I'm planning on building a HTPC, it's main purpose would be to play upscaled DVDs and to play media off the network. My main goal is to build a silent (or very very quiet) system capable of outputting 720p HDTV, with WiFi, and optical audio out for the speaker setup.
I'm thinking of something like this:
Motherboard: VIA EPIA EN12000E
Video: onboard
Audio: onboard
Case: Silverstone LC-09
DVD: Pioneer K-05 (or similar)
Hard drive: thinking of a 2.5" drive - for silence. Either that or a Samsung Spinpoint.
OS: Windows 2005 MCE
Remote: Microsoft MCE Remote
I really like the specs of the new VIA EPIA EN, especially the EN12000E, which should be available in the next few weeks. If anyone has concerns about it's ability to play video in 720p or something else please let me know.
Since the board isn't out yet it's hard to say, but the specs quote S/PDIF or TV-out, so they seem mutually exclusive. In case they really are, I might have to use the VGA output to connect to a Samsung LE32R71B. Does anyone know if there are any issues (video component or VGA?)
I'm open to suggestions on the case, I'm looking for something suitable for mini-ITX, passively cooled, with at least 1 optical drive, 1 hard drive and 1 PCI slot.
I don't plan on getting a tuner at the moment, but it's nice having a PCI slot there in case I need one.
For Wi-Fi, I plan on using a USB 802.11g dongle, partially to save the PCI slot, but partially because I already have a spare one lying around.
Has anyone built a HTPC with one of the VIA boards before?
What are they like, stability-wise, and driver-wise?
I had bad experience with VIA before, in the KT133 days, and I stayed away from them since.
Are they compatibile with Windows 2005 MCE?
The new C7 CPU seems to be more powerful than it's predecessor and with less heat output, which is really magical for a HTPC setup.
I don't want to play games on it, I don't even plan on recording anything on it at the moment, I just want the basic playback options from all sorts of different codecs - H264, Xvid, DivX, WMV etc, and upgradeability especially with regards to software.
Right now I have a Pinnacle Showcenter 200, which is stuttering at times during playback, doesn't play all of my media and doesn't recognise all of the subtitles. It was cheap and I guess you get what you pay.
I like the footprint and price of the VIA EPIA, and especially the low noise and heat output.
I'm thinking of something like this:
Motherboard: VIA EPIA EN12000E
Video: onboard
Audio: onboard
Case: Silverstone LC-09
DVD: Pioneer K-05 (or similar)
Hard drive: thinking of a 2.5" drive - for silence. Either that or a Samsung Spinpoint.
OS: Windows 2005 MCE
Remote: Microsoft MCE Remote
I really like the specs of the new VIA EPIA EN, especially the EN12000E, which should be available in the next few weeks. If anyone has concerns about it's ability to play video in 720p or something else please let me know.
Since the board isn't out yet it's hard to say, but the specs quote S/PDIF or TV-out, so they seem mutually exclusive. In case they really are, I might have to use the VGA output to connect to a Samsung LE32R71B. Does anyone know if there are any issues (video component or VGA?)
I'm open to suggestions on the case, I'm looking for something suitable for mini-ITX, passively cooled, with at least 1 optical drive, 1 hard drive and 1 PCI slot.
I don't plan on getting a tuner at the moment, but it's nice having a PCI slot there in case I need one.
For Wi-Fi, I plan on using a USB 802.11g dongle, partially to save the PCI slot, but partially because I already have a spare one lying around.
Has anyone built a HTPC with one of the VIA boards before?
What are they like, stability-wise, and driver-wise?
I had bad experience with VIA before, in the KT133 days, and I stayed away from them since.
Are they compatibile with Windows 2005 MCE?
The new C7 CPU seems to be more powerful than it's predecessor and with less heat output, which is really magical for a HTPC setup.
I don't want to play games on it, I don't even plan on recording anything on it at the moment, I just want the basic playback options from all sorts of different codecs - H264, Xvid, DivX, WMV etc, and upgradeability especially with regards to software.
Right now I have a Pinnacle Showcenter 200, which is stuttering at times during playback, doesn't play all of my media and doesn't recognise all of the subtitles. It was cheap and I guess you get what you pay.
I like the footprint and price of the VIA EPIA, and especially the low noise and heat output.