I welcome all advice, comments and recommendations for a Windows Media Center HTPC.
I have both a HD HomeRun 2 Tuner and a HD HomeRun Prime 3 Tuner. My cable provider is Brighthouse and in their wisdom they have chosen to flag all channels as copy-once so in order to record/watch live TV I need a Windows Media Center box that passes PlayReady DRM and Digital Cable Advisor.
I originally planned to build the system as a virtual machine on one of my computers however there is no way to pass the PlayReady DRM Digital Cable Advisor requirements with a virtual video card.
System needs to be able to record 5 HD streams simultaneously.
Video Output must be VGA or DVI as the monitor I plan to use is NOT HDCP compliant.
Need minimal storage as I will write a robocopy script to copy all recordings to my 8TB NAS
Must have Gig E
No need for DVD/Blue Ray can use USB drive to load OS
Plan to add up to 2 extenders in the future
Want components from reputable manufacturers that can easily be replaced upon failure as since all recordings will have DRM and any change in component will cause recordings to be lost.
Currently running a beta test on an ASUS X401U Laptop with an AMD E1 1200 Processor. System is OK but guide scrolling lags at times.
The smaller the form factor the better.
Need advice/comments/recommendations for a WMC HTPC build
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ivan308
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:32 pm
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HTPC Specs:
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barnabas1969
- Posts: 5738
- Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
- Location: Titusville, Florida, USA
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HTPC Specs:
There is a way to bypass the Digital Cable Advisor and this will allow you to watch protected content from a Media Center extender, but I've only read about one person who managed to get Media Center to work in a VM... and even then he says that it stutters every 5-15 minutes due to the fact that the OS, in a VM, can't directly control the network hardware.
If you want to go REALLY small, you could go for a Mini-ITX case and an Intel i3 dual-core Clarkdale CPU with integrated Intel HD graphics. The reason I recommend the Clarkdale vs. the Sandybridge or Ivybridge is because the Clarkdale is the only one that has been proven to handle the 29/59 issue... and you'll have that on some shows/channels since you have a CableCARD tuner. Of course, you can use the Sandybridge or Ivybridge if you also add a video card like the nVidia GT-430 or ATI Radeon HD6450. The dual-core i3 CPU will be enough for two extenders running simultaneously.
You could also go with a micro-ATX. One decent case is this one. This case would allow you to go with a quad-core i5, which would be enough for 4 extenders running simultaneously.
In a small form factor case, you should try to stick to a 73 watt (or lower) CPU, and make sure you have good air flow through the case.
EDIT: Oh, and by the way... I have Brighthouse too. I'm in Central Florida. Everything is copy-once except the local channels. Do you not receive the locals on your HD HomeRun (QAM) tuners?
EDIT 2: As for HDCP, you don't want to try DVI if your monitor is not HDCP compliant. You'll need to use VGA or component. The HP X280N and Linksys DMA-2100/DMA-2200 extenders all have component outputs. I assume you can use a component adapter on an XBox360 also. I do not think the soon-to-be-released Ceton Echo will have component output.
If you want to go REALLY small, you could go for a Mini-ITX case and an Intel i3 dual-core Clarkdale CPU with integrated Intel HD graphics. The reason I recommend the Clarkdale vs. the Sandybridge or Ivybridge is because the Clarkdale is the only one that has been proven to handle the 29/59 issue... and you'll have that on some shows/channels since you have a CableCARD tuner. Of course, you can use the Sandybridge or Ivybridge if you also add a video card like the nVidia GT-430 or ATI Radeon HD6450. The dual-core i3 CPU will be enough for two extenders running simultaneously.
You could also go with a micro-ATX. One decent case is this one. This case would allow you to go with a quad-core i5, which would be enough for 4 extenders running simultaneously.
In a small form factor case, you should try to stick to a 73 watt (or lower) CPU, and make sure you have good air flow through the case.
EDIT: Oh, and by the way... I have Brighthouse too. I'm in Central Florida. Everything is copy-once except the local channels. Do you not receive the locals on your HD HomeRun (QAM) tuners?
EDIT 2: As for HDCP, you don't want to try DVI if your monitor is not HDCP compliant. You'll need to use VGA or component. The HP X280N and Linksys DMA-2100/DMA-2200 extenders all have component outputs. I assume you can use a component adapter on an XBox360 also. I do not think the soon-to-be-released Ceton Echo will have component output.