My Custom Built High End HTPC (i7, SSD, Infinitv 4)

[MusicKhayal]

I think your configuration it's too good to be a HTPC....You can really nice HTPC with Celeron CPU..which can handle any video playback to your big screen..And it's loud and too hot,uses to much electricity

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@MusicKhayal I could have, but I just added a Black Magic Intensity Pro to the mix, and video capturing and editing with that takes a lot of power.

[Phead128]

@brett3xmvpfavre4

So Intensity Pro takes Xbox/PS3 image... bring it through Intensity Pro via HDMI (captures it on harddrive)... then outputs the image through your computer's video card onto your TV...

What if I decide to send the Xbox/PS3 signal through Intensity Pro, and NOTcapture/save gameplay, but only view the gameplay on the TV? (meaning only thru computer video card)

Have you tried viewing Xbox gameplay without capture mode? Is it laggy at all?

[darBradv2]

Can it run Minesweeper?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@darBradv2 Yes, but only a 15x15 game. Anything bigger than that and it really bogs down.

[marblestech]

My celeron win7 pc is faster to boot.

[billy5110]

my AMD LIano HTPC probably beat this in graphic power and destroy it in bang for the buck as i paid  like 350$ for the whole thing. hahaha.

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@billy5110 I paid about $500 (minus the infinitv and case) for this whole thing, so IDK what your point is. I also do some video editing which is the reason I have such a beastly CPU in it, its is far overkill for an HTPC, but this thing multitasks.

[Phead128]

@billy5110

He has Intensity Pro (Black Magic) on it... so it's a totally different beast. Your HTPC can't capture Xbox/PS3 or HD source streams. 

[ThePewis]

whats the point in putting an extreme edition cpu in a rig like this if your not going to stick a beastly graphics card in it

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@ThePewis I got that CPU/MOBO for a VERY good price. And, I am never going to game on it, it is just being used as a media server for the infinitv card.

[matrixloader]

you should install boxee, xmbc and hulu integration plugins, its a must have for media center pc's. make sure u install hulu desktop and boxee software first and also add navi-x to boxee.

all that will make it the ultimate media center pc.

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@matrixloader Thanks, I am going to look into this.

[yosoymegusta]

That was a pretty slow boot time IMO, i can boot that fast with a 7200rpm HDD...but anyway...GO PACK GO!!!!!!!!

[radicalphantom1]

setup autologin so you dont have that annoying screen lol

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@radicalphantom1 Yeah it is setup like that now.

[JoeTube654]

performance overkill, power wattage overkill, SSD unreliable, but you're probably not storing important stuff there, MS Windows bloatware. This seems more of a gaming rig.

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@JoeTube654 It most likely will never see a game.This build cost me about $600 (minus the infinitv card) so its more than reasonable for an HTPC. I just won't have to upgrade if for many, many years to come.

[NiGHTS1980]

Hey mate,

Your HTPC is looking pretty good. I'm in the process of building one myself. I'm contemplating buying an SSD for the OS to speed up boot times...in your opinion, do you think it's worth it?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@NiGHTS1980 Yes, I would say it is very much worth it. I got mine for $80 or so and it is great. I will never build another PC without the OS being on a SSD.

[NiGHTS1980]

@brett3xmvpfavre4

Cool. Yeah, I'm looking at getting a 64GB one. Hopefully it should be enough for the OS and programs like XBMC, various codecs, drivers etc...the essentials really. Been watching comparison videos of SSD vs. HDD boot times and it seems SDD can boot twice to even 3 times faster than standard HDD...

Another key factor when building a HTPC is power usage. The goal is to keep it under 300w.

NiGHTS.

[unlockthepower]

Very nice

[PCTechTalks]

dont you think the processor and board are slightly overkill? also why are you using 4 GB of memory with a triple channel board?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@PCTechTalks Yes they are, but I got them so cheap that financially it is not close to overkill. All I use it for is media center for now, so I don't need more than 4gb of ram. I will up it to 12gb when I start to do more with that PC.

[Aqxea]

Are you still using a keyboard and mouse or did you get a remote? if so, which one?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@Aqxea Because it is mostly used as a server, I still use a mouse and keyboard (new one order, subscribe for that unboxing/review). I will be getting a new lenovo or logitech controller for it eventually, just not need at the moment.

[GNews10]

Do you not get any channels with this HTPC that you would get with a cable box? Also do you pay your cable company for each tuner or do you just pay for the HDTV subscription and the cable card? Thanks.

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@GNews10 I get every channel that I got with my cable boxes. You just pay the cable company for 1 "M" CableCard, mine (COX Cable) charges me $2.99 a month for it.

[GNews10]

@brett3xmvpfavre4 Thanks!

[fidstang]

Tanner Foust- What happened to Battle of the Supercars?

[rantanamo]

serious power for an HTPC. I have an infinitv 4 and 2 avermedia duets and I'm running it on an old AMD x2 5200+. I use a Silverstone LC17 for the case also and a 60gb SSD for the windows drive. Seems to be plenty fast, but I definitely think I could benefit from a cooler chipset like a new i3 or AMD A4 or A6

[sxnoss40]

Is there any way to input HD gaming consoles thorugh hdmi to view through your pc? Id like to game, but not record, off my ps3 and thorugh my pc, preferably without much delay.

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@sxnoss40 I think Black Magic makes an HDMI capture card, you could use that to view (and record) on your PC. I would just get a monitor with two inputs.

[RHossall]

that processor is a bit overkill for that HTPC an i5 would have been well enough

[BrettMagnetic]

Seems like it took a while to boot for the OS being on a SSD.

[RHossall]

@BrettMagnetic SSD's get faster over time... this is because of their caching, the more times you load windows, the more windows files it loads onto the cache, causing boot speeds to gradually get faster and faster :)

[SPECKSPRODUCTION]

wat does htpc stand for?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@SPECKSPRODUCTION Home Theater Personal Computer. Mainly used for viewing/sharing media.

[SPECKSPRODUCTION]

@brett3xmvpfavre4 ooh thaanx hun

[54carlje]

What model silverstone case is that?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@54carlje LC17

[2011GeekTech]

So you can watch different things on each of the extenders with this card?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@2011GeekTech Yep, 4 different live tv feeds or as much recorded programming that the network can handle.

[grandpaballs]

How is streaming LIVE tv to an XBOX as an extender? Is there any lag/stuttering? How is it?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@grandpaballs If your wired and or have a good wifi router, its amazing. I have had the setup for a couple of months now with little to no issues.

[Wesanthony91]

Awesome, want to do this.

Now how do you get the live TV through cable to the PC itself?

Is it routed like co-ax>cable box>cable card?

Or is it directly to the cable card itself?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@Wesanthony91 Coax directly to the infini tv that has the cable card in it (internal to the HTPC)

[karrarthejackal]

The only thing left is a remote : )

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@karrarthejackal Logitech diNovo Mini is up next!

[karrarthejackal]

@brett3xmvpfavre4 Thats even better, keep it up .

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@karrarthejackal Thanks. Be sure and subscribe, because next up, I am building my home office, and i have to update my Home theater setup video.

[gotitans999]

Is there a wifi extender to allow it to broadcast to the tv(s)? I don't have a 360. So basically the extender would just broadcast to the tv on a certain input?

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@gotitans999 Linksys makes one, (DMA2100) I chose to do xbox's (Slim 4gb) because they will also play games, dvd's and cd's, stream netflix and hulu as well as whatever else the implement in the future, The $199 for those might seem steep at first, but I was paying $18 a month for my cable companys DVR (Cox Cable) , so they will pay for themselves in less than a year.

[Benchmob31]

Nice video. You did not go cheap on it for sure. Im kicking my self for not getting the Infinitv 4 when I bought my card. Looks good!

[brett3xmvpfavre4]

@Benchmob31 Thanks! I wish I would have gone with a bigger case, but bigger HTPC cases are hard to find. I just got the Infinitv tuner when they did the $100 price drop, so it was not too bad of a deal. My ultimate plan was to eliminate the cables company's boxes, and so far so good.