Kodi Community Forum

First of all... obviously I'm brand-spanking new to the forums and the XBMC idea as a whole. I've been mulling the idea of an HTPC for a good while now and just this week stumbled across XBMC. Let me tell you, I'm smitten. I'm chomping at the bit to get this idea going and I've already got the holy blessing from my girlfriend(we're both pretty big movie buffs and are crazy about this program). I have a fair amount of computer knowledge as I've built 3 full gaming systems from newegg over the past few years. I've just had my eyes opened in seeing that an HTPC does not have to be bleeding-edge technology to function properly(something I had never looked into before). All this being said, I do have a few questions...

I'm looking at purchasing a small box running Windows Home Server to put under the stairs and house my big hard drives. I chose this solution primarily because I would like to back-up 2 laptops, a desktop and an HTPC, along with being able to access files from the internet and eventually get into some home automation. I will also look to set up the iTunes shared library and use the server to stream movies and TV shows to my future HTPC(obviously that's why we're all here right?!) With my limited knowledge on media servers and the like - is there another option besides WHS that will do this? I keep reading about FreeNAS and the unRAID programs...will they accomplish what I'm after?

My next question is more centered around the HTPC concept. I have already priced out the pieces and parts needed to put together both the server and the HTPC(I'll spare the gory details unless y'all are really interested...then I'll be happy to oblige!). I'm going to be using an SSD for both the server and HTPC's boot disks. I've read that 30GB should be plenty for Windows 7 + XBMC...correct? I am trying to move away from using my desktop computer as my Sager laptop is plenty capable of all tasks that my desktop can handle. My question lies in the ripping of my BDs and DVDs. I would like to use the HTPC for this function, but I know how much hard drive space this will eat up and a 30GB SSD will not be sufficient. The solution I came up with is to put a smaller 160GB 7200RPM HDD in the HTPC to use as a middleman to rip/encode files to before sending them off to storage. Is there a better way to do this? Should I just bite the bullet and purchase a larger SSD?

*Whew* - Bless you if you read all that. I can get long-winded sometimes, but I wanted to make sure to get my thought process down. I would think that helps with recommendations. Thank you, in advance, for any input received.

30GB SSD for Win and XBMC (plus supporting programs) will be pushing it. I'd go for more... I'm at 22.3G free of 55.8G (60G) on my HTPC.

Why not use the server for ripping? Convenience? It's just that you introduce some items that probably aren't required at the HTPC (like a spinner, BR/DVD drive, etc). Getting rid of those gets you less noise/heat where it counts. At least in my opinion...

Kirky99 Wrote:30GB SSD for Win and XBMC (plus supporting programs) will be pushing it. I'd go for more... I'm at 22.3G free of 55.8G (60G) on my HTPC.

Why not use the server for ripping? Convenience? It's just that you introduce some items that probably aren't required at the HTPC (like a spinner, BR/DVD drive, etc). Getting rid of those gets you less noise/heat where it counts. At least in my opinion...

Good call on the SSD - Good to see some real numbers on that front. I'll definitely bump up to a 60GB SSD at the HTPC.

I definitely hear what you're saying about the noise/heat. I'd put a BD drive in the HTPC anyway and the HDD would be idle/off when not ripping. The biggest reason I wouldn't be able to use the server is, from what I understand, that WHS isn't a full-fledged operating system so it wouldn't be able to run any kind of ripping programs. i guess I COULD put windows 7 on the server, but that's twice as expensive as WHS and I wouldn't know where to begin on how to setup W7 as a server - I can't really find any information on that

montiac Wrote:The biggest reason I wouldn't be able to use the server is, from what I understand, that WHS isn't a full-fledged operating system so it wouldn't be able to run any kind of ripping programs.

concerning this link it is possible to run ripping programs @whs2011.

maybe take a look into this thread to get an idea for your htpc/server project.

QLink Wrote:concerning this link it is possible to run ripping programs @whs2011.

maybe take a look into this thread to get an idea for your htpc/server project.

Wow, my eyes are opened - I really appreciate both of those links. The top link especially...That is exactly what I have been looking for.

Another question! I am looking at this base setup for my server -

1x - AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

1x - MSI 880GM-E43 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

1x - Crucial 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model CT25664BA1067

(this is also the same base I'll use for the HTPC as newegg has a decent deal on the processor/mobo combo)

Should I stick a fanless video card in the server to offload the encoding from the CPU or will it even make a difference?

Love that processor... I've got it in my HTPC and have a hard time making her sweat. Sounds like it might actually be overkill though for you server. Sounds like you're more about IO than anything else, and I don't think the CPU will help all that much. It will help ripping and such though, but by how much, I'm not sure, and you would need to decide if it's worth it.

The CPU is probably fairly cheap now, so you're looking at maybe a $20-$30 savings so if it were me, I'd probably just pony up for the extra beef. But be aware, it's going to consume more electricity too, that's the expense that will ultimately hit you the hardest (maybe not this month, or next, but over the life of the appliance it will add up).

I would personally go with a small ssd or hd in my clients enough to run an OS and some apps less than 10gb . I didn't think it was necessary for each client XBMC box to have dvd drives. I feel if you go as far as having an actual file server you should use it to its potential.

I even do the same on my server I run a 20gb OS drive and 4 sata drives contain all my data. In the event of server os problems its easy to reghost it or blow it out and start fresh without screwing or deleting any of my data.

A dvd drive is in the win2k3 server which is mapped it to each client. If I need to watch a dvd its as easy as loading it on the server dvd drive and its available at any of a few XBMC clients I run through out the house.

I also run backups, surveillance and some automation from the server. If its on might as well use it

XBMC_FREAK Wrote:A dvd drive is in the win2k3 server which is mapped it to each client. If I need to watch a dvd its as easy as loading it on the server dvd drive and its available at any of a few XBMC clients I run through out the house.

You clearly do not have your file server in the basement


As for OP and SSD: 30Gb is definitely too little for a full Win7 install, even with limited accessory programs. I have some machines with Windows, Firefox, an ancient Office XP plus some other minor stuff, and it's definitely already then at 20Gb+. Long story short, I'd not go under 40Gb if I were you. As for SSD+middle man HDD, I don't really see the point. First, you're talking about a server, and servers tend to be on 24/7, so boot speed is pretty irrelevant. Second, you would still have to live with HDD-speed for largeish file operations. An SSD would bring two benefits though, silence and good random reads and writes.

Budget and space considerations aside, I don't quite understand the very common "max performance and/or roles" line of thought for a HTPC - unless one is aiming for content beyond 1080p on large screens - because with that comes cooling requirements and with cooling comes noise. And I hate noise

If you have a stair, you probably don't have any dramatic space constraints, so if I were you, I'd aim for a slim, cool and quiet HTPC build with enough performance (to play the level of HD content of choice), but not more, and that's where you should definitely have an SSD. The server on the other hand can be allowed to be bulkier, leaving more room for performance, storage expansion and generally a case and cooling solution which will keep it quiet enough. One example would be this type of build.

Further, if you're planning to expand and play around with additional server roles, I'd recommend running a full OS of choice for max versatility.

Myself? I've gone simple and cheap:

Server
Some old Dell P4, with the only virtue being that it works and that it has 3 HDD slots and a further 5.25 slot which could be converted to 3.5" if need be. Only used for file storage, access and streaming, 3x 2TB 5200rpm HDDs ("eco") in Raid5 with the help of FreeNAS. Placed in the basement (hence no sound requiremenets whatsoever) and had a from install flawless uptime of 390+ days when some electrician had to cut the power in the basement...

Comment: If you plan to expand your server's role in the direction of home automation and stuff, I'd skip FreeNAS. It is a great piece of SW, but it's more of an "embedded software environment", than an OS.

HTPC (my particular way)
Except for "enough performance to stream 1080p", my only reqs were that it should be silent and have an HDMI port (more or less). The selected solution was a Shuttle XS35GT barebone, supplemented with a 40Gb SSD, 4Gb of RAM and a slot loaded DVD drive. On top of that XBMC Live.

It's not pretty. So what, since I improvised a simple mounting solution behind my TV furniture, so I plain never see it. The only thing I can discern is the IR receiver behind the glass doors of the furniture, but that's mostly when it blinks red for "command received". I also placed it in such a way that it's easy enough to load the odd DVD. Added benefit was that it ended up close to the floor => lower ambient temp. It has yet to stutter under any 1080p content, so performance is "enough" and temps are all good also during full HD playback.

The Shuttle is also so power efficient, that I don't hesitate the slightest to settle with suspend as power-off mode (if I remember correctly it uses less than 5w in suspend, 20w at idle and 30w at full load).

Frugal? Aye, but it works flawlessly and good enough for me right now. I'm screwed if I want to finally dip my toe into surround sound though... :p

Orclas you are very right my friend.

The fileserver is in a rack mount in the hallway near one of my control panels. I set a half height rack into the wall where there was a cubby it was wasted space otherwise. I have it running 24/7 365.

I will advise anyone whether you go with a traditional case or a rack make sure your server always stays cool. Your server will thank you and your wallet will too.

XBMC_FREAK Wrote:Orclas you are very right my friend.

You mean about the "your server is not in the basement" part, the wall of text following it or actually both? :p

I meant the basement part.

WIN7 doesn't need a 40GB Drive that for all the apps you put on there which is cool but then its not really a media center its a hybrid since you do office work as well.

Win7 and XBMC fit for a fact on a 10gb drive with room to spare