for £54, 6 months ago!

Also if you want to go about transfering 1080p then you MUST use a wired connection as wireless will just not hack it!

I have read some goof things on here about the Acer revo r3700 have a search and see as I think there was a big thread on the bargin alerts forum about them.

Nagin

Ya the revo 3700 is the one im going for anyway.

To be honest the price of the QNAP and then having to buy 2 drives for it is just too much. Thats nuts that the drives have nearly tripled in price since you got them.

Im considering just getting a bog standard LaCie Network Space 2 2TB Home Connected Storage
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LaCie-Network-Space-Connected-Storage/dp/B00392HE78/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1321989514&sr=1-1

No bells and whistles but should do fine. What do you think

It will be connected to the revo and my router, so with that will I be able to access files and media from my laptop thats stored on it?

Times like these I wish I was someway tech savvy :pac:

liamf

There a big global shortage of HDDs now and for the next few months (at least - possibly up to 6). HDDs will be very expensive and in very short support for the first half of next year, nothing much to be done about it.

The Revo 3700 and it's predecessors (Revo 3600 and 3610 <- I have a few of those) are perfect for media players and perfect for running XBMC. They have HDMI out and h/w accelerated HD playback and will play 1080p content with no issues at all, either from local disk or from your (wired) network. Wireless HD might work, if you have an 802.11n network. I haven't tried that TBH, I use wired networking. Older 802.11g networks definitely won't work properly for HD.

I'm a bit unclear about where the laptop fits into all this?

tommycahir

The LaCie Network Space 2 2TB Home Connected Storage seems like a decent enough product and has got alright reviews but it doesn't specify what HDD it is using so until you know that you can't be 100% sure on the reliability of it as different brands and models etc have different reliability factors.

Have you had a look at the AsusO!Play (Link)? It is a combination of media player and a NAS or the WDTV live Hub 1TB (Link)

I think the limitation with them though is that you have to only use one application at a time eg the SMB server or the media centre and not both simultanoiously and for the ASUS you also have to by a HDD.

BionicRasher

I would recommend the Asus (I got it for €280 on a special on Amazon back in March)
I have one of these little Nettop PCs and it’s the biz. http://www.asus.com/Eee/EeeBox_PC/EeeBox_PC_EB1501P/

I would recommend this one as the disk drive is really handy. I got rid of my DVD player (sold it in a carboot sale) and now I can play DVDs etc on the PC. Also handy if you have a DVD collection that you want to rip to your hard drive. The USB 3 is great and the fact that it has 6 USB ports in total and a card reader is a bonus too. Also the fact that these are a full blow PC is a bonus as I had a dedicated media player before and it was just very limited –you can go to Youtube or Vimeo or even Hulu through a VPN without any hassle and that is a real winner for me.

It’s very quiet and boots up in about 30-45 seconds. Has a TV mount, HDMI out and comes with a media centre remote control. Only issue I have is the little light on the top of the box over the power button – that blinks like mad but can be covered with a bit of tape etc if it annoys you

Currently I have the Nettop hooked up to main TV and 2 TB Seagate Portable drive attached and it will run a movie on Windows MC or Boxee app no worries. At the same time it will stream another movie to my Xbox in another room and will also stream (via the Orb application) to our Wii in the kids play room. So it really is a capable little machine.
All this is over wireless N at the moment (the wireless antenna also a bonus as it really boosts wireless strength compared to my Laptop when I test them side by side) but the house is wired and it’s just a case of getting it hooked up to improve the whole thing. Over the wireless network the Xbox and Wii can be a bit sluggish when trying to browse through my media collection but once the movie is playing its perfect - but that's down to the wireless network and not the PC

I do plan to add more RAM as it came with 2GB and can take 4GB and also hook up the 2xDVB-S and 2xDVB-T USB dongles and get the full immersed Web/Saorview DTT/Sat/Media experience on one planner/application such as Windows Media Centre and the ability to stream to the Xbox is a real bonus.

With this I should be able to watch RTE 2 HD in the main room while recording BBC HD and recording something on RTE 1 and the wife can watch Grand Designs on E4 on the Xbox and the kids can watch whatever movie they want on the Wii

I am going to throw a video of the whole thing up on Youtube at the weekend so I will post the link ASAP

Carter P Fly

Id say not to bother with all the fancy combos and get yourself a Host Windows 7 PC with as much drive space as you need, setup a streaming client on it like Plex or Tversity, throw in a tuner card or two and use your xbox 360 in extender mode.

Plex and Tversity allow you to stream the content and transcode it on the PC for formats the Xbox360 wouldn't natively support.

I suggest this setup as its using all the equipment you probably already have or can be cheaply got.

BionicRasher

Carter P Fly wrote: »

get yourself a Host Windows 7 PC with as much drive space as you need, throw in a tuner card or two and use your xbox 360 in extender mode.

is that not what OP is suggesting he should do?

Carter P Fly wrote: »

Plex and Tversity allow you to stream the content and transcode it on the PC for formats the Xbox360 wouldn't natively support.

What formats will the Xbox not support? Looks like it will do almost anything through WMC

Carter P Fly

No, That not what he was suggesting, he was suggesting getting a HTPC and a NAS, I was suggesting not getting a NAS at all and just geta PC with plenty of drive space and use it as a media server to the XBOX instead of a HTPC.

The XBOX nativly has issues with MKV,s and a lot of AVI's.

BionicRasher

Carter P Fly wrote: »

No, That not what he was suggesting, he was suggesting getting a HTPC and a NAS, I was suggesting not getting a NAS at all and just geta PC with plenty of drive space and use it as a media server to the XBOX instead of a HTPC.

Nagin wrote: »

As for a NAS im still undecided if I really need one. Would I be able to get 1080p quality being transferred to my laptop in a different room?. If not id prob just stick to a regular hard drive as its mostly just gonna be hooked up to the HTPC connected to me TV

Sorry I read it as OP suggested above he was not gone on the NAS and external drive was an option

I would also think there is no need for the NAS and just get 2GB drive to hook up to the HTPC

Carter P Fly wrote: »

The XBOX nativly has issues with MKV,s and a lot of AVI's.

I have yet to have an issue with a MKV or AVI on my Xbox 360. So I presume the decoding is going on in the PC - the quality seems good for the files I have tried so far anyway.
maybe its the codecs on the PC that are doing the work - I think I have Shark007 installed but I will check at the weekend

Cionn

I am in the market for a htpc too, the one that is catching my eye is the Lenovo q180. It will be released in the us next week, I am not sure how long it will take to get to these shores, but it's a real gimme one now, great keyboard too.

adsw

tui0hcg wrote: »

I would recommend the Asus (I got it for €280 on a special on Amazon back in March)
I have one of these little Nettop PCs and it’s the biz. http://www.asus.com/Eee/EeeBox_PC/EeeBox_PC_EB1501P/

I would recommend this one as the disk drive is really handy. I got rid of my DVD player (sold it in a carboot sale) and now I can play DVDs etc on the PC. Also handy if you have a DVD collection that you want to rip to your hard drive. The USB 3 is great and the fact that it has 6 USB ports in total and a card reader is a bonus too. Also the fact that these are a full blow PC is a bonus as I had a dedicated media player before and it was just very limited –you can go to Youtube or Vimeo or even Hulu through a VPN without any hassle and that is a real winner for me.

It’s very quiet and boots up in about 30-45 seconds. Has a TV mount, HDMI out and comes with a media centre remote control. Only issue I have is the little light on the top of the box over the power button – that blinks like mad but can be covered with a bit of tape etc if it annoys you

Currently I have the Nettop hooked up to main TV and 2 TB Seagate Portable drive attached and it will run a movie on Windows MC or Boxee app no worries. At the same time it will stream another movie to my Xbox in another room and will also stream (via the Orb application) to our Wii in the kids play room. So it really is a capable little machine.
All this is over wireless N at the moment (the wireless antenna also a bonus as it really boosts wireless strength compared to my Laptop when I test them side by side) but the house is wired and it’s just a case of getting it hooked up to improve the whole thing. Over the wireless network the Xbox and Wii can be a bit sluggish when trying to browse through my media collection but once the movie is playing its perfect - but that's down to the wireless network and not the PC

I do plan to add more RAM as it came with 2GB and can take 4GB and also hook up the 2xDVB-S and 2xDVB-T USB dongles and get the full immersed Web/Saorview DTT/Sat/Media experience on one planner/application such as Windows Media Centre and the ability to stream to the Xbox is a real bonus.

With this I should be able to watch RTE 2 HD in the main room while recording BBC HD and recording something on RTE 1 and the wife can watch Grand Designs on E4 on the Xbox and the kids can watch whatever movie they want on the Wii

I am going to throw a video of the whole thing up on Youtube at the weekend so I will post the link ASAP

Hi tui0hcg. Would be really interested in seeing that Video on Youtube. Did you throw it up ?

BionicRasher

adsw wrote: »

Hi tui0hcg. Would be really interested in seeing that Video on Youtube. Did you throw it up ?

Yup - videos are up alright (please ignore the mish mash style and flicker from the 2 old tv's I currently have!!)

First one shows the nettop pc hooked up to the main TV
http://youtu.be/YcrD6FY_Yr8?hd=1

Then I have a little bit on the Xbox (runs as an extender from WMC so you get the exact same interface on the Xbox as you can see on the main PC) and finally a Wii running ORB
http://youtu.be/DllEqUgQEpM?hd=1

Still playing around a bit on my final set up and working on getting Router/Switch next to main TV as thats where all ethernet cables terminate. Also looking at getting a DVB-T and DVB-S dongle for the PC so we can stream live TV through WMC to main TV and Xbox (funds required so its on hold for a while:( but will post set up again when I make changes)

adsw

tui0hcg wrote: »

Yup - videos are up alright (please ignore the mish mash style and flicker from the 2 old tv's I currently have!!)

First one shows the nettop pc hooked up to the main TV
http://youtu.be/YcrD6FY_Yr8?hd=1

Then I have a little bit on the Xbox (runs as an extender from WMC so you get the exact same interface on the Xbox as you can see on the main PC) and finally a Wii running ORB
http://youtu.be/DllEqUgQEpM?hd=1

Still playing around a bit on my final set up and working on getting Router/Switch next to main TV as thats where all ethernet cables terminate. Also looking at getting a DVB-T and DVB-S dongle for the PC so we can stream live TV through WMC to main TV and Xbox (funds required so its on hold for a while:( but will post set up again when I make changes)

Thanks for the links - Nice Setup. Just got a Samsung Smart TV yesterday (40d5520) so trying to get the most out of it and get connected

Cheers

Adrian