Completed Laptop based HTPC finally finished (2 Viewers)

[jay_galway]

Hi,

I have say thanks to the TeamMedia portal people first out, for producing something that has surpassed all my original ideas etc.

I originally wanted to replace my aging Xbox and XBMC with a new media setup that would cover HD and much much more. I was getting tired of waiting around for someone to hack the xbox360 and produce XBMC360

Searching the web I found media portal which was being developed by Frodo and friends. For those that dont know Frodo worked on the XBMC, and that was enough for me to move over to Media portal....

My System is as follows:

Dell M170 XPS.
HDD: 120GB internal drive and 3x500 GB External HDD Drives.
Processor: Google M170 XPS
Drive: Default DVD Read/Write Dell XPS Drive.
Ram: 2GB
TV Card: NONE- soon will be getting an USB one though
Graphics Card: Nvidia Go7800, using the DVI ouput, connected to a DVI to HDMI 1Metre cable (The shorter the better!)
OS: Windows XP Pro
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook connected via optical cable to AMP
Media Portal: 0.2.2.0
Misc Hardware: MCE Reciever and 2 IR transmitters (Blasters) One connected to AMP to control volume and any settings etc.
360 wireless dongle for PC connector, this device is awesome it allows me to use my Xbox360 wireless controllers with my PC, so I can play mame roms etc wireless.

Sound Setup:
Speakers: Mardaunt Short Genie Speakers.
AMP: Yamaha DSP-AX757SE 7.1

Screen:
LCD: 46" Samsung 1080p!!(LE46F71B) This screen seriously kicks ass.

Now let me say something, the Samsung screen is awesome, easily one of the best buys Ive ever made. It is True HD ready and allows me to pump out via the DVI from my little laptop graph card, a lovely 1920x1080 resolution.

I do have some pics, however they are bit crappy quality due to bad camera, I will rectify that soon. Also Im using a 4:3 skin... a personally modified PM3 version. I like this skin, I had on the old xbox and love it to death. I have modified it with regards to MesFilms as I like large cover art for my DVD collection.

Also a bit about the room, I had to rip down old coving and put the speaker wires high up. Ready for the new conving so it could be hidden, and drill lots of BIG holes through the wall to allow the plasma input/outputs and speaker wires to run through.

I personally like a clean finish I hate ANY TV stands/cables/boxes etc. Which is why all my cables, and boxes/amps/xbox360/wii etc are on the other side of the wall under the stairs. Basically I like it all neat . Also I hate the noise a PC produces hence the use of a laptop as they are more silent than the ugly box deskops etc. Having said that I could have a desk fan running under the stairs and I wouldnt hear it through the brick wall.

Let me know what you think the pics are attachements.

Just to point out the pics of the laptop and amp, they are on the otherside of the LCD wall.

 

[jay_galway]

A pic of the rear wall and the rear left speaker

 

[Bagal]

Wow, loving the clean look of everything! I just wish my understairs cupboard was behind the lounge wall!

 

[Lizard King]

Congrats Jay! Your setup looks really neat|

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Wow, loving the clean look of everything! I just wish my understairs cupboard was behind the lounge wall!

Ditto

Great screensaver, now where have i seen that before.

 

[zombiepig]

fantastic setup!

(needless to say i'm jealous... )

 

[jay_galway]

hehe thx for the nice comments.

Yea I am lucky with the stairs being behind that wall. The room with the media centre used to be the house dinning room, but when I saw it, I thought hmm I see some potential here.

Below is the work in progress of mounting the speakers and their wires after taking down the old coving...

The speaker is covered in a bag etc to prevent dust whilst working on the other speakers

 

[papas]

what i liked the most is that everything is so clean and tidy

really nice work

 

[jay_galway]

what i liked the most is that everything is so clean and tidy

really nice work

Thanks. It was a lot of hard work, not only around media portal, but the room itself. The wires that run from speakers I had to chase into the wall so the wall mounts would sit flat, was a pain in the butt. But thankfully its all turned out how I wanted, ie no visible wires of boxes/units etc.

Im going to leave the space under the screen empty, the room isnt finished yet, im still waiting on a sofa to arrive, then ill finish of decorating the room.

Ill get some better pics up once the room is completed

 

[chenks]

can i ask why you chose to use a laptop ?

surely it's not the most energy efficient solution ?