My new HTPC....

[holidayboy]

OK then, first off, I've been running my current build for a while (my specs page is up to date now) and it's served me very, very well.

To be honest, I don't really need to retire it, but I'm at that point when I fancy building a new rig, the old Zalman case is still a lovely looking box - but it is a bit big and over the top looking for my lounge.

The HD160 has a kind of HiFi/separates look I guess... very nice to look at .... but I don't have any other gear that matches!

I'm thinking Haswell - using the integrated graphics > HDMI out to current TV (but via an added 2.1 HDMI soundbar).

It's a minefield out there, hardware choice has never been one of my strong suits to be honest.

I'm back to running DVBLink TVSource full time for my TV needs so all of my tuner cards could be relocated into my server in the loft - allowing a nice slimline looking case - a Bluray drive would be optional as I tend to rip everything, but it would be a nice thing to have.

I really liked the slim looking type build that Barnabas1969 posted about a while ago and that's the kind of build I'm thinking about attempting....

HDMI CEC is one thing that I'd really like to include... at some point. It's probably best get the system up and running first and then add that part later though.

I'm just at the initial planning stages so I've got a lot of research to do regarding the Intel GPU stuff - the old 25/50Hz (29/59Hz) issue for instance!

I've found that you do need a bit of CPU grunt in order to get a really reliable setup when using DVBLink TVSource so I'm thinking an i5 of some sort?....

Please post any ideas that you have to help me narrow down the huge list of possible ways to go!

Thanks for reading

[makryger]

I'll just throw it out there that I have been very happy with my case. It looks very sleak, has a brushed black finish that looks good as AV equipment, not quite as big as the AVR type size you show above, but its more deep than wide on the front face, so it looks very small. Bundle it with a slim bluray drive, and you're good to go.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811163233

If you're looking to add HDMI-CEC, then you have to decide whether you want an integrated solution, or an external box. There aren't too many motherboard options for integrated solutions. Though it might be worth checking out to see if your TV has control over IP, Serial port control, etc. My Sharp has a serial port, and I control the TV very nicely by sending commands from the computer. Not quite as flawless as HDMI-CEC can be, but it makes things a lot easier to use.

[milli260876]

Beware haswell hdmi audio issues. If you sleep your htpc you could run into issues. Mine is still not resolved properly even after direct contact and a bios update from msi. The Intel forums are full of it...

[milli260876]

https://communities.intel.com/message/219810?tstart=0
I've got an i5 4670 its a cracking system, i got round the audio issues by not turning my AVR off! Not ideal but still..
My guess is the Intel drivers are garbage.

[milli260876]

That said if you're running from a server why not an Intel nuc...
Tiny.

[holidayboy]

Thanks for posting guys

TV has no control input other than IR / HDMI CEC.

I didn't know about the audio issue, thanks milli! I plan to have a soundbar and I do sleep the HTPC....

Do you see any 25/50 frame rate issues on the HD channels?

I did wonder about the Nuc boxes, I've never gone with a barebones box before (I did have an old Hiper Media Center case, but that just used a mATX board).

I guess if I went that way, I'd end up moving TV recordings to my server, rather than store 3.5 TB locally. (Mostly the other half's soaps dating back over a year!)

The last time I had recordings on the server, I noticed that the recorded TV section was slow to display thumbs at times due to the server spinning-down I guess.

I guess I'd just archive the old stuff and have a local drive for keeping recent recordings. I don't to end up with a gaggle of USB drives connected locally.

[holidayboy]

I love the look of the Wesena cases:

http://wesena.com/projects/e-series/

I did toy with idea of using an old DVD player and going DIY crazy, I don't have enough spare time though!

[STC]

I love the look of the Wesena cases:

http://wesena.com/projects/e-series/

I did toy with idea of using an old DVD player...

Dremel time! An indispensable tool

The Wesena sure looks like a nice case.

I still like my D-Vine 4 it's held up over time. Fits right in with the other components and doesn't look like a PC. They don't make them any more though

[milli260876]

I've got gigabit LAN and don't have any issues regarding serving recTV content. But, i don't save anything. If i do save it i put it thru mediabrowser. I did have some issues on bbc, seems to have cleared up tho so possibly signal/weather related??

[milli260876]

Hey Rob,
Regarding the dvd case idea..
Here's one i made earlier!
Bought an old kiss dvd off fleabay for a tenner, cut the cpu fan off and modded a 120mm fan with a speed resistor inline.put a dust cover on top looks great! Quiet as a mouse too..
Pics to follow

[milli260876]

Pics as promised, get a dvd player from a charity shop!!!
Much more satisfying...
[WINKING FACE]

[STC]

Nice to see 'proper' plugs lol.

[milli260876]

Nice to see 'proper' plugs lol.

yeah, great design!!! Lol

[Mike88]

How about using the case from an old desktop PC, the horizontal style case? They're already made to hold a motherboard & optical drive. Of course you'd have to make sure it will hold a standard size mobo. I dropped something off at a recycling center near me & they had a big stack of PCs & CRT monitors. I don't know if they'd give me one because there is no cost involved, or maybe they can't because of some liability issues. I'm going to ask next time I'm there. Maybe bring home a few & see what looks good & bring back the rest at a later date.

[holidayboy]

^ I did think about a neat and small ATX case, I also thought about trying to squeeze a build into a red ringed Xbox!

[barnabas1969]

@holidayboy: The only thing I would be concerned about with the Haswell chip is the memory leak issue that seems to only happen with Haswell + Win8.1. You've posted in that thread, so you already know about it. Maybe it's been fixed by Intel by now?

I'm very happy with my new build. It's been über stable, it's whisper quiet and it's very energy efficient (25 watt idle with all my software installed). I think your decision on what to buy depends on your budget and the price of the components when bought in the UK. It's my understanding that you will be charged a 20% VAT on everything you import, such as when buying something from China on e-bay, correct?

I highly recommend every component I put in mine. If you can get those parts for the right price, I'd recommend just duplicating mine.

[holidayboy]

^ Yeah, 20% VAT + customs / import duties too!

I've emailed a few companies regarding the case you bought, as well as the ones I posted earlier - both really nice options.

I only build a new box every 3-5 years (have had my case since ~2008) so I'm planning to push the boat out a bit

Not sure if the 8.1 issue is fixed - Win7 will be fine anyway tbh, I don't rely on any Win8 apps on a daily basis.

[barnabas1969]

I've been really lucky in that I've not been charged any customs duties for the things I've purchased from China on e-bay. They usually state on the shipping label that it's a gift, so I guess that's how they are getting past customs without having to pay a duty. I don't know if the same trick would work in the UK.

I shipped a smartphone to Romania before Christmas, and even though it was listed as a gift, they had to pay import duties and taxes.

[milli260876]

Hey Rob
Just been looking (because of you!)
Check this out on AMZN:
http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ACAGVJW
I want to build one now although i have no need!!!!

[holidayboy]

Nice

Go on, treat yerself, you deserve it!