looking to build a htpc. wondering what software and hardware i’ll need.?
by admin on Mar.28, 2010, under Uncategorized
looking at a dell studio hybrid for the pc but not sure what hardware is needed to connect it to a tv source. i also need to know what software i would have to get in order to record multiple channels and still watch live tv. and will this setup work with satellite tv?
the hardware required will depend on the television your using.
Your video card needs to have the correct output for your tv, or you will need a dvi-vga adapter or something of the sort, depending on your tv's available connections.
You really don't need a huge system for HTPC use, just make sure you have at least a 3ghz cpu (amd 3000+ is fine) because HD movies can be pretty cpu strenuous.
If you want to record multiple channels you will require more then 1 tv tuner. You can buy dual tv tuners that will allow recording 1 channel while watching another, but I don't know if you can get one that will allow recording more then 1 channel while watching another, I believe this would require more then one tv tuner.
For software, there are literally 100s of options available. When i built my HTPC I tried several of them and ended up sticking with windows media center built into windows 7. its the easiest to setup and get working. I found all other software either lacking or difficult to setup.
if you want remopte functionality this will require buying a pc remote. There are lots of options available here too and again i tried several. They all sucked except the Antec Veris. It works great with more functions then i need and simple setup.
As for satelite tv, this requires a specific type of tv tuner, it can be made to work but I haven't personally done it so I can't give much info here.
Good luck
March 29th, 2010 on 3:02 am
the hardware required will depend on the television your using.
Your video card needs to have the correct output for your tv, or you will need a dvi-vga adapter or something of the sort, depending on your tv’s available connections.
You really don’t need a huge system for HTPC use, just make sure you have at least a 3ghz cpu (amd 3000+ is fine) because HD movies can be pretty cpu strenuous.
If you want to record multiple channels you will require more then 1 tv tuner. You can buy dual tv tuners that will allow recording 1 channel while watching another, but I don’t know if you can get one that will allow recording more then 1 channel while watching another, I believe this would require more then one tv tuner.
For software, there are literally 100s of options available. When i built my HTPC I tried several of them and ended up sticking with windows media center built into windows 7. its the easiest to setup and get working. I found all other software either lacking or difficult to setup.
if you want remopte functionality this will require buying a pc remote. There are lots of options available here too and again i tried several. They all sucked except the Antec Veris. It works great with more functions then i need and simple setup.
As for satelite tv, this requires a specific type of tv tuner, it can be made to work but I haven’t personally done it so I can’t give much info here.
Good luck
References :