Legit Reviews

I finally convinced my financee to let me build a real HTPC (instead of using my old, ugly, beat up e-machine). So before she could change her mind I quickly ordered the following from newegg
Asus M3A78-EM
IN WIN Slim MicroATX
2GB OCZ RAM
also a cheap remote, hard drive, dvd drive, and CPU cooler for the Athlon 64 X2 4600 which we had lying around

Now, I made two mistakes.

Mistake Number 1 - The motherboard I ordered does not have an S-Video out .... I could swear it did when I ordered it ... anyway, we don't have an HDTV yet (but it's coming soon )
So, to remedy this situation, I ordered a Sapphire 4550

Mistake Number 2 - I bought the 64bit version of vista premium. ... I had no idea the 64 bit version of windows included a 64 bit Windows Media player that NEEDS 64 bit codecs.... They couldn't be too hard to find ... could they?

I have to run and take my fiancee to a doctors appt now (she had foot surgery last week)
I'll finish the story later tonight. Don't worry, I took lots of pictures for those of you who love your pictures!(now I just need to figure out how to upload them... stupid cameras).

If you really can't get the 64bit working, I've heard that you can use your key on a 32bit disk (if you can find one).

Looking forward to pics

Dan

I use CCCP and CoreAVC codecs. CCCP does mkv files but CoreAVC does a better job at playing h.264 clips.

vlc plays anything you can find and doesnt even use codecs... plus it streams over teh network great

Dan,

I've heard that you can use your key on a 32bit disk (if you can find one)

Good to know. But I got it to work. No silly codec problem can defeat me!


pwcmed,

I use CCCP and CoreAVC codecs.

Unfortunately CCCP and CoreAVC are not 64-bit codecs... Well to be precise they don't support a 64bit media player. AFAIK the only 64 bit media players for Windows are Windows Media Player (32 and 64 bit versions included with Vista 64, however the only time the 64 bit version gets used is in Vista Media Center) and MPC Homecinema. Anyway, the point is even if you are running Vista 64, you're probably still using a 32bit media player, as there are only three codecs that support native 64bit players. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, there are probably more than three...


Martini,

vlc plays anything you can find and doesnt even use codecs

Yes, VLC is a wonderful program. It's kinda like the Konqueror of Media Players.
Unfortunately, Vista Media Center will only play videos using Windows Media Player. You can trick it to use other players, but I've been lead to believe that is more hassle than it is worth. The whole point of this setup was to allow me to control the thing with the remote so that I could hide the mouse and keyboard when they're not needed.


So, for those of you contemplating a HTPC, and want to use a 64 bit version of Windows, here is what worked for me:
1. Install my "normal" codecs.
2. No joy.
3. Read lots of forum posts...
4. Install Vista Codec Pack and Vista Codec x64 components
5. Ok now everything except regular old avi files encoded with Xvid play...
6. While looking around for more answers discover Media Control Plugin. Lets you control FFDshow options via the remote!
7. Finally add in K-Lite Codec Pack 64-bit which (I think) is just a "stable" version of FFDshow 64.
8. Success!

Now on to the pictures!


A pile of stuff!


Here's a shot of the case with the top off. I'm not sure what that plastic thing was supposed to do... Maybe keep the warm air from the CPU cooler up in the case? I dunno, didn't fit over the NB heat sink on my mobo.



These little yellow levers lock the drive bays into place.



Here is the drive bay detached.



All the pieces are in, but still need to clean up those cables



This is moment I realized there was no S-Video output...



Oh well, it all worked out in the end. That 4550 packs some serious power for it's size.

I've been using those codecs on a variety of setups to include Vista 64 Bit. I mean does using the 32 bit mediaplayer give you less frames a second or choppy playback. I'm telling CoreAVC works great for HD media but hey you got someting that works for you so go with it.

Apart from the difficulty in locating codecs compatible with 64 bit media players, I have noticed zero (0) difference between the 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows Media Player and Media Player Classic.

Wow, that's a swanky looking case! Looks good so far.

I also love CCCP. I don't know why you need a 64bit O/S for a HTPC though. Is BluRay that CPU intensive?

I don't know why I need a 64 bit OS for an HTPC either....
In fact I don't need a 64 bit OS for my HTPC....

Had I known it was going to be such a hassle, I would have purchased the 32 bit edition.
However, I didn't know ahead of time that it would be a hassle.

When I started college classes over the summer I could finally afford the upgrade to Vista.
I had no problems running the 64 bit version on my desktop, so why not get it for the HTPC?

The only reason I did have problems was due to the ... unique nature of the 64 bit version of Vista Media Center.
I'm not sure why the Media Center must use the 64 bit player, but it does.

For those of you who have a 64 bit Vista, and want to "experience" the differences between the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Windows Media Player, here is how:
32 bit: Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player
64 bit: Program Files\Windows Media Player

The 32 bit version is the default Windows Media Player.
Meaning, if you right click on a file, and tell it to "play in Windows Media Player", it will play using the 32 bit version (even on the 64 bit OS).

The only way to access the 64 bit version is to open the 64 bit player and tell it to play something.
OR, open Windows Media Center (included with Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista) which will only use the 64 bit version.

*EDIT*
Yeah, I like the case. It's a little deeper than I thought it would be, but it looks great.
I can't take credit for it though, I let my fiancee pick the case.
She has better "taste" than I do.

What front end are you planning on running? If you are using Media Center then I'd suggest taking a look at the alternatives out there. After getting fed up with Media Center I started using SageTV. I have been using it for a long time now and have had very few problems with the software. The biggest issue that I have with the program is that it isn't playing my .mp4 coded HD files smoothly. I guess it's the codec that the built-in media player is using.

My HTPC Specs:
Opteron 170
8800 GTS
2GB DDR
80GB OS Drive
250GB Storage/Recording Drive
Hauppauge PVR150

When I was contemplating which OS to use before the build, I was torn between Vista and LinuxMCE.
I eventually decided to go with Vista so we could play co-op games (like Guitar Hero) out in the living room.

Once I decided on Vista, I looked at SageTV, and decided it wasn't worth the cost. I'll probably try some of the free and open source alternatives when I get a chance, since they are free. But, it seems like the "selling point" of SageTV is its dvr features. I haven't bothered with a tuner card, maybe I will later, but for now it isn't a priority. Since Sage TV doesn't seem to offer anything that Vista doesn't, the only thing I would get out of it would be ease of use or a more configurable program, it didn't seem to be worth an extra $100. Maybe if I had a tuner card and I was building a dvr type machine it would make a difference...