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I'm ready to join the HTPC (home theater pc) revolution - what to get?

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wraith808:
Even under load the heat doesn't spike?

superboyac:
yes!  Mouser is on board!

I have tons of notes on this, but not very organized.  xbmc is the way to go if you need an interface built for this sort of thing.  I haven't really found any other decent alternatives.  if you don't need an interface, all you need is a file manager that is readable on a big screen (should be most if it's 1080p) and your favorite media player (mine is Light Alloy).  This is my current htpc setup, been doing it for years.  I'm trying to move to a xbmc setup, but first wanted to build my box of hard drives.

Another important piece is your remote.  How are you going to move the mouse and navigate?  I suggest one of the gyro remotes like gyration (I use a logitech mx air, really nice also).  

My question for you is this: what more do you want other than just plugging in an old computer to your tv and going with that?  It seems to fit all your requirements except for the form factor.  So it's just a matter of buying a case that satisfies you and moving your parts into there (or getting new parts I guess).  The only real difference to me between a regular pc and an htpc is font sizes due to sitting further away (so having a gui like xbmc suited for such things is beneficial) and the airmouse aspect.  everything else is indistinguishable from a regular pc as far as i can tell.

i would suggest using makemkv to copy your dvd's losslessly to your hard drive so you wouldn't need to swap discs.

Light Alloy has a file browsing feature with big fonts specifically geared for htpc's, so that's another plus for it.

Lian Li (though expensive) has some nice cases that look just like normal dvd players, but I'm sure there are similar ones for cheaper.

Dirhael:
Even under load the heat doesn't spike?
-wraith808 (July 09, 2013, 09:35 PM)
--- End quote ---

Well, it's not at any time what you would call cold, but even under load it runs within what's safe. I probably wouldn't compile software 24/7 on it, but even under load I've yet to have it throttle due to high temps.

wraith808:
Wow... that's really cool. (No pun intended  ;D)  I'll have to keep that in mind on my next build, even though this one was really cheap and works really well, so I doubt I'll be doing a new build soon.

Right now I have a Foxconn book sized one, and not only is it a pretty solid build, it has saved my bacon more than once- when my wife's computer went down, she was able to get by with it, and now my daughter's computer is down and she's using it.

AJay:
If you're not dealing with a TV tuner, why not just use XBMC or OpenELEC on a Raspberry Pi?

The Pi = $35.

And you may have all the other parts you need laying around.

You need a phone microUSB charger to power the Pi.  You'll need an HDMI cable, of course.  You'll need an SD card to store the OS on.  And you may want a USB WiFi adapter; else you'll want an ethernet cord.  And to get started, you'll want a USB mouse and keyboard.  That's it.

You can of course, attach a hard drive, but if you're like me, you'll just share a drive on your home network and stream from it using the Pi.

Total cost even if you had to buy all those things (assuming you stream from another drive), $75 or less.

http://lifehacker.com/5929913/build-a-xbmc-media-center-with-a-35-raspberry-pi

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