First HTPC build, some advice please

[Furton]

Hello all, I'm currently building my first HTPC and waiting on the following components.

Antec Fusion Black HTPC Case - 430HE Watt PSU
Abit AN-M2HD nForce 520 Micro ATX (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
AMD AM2 Athlon 64 BE-2400 Brisbane
Corsair 2GB DDR2 Value Select PC2-5300C5 Dual Channel Kit (2x1GB)
Zalman CNPS7500-CU CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)
LG GGC-H20L Blu-Ray Reader & HD-DVD ROM Serial ATA Retail Kit
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache
Terretac Cinergy 2400i DT MCE PCI-E
Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre Remote Controller
Netgear WG311 54Mbps Wireless Desktop PCI Network Adapter
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition
Belkin PureAV Blue Series HDMI to HDMI Cable - 3.6m

However, I need some advice on what software to install e.t.c I've decided to go with MP over Vista MCE as it seems a lot more customisable and better suited to my media library of TV Shows, movies and music. Here's what I need the HTPC to be able to do.

Play DVD's
Play HD-DVD/Blue Ray (I realize I might need a seperate GFX card for this but will try without first) at 720p
Play AVI's and DivX files
Play Music
Play H.264 files at 720p
Watch & Record Digital TV

Will MP do most of this "out of the box" or do I need a lot of separate codecs and plugins?

[fpouels]

Hi and welcome on this forum. Most of your requirements will be met by MP. Your htpc will run 720p content, although heavy on the cpu. The only thing mediaportal is lacking from the list is support for HD-DVD/Bluray formats, if you search this forum you will find some 50% solutions.

You will need some codecs but it's easy to configure, check this wiki page:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/Use...%7C%28codec%29

[SwingSultan]

hi,

i would prefer a newer motherboard like the asus m2a. you could use a low profile scyte ninja cpu cooler with a papst or noctua fan. with this combo you can even top the pretty good noise level of the zalman cooler. but the rest looks just fine.

edit: if you also need a psu i recommend the seasonic s12 and m12 series.