Mini's Home Theater (Not 56k friendsly / Please post yours too!)

[Furtwangler]

What OS did you use for the HTPC? I'm interested in one day making one and I'm not too sure where to start. Imo remote storage over the network is a must just because of size issues but the OS and other parts of the build I'm still not sure about.

[kareface]

What OS did you use for the HTPC? I'm interested in one day making one and I'm not too sure where to start. Imo remote storage over the network is a must just because of size issues but the OS and other parts of the build I'm still not sure about.

I used windows xp (as I explained above), but you can use linux too. What I suggest is using XBMC for the interface, and Aeon for the skin. It'll stream HD movies over the network easily, I stream most of my movies. The parts list for the HTPC I built it in my post above.

You can check out images of it here:
Aeon: Gallery

[Furtwangler]

Sorry, I totally over skimmed that lol >< good advice though, thanks much

[killerx]

Great looking set up i wish i could pull off something like that. But i really like the home made speakers i wouldn't mind a set of those.

[Furtwangler]

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7252/lala0425532.jpg

I don't have many other pictures on my comp atm cus I'm not there, but my friends HT room which has been thrown together and wasn't really meant to be one is pretty neat. I built 2 15" subwoofers out of some spare drivers he had laying around (silver drivers in carpeted boxes) for the low end movie awesomness, he has 2 polk upper towers resting on them, i dont remember the model numbers but they were part of like a 4k retail set.
Some top speakers for the yamaha "presence" speakers which sound great with movies/surround sound, some rears and a Icantrememberthebrand front and rear center which sound great also. Also has a dual 6" powered yamaha woofer in the back for some mid-lows, fills out the sound nicely. All the components are on a bench covered in black fabric which makes it look very clean and hides wires well. Running a projector for video and we recently finished repainting it. Will post some more pictures later this week.

[kareface]

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7252/lala0425532.jpg

I don't have many other pictures on my comp atm cus I'm not there, but my friends HT room which has been thrown together and wasn't really meant to be one is pretty neat. I built 2 15" subwoofers out of some spare drivers he had laying around (silver drivers in carpeted boxes) for the low end movie awesomness, he has 2 polk upper towers resting on them, i dont remember the model numbers but they were part of like a 4k retail set.
Some top speakers for the yamaha "presence" speakers which sound great with movies/surround sound, some rears and a Icantrememberthebrand front and rear center which sound great also. Also has a dual 6" powered yamaha woofer in the back for some mid-lows, fills out the sound nicely. All the components are on a bench covered in black fabric which makes it look very clean and hides wires well. Running a projector for video and we recently finished repainting it. Will post some more pictures later this week.

Nice setup. Did you port out the subs and @ what frequency? Also, you should tell your friend to watch out for those retractable projector screens, they tend to curl at the edges over time. Do you know the stats on the projector?

[Kenshiin]

Can you explain a little more about the HTPC and how it works? Are the dvds you have on there from your personal collection? How can I get my DVDs onto a hard drive in good picture format? Can I record HD movies off cable and add them to my collection?

[Furtwangler]

Yes it's already begun to curl
The subs are sealed boxes @ 1.5 cu. ft. airspace ish (they were old car subs so i just went with the manufacturers recommendation.
Projector is a 4500(ish, im not 100% on that) Lumen 1080i projector, no HDMI just component. He's slowly upgrading stuff and that's next. He went with brighter instead of 1080p cus it is an open and lit room often. Got a wicked deal on it too so couldnt pass it up. Just bought a new Yamaha RX-V565
Sounds great for the money hes put in it.

[Alishe]

Can you explain a little more about the HTPC and how it works? Are the dvds you have on there from your personal collection? How can I get my DVDs onto a hard drive in good picture format? Can I record HD movies off cable and add them to my collection?

His "digital backups" for "movies he must already own" aren't his ripped blu rays just a heads up. They're someone's, just not his.

[kareface]

Can you explain a little more about the HTPC and how it works?

It's just a computer that I exclusively use for my TV. You can set it up a number of ways, but how I've done mine is I play movies that I have on the hard drive. If you want to get a better idea of the interface you can check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImwHHdI8s0A

Are the dvds you have on there from your personal collection?

They *might* be. Hypothetically someone could just download all the movies online because it would be easier then actually trying to rip bluray (which is a pain in the ass). Ripping DVDs into a good format is pretty easy, but if you have a ton of them it'll take some time. Downloading bluray rips is a little better then downloading DVD rips, because most DVD rips really hurt the quality of the video. There are too many aweful encoders out there. On the other hand if you know where to look there are a ton of great encoders for bluray and HDDVD.

Can I record HD movies off cable and add them to my collection?

You could, but the process knida sucks and it's easier if you have a good internet connection just to download them.

Yes it's already begun to curl

Yeah, hate it when that happens.

The subs are sealed boxes @ 1.5 cu. ft. airspace ish (they were old car subs so i just went with the manufacturers recommendation.
Projector is a 4500(ish, im not 100% on that) Lumen 1080i projector, no HDMI just component. He's slowly upgrading stuff and that's next. He went with brighter instead of 1080p cus it is an open and lit room often. Got a wicked deal on it too so couldnt pass it up. Just bought a new Yamaha RX-V565
Sounds great for the money hes put in it.

I was thinking projector, but I loved the image quality of the plasmas too much to give it up. Projectors can look really really nice, but you can never get deep blacks like you can with a plasma. My friend has a nice projector setup at his place, when he brought his 360 over he had to get used to playing on the plasma because it was "much smoother" animation. I can't have a 10' image tho, lol.

[kareface]

Just an update, I'm excited how nice the stain turned out on the speakers. I just applied the first layer of clear coat to the first speaker, and I have to put another layer of stain on the second speaker, and do a little touch up standing before I start the stain on the center channel. Today I'll be cutting the legs for the right and left speakers and it'll take a few weeks to finish the paint job on the other sides of the speakers. I'll post updates once I get them all painted.

http://uwtechguy.com/mini/setup/stain1.jpg

http://uwtechguy.com/mini/setup/stain2.jpg


This is the finished paint job I'm looking to achieve on the sides, piano black:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...88/tism133.jpg

[Octavious]

Looks even better than last update xD, great looking speakers. (btw spoiler those hugeass pictures, xD stupid forums making me scroll to read what you typed)

[kareface]

Looks even better than last update xD, great looking speakers. (btw spoiler those hugeass pictures, xD stupid forums making me scroll to read what you typed)

Sorry about that, I'll shrink them down. I wish I could take a picture of what they sound like, it's so awesome to hear them.

[The_OG_Nelta]

Nothing amazing.
Haven't decided to shell out for the sound system yet.

Oh and this is just my room

Spoiler for hugeness

Spoiler: show

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/DSC01957.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/DSC01961.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/DSC01962.jpg

[Furtwangler]

I thought i was the only one that left their cube on display hahaha

[Kryssan]

Meh. One day I'll have to update but I'm still using my 62" Toshiba TheaterWide HD DLP TV for my gaming machines. 4 years strong now.


I was thinking about starting to gear up for a new gaming rig, but I really really really need to start on my virtual library, so I think I'm going to dump that instead into building a copy of my present server for use as that purpose and move a few things around and change up my setup for my current fiberoptic backlane in my apartment. Need to get the server out of my bedroom, for one.



Edit: Added picture

Spoiler: show

http://www.aethernavale.net/Media/images/P7030011.JPG

[ertyu]

Once I get my projector back from repairs I'll post mine

[kareface]

Nothing amazing.
Haven't decided to shell out for the sound system yet.

Oh and this is just my room

Spoiler for hugeness

What year/model TV is that?

Meh. One day I'll have to update but I'm still using my 62" Toshiba TheaterWide HD DLP TV for my gaming machines. 4 years strong now.


I was thinking about starting to gear up for a new gaming rig, but I really really really need to start on my virtual library, so I think I'm going to dump that instead into building a copy of my present server for use as that purpose and move a few things around and change up my setup for my current fiberoptic backlane in my apartment. Need to get the server out of my bedroom, for one.



Edit: Added picture

Spoiler: show

http://www.aethernavale.net/Media/images/P7030011.JPG

That is sexy. A suggestion, I'm guessing that it's a 720p TV, for movies or any HD video you might want to move the chair back a little.

http://hdguru.com/wp-content/uploads...ance_chart.pdf

If your too close you'll get fatigue from moving your eyes right and left (imagine sitting in the front row of a theater), too far and you can't see all the details of the image.

With a 62" @720p you would want to be 145.92 inches away. Closer if you are running higher res. I've heard there was a problem with older Toshiba DLP's and bulbs going out. Have you had any problems with yours?

[Kryssan]

That is sexy. A suggestion, I'm guessing that it's a 720p TV, for movies or any HD video you might want to move the chair back a little.

http://hdguru.com/wp-content/uploads...ance_chart.pdf

If your too close you'll get fatigue from moving your eyes right and left (imagine sitting in the front row of a theater), too far and you can't see all the details of the image.

With a 62" @720p you would want to be 145.92 inches away. Closer if you are running higher res. I've heard there was a problem with older Toshiba DLP's and bulbs going out. Have you had any problems with yours?

No issues with bulbs here. I've got two spares just laying around still but I'm currently on bulb #5 (including the one that originally came with the TV). Which is not bad at all.

It's a 1080i TV, and that's also the resolution I run. I sit ~92 inches away, I know it looks deceptive in the shot. I don't have any issues seeing the full screen.

[The_OG_Nelta]

What year/model TV is that?




That is sexy. A suggestion, I'm guessing that it's a 720p TV, for movies or any HD video you might want to move the chair back a little.

http://hdguru.com/wp-content/uploads...ance_chart.pdf

If your too close you'll get fatigue from moving your eyes right and left (imagine sitting in the front row of a theater), too far and you can't see all the details of the image.

With a 62" @720p you would want to be 145.92 inches away. Closer if you are running higher res. I've heard there was a problem with older Toshiba DLP's and bulbs going out. Have you had any problems with yours?

I dunno lol >.>