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Been a while since I've been here.. but I need advice.
Has anyone got any experience with building (or buying, but I'd rather build) a HTPC with HDMI output?
I'm fancying one for use with XBMC and HD video files (Mostly anime, don't be judgin') and I've got a budget of around £200-£300 at a stretch but the cheaper the better.
Cheers
I do! Basically you just need a video card that supports it. I'd suggest one of the ATI cards, as they'll also output sound along with the video.
My ATI HD 3850 does the job quite well. It's HDCP compliant, and so is my TV, so I'm able to play blu-rays through the HTPC as well.
What are you planning on using for software on your HTPC?
Having a look at that card now and it's been discontinued. Damn. Considering the ATI HD 4670, however..
I'm not too bothered about physical media, to be honest. Although, I'll probably whack a drive in there just in case.
For software, I've actually been inspired by XBMC. Been fiddling around with it on my main PC a little and I'm impressed. Especially with the theme I've found.
What software are you using? Also, what sort of control scheme have you got going?
Found some good cases as well, recently. Looks like it will fit in with my setup.
I use SageTV. I have 250GB set aside for recording on my Windows Home Server. Honestly I really just download whatever I want to watch, then keep it forever. I rip 1:1 copies of blu-rays and keep them on there too.
It has 6TB of storage, and I'll probably be doubling that in the next month or so.
Honestly though, for $99, SageTV is quite nice. You can buy extender boxes to use on other TVs in your house that will play HD content from your HTPC.
Version 8 should be released Soon<tm>. I'm not sure what the current pricing structure is, I know I had to pay like $30 to run the beta version of 8, but it's been worth it.