new HTPC setup

[alitech]

Hello

I just got a sexy HDTV. Sony Bravia 46W200U. Its got all the sexy things you can expect from a HDTV and more. Im happy with my purchase.

Now all I want to do is set up a home made desktop PC to it with an HDMI connection to ensure I get the maximum possible quality on the TV.

FOr this I need a good VGA card with an HDMI output. I know that HDMI can also carry sound, so there must be sound cards out there that can internally connect to a VGA card to send both 1080p signals as well as 5.1 surround sound to the TV through the HDMI cable. Furthermore, this set up would need to be compatible with Blu-ray disc drives. I dont have any plans to buy blu ray drive just yet, if I can make it work with a VGA card supporting sound, then Blu ray should not be a problem right?

What sort of hard ware do I need to consider for this set up? and where can I read a guide on how to do this?

I made a decision of not buying a Blu Ray player at this point as I thought it would be a good idea to get one on the desktop PC when they are available.

Does all of this sound like a good idea?

What sort of advice can I get from all you experts out there?

Whats the verdict?

 

[mrcorbo]

Hello

I just got a sexy HDTV. Sony Bravia 46W200U. Its got all the sexy things you can expect from a HDTV and more. Im happy with my purchase.

Now all I want to do is set up a home made desktop PC to it with an HDMI connection to ensure I get the maximum possible quality on the TV.

FOr this I need a good VGA card with an HDMI output. I know that HDMI can also carry sound, so there must be sound cards out there that can internally connect to a VGA card to send both 1080p signals as well as 5.1 surround sound to the TV through the HDMI cable. Furthermore, this set up would need to be compatible with Blu-ray disc drives. I dont have any plans to buy blu ray drive just yet, if I can make it work with a VGA card supporting sound, then Blu ray should not be a problem right?

What sort of hard ware do I need to consider for this set up? and where can I read a guide on how to do this?

I made a decision of not buying a Blu Ray player at this point as I thought it would be a good idea to get one on the desktop PC when they are available.

Does all of this sound like a good idea?

What sort of advice can I get from all you experts out there?

Whats the verdict?

I'll give a more detailed response when I have a little more time, but for now I'll just say that HDMI audio out from the PC is problematic ATM. Technically it works, but it is pretty seriously limited. Most especially if you aim to playback the new HD disc formats in their full resolution. Basically, HDMI audio solutions that are available right now are all limited to either stereo PCM or compressed multichannel like Dolby Digital or DTS. In order to achieve full audio quality from HD DVD or BluRay you are still stuck using analog outs at the moment.

Auzentech are supposed to be developing an HDMI 1.3 add-on board for their upcoming X-Fi Prelude sound card, but until that actually materializes there is no solution for the PC that can fully leverage the audio capabilities of HDMI.

 

[mrcorbo]

OK. Now that I can elaborate a bit more first bookmark this site.

This is the best resource for HTPC on the net. And as long as you make liberal use of the search feature before asking your question you're very liley to get some helpful answers.

Secondly, there are some other considerations based on what you expect this machine to do. Do you want to be able to record premium cable (including HD)? Do you want to be able to record OTA HD signals? Are you looking to build an ultra-silent HTPC? Do you intend to build a media server with lots of DVDs and CDs ripped to hard drive for easier access?

Having a clear list of the functions that you hope for the box to provide makes it much easier to plan out the hardware and software requirements.

 

[alitech]

Hello mate
Thanks for all your answers. You seem to be quite knowledgeable.

I understand now that by going down the route of having HDMI deliver audio will be a bad idea because I wont be able to take advantage of the 5.1 DTS audio from it. I will opt to go through an optical audio output from a sound card from the likes of CREATIVE AUDIGY 2 etc.

So video signal to be captured by the VGA card that is HDCP compliant through DVI/HDMI and the audio through optical out into the AAV receiver. I dont have one yet, but i am abou to buy a Sony one.

I do not intend to record anything on the Media PC, I have other devices to do that for me. I just need a PC where I can store all my media, use it for internet, play blu ray and use its full potential for graphics and video purposes.

So what I want to do is build a quite HTPC from scratch. Probably start off with a good looking case, a quite motherboard and then come the HDCP compliant graphics card and a 5.1 sound card, lots of memory and a big fat hard disk (or 2). Then I intend to buy a blu ray drive when it becomes a bit more affordable.

Am i going in the right direction?

 

[Sxotty]

wd500ks I think is a good hdd for you.


Look at silentpcreview for components.

 

[ERP]

I think one of the big questions is do you intend to use it to play games, or just play media?
Will you use it to encode/rip the media, or just store/play it.

I have several HTPCs, but I only use them as DVR's and to playback media, so they're specced primarilly to reduce noise rather than for performance.

If you can stay away from high end graphics card and high end CPU's it makes building a quiet PC a lot easier. But wanting Bluray playback you may end up needing a fairly significant CPU.