[loady]

Well thanks to eskro and poofhairys guides my new HTPC is up and running..albeit with some teething problems...i sent back the original card and put in the 6570

Intel Pentium G840 2.8GHz Socket 1155
Asus P8H61-M LE H61 Socket 1155 8 Channel HD Audio

[url="http://www.ebuyer.com/239824-scythe-big-shuriken-scbsk-1000-socket-478-754-940-775-939-am2-1366-scbsk-1000]Scythe BIG Shuriken SCBSK-1000
OCZ 60GB Solid 3 2.5" SSD - SATA-III - Read 500MB/s Write 450MB/s
Antec NSK 2480 MATX Desktop Case With 380W EarthWatts PSU

I didnt like the silver finish to the case and the front bezel is plastic..a perfect key to put some cellulose paint on !! in black of course !

So some pics of inside the case and front and on shelf...as you can see..plenty of room in there as far as a HTPC goes..

https://picasaweb.google.com/10955712244...directlink


As you can see there is no IR window on the case, i gave some thought to the flirc, is this a good device to be housed INSIDE the case where it will not be accessable ?...

How good are IR remotes, i would consider the harmony IR version and just over £100, but, and its a big but, i have a device here that has an IR reciever (dreambox) and it is utterly crap..i have a PCH c-200, i think that is IR or could be RF..it is excellent..no matter where its pointed it works..can the same be said of these harmony IR remotes and would i need to get any extra bits ?..basically i dont want a reciever sat on the top of the box.

[eskro]

glad you've learned from reading the guides

looks like a real nice HTPC, congratz! (beware of OCZ tho...)

i know there's some remotes that comes with external IR receivers,
same as for internal IR receivers...
but for internal ones, i believe you'll have to drill a hole in your case somehow...

[loady]

Think i am going to buy the harmony one remote and get some sort of reciever for it...dont want to drill a hole in my front bezel though.... any one had experience with external reciever ? Are they strong that you dont need direct line of sight ?

[htpc guy]

I believe the harmony one has it blasters. That allows you to put your devices anywhere and you point the it blaster at the device. So you could use a wired receiver and have it hidden behind the case.

[kokoro]

Think i am going to buy the harmony one remote and get some sort of reciever for it...dont want to drill a hole in my front bezel though.... any one had experience with external reciever ? Are they strong that you dont need direct line of sight ?

Hi, I own a Harmony One since 3 years and plugged a Dell OVU41220/00 external IR receiver (this receiver has 2 inputs for the provided IR blasters) in my XBMC HTPC. The IR emitting power on the Harmony is very high, even from 7 meters away I can still control my HTPC (with direct line of sight) but from up to 4 meters away, I can point at the ceiling or walls and I will still be able to control my HTPC. In case you prefer an internal IR receiver, this one is the best i could find http://www.hd-plex.com/remote.control.html I bought it last month for another HTPC I'm building. The best thing with it it's that you can turn the HTPC completely ON or OFF, even if your motherboard doesn't have S3(Suspend to Ram), S4 or S5 states (in this case it's force shutdown). I'm very happy with it but like Eskro said, you'll have to drill a hole somewhere in your case. Good luck

[loady]

so correct me if i am wrong...its the power of the transmitter rather than the reciever that is important ??

I am looking at this >> http://www.soundgraph.com/vfd-feature-en/ would that be compatible with XBMC, as far as being an IR reciever its ideal, it says it comes with iMON software, i have used this before and its crap but can XBMC utilise the functions ??

EDIT: Looking around and reading posts, getting this hardware to work with XBMC is a lost cause, its a lot of money to spend on something just for its IR receiver

[kokoro]

so correct me if i am wrong...its the power of the transmitter rather than the reciever that is important ??

Yes, the transmitting power is very important, for example on my PCH-A100 I had huge problems with the original remote range and switching to an harmony One fixed it completely (altough I agree that that the receiver can be a bit flaky).

I am looking at this >> http://www.soundgraph.com/vfd-feature-en/ would that be compatible with XBMC, as far as being an IR reciever its ideal, it says it comes with iMON software, i have used this before and its crap but can XBMC utilise the functions ??

take a look here, it seems doable http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=84166

EDIT: Looking around and reading posts, getting this hardware to work with XBMC is a lost cause, its a lot of money to spend on something just for its IR receiver

Yes, I think so...I've never had a soundgraph VFD, but a Matrix orbital one, and I found the viewing angles, viewing distances and response time very poor on that display (I don't use it anymore) and I heard a lot people complaint about Imon software as well, so I don't think it's worth it. I still think it's better to use android remote if you really need a display. Or go te HDMI CEC route http://blog.pulse-eight.com/2011/09/08/s...in-action/ so in this case you can use your TV remote to control everything without the need to purchase an internal-external IR receiver and an extra PC remote...Personnaly I will buy one as soon as it's available, this way I can control my HTPC and TV by many ways and grab whatever is available nearby me: TV remote, Harmony One or Android Phone, very convenient. And you can add to all of this with the new Harmony Link http://www.logitech.com/en-us/tablet-acc...rmony-link

[eskro]

i own an harmony remote + iMON LCD screen,,,,
let me put it this way this, it works, BUT DONT BUY IT

the best/cheapest way to control your Home Theater equipment
is to get and Harmony 300i ($30) + IR Receiver ($10)

once u do that, you'll never go back

[Malard]

CEC will work nicely, if your TV supports it, but you could also use the Nyxboard Hybrid remote which is RF (dongle included no need for line of site) and it has an IR function also to control the TV as well

[loady]

ooooh...some choices here now..the only reason i was looking at the imon 5.25 insert was so i dont have to drill a hole in my case

[Malard]

ooooh...some choices here now..the only reason i was looking at the imon 5.25 insert was so i dont have to drill a hole in my case

now no drilling required