Can a HTPC do all this...?

O

OBSESSION

Weaksauce
Joined
Jun 10, 2004
Messages
78
Well, I finally decided on and ordered the components for my new gaming rig. So I'll have my old rig to cannibalize or sell, and I was thinking of using the good bits to make an HTPC. But I'm a complete noob when it comes to HTPC capabilities, and I've been scanning the forums for answers, but still have questions. So I might as well post one thread that will hopefully enlighten me enough to know if this is the direction I want to go in or not.

I would like an HTPC that can do the following:
  • Replace my TiVo - I love my TiVo and would like the same capabilities and ease-of-use with added features and more storage.
  • Act as a music server/jukebox - I was looking at the Yamaha MusiCAST system to store all my CDs in MP3 format and distribute them around the house, but they are very expensive!
  • Create DVDs of recorded shows/movies - I would like to have the ability to burn a show to a DVD that can be viewed later on any standard DVD player.
  • Play XM satellite radio - Either using my existing Delphi unit externally or with an XM PCR-like internal interface.
  • Serve as an image gallery/slideshow - I'd like to take all my digital photographs, store them in one location, and be able to show people a nice slideshow from the comfort of my living room.
  • Multi room distribution - Ideally I'd like to be able to listen to my CD (MP3) collection or live XM radio from other locations in the house. Perhaps using something like the new Linksys Wireless-B Music System. TV/Video would only be required in one remote location.
Any other features that I'm not thinking of would just be frosting on the cake.

Some of the capabilities I know can be done from my research. But I don't know if one system can do all of what I'd like to have. So... is this possible or a pipedream?
 
Yes, it can replace your Tivo using MythTV
Yes, it can be a media server using MythTV
Yes(if you use Windows) you can burn the shows to DVD, N/A in MythTV
Yes, it can play XM if you use an external source using MythTV
Yes, it can be an image gallery thinger using MythTV
Multiroom viewing and recording is possible using MythTV
 
oh, and the frosting on the cake

MythTV now has a mod called Torrentocracy allows you to download torrents from the interweb via an RSS feed to your MythTVBox

Oh, and MythTV has a web browser mod, and a web control mod.

Oh, and a freaking SNES, NES, MAME EMU MOD!
 
short answer: yes (i think)

I currently use Snapstream BeyondTV for the Tivo-like software. You get your channel lineup from Snapstream without any monthly service charges. The interface is very user friendly, and works very well with the Hauppage PVR 250. Which is why I suggest this for you... http://store.snapstream.com/btvand250btv.html The BTV version I linked also has a built in FM tuner.

Here is a link to describe the features of the capture card. http://www.hauppauge.com/html/wintvpvr_datasheet.htm

A lot of people use a program called SageTV as well, probably worth a look so you have some options.

The only part of the equation I'm not sure about is XM (i don't have it). I'm sure there has to be a way to feed that into the input port on your soundcard though. Unless XM is a way of life for you, I feel I get the same experience from internet radio (with some inherited quality loss i guess) which is why i haven't bought satellite radio services. Not to mention it's another $10 I keep in my pocket.
 
jpopa said:
Yes(if you use Windows) you can burn the shows to DVD, N/A in MythTV
Click to expand...

not true anymore.. a guy on the mailing list developed a module for buning dvd's under mythTV..
 
Basically an HTPC will be able to do everything your tivo does and more, and possibly with better quality. The disadvantage being it may be slightly difficult to set up a mythTV box as it runs on linux (but easily the most powerful HTPC program). You can go the windows route with things like beyondTV and SageTV, but mythTV is definitely the best option.
 
not true anymore.. a guy on the mailing list developed a module for buning dvd's under mythTV..
Click to expand...










AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LINK MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHH!
 
So... it's sounding like MythTV is a great option. In fact, my boss just built himself a MythTV box. The only thing I would like clarification on is the XM ability.

Yes, I have and love XM's programming. I never really got into internet radio, and find the professionalism and huge library of XM to be worth the subscription (3 receivers in fact.) (Can't get internet radio in the car anyway... and work frowns on internet streaming.)

Anyway, I should be able to use my Delphi unit to provide input to the HTPC and either listen to it there or distribute it?

What is needed at the client end to...
1) Play my CD library which would be on the HTPC in MP3 format?
2) Play live TV or recordings to my second TV upstairs?
3) Stream live XM to various locations around the house?

Would the client need to be another PC, or would a thin client like the Linksys unit I mentioned above work?
 
1) Easy, no problem there
2) Takes some minor work to get working but it is often done
3) I would like to say yes it can be done, but im not 100% sure


SOMEONE LINK ME TO THE DVDR CRAP FOR MYTH!!! LOL
 
Howdy. . . I built an HTPC a few months ago. At first I was going to dust off my very rusty linux skills and build a mythTV box. But, then I saw BeyondTV (already linked above). It did nearly everything I needed and did it with style. It even allows me to stream my recorded shows quickly and easily across the web to my office! I can now watch Seinfeld at work. Then again, maybe Myth does this as well. . . I don't know.

Anyways, I'd recommend BeyondTV. But actually there may be a better Windows-oriented fit for you. SageTV has the jukebox and image gallery features you require alreadly built-in. In fact, I think it will cover nearly all the bases for you. BeyondTV is promising an upgrade soon that will catch up to Sage. But no release date has been announced.

Here is a review of Sage TV 2.0. It's well worth a look.

H
 
How do HTPC's work with premium channels? I've never understood this. They can't decrypt them on their own.. so.. what do they do?

Surely, people don't just look at the low channels that don't require a set-top box to view with their HTPC?

Is there some little cable that goes out to the cable box and flips the channel with an ir transmitter?

I've always been curious about this HTPC thing.. just don't understand how it works ...
 
Naeleros said:
How do HTPC's work with premium channels? I've never understood this. They can't decrypt them on their own.. so.. what do they do?

Surely, people don't just look at the low channels that don't require a set-top box to view with their HTPC?

Is there some little cable that goes out to the cable box and flips the channel with an ir transmitter?

I've always been curious about this HTPC thing.. just don't understand how it works ...
Click to expand...

you just take your svideo out from your cable box and plug it into your tuner..

then via IR blaster or the serial cable behind your digital cable box.. the HTPC will send it signals to change channel
 
I used to have an HTPC w/myHTPC and Beyond TV combo however I needed something easier.

Went to a TIVO/Turbonet Card, Modded Xbox, and Media Server for my whole house. Now 2 laptops and 3 PC's can enjoy everything from the Media Server. I run Window 2003 Server Streaming Server to stream my music, which I might add is easy to setup and on demand, which is really nice. I also store my TIVO shows on it and can watch them in Xbox Media Center later without wasting my 120hours on my TIVO.

Very easy to setup, extremely fun and way, way better than just a plain HTPC. You will never get me to give up my TIVO. I absolutely love it and would be second to my HDTV if I had to give it up. I'd give up my Gaming machines, latpops before those two any day of the week.
 
So with a hardware based TV Tuner like the Hauppauge PVR250 can I play console games with the HTPC or is there that slight delay that makes it impossible to play games?
 
I'm using SageTv and it's worth checking out, IIRC both BTV and Sage have something like a 15 trail so check them out. There is a three second or so delay with the 250 cards so I'd suggest getting an ATI E-Home Wonder and a 250 series cards and using the ATI one for playing your consoles.
 
I'm still looking for more information on this:

OBSESSION said:
What is needed at the client end to...
1) Play my CD library which would be on the HTPC in MP3 format?
2) Play live TV or recordings to my second TV upstairs?
3) Stream live XM to various locations around the house?

Would the client need to be another PC, or would a thin client like the Linksys unit I mentioned above work?
Click to expand...
 
OBSESSION said:
I'm still looking for more information on this:
Click to expand...

1) Play my CD library which would be on the HTPC in MP3 format?

Yes.. works fine

2) Play live TV or recordings to my second TV upstairs?

yes but you will need a tuner for each station that wants to watch live tv at the same time.. any number of computers can watch the recording at the same time

3) Stream live XM to various locations around the house?

I dont know about this.. MythTV cannot do this on its own.. but i imagine there is a linux solution via recording from the XM radio (via linein) and using icecast to stream

4)Would the client need to be another PC, or would a thin client like the Linksys unit I mentioned above work?

you can use an xbox i dont know if any other ported thin client solutions.. i hear there is prelim work happening on the hauupage MVP
 
He was asking what is needed to do so on the CLIENT PC, not the htpc.

I think if you use snapstream I'd jsut use VLC VideoLan Client player to play teh streams, it works great. Winamp5 should work just as well too, as should windows media player 9. I think on both snapstream and mythTV you'd be using a web interface to setup what you want on the stream and then just use the player of your choice.

peace.
 
Well, my real hope is to use something "thinner" than a PC. I don't want PCs scattered all over the house if I can get the music on a $50-150 client appliance like that Linksys doodad.
 
well i think it has been said but you could load up linux onto an xbox and use that as the frontend. Not as big as a PC, probably a bit easier to hide if you need to as well, and also in your price range (could prolly get a refurb/used for 100 or so). An alternative if you want something really tiny would be to make something based on one of the VIA EPIA's, but if you go this route you're already looking at more money per system than you intended. Once again, an xbox would prolly be the best solution.
 
CrimandEvil said:
I'm using SageTv and it's worth checking out, IIRC both BTV and Sage have something like a 15 trail so check them out. There is a three second or so delay with the 250 cards so I'd suggest getting an ATI E-Home Wonder and a 250 series cards and using the ATI one for playing your consoles.
Click to expand...
The ATI e-home wonder card is pretty much the same as the Happauge. Do you know why it doesn't have a delay, though?
 
I too am a Beyond TV (Snapstream) user.

Great software. I have not tried it yet but apparently in the latest revision of the software you can now add some "soap" like video tweaks to the application like de-interlacing using FFD and other tools like that.

I agree also with a previous poster, I was using an ATI card with Snapstream with ok success. I had high CPU utilization with an Athlon 1.2 ghz cpu. But after purchasing a Hauppage PVR 250 the CPU now hovers at only 5% and whats better is that the mpg files the PVR 250 cards by default capture are immediately ready for DVD burn. No conversions needed.

As far as jukebox type functionality, some of it is already in Beyond TV but the rest will arrive in the next release.

I have used Sage TV as well and find Beyond TV to be a far superior product. I have no expierence with Myth TV though.

Hope this helped.

Cheers!
 
Outrager said:
The ATI e-home wonder card is pretty much the same as the Happauge. Do you know why it doesn't have a delay, though?
Click to expand...
Because the input is through ATI's Theater 200 chip (same chip that comes with the AIW cards) which goes the encoding in software (and partially in hardware I believe) which gives you no delay, using the Tv tuner I'd expect a two to three second delay for TV though.
 
solid_snake said:
here is something i found to get xm radio onto your computer http://www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/...dflldfjl.0&product_code=P5316D#ABA&catLevel=2 . i am assuming it only works with windows though.
Click to expand...

That's the XM PCR. I have one of those. It really only uses the PC as the brains of the tuner, and the interface for viewing the songs and changing channels. The little box is the hardware tuner and the audio output comes from that. I used to run the audio directly into my stereo, but you could also plug it into your soundcard's audio-in. So it's no different than any other audio input.
 
Not to thread jack or anything, but why would you use the XM PCR when you could just grab something that plug directly into your receiver? Just so you can do everything on your HTPC?

Sposh
 
sposh said:
Not to thread jack or anything, but why would you use the XM PCR when you could just grab something that plug directly into your receiver? Just so you can do everything on your HTPC?

Sposh
Click to expand...

I don't have an HTPC yet. At the moment I'm loaning my XMPCR to my kid sister who uses it at her house on her PC. She doesn't have a stereo. I'm using a Delphi unit plugged into my stereo at home, and a Pioneer unit in my car.

One of the primary goals I want to accomplish is to share/stream/distribute/whatever a live XM feed to other rooms in my house. Other than that, I might as well just continue to use my TiVo as it is since it's making due, and I don't have to share it anywhere else (though, sharing it to one other room would be nice.) And the last primary goal is to share my CD collection around the house, but I can do that with my existing PC and some cheap Linksys thin clients.
 
I don't know much about the XM unit but since it hookups to your PC can you set it to DL a radio stream into an MP3?
 
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