Stuff for HTPC

The list of front end software provided by HTPC news, I think, may be outdated. It indicates that Windows Media Centre Edition can only be had on prebuilt media centres.

You can now buy oem versions of WMCE.
 
Jiffylush said:
That should keep the interested newb occupied for a while :)

Nice collection of info
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No way... you know what that did? It intimidated me so much that I'm convinced NOT to build an HTPC!! Holy crap, that's a laundry list of stuff to do, and things to buy.. forget it!
 
geckoman said:
No way... you know what that did? It intimidated me so much that I'm convinced NOT to build an HTPC!! Holy crap, that's a laundry list of stuff to do, and things to buy.. forget it!
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It's not too bad, you just have to remember that the software you want to use (and plently of use have our suggestions for what to check out) alot of the time dictate your hardware choices. I'm sure if you post a thread people will post suggestions for software and hardware to help you out.

Hell, I've built a few custom HTPCs for people who didn't want to deal with it for a modest fee. If you'd like to have one but don't want to go through the entire process PM me and I can do one for you too.
 
VGA -> Component Output Adapter

This example uses CAT5 to hold all three signals, but you can substitute in your favorite high frequency low loss cable instead.

Note: This adapter will work on most nviida cards and some radeon cards. If anyone has a list of what is compatible with this technique please post a follow up to this.
 
I'll admit, my curiosity is piqued, but where's the "Why build a HTPC" linkage? :)
 
jreffy said:
I'll admit, my curiosity is piqued, but where's the "Why build a HTPC" linkage? :)
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Because it allows you to manage and handle all of your media as well as acting as an upscaling DVD player if you so choose. The one area (and it's getting bigger) where an HTPC falls nearly flat is when it comes to HDTV content, currently we're limited to OTA broadcasts. The release of Vista will bring Cablecard support (as well as whatever Dish has cooked up for the Sat market) but that will only apply to OEM systems, you won't be able to DIY for a while.

But yeah, I'm happy with upscaling DVDs and the other media files I have as well as having access to my music in the living room and such. If you've got some spare parts (they have to be decent though) then it isn't much of an investment to build one yourself. Hell, you could build a decent one for around $500 for just the hardware.
 
steeltoe said:
Great stuff. There are a lot of dead links though.
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after 2 years the content wouldn't even be current even if they did work...
 
Teknikallysekure said:
Despite some of the links being off... there's a lot of valid information but most of the guides were written in 2004.

I don't know how valid it all is anymore. Is anyone updating any of this stuff?
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Some of the links still have valid info, some of them are outdated, and others are still being updated. I just haven't had the time to go through and update all of the links yet.
 
Link is old and pretty useless now. I came here for help and it didn't help me any. NUKE IT!:)
 
Yea, I came here hoping to find any information regarding my non-functioning hp remote, or maybe suggestions for alternatives (not that I want the hardware to beat me).

Updates to this section would really be useful.
 
any updates on the links or are they still outdated? also, anyone have any experience with windows vista 64 and a pctv hdtv usb 2.0 tuner stick? some companies that make these are hauppage and pinnacle systems, however i'm not sure what the user experience is with these products and their compatibility with vista64.
 
mempho_to_diego said:
any updates on the links or are they still outdated? also, anyone have any experience with windows vista 64 and a pctv hdtv usb 2.0 tuner stick? some companies that make these are hauppage and pinnacle systems, however i'm not sure what the user experience is with these products and their compatibility with vista64.
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C...Evil made some updates on 12/18, but I don't know if he updated all of those links.
 
I found this very detailed and helpful for a Linux HTPC. Titled: "The Linux HTPC Howto"

Was made in 2003 and updated until 2006, so it might be a little out of date by now. Site also just went offline but thankfully you can still read it b/c of google's cache.

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cach...+to&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a


Here's also a very long forum guide including all kinds of hardware for an HTPC:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972

[edit:]Great news. I'm working on Linux right now for my HTPC(since openbsd doesn't seem to have much support in that dept.) and MythBuntu and KnoppMyth seem like two easy ways to do it right now. It's MythTV added to Ubuntu or Debian distros, so it's supposed to be as simple as pop in the disc, install, and you're basically good to go. I'm running into issues right now with integrated Ati graphics, so that's something to be aware of(x1250 on 690g chipset). I'm going to see if I can get around it by using the official Ati drivers over the open source default ones, or by installing a cheapo Nvidia 6200le.
 
I found this link quite helpful. It's a rundown of what's available if you want to use your HTPC as a PVR and don't want to use the software that's supplied with the tuner card.
 
I have a question.
We have comcast cable at my house with a ton of channels (1-999). Is there a tv tuner card that will allow me to watch them all? I've read that I can't use ppv, and that is no problem.
Thanks in advance!
 
Vinnard said:
I have a question.
We have comcast cable at my house with a ton of channels (1-999). Is there a tv tuner card that will allow me to watch them all? I've read that I can't use ppv, and that is no problem.
Thanks in advance!
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Check out the CableCard links.
 
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