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<blockquote data-quote="dcwp" data-source="post: 388621" data-attributes="member: 25562"><p>Thanks Fanta, I'm impressed that you recognize the sound system. It was actually part of the HP system before we decided to dedicate it to HTPC. It's always nice to start with some good pieces!</p><p></p><p>Which brings me to my first efforts to build a dedicated HTPC from ground up...</p><p></p><p>Right after moving into a new home, we happened onto a free 32" CRT monitor. It sounded like a good deal at the time, but it was so huge in all dimensions that we could not get it into our Ford Focus through any door at any angle. Had to come back with the truck to haul a monitor! The monitor was an improvement on our 15" CRT, but at that size, you really see how poor resolution on a VGA monitor can be. </p><p></p><p>That's the monitor in my avatar (being watched by Sadie, the other mediahound). It's also the monitor in the first picture below. Not a great photo, but I couldn't find a better one.</p><p></p><p>The monitor itself wasn't great, but the guy who gave it to me had been an HTPC dabbler in the 1990s. It was actually a Gateway monitor from a dedicated HTPC system they tried to market at some point. I had never heard the term HTPC and didn't realize there was an actual community and market. So he set me into the internet looking for more info and help.</p><p></p><p>As I started reading through other HTPC forums, I was still just launching the ATI TV software with my wireless mouse and looking for a better way, having never seen MCE, MediaPortal, or any other front end software. At some point, it finally occurred to me that there should be an integrated program that puts all your media in one easily navigable menu that can be read from the couch. Seemed like a stroke of genius at the time.<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite11" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll Eyes :rolleyes:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":rolleyes:" /> I even went so far as to post a message in another forum, arguing that someone needed to write a program like this. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite10" alt=":oops:" title="Oops! :oops:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":oops:" /> Yeah... after much laughing and pointing, someone on the forum kindly pointed me to a list of front end software.</p><p></p><p>WOW, that was a revolution for me. I tried Meedio, GBPVR, BeyondTV, and a couple of others before I finally found MediaPortal some time in late 2006. I can honestly say that discovering MediaPortal was the most important step in my HTPC dabbling.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, my wife is not only a compulsive minimalist, she is also very excited about using an HTPC. When I showed her MediaPortal, she was completely on board with building a dedicated MediaCenter for it.<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big Grin :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p>I should point out here that we were both graduate students in anthropology, so between us we had very little experience with computers and less money. Thus I had to design and build my first self-built computer for under $300. What I came up with was whatever TigerDirect had a good deal on and would still power MediaPortal.</p><p></p><p>Specifically I picked up a barebones bundle based on an Intel Socket 478 board in an Ultra Microfly case (looks a little nicer than a midtower) and I got a processor for around $20. Then threw in a cheap vid card and PVR 500 MCE, which never worked right. That stupid capture card had to be RMAd three times costing me more in postage than the card itself and I ended up with a PVR 150MCE with a tuner that made the low channels snowy. Grrr, I swore I was done with Hauppage, but that didn't last.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, that was my first mission-built HTPC, and the base of what I am using right now:</p><p></p><p>HTPC Mark II:</p><p>Intel Celeron D, 3.2GHz</p><p>1 Gb PC3200 RAM</p><p>NVidia GeForce FX 5200</p><p>Hauppage PVR 150MCE</p><p>Ca. 300 Gb HDD</p><p>MCE Remote</p><p></p><p>A few months later we bought a decent display, again focusing on absolute cheapness as the top priority. It's an Olevia 37" LCD display capable of 720p. Because it has no integrated tuner and it was on sale, I got it for a great price.</p><p></p><p>This system is shown in the second image below. We were remodelling the living room at the time, hence the odd pieces of wood laying around, but you'll also notice that I am not a particularly neat person <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite10" alt=":oops:" title="Oops! :oops:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":oops:" />. Something I'm struggling to change as I refine my htpc.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="dcwp, post: 388621, member: 25562"] Thanks Fanta, I'm impressed that you recognize the sound system. It was actually part of the HP system before we decided to dedicate it to HTPC. It's always nice to start with some good pieces! Which brings me to my first efforts to build a dedicated HTPC from ground up... Right after moving into a new home, we happened onto a free 32" CRT monitor. It sounded like a good deal at the time, but it was so huge in all dimensions that we could not get it into our Ford Focus through any door at any angle. Had to come back with the truck to haul a monitor! The monitor was an improvement on our 15" CRT, but at that size, you really see how poor resolution on a VGA monitor can be. That's the monitor in my avatar (being watched by Sadie, the other mediahound). It's also the monitor in the first picture below. Not a great photo, but I couldn't find a better one. The monitor itself wasn't great, but the guy who gave it to me had been an HTPC dabbler in the 1990s. It was actually a Gateway monitor from a dedicated HTPC system they tried to market at some point. I had never heard the term HTPC and didn't realize there was an actual community and market. So he set me into the internet looking for more info and help. As I started reading through other HTPC forums, I was still just launching the ATI TV software with my wireless mouse and looking for a better way, having never seen MCE, MediaPortal, or any other front end software. At some point, it finally occurred to me that there should be an integrated program that puts all your media in one easily navigable menu that can be read from the couch. Seemed like a stroke of genius at the time.:rolleyes: I even went so far as to post a message in another forum, arguing that someone needed to write a program like this. :ooops: Yeah... after much laughing and pointing, someone on the forum kindly pointed me to a list of front end software. WOW, that was a revolution for me. I tried Meedio, GBPVR, BeyondTV, and a couple of others before I finally found MediaPortal some time in late 2006. I can honestly say that discovering MediaPortal was the most important step in my HTPC dabbling. Fortunately, my wife is not only a compulsive minimalist, she is also very excited about using an HTPC. When I showed her MediaPortal, she was completely on board with building a dedicated MediaCenter for it.:D I should point out here that we were both graduate students in anthropology, so between us we had very little experience with computers and less money. Thus I had to design and build my first self-built computer for under $300. What I came up with was whatever TigerDirect had a good deal on and would still power MediaPortal. Specifically I picked up a barebones bundle based on an Intel Socket 478 board in an Ultra Microfly case (looks a little nicer than a midtower) and I got a processor for around $20. Then threw in a cheap vid card and PVR 500 MCE, which never worked right. That stupid capture card had to be RMAd three times costing me more in postage than the card itself and I ended up with a PVR 150MCE with a tuner that made the low channels snowy. Grrr, I swore I was done with Hauppage, but that didn't last. Anyway, that was my first mission-built HTPC, and the base of what I am using right now: HTPC Mark II: Intel Celeron D, 3.2GHz 1 Gb PC3200 RAM NVidia GeForce FX 5200 Hauppage PVR 150MCE Ca. 300 Gb HDD MCE Remote A few months later we bought a decent display, again focusing on absolute cheapness as the top priority. It's an Olevia 37" LCD display capable of 720p. Because it has no integrated tuner and it was on sale, I got it for a great price. This system is shown in the second image below. We were remodelling the living room at the time, hence the odd pieces of wood laying around, but you'll also notice that I am not a particularly neat person :ooops:. Something I'm struggling to change as I refine my htpc. [/QUOTE]
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