had it with my wdtv - spec me a htpc!

snow patrol

snow patrol

snow patrol

Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
3,923
Location
London
ok guys, i'm fed up with my wdtv live not allowing thumbnails over my network share, resulting in an ugly interface. I'm also peed off that it won't play certain hd movies that i have, for no apparent reason.

I've decided to invest some time (and money) in a htpc and whacking xbmc on there and get things looking pretty. Otherwise i'm just left feeling that my nice shiny HT setup is just missing that certain sparkle!

so i want a htpc that can play high bit rate 1080p stuff with no judder obviously. I want to link to my denon amp via hdmi. Don't want to fiddle with optical stuff etc. I also want to network it to my main pc via cat5e cable to my router. I also need to make sure i can use my logitech harmony 555 with it, so what exactly do i need to enable that?

got 2 gigs of ddr 2 that i'd like to use. Purely want to use it to play movies etc so doesn't need to be uber powerful.

One last thing - is xbmc the best choice for a slink interface etc? I've heard it can be a real pain to setup, which does put me off a bit.
 
revo does look interesting actually, and relatively cheap. So i can just stick xbmc on there? how difficult, really, is it to setup and get looking pretty.

also, how would i mange with a revo in regards to a remote if i'm using linux
 
snow patrol said:
revo does look interesting actually, and relatively cheap. So i can just stick xbmc on there? how difficult, really, is it to setup and get looking pretty.

also, how would i mange with a revo in regards to a remote if i'm using linux
Click to expand...

AV Forums lies your answer, something like this thread, however I'm looking at going down this road myself and it's not straightforward.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/home-entertainment-pcs/1212891-acer-aspire-revo-owners-thread-part-2-a.html
 
XBMC Live is very easy to get up and running and install to a hard disk alone or next to Windows. Don't be afraid, there are a good few people here running it if you do get stuck.

The Revo R3610 (£200) is the box of choice, I've not opened mine up but I assume it's using laptop SODIMMs for the memory.

I'm using a Logitech Harmony 555 on mine, it works out the box if you have a Microsoft Media Centre USB I/R dongle. Not only does 1080p playback work great, it will also change refresh rate depending on source media.

Let us know if you need some help.
 
excellent, i think i'm going to order one of those over the weekend along with an ms media centre dongle. One thing though - does the dongle need to be plugged into the front i assume.

I think i'll try and get the windows 7 flavour revo, so xbmc is cool with windows 7 right? And is it easy to network xbmc to my server to play files from the server? :)
 
It's an IR dongle so it will need line of sight. I'm using the official MS one, not sure about the clones but I am sure google will tell you.
All version of XBMC will allow sources from uPnP/UNC/etc.

You have a number of choices with XBMC:
1. Install into Windows 7 - I don't run it this way so I'm not sure how well it works.
2. Run off USB using XBMC Live.
3. Install XBMC Live directly to the hard disk.
4. Install XBMC Live alongside Windows 7, the XBMC installer can do this for you.
5. Install XBMC Live into Ubuntu or another flavour of Linux.

If you are only using the PC for media playback then I'd not bother with the Windows 7 Revo. Just get the Linux one and save yourself £100. It really is very straight forward using XBMC Live, the hardest part is making a Bootable USB stick if you don't have a USB CDROM drive.
 
Last edited:
was just playing about with xbmc on my main windows 7 pc and it's awesome. Have ordered a revo from the bay. A linux one with 2 gigs. So hoping it'll be nice and straight forward to network them together.
 
bearing in mind that i'm using linux and have a logitech 555, what ir receiver should i get? I've been searching around for media centre ones but not really sure what do get. Can anyone tell me the exact one i should look for?? (and 'roughly' where to get one)
 
why not just buy a PS3 ?

All the media playing abilities you could need. Plays most stuff, use PS3 Media Server software (free) to transcode anything it cant.
 
MrLOL said:
why not just buy a PS3 ?

All the media playing abilities you could need. Plays most stuff, use PS3 Media Server software (free) to transcode anything it cant.
Click to expand...

I've considered all sorts of options for HTPC functionality and tried quiet a few and I always come back to a fully featured PC the flexibility it gives you just isn't available with any other device and now we have tiny ATOM based systems like the revo available I really can't see any reason to use anything else they just work.
 
I'm asking myself the question now that the Ion 2 chip is out, is it worth waiting for the next generation of Revos?
It seem the current Revos are great in perfect conditions but a slight probelm and your struggling to play some content. Going by the posts on AVForums anyway.
Revos have been out ages now and if anything gone up in price to what you could get them for 6 months ago.
 
a1ex2001 said:
I've considered all sorts of options for HTPC functionality and tried quiet a few and I always come back to a fully featured PC the flexibility it gives you just isn't available with any other device and now we have tiny ATOM based systems like the revo available I really can't see any reason to use anything else they just work.
Click to expand...

PC owners bang on about flexibility and increased usability , function etc.

and then use it for nothing other than browsing the internet and watching TV / movies.

Just get a PS3 and be done with it. You wont be missing anything.
 
You're missing the point. With a PC you don't have to mess around with transcoding files. You can simply download and play (provided you have the right codecs). It's much less hassle.
 
you dont have to mess arond with console either.

I just installed ps3 media server and nothing else. If anything its less work than creating a media centre PC as all you have to do is install 1 app on your PC and plug your console in ! PS3 plays most formats anyway, only MKVs really need transcoding.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom