Search the Community

Which build would you choose for this. AMD or Intel? Intel Build: PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mdrHFd CPU: Intel - Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard: ASRock - H110M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) Memory: Crucial - 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($60.98 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.99 @ Amazon) Case: Silverstone - ML05B HTPC Case ($45.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: Silverstone - 300W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon) Case Fan: Noctua - NF-S12B redux-1200 59.1 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.49 @ OutletPC) Case Fan: Noctua - NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.85 @ OutletPC) Case Fan: Noctua - NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.85 @ OutletPC) Total: $417.12 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-23 17:16 EDT-0400 AMD Build: PCPartPicker parts list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bCD3JV CPU: AMD - A10-7700K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($88.88 @ OutletPC) Motherboard: MSI - A68HI AC Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard ($76.99 @ Amazon) Memory: Crucial - 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.88 @ OutletPC) Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.99 @ Amazon) Case: Silverstone - ML05B HTPC Case ($45.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: Silverstone - 300W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon) Case Fan: Noctua - NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM 59.1 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.89 @ OutletPC) Case Fan: Noctua - NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.85 @ OutletPC) Case Fan: Noctua - NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.85 @ OutletPC) Total: $399.31 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-23 17:08 EDT-0400 Both PC's are able to view 4K video through the HDMI port. The AMD Motherboard has a intergraded WiFi as well as onboard ethernet, I wouldn't know which PC to choose to be honest. It is a pretty barebones PC able to do the job and do it well. Of course it will look different for someone with different needs but looks to be about exactly what you need for a media center PC with out breaking the bank.

Hi everyone I just got a 4k projector that I plan to set it up in my living room, I also have a semi beasty desktop in my home office and a HTC Vive. Is there a practical way to utilize this desktop in my Livingroom (without moving it)? I want to utilize the HVC vive in the Livingroom along with the projector for guests watchers. My home office desktop would have no issue powering a setup like this but I want to somehow utilize this without moving the hole desktop in to the livingroom, is there a good solution out there that I have not considered? If not, I will need to consider just getting another beasty desktop that will act as my media station/ Livingroom gaming station. Any ideas anyone?

Hello LTT forums! So I got my first NAS with ZyXEL's NAS326 that I've been setting up and messing around with for a while now and am really liking so far. Originally I just planned to use it as a more advanced backup storage than my old HDD connected through a USB dock, but while messing around I kinda ended up uploading all my parent's old movies as a safe keeping method, but after I also connected my mother's smartphone to it so she can watch them anywhere I got the urge to go even further and started looking into a WiFi based HTPC for them to use on their TV. After checking out reviews, guides, benchmarks and my local retail offerings since there are only a few RPi retailers in Hugnary I came up with this setup as a first try. Raspberry Pi 3A+ https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-a-plus/ It's just as powerful at the 3B+, but I have no "real" use for wired Ethernet or extra USB ports so this compact little thing is more appealing. Also it might be "too much" for just an HTPC/streaming box and maybe a Pi Zero would be enough, but if it doesn't work out in the end I'd want to have the overhead in case I want to use it for something else. The official 3A+ case https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-a-case/ Personally I love this design, but I'm getting it mainly because I can't get anything else that fits the 3A+. The official Pi power brick https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-universal-power-supply/ They say that the Pi 3 is power hungry and might not work off of just any USB plug or adapter and since the fixed EU plug isn't sold separately I have to go with this one. Things that I'm not sure about are: - System compatibility Probably going to install OSMC to run Kodi without the extra hassle of keeping a full distro running or having to mess with keeping things updated, but is there anything that would cause a problem? The lack of the Ethernet port, memory being limited to 512Mb, WiFi not being strong enough to stream off of NAS or it just doesn't support connecting to a LAN NAS out of the box or the likes? - Cooling The case I can get has no ventilation what so ever so even if I got a set of heat sinks they might not help, but if they do are there any meaningful differences between all the sets they sell online? Is there a point to buying one of those single copper blocks compared to a dozen of those aluminium grills they sell in bulks? Same with those flat copper plates that are meant for the chip on the underside of the board. I just don't want it to fry in case my mother wants to re-watch all the seasons of GoT in summer... or just general problems with thermal throttling. - Control I can guess that there are a lot of options for controlling or at least connecting to the Pi, but the ideal thing would be to use a remote. Heck, the shop I'm looking at sells a mini remote with the Pi's own IR sensor, but again the case has no holes for it so I'm kinda bummed out about that. Are there any HDMI passthrough options that could allow the Pi to use the TV as a sensor or something? I know about CEC and our Panasonic actually supports it with Viera Link, but so far I got the impression that that's about the system being able to control other devices and not "detect" the remote through a device. Did I get that wrong? Luckily most things about RPi are quite straight forward by now and after just a few guides and store listings I'm pretty confident I'd be able to set things up, but what I'd be interested in is anyone that has any experience with some of the pitfalls and maybe help with these questions I had. Also I'd just like to have this thread be here in case someone else thinks about doing the same and would like to find people talking about it. I know I would've loved to find something about this before.

Did someone say bad ideas? because someone should have when i started the plans for this thing... just over 2 years ago i built "NOX", my bedside media center pc. it's since then seen an SSD upgrade, windows 10, and some minor tweaks. now... about a month or so ago i decided that NOX had some shortcomings, and while the RGB was a funny joke it sort of grew old. based on these shortcomings, and the ultimate bad idea of custom pc stuff, i set to work on NOXv2. the mindblowing spec list: - asrock QQ1900M (motherboard with soldered celeron from 2013) - 8GB RAM i had laying around - fanless MSI GT1030 - kingston A400 120GB SSD - BeQuiet pure power 10 - 300W - a fully custom case that's basicly a black box. - some special sauce The idea: the concept i am going for is a truly minimalist computer, both in design and use. along the way i had the absolutely ridiculous idea to implement a system with "cartridges" (smart cards with i2c memory) to launch and close programs, much like the concept of olden day consoles. i'm starting out this thread with a proof of concept build, at least proving that my absolutely RIDICULOUS idea will work: deciding required volume, getting the panels made, test-fitting, a rough "draft" of the back panel, and some inside shots. also, surprisingly, the airlfow setup in this box actually works: the psu fan is the only fan of the system, exhausting trough the vent of the power supply, pulling air in past the cpu heatsink, all the way around the GPU, trough the MSI logo in the GPU's bracket. This magically keeps the box cool enough, and is barely audible even in a quiet room. The software: if you made it all the way here, congrats. if you hadnt noticed already, i've planned to fudge some software together to make the cartridge idea work. the first idea was to hook the card reader (arduino micro) into the on-board serial port, but that fell trough pretty fast, so the current "proof of concept" is just using the USB serial port. the general idea of the cartridge system is as follows: each card has 256 bytes of storage, and contains two commands: byte 0 to 128: the "start command" to be executed when the card is inserted byte 128 to 256: the "exit command" to be executed when the card is removed the idea is that the "start command" starts up a specific game, where possible with a specific savegame, and the "exit command" gets you back to the desktop after removing the card. i've been debating to switch that to something that doesnt require software on the computer's end, using the arduino's "hello i'm a keyboard" options. some other things i want to change are its current dependency on a modified library to work with the 256byte cards i'm using, and the currently hardcoded locations for the two commands. either way, as it stands, the arduino code for the reader, in the mess that it is in at the moment: besides the arduino code, i'm planning on using some off the shelf options for vareous functions: - chatty for twitch streams (the cpu absolutely hates the twitch website, for reasons i havent quite figured out) - steam for games, obviously - retroarch for all emulator stuff - kodi for all media center stuff - maybe some windows 10 apps, perhaps? The To-Do list: - finish the cutouts on the back panel, so that usb devices actually fit. - decide on a place for the card reader to go (ideas are welcome..) - glue together the panels of the case that dont need to go apart - actually put a power button on the system - finish the card reader software (arduino stuff) - figure out how to best make the card reader interface with the system - possibly reducing some of the cable bulk on the power supply

Hi everyone, Like the title says I'm looking to build a media center for my RV which runs on solar. As far as specs go I'm not too concerned as long as I can play HD content from an SSD drive without buffering. The most important part here is going to be the power draw. I don't really want to turn on and off my system and wait for boot up every time I want to watch a movie so it would be great to leave it on stand by without killing my battery. So far I'm thinking that a Raspberry Pi 4 connected to an SSD drive would basically do the trick here (for one TV at least). I have two TV's so I'm not sure if this is going to be the best solution. Any input here would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure someone here has designed a system with solar power in mind. Thanks

I want to build a cheap and small media centre for my Tv that runs on windows. I already picked up the UHD-friendly BR-Drive ASUS BC-12D2HT in a sale, now I just need everything else to go around it. Yes, I know, "just buy a dedicated BluRay-Player" will be a recurring answer, but I would really like to have an actual Pc at my Tv. And no, I don't want to RIP the BluRays. Also, it would be neat to know what the actual requirements are to play a 4k-HDR-BluRay on a Pc.

The pc is going to be a media center in a living room. Purely video streaming and movie viewing. It's for a senior man, so no gaming at all. i3 9100, 16GB of RAM. Do I need to buy a didicated gpu for 4k, or will the integrated gpu be sufficient? Thank you.

Hi guys, how's going around... I have dilemma for my self and questions: Are HTPC relevant in 2018... I was thinking on building one just for fun... But knowing how many pre build set-up boxes are out there, with all the capabilities of 4k, all the apps (Hulu, Netflix etc..)... And looking from user perspective, they are really friendly and have no need of high knowledge of configuration and maintenance like hardware running Kodi or etc... Second question is all about remotes... Small keyboards, all the Chinese remotes, they are kinda weird to use, and some times have too much stuff on them or just inconvenient to use. Personally I found The Greatest innovation and also Failure the Steam controller as my saviour (No offense) I really love it... But combining it with other systems or applications is bit.. how to say tricky... Just reminder.. real question is are they relevant in these days... T. EDIT_1 - I found old topic here from 2015 not much interesting stuff up there...

I was wondering if there was an alternative that people like to mediacenter for windows 10. Using it for TV

i'm gonna start off with a quick "state of things" to explain where i'm at: my current home server is an acer aspire TC-603 with an i7 4770, a GT640 with 4GB VRAM, and a whole range of other janky oem components. when my old home server no longer sufficed this thing kinda became the "temporary solution" (because in all honesty, i've been waiting on AMD zen to build my new server...) because OEM garbage is well.. garbage, a few modifications had to be done: - soldered extra sata power plugs onto the mobo (yes, that's where sata power comes from) - janky-mounted an extra fan to the front as an intake - made a hard drive mount out of nothing but neopreen and double sided tape because nothing else fit - some horrible, horrible cable bodges to make everything work together recently both the cpu fan and gpu fan have been acting up, and i'm tired of keeping this disaster alive. brings us to new things, and the details about my specific use case: this machine does kinda triple duty for me: - file storage (currently on a mixture of refurb drives held in with tape) - media center, its basicly hooked up to my tv to watch livestreams / (every so often also some very slight gaming, not to the point it matters in terms of the parts) - on and off gameserver duty, never anything public, rarely more than two players. beyond that, some further requirements: - quietness, at idle this thing should basicly be dead silent. the hard drives should be in propper antivibration mounts, etc. - energy efficiency, because power is stupidly expensive here, with all crystal balls pointing towards an even darker future. (there's actually a proposal on the table in belgium to raise power cost to ~ 40 cents per kwh.) - durability & reliability, this thing will need to last an extended amount of time. so.. currently the plan is along these lines: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (€308.08 @ Amazon Deutschland) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D9L 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler (€49.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) Motherboard: MSI B150 PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€87.49 @ Amazon Deutschland) Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€154.89 @ Amazon Deutschland) Storage: Crucial BX200 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€65.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) Storage: Crucial BX200 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€65.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) Storage: Seagate Archive 8TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive (€259.94 @ Mindfactory) Storage: Seagate Enterprise NAS 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€179.42 @ Amazon Deutschland) Storage: Seagate Enterprise NAS 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€179.42 @ Amazon Deutschland) Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case (€95.89 @ Amazon Deutschland) Power Supply: Fractal Design Newton R3 600W 80+ Platinum Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€154.31 @ Amazon Deutschland) Total: €1599.78 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-13 16:22 CEST+0200 - the i7 is probably overkill, but sometimes the 4770 i have now comes in real handy, so i'll probably stick to that idea unless AMD zen can blow me away before my old server "blows me away" - noctua cooler, i mostly went for this one because every time i'm on PCPP it draws my attention, and i just want to try it... - i honestly have no idea what mobo would be good for my server build, all my past servers were kinda recycled builds, so i did with what i had. - 32GB ram, WAY overkill, but i'm sure i'll use that at some point knowing my ramhogness (the choice will be either 1x 16GB or 2x 16GB sticks, since i want to keep the option of going the full 64GB without tossing sticks) - boot SSD, mostly to keep things snappy, and seperate from file storage (which is currently only partially true) - secondary SSD mostly for software that is not linux packages (i'll probably end up putting /home on there) - 2x 3TB drives that'll be mirrored in some way for redundant data storage - 1x 8TB archive drive as a secondary backup, one of these 3 before mentioned drives will most likely be placed in a secondary backup rig at some point to reduce points of failure - i have even less of an idea what case to get. i really want to buy a second define R5, or transplant my main system to a define S, but i would prefer the desktop formfactor for my server. - that newton R3 power supply.. has been on my server pcpp list since i first started making plans for a new rig, before skylake launched so.. few questions (social experiment, mention the word "potato" in your reply if you're still reading) - if anyone has that noctua cooler, how is it? - are there better mobo's to get? - should i bother with a low power gpu? it'd probably be in the same range as the GT640 i have now, since i really dont need more in this rig. i'd mostly get it for the display outputs. (if so, in all seriousness, pros / cons for either amd or nvidia with linux.) - how terrible is that case? i've considered going fully custom, but i dont have the time or energy for that atm. should i go for a define R5 instead, and are there other options to consider? - any other remarks for the specific parts or ideas? EDIT: forgot to mention, location is offcourse belgium, and budget is *not quite* set in stone, but i'd prefer to keep it roughly around before mentioned build.

Hello fellow ltt I am in the middle of setting up a media server, with Kodi(XBMC) and i am bit lost in what addons i need, so if you have any suggestions pls write ps sorry for bad english

Hello Guys, A couple of days ago my hyper x cloud 2 broke so i took it to the warranty and they told me they didnt have any on stock that i could wait till they have it or i can use the same amount of money to buy any other product in the store. So as im almost sure they are going to take months till they have that same headset on stock i want to use the money to build a media center for my living room, and i found a very cheap combo in this store. http://store.xellers.com.ar/productos/gabinetes-25/sentey-mini-itx-ss5-2514-450w/ CASE http://store.xellers.com.ar/productos/combos-de-actualizacion-27/combo-de-actualizacin-amd-sempron-2650-gigabytega-am1m-s2h-4gb-2/ Combo I know its a very cheap and old hardware but as I only want this to watch netflix and other media type things, I dont think its going to be a problem. I wanted to know if any of you guys knew how bad this build can be. Thanks in advance.

Hello, after spending hours looking for the solution online, I've come here to get some ideas. Basically I don't have any experience with virtualization, so I mostly need someone to point me in the right direction and to give me the "Dos and dont's" on the subject. I'd like to turn my desktop PC in two stations: 1st station - Gaming/Work station 2nd station - Media center/NAS I'd like both to have a separate set of inputs (keyboard, mouse, optionally network) and dedicated outputs (video, audio, can do both via HDMI). By dedicated outputs I mean every station using the exact output. If possible, I'd like both to be able to access the internal and external storage disks. Gaming/Work station would run windows (7 or 10) and Media center/NAS would run Ubuntu (or some other Linux distro). Now, before you point me to Linus' multistation build/tutorial videos, let me note that I've seen and considered using Unraid, but I'd still like to explore my options and have someone say "Unraid is the way to go" or "Unraid is just not going to cut it for you". I tried the simplest approach - using VirtualBox - but I didn't see this kind of virtualization come anywhere close to what I want. My current rig specs are: Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5 CPU: Intel i7-4790K RAM: 16GB (2x 8GB DDR3) Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX750 Ti Disks 240GB SSD (sata3; main OS) 120GB SSD (sata3; used to be Ubuntu, now meant for the Media center/NAS) 4 internal storage disks (sata3) 4 external storage disks (2x USB2.0, 2x USB3.0) OS: 64-bit Windows 7 Hardware upgrades are acceptable. Questions are: Can I even make this work? Would I need two graphics cards in order to truly separate and dedicate the outputs? Could this be done by Media center/NAS station using onboard graphics? Would Unraid be suitable for this? What are the alternatives or more suitable solutions? Would it make more sense to just build another PC for Media center/Nas? Any kind of thoughts, suggestions and pointers are welcome and appreciated

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ngNDpg Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ngNDpg/by_merchant/ CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.99 @ Amazon) Motherboard: MSI H110I Pro Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Amazon) Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($17.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($42.95 @ Amazon) Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case ($47.97 @ Amazon) Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon) Total: $278.88 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-20 21:53 EDT-0400 Yeah, this would probably end up being something just for browsing the web and watching movies - could hook it up to a television. Although I'd honestly like to know if I could do some light gaming with it if I hooked up a GTX 950?

I'm in serious need of a project. I used to love tinkering with servers, but I've been doing software since I got out of college. As such, I'm looking to build an "all in one" home server. My current plans are to use XenServer to virtualize pfSense and Ubuntu. The reason for pfSense is pretty obvious, and I will be using Ubuntu for Samba, Plex, and other general server related tasks (project hosting, SSH tunneling, etc.) I do not need Plex to transcode, as I will more than likely just hook it straight into my TV, but I wouldn't mind having the overhead to do so just in case. As for storage, I will be starting out small. I will be using a SSD for the OS, but I will be adding some NAS rated drives as I need space. The SSD needs to be included in the budget, but the HDDs do not. I already have a case, so it does not have to be included in the budget. I don't need any peripherals either. I have an Enermax Liberty 500W PSU left over from a build almost ten years ago. It looks like a pretty solid piece, so could it be used in this build or will I need to buy new? The case I have will fit a full-sized ATX motherboard, but I will be buying a new case eventually. I'm hoping to get something in a smaller form factor, but it's not really a necessity.I'm not set on whether or not I want to overclock. I do, but after you get a K-series CPU and an aftermarket cooler, it's probably going to eat up $80-100 of the budget. If I will see significant improvements, I will do it, though. While picking the motherboard and other components is something I can do myself, I'm open to suggestions. The biggest problem I am going to have is deciding on a CPU. I'm not really sure what kind of processing power I need for this box. I am completely open to suggestions for any and all components, though. Thanks, Michael

I have been given a PC with the following specs... Acer Aspire M3400 Athlon II X3 245 2.7Ghz 3GB DDR II Ram Onboard ATI 4000 series grapics Windows 7. I have replaced the ram and now running 16GB, and i have also put in an ATI 6670 2GB that i had laying around which i will use the HDMI for connecting to TV. I have also upgraded to Windows 10 Home and its running on a 240GB Sandisk Ultra II SSD. My question is this, do i require any other software for using this as a Media Center and if so can u recommend please. Thanks.

Hey Linus and community! So I'm working on what started as an HTPC, but has since evolved into my own pet project Hobbie and I'm looking for unique 5.25 bay devices. I have found a few but other than the typical fan controllers and media card readers they're rather hard to find. I would like to find something unique yet useful, so none of that gimmicky stuff like cigarette lighter/cup holder, or storage drawers etc.. If possible would like to find something along the lines of htpc media controllers, recording interfaces, or really anything that could be used frequently with a decided purpose. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone, been thinking about doing this for a while now. Let's just say i never really had the balls to ask for an opinion on this from all of you. It is after all my pet project which i really do think is awesome and literally use every day. Before i show you some screenshots of it, i think it's best if i explain what the idea behind it was. Because most of you use something a lot more flashy and bling bling looking like media portal or kodi or whatever they're all called. I've tried most of them and always had something to complain about. Things like playback and sound issues. My program looks like this partly because i don't know how to create something so flashy . But mostly because i don't really care about that sort of thing. I wanted something that worked fast and easy, because all the program is really good for is getting to my media files and playing them. It can be controlled mostly with the mouse, but i don't have any mouse or keyboard connected to my HTPC (only as a back up which i never need). It is controlled entirely with the keyboard for the reason that i use a microsoft MCE remote on which i have rebinded all the keys as i need them. So here's a few screenshots of how it looks. First thing you'll notice is that there are no borders or anything. This could be running on any OS, but it is running on windows. It won't work on anything else. The program has no capability of playing any media what so ever. I use only external programs. Why? Simply because that way i (or anyone else for that matter) can use whatever program i like. Except for steam obviously , which is simply launched in big picture mode when you press that icon. Emulators can be launched after they have been setup in an options menu (need to set program and rom locations). This is the way the series map USED to look (more on that later). Just an example of how it looks when you open any folder. Before you start anything, i own most of these on bluray/dvd so please don't start a pirating debate. Oh and all these folders are on my file server not on the HTPC. This is a series folder as it used to look. Any folder with media files in them looks like this. Yeah i know, GoT downloads... who hasn't got them? The thing here i really needed was the date part. All other programs i used just showed an icon indicating that the file was played. Well i'm the sort of person that re watches stuff so that icon is useless to me. So this will show the last date the file was played. After a while (over a year actually) of using the program like this and also checking XBMC again (was still called that back then). I really like the part of the pictures of the tv-shows and movies it has. So that was something i wanted to. After a few days of coding later i added that bit to the program. But only for tv-shows. Then the series part looked like this. All of this is downloaded from a website which provides this through their API (http://www.thetvdb.com). New episodes and tv-shows can be added and the stuff downloaded with the press of 1 button and a little bit of time. There is a progress bar and everything that shows what its doing. This by the way is working A LOT better that what i have seen from XBMC. which really messed up a lot of things when going through my series folder. Getting the wrong shows and the wrong episode names, and worse of all not a chance of fixing it so it gets the correct information. I have made it so i can fix that stuff from the options menu. It's a little more trouble to go through (need to get the right tv-show id from the website) but it removes some constraints on the names of the folders. Currently i am changing a lot of stuff in the program. It used to use ini files to keep all the data. Which was reaching ridiculous levels with the played dates reaching over 4500 entries. So i have been rebuilding the data part to use mysql (which i have also running on my server). It's easier to manage. I am also adding the movies part with pictures and information. That data will come from IMDB because the code for getting that information i've already build and can re-use here. I can show that when it's finished if there's anyone that wants to see that. Now what i wanted to know is, what do you think about this? Would you ever use this or is it not awesome looking enough? Do you agree with me about the looks of XBMC etc being not all that necessary and just slowing things down? And if you would want to use this, anything missing you would want it to have? anything else you want to know about this? Just ask! ps. Be as brutal as you want. If all of this sucks, that's fine. It's awesome for me which is really all that matters to me, just want to know if anyone else likes it. pss. sorry for the long post thx for reading

Before reading I am doing this becasue I can't use my original product key on this version and I need your help I did something really stupid yesterday,in an attempt install to windows media center and now I have windows 8.1 media center edition Now I have 2 choice Reinstall (Huge process,I rather illegally reactivate,which I am not doing) Or this http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/16077-media-center-remove-go-back-windows-8-pro.html I am directly going to jump to windows 8.1 pro rather than window 8 (That is an old article<2012>) But that image that I am supposed to refer is for windows 8, So I need somebody"using w8.1 pro" to give me a screenshot of their registry containing that part and blur out Ids or anything Located here I need to look at those parts squared in red,to make sure something and that's all. I got myself to calm down by listening to some music and this is the last time I will do something illegal related to windows.

Hello all, I have an older desktop PC that I do not use very often. I have been using my Macbook Pro as my main workstation. As of last week I picked up a brand new TV and have setup this desktop PC as a media center sending video to the TV via HDMI and music or all sound for that mater to my stereo system. The PC at the moment is having issue playing video with a resolution larger then 780p, a good bit of stuttering. I notice this from both youtube and twitch streaming video. What I would like to do is upgrade this existing PC for better performance. Have a feeling upgrading the video card will provided the biggest increase in performance so I am posing it here. Though I am also open to upgrading other components. Here are its current specs as well as the TV I have purchased: Motherboard Manufacturer: Asus Model: P5n-E SLI Chipset: Nvidia nForce 650i SLI Graphic Interface: PCI-Express (Link Width x4) (Max Supported x16) CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40GHz Memory 4gigs of DDR2 400Mhz Video Card Radeon HD 5770 TV Sceptre U500CV-UMK 49" 4K Ultra HD 60Hz Class LED HDTV ------ The TV is capable of 4K playback, though I have a feeling my current setup even after upgrades would not be capable. Am I wrong? Note that it will only be used for video playback and music, not gaming. Any advice would be super helpful. Thanks! PS. @LinusMediaGroup - <3

Hello, What do you think of these parts for a HTPC? The HTPC will not be used for gaming, it will be used for watching videos, looking at pictures, listening to music and streaming movies and episodes from Netflix. Is the parts listed compatible? Are the parts capable of outputting HD Video? http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/dtG4jX Thanks in advance.

Hi I have recently built a Gaming rig but have a lot of spare parts from old PCs laying around and intend to put them to work on 3 "new" systems: -htpc (to connect to my 46" sony bravia(full hd-no3d)) * no tv tuner * max storage 60 gb (maybe ssd) * no blu-ray * plan to use OPEN ELEC with XBMC and remote. * HD videos playback (1080p) * quite and sleek * not going to be ON all day, just when needed. -home server/media server (p2p sharing, storage, print server) * lot of storage say 2tb is OK * always on so LOW power consumption * low noise * ubuntu server with vnc. * no monitor for most of the time except during manteinance -second PC (linux,general tasks,don't know exactly, maybe mom will use it from time to time..SUGGESTIONS PLEASE ) Also will do this awesome case mod... http://www.totalgeekdom.com/?p=683 Here's an inventory of the main parts: MOBOs: asus P5Q-PRO http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1902_5.html asus A8N-SLI http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1503_1.html asus A7-N8X http://www.motherboards.org/files/manuals/1/e1177_a7n8x.pdf http://www.motherboards.org/mobot/motherboards_d/asus/a7n8x-x/gygabyte GA-7S741M nothing found asus P5B http://www.motherboards.org/mobot/motherboards_d/ASUS/P5B/ asus K8V-MX http://www.motherboards.org/mobot/motherboards_d/ASUS/K8V-MX/ Video/Audio cards: creative labs ct4810 http://www.manualowl.com/m/Creative%20Labs/CT4810/Manual/242724 asus video card http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/A9200SETD128M/specifications/ radeon http://peakspec.blogspot.it/2006/07/radeon-x1300-256mb-64bit-ddr2-pci-e.html samsung galaxy http://www.chip.de/preisvergleich/44846/Datenblatt-Galaxy-GF-6600GT-128MB.html Fans and CPU Coolers: DSO7015R12L 70 mm E41759002 socket 1156/55 (x2) E368101 socket 775 F09A12b3s1 socket 775 zalman quiet cpu cooler socket unknown Gelid silent 120mm (x2) cpu cooler-cooler master cpu cooler- socket 1150 cpu cooler -unknown Ram: DDR DIMM 256mb 400 mhz (x6) VDATA 1gb 400mhz DDR2 512mb 533 mhz pc4200 (x2) corsair xm2 DDR2 1gb 800mhz (x2) corsair xm3 DD3 4gb/8gb (don't know if 2x4 written on the module means IT has 8gb or the KIT it was in has) 1333 mhz (maybe not working...need to check) CPU: Athlon XP Pentium 4 Core 2 Duo Athlon 64 http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/AMD-Athlon%2064%203200+%20-%20ADA3200DIK4BI%20(ADA3200BIBOX).html PSU(s): 500 watt non modular 450 watt non modular 550 watt non modular 300 watt non modular Drives: Floppy (x2) DVD-ROM IDE DVD-RW IDE DVD-RW IDE Accessories: Display LCD http://www.datasheetdir.com/16T202DA1E+download sata expansion card http://www.mmui.com.cn/en/product_details177.html 3 plain-looking cases (2 grey-1 black) but they WILL be modded. Also have all cables and random stuff like mobo speakers,q connectors, bay covers and screws and a lot more. My budget for this build go with the quote "LESS IS MORE" so the more I can salvage from this inventory the better but keeping it under 150-170EUR including all extras (remote for htpc, maybe video card(s) and whatever you suggest) is a must. Please help with these builds

Hi all, Just looking for some suggestions for a ideal graphics card for a media center pc. The system will only be used as media center pc and no gaming. The pc will be running on my 42" LG full HD which will be upgraded once 4k prices drop in a few years times (will upgrade the graphic card also then). Not sure if I need a major graphics card for this and would sooner save myself the money and not have a card that is too good for the needs of the system. Thanks for the help.

This is my first post, so I might as well jump right in to the deep end. I've always wanted one of these cubes, and luckily managed to pick this up on eBay for only £50. It's in really good condition and the sliding mechanism for the core works perfectly too so it will work completely like stock. This build will be for my media center which will connect to my TV in the lounge, and I can use it to browse the web, watch TV shows and movies from my server, as well as stream stuff like iPlayer and Sky Go. The spec will be as follows: Motherboard: Asus Z87I-PRO or Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI. I haven't decided on this one yet, but I want the one that's most power efficient really. Need to find some reviews for these. CPU: Intel Core i3 4330T. Decided on this one because it has a 35W TDP and the higher end (if you can call it that) onboard GPU, the HD 4600. CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i. I've always been a big fan of Noctua due to the product quality and implementation, and this one should keep the Haswell nice and cool. RAM: 4GB DDR1600. Got plenty lying around and this isn't a crazy gaming machine so it'll be more than enough. PSU: Seasonic SS-250SU 250W. Really nice small form factor PSU, will fit snugly inside the cube's core and made by a very reputable brand. Here are some pictures of the Cube itself and the internals after all the original stuff was stripped away. The black heatsink in the center has to remain to some extent, as it's integrated with the slider mechanism and I definitely want to keep that functionality. I'll probably cut most of it away and just leave 1cm at the top joining the 2 sides to preserve some rigidity. Looking forward to getting this build underway, but it'll be a couple of weeks till I update this again as I'm 2 weeks away from moving house so I'm very busy as you can imagine. I'll leave you with some really poor quality iPhone 4 pictures of the Cube. It looks yellow due to the awful lighting in this room, but in person it looks silver and great quality. It's going to take quite a bit of modding to get this all fit in as a Mini-ITX board is too wide by about 1 or 2mm, as well as removing the old IO holes and replacing that section with aluminium mesh. I'll also have to cut out a new rectangle on the other side for the IO shield for the new motherboard. Can't wait to get cracking on this.

Hey everyone, here's my deal. My intentions I have a ton of CDs - I'd like to have access to them without searching and searching for this specific copy of some symphony or whatever...you get the idea. I have too much music to handle in physical formats. I have a constantly increasing collection of videos - This is slightly more manageable than the music situation, but most of it is already digital. I just need to keep this somewhere. Here's where it gets a little interesting. I want to cut cable television and completely rely on streaming/my personal media collection for my household. I have netflix right now, and use it often enough. I have been considering using hulu plus in addition to this for the added content availability, as well as something like amazon prime. I still have to compare what these services offer in comparison with each other. I have espn 3 for sports through my cable internet provider, too. I want to keep PBS content - my parents would like to keep a bunch of their shows available. This is kind of a requirement for this whole thing to fly. My Questions Having an antenna is out of the question in my area. How should I go about set-up to maximize my content options? Should I use XMBC as a stand-alone (this creates problems with hulu, right?) or should I use windows 7 and XMBC/WMC (one of the two, prefer to not need both)? Is this worth the trouble? Would a roku box be worth getting? How should I interact with the device? I feel like a remote would be easiest for XMBC, but windows might need a keyboard/mouse type deal? (Logitech keyboard with trackpad thing built in?) Lastly: if you were going to cut cable tv for your house, how would you set something like this up? My Build I have an AMD Athlon II 620, atx board, 4gb ddr3, and a ATI 4670 that are currently unused, and I'm planning on using these for the core of the build. I just need to pick out a case, psu, and figure out what I'll do for storage. I'm not really concerned with picking parts, I've been around this scene for a while. Here are my thoughts if you're interested, though. Case: (smallest one that fits an ATX board) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119258 PSU: (Don't want the 430W - too few sata power connectors, and $10 won't kill me) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027 HDD: Something. Maybe a 2 or 3tb WD red? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236344 I don't feel the need for an SSD boot drive, this pc will mainly go to a low power state (hibernate?) when not in use and I'm not concerned with instant boots (regardless of how nice they are). Finally So, if you guys think this is asking for too much, let me know. I feel like it can be done, but I doubt that I'll end up with something perfect. Streaming has come a long way in the last few years, but it's not as complete an offering as I'd hope we could have. Feel free to make suggestions, point out where you see my wishful thinking, and laugh at me. But, please give me feedback, regardless. Thanks, and I hope this is the appropriate section for this sort of thing.