[soultemptation]

Thanks to you two guys!

Hello soul, nice to see your ongoing work in progress

HAHA. I tought I'm annoying people here as hell because all my mind changes ^^
But I try to researched the most basic question so I dont post the most dump ones.

Any reason why you absolutely need the i3 ?

Na, no absolute reason. For me a fluent XBMC experience is key. I think an i3 should handle that very well!
Why i3 with an dedicated GPU? That's all eskro's fault!! ^.^

[...]

Q. Out of those builds, which one can play 3D 1080P movies?
A. Except the A6 & A8 builds, none of them till you add one of these 2 GPU Cards:
XFX HD6450 1GB DDR3 64-Bit Fanless Low Profile ($47 + $5) (Windows OS only)
ASUS GT430 1GB DDR3 128-bit Low Profile ($60 + $0)

Q. Out of those builds, which one can Bitstream DOLBY TRUE-HD & DTS-HD MASTER audio?
A. Except the A6 & A8 builds, none of them till you add one of these 3 GPU Cards:
ASUS HD5450 512MB DDR3 64-Bit Fanless Low Profile ($35 + $0) (Windows OS only)
XFX HD6450 1GB DDR3 64-Bit Fanless Low Profile ($47 + $5) (Windows OS only)
ASUS GT430 1GB DDR3 128-bit Low Profile ($60 + $0)
(Note that as of today, XBMC can't natively Bitstream HD-Audio)

[...]

Q. Out of those builds, which one can be used with OpenELEC version of XBMC (Linux)?
A. Except the A6 & A8 builds, all of them!!

Found here: eSkRo's HTPC Guide

So, there is no APU and OpenELEC?
I searched the OpenELEC.tv forum for some information. Maybe eskro's guide is outdated?
Amd a6-3500 support
AMD ati llano a6-3500 APU: blank screen + monitor going to sleep when starting X on all builds?!
Well, I learned something, dont argue with eskro. He knows a little bit about HTPC's *lol*

================================================

Sure, Wesena (mini ITX) would be sweet. Its an über nice case. And compact. Will fit everywhere.
But the MS-TECH (micro ATX) has some advantages:

• 2 TV tuners possible
  
• SFX sized PSU (rather then picoPSU)
  
• Remote control included
  

The only bad thing about the MS-TECH is its size (compared to the Wesena) and the cooling. For the later one I will drill some holes in the case if necessary. But I hope I don't have to...
Probably the case is also very quiet because its so "closed"? Or will just the fans spin up insanly because there is no real airflow? Lets see...

================================================

Hey Balinus
A little off topic:
What I wanted to ask you. In your thread New HTPC: A6-3500, Wesena ITX7 build, on the first picture, you have the Wesena case and a tray bluray drive.
This bd-drive doesn't fit in the case doesnt it?

Kind Regards

[Takkiedroid]

@soultemptation.

Because you are buying a separate PSU maybe it is wise to look into a case from novatech. http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/compo...ision.html

73 CHF exclusive transport, they do deliver to europe not sure about Swiss. Same case if you ask me. Saves some money for a PSU. Hopefully it is usefull.

[soultemptation]

Thanks for the advice. But....
Problem 1: I ordered yesterday
Problem 2: novatech.co.uk is down. Or is it only for Switzerland? If they not even loading the page for us, then I think they will not ship to Switzerland

[Balinus]

soultemptation, no annoyance here. I've started just like you, by asking question

The A6-3500 will give you a "fluent" experience, but probably not as fast as the i3. That being said, the A6-3500 is not slow by any means in terms of XBMC navigation.

It also should work with OpenElec, with the Fusion build. If you are still hesitating, I could test OpenElec with my HTPC on a USB thumbdrive.

As for my build, indeed, the BD drive is an 5.25 internal drive that I put in an external enclosure. Not satisfied with the enclosure though. I don't use it much though.

Good to see you bought your case then. 1st step is done!

[Takkiedroid]

Thanks for the advice. But....
Problem 1: I ordered yesterday
Problem 2: novatech.co.uk is down. Or is it only for Switzerland? If they not even loading the page for us, then I think they will not ship to Switzerland

It was worth the try, I am curious about the buikd though. Are you planning on posting pics of the build, think Eskro would like that too.
Very curious as I plan on buildinge the same only another motherboard.

Will follow this thread if you do as I am curious.

Good luck with building your HTPC

[soultemptation]

Sure. I edited my first post and added a link to a gallery with some images.
Do you want to know something else about the build?

[bluray]

- BluRay player
- 3D
- HD audio (Bitstream DOLBY TRUE-HD & DTS-HD MASTER)
- Watching TV (recording, timeshift)

Kind Regards

You made a great choice on the hardware. With the specifications in your list, Windows 7 is the way to go. With a discrete GT430 GPU, you can enjoy BD in full 1080P and bitstreaming.

1. You need to connect your HTPC this way: HTPC-->AVR-->HDTV via two HDMI cables. If there is an option in your AVR, you can set it to pass-thru video.
2. Update your GT430 to the latest driver from here- GEFORCE R295 DRIVER
3. Select Nvidia HDMI output in Windows 7 control panel\hardware and sound\playback
4. In sound\playback\configure\speaker setup select "stereo"

After you setup steps 1-4, you have two ways to enjoy DTS-HD\TrueHD:

1. If you have ArcSoft TMT5, you can setup XBMC external player by download the files below. If you have PDVD11, you can easily modify the codes to PVDVD11. With external player, you will enjoy all the original BD menus, chapters, etc and it can bitstreaming DTS-HD/TrueHD fluently with very little effort-
a. Playcorefactory
b. PlayBDMV
c. PlayDisc
d. PlayISO

2. If you don't care about BD menus, chapters, etc, you can bitstreaming using XBMC (compiled by DD).
a. Download- XBMC Beta3 + HD-Audio + Global AV Delay
b. If you haven't installed this ms c++ package, you can install it here- microsoft visual c++ 2010 redistributable Package (x86)
c. Configure XBMC as shown in the screen shots below
d. Select blu-ray movie with HD audio and enjoy it! (if you don't know what movie have HD audio, you can verify it with bdinfo)

[bluray]

So, there is no APU and OpenELEC?
Kind Regards

Since you are interesting in bitstreaming DTS-HD/TrueHD, I doubt that you will be happy with anything other than Windows 7.

[Takkiedroid]

Sure. I edited my first post and added a link to a gallery with some images.
Do you want to know something else about the build?

Have you used the original PSU, if so, is it noisy? Great pics, like to see that.

[soultemptation]

Hey bluray
Thanks a lot for the tutorial!
But in the first step, I want to try openELEC. I will enjoy the quick boot up time there. Then someday I will try a Ubuntu and XBMC and if I will not be able to get bitstream to work, I fall back to Windows. I like to play around. So if its going to be to easy I will be disappointed.
Had this experience with an Synology NAS. Plugged it in, ran the wizard and all was done... BOOOOOOOOOOORING ^^

Hey Takkiedroid
I opened the case again and put the MS-Tech PSU on top of the be quiet! and wired it up to the mainboard. I didn't attached the BD drive and the SSD. And the PSU was really quiet! I heared the CPU cooler a little, but the PSU was not noticeable. I dont know if this will change if I install a operating system and the system will get some load.
Made a video with my cam. But I think you dont really get the loundness. Its a compact cam and they dont have the best mics...

[soultemptation]

Can I change the thread title myself? Or does it has to do a MOD?
Would change it to something like:
My "bought once and lived happily ever after" htpc (attempt): I3-2100, Intel, GT-430, MC-1200. With pics

Is it to long?

[bluray]

I will enjoy the quick boot up time there.

With proper configuration for HTPC purpose, W7 bootup is very quick too....

Anyway, good luck with OpenElec!