Movie Collection to HTPC

[BMXTRIX]

The one thing I can say is that almost any solution you end up using will require a fair bit of your involvement to make it all happen before, during, and after the fact. I am currently running with a bit over 20TB of storage across 4 Thecus RAID units... I will say that they were uber simple to set up. They had a good manual and worked as expected. Up and running for over a year without issue from any of them.

I feed them to 2 Dune media players. Not a HTPC, but purpose built units. No building on my end, and no real headaches. My family uses it extensively, and they are in-room units so zero real noise from them. Which is something I wanted. The headache with them comes from having to rebuild the media wall GUI, which takes a while and isn't as straightforward as I think it should be. Ripping discs is something I accomplish by taking things to an ISO file - a 1:1 copy of the original disc. I get the menus and everything else, but after a year+ of this usage, I think I would rather go with a MKV container with just the movie in it... But, I will only make that change if the full HD audio will go along with it. Full 1080p + HD video in a container that takes file size down significantly.

I'm not trying to talk you out of a HTPC, but make sure you keep your eye on the ball as to the final usability by your family.

 

[jinjuku]

Not so sure what is difficult with HTPC's. The biggest time suck is setup of the file server back end. I could literally have the front end setup for DVD/BD rip and playback inside of two hours including showing them how to do the rip to library. After that it's lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[aberkowitz]

btw for the OP, i would also keep an eye on the new mediabrowser 3 (now in beta, out next month). it can do everything you want and looks killer. and i would really give a closer look to assassin's blog. it got me up and running in no time quick and i was a hardcore know-nothing noob when i started reading it. now my htpc is just amazing looking.

Thanks ratso. I've had my nose buried in Assassin's blog all evening and morning. He's got great stuff there. Mediabrowser 3 does look awesome, but it looks like it only supports Android- all of my mobile devices are iOS. I will keep my eye out though.

 

[Trev]

Wow, I don't even know where to start. I think that you didn't justed missed the whole thread. You didn't read the OP's first post, I think in fact you have missed the thread title, instead you read - "How to build uber l33t gaming computer which cost tons of money and I could show it off to my buddies."

Sorry but you have no idea whatsoever how to design htpc. Building whitebox/custom computers =! being in IT
I am a sysadmin for multi billion dollar financial institution and still HTPC is nothing but a hobby for me.

Aside from the video card... this is not some 'uber l33t gaming computer which costs tons of money'.

I should know I would think... I own it. It's a very quiet system with great cable management... it was unbelievably affordable for me... spending $120 / 3TB drive, with an SSD as my primary OS drive. The 16GB ram cost me $100. The case cost me $100. I'm sorry man, but I think you may've taken one look at it and jumped to a big conclusion.

"Budget- I'm looking to build for the long-term. Maybe physical media makes a huge comeback, but I think creating a digital solution for the future that can be upgraded over time is the best thing to do for now. I have the ability to spend $2500-3000 in the near term, but I consider that to be the ultimate system (it better have everything and also be good in bed

). More likely I expect to put in $1000-1500 to get some of the way there now and improve later. I'm not looking to be a spendthrift, but I see this as an investment for the future."

This system is a future proofed machine with solid reliable hardware that should last more than 5-7 years. Ease of use is unbelievable with hot swap bays. No, sorry... I don't see the problem.

Yeah, you could go with a shell like the Node 605, some generic ram to save $20? or spec it out with far less... but why?:



DDR2 Ram right now, costs fortunes for low amounts... because demand has decreased since DDR3 came out. Same will happen to DDR3. So there's no harm in going 16GB on a current system. You say I have no idea whatsover how to design an htpc... I'll have to disagree with you. I'm interested in future proofed machines. I'm interested in spending money once every 5-7 years, not once every 3.

 

[Trev]

I'm not a legal mind, and we can all differ on opinions, but I see Ultraviolet as a way for the movie companies to get another bite at the apple. They want to charge me AGAIN for movies I already own just so I can move from physical to digitally stored media. No thank you.

I haven't had any experiences with paying anyone again for movies I already own, only buying films that already have the Ultraviolet feature. Saying it could be worth going through and seeing what already have digital copies available. When it comes to paying anyone anything again for things I already own, that's where I've always leaned to the side of downloading or streaming the content from quality sources and not letting it bother my conscience.

 

[ratso]

Thanks ratso. I've had my nose buried in Assassin's blog all evening and morning. He's got great stuff there. Mediabrowser 3 does look awesome, but it looks like it only supports Android- all of my mobile devices are iOS. I will keep my eye out though.

MB3 on iOS - Media Browser Community Tracker

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Aside from the video card... this is not some 'uber l33t gaming computer which costs tons of money'.

I should know I would think... I own it. It's a very quiet system with great cable management... it was unbelievably affordable for me... spending $120 / 3TB drive, with an SSD as my primary OS drive. The 16GB ram cost me $100. The case cost me $100. I'm sorry man, but I think you may've taken one look at it and jumped to a big conclusion.

"Budget- I'm looking to build for the long-term. Maybe physical media makes a huge comeback, but I think creating a digital solution for the future that can be upgraded over time is the best thing to do for now. I have the ability to spend $2500-3000 in the near term, but I consider that to be the ultimate system (it better have everything and also be good in bed

). More likely I expect to put in $1000-1500 to get some of the way there now and improve later. I'm not looking to be a spendthrift, but I see this as an investment for the future."

This system is a future proofed machine with solid reliable hardware that should last more than 5-7 years. Ease of use is unbelievable with hot swap bays. No, sorry... I don't see the problem.

Yeah, you could go with a shell like the Node 605, some generic ram to save $20? or spec it out with far less... but why?:

View attachment 11835

DDR2 Ram right now, costs fortunes for low amounts... because demand has decreased since DDR3 came out. Same will happen to DDR3. So there's no harm in going 16GB on a current system. You say I have no idea whatsover how to design an htpc... I'll have to disagree with you. I'm interested in future proofed machines. I'm interested in spending money once every 5-7 years, not once every 3.

This summarizes it nicely:

That is way overkill. IMHO one of the tenets of building an HTPC is low TPD and low noise. I don't equate it with a gaming rig. Which is what you listed. You don't need 16GB of RAM for certain.

But if you still haven't got it let me spell it out to you one by one:
a) The is no such thing as future proofing computers.
b) The backend machine is essentially a file server (+) - getting a Core I7 K CPU is non-sense, Getting Xeon and ECC ram, besides obvious cost issues is much more sound investment
c) 16Gb is an overkill for a simple file server, unless you have a specific need for it, like zfs cache. With host/hardware raid card vast majority of 16gb is a waste of money
d) The Video card you listed is obvious waste, but in fact ANY add-on video card would be a waste for HTPC with today's cpu/gpu all-in-one combos.
e) The case is extremely extravagant and overpriced. Hot swapping is nice to have, but hardly a requirement for home server and they are much cheaper ways of getting same function.
Keep in mind - it will be kept in the closet.
f) top of the line and expensive BD burner - I explained above , why the need for bd burner is irrelevant.
g) As jinjuku mentioned - no way such machine would be near silent (20db or less from 1 meter), not to mentioned the it's power usage. This machine supposed to be available 24/7.

Any one of these issues is an error, together they form what I call a disaster in making

 

[Trev]

I get what you're saying. I missed where OP noted it would be a closet box.

Personally, I rig it straight to receiver and TV, with wireless keyboard and mouse. It is my source, not just my file server to stream from. The only noise that I've really had come from this box, is in the event of an individual hard drive having issues. There are also case sound proofing options. All in all, I get what you're saying. I get what type of machine you're referring to. Mine is just not a file server. So I withdraw. I read "I'm looking to build for the long-term. Maybe physical media makes a huge comeback, but I think creating a digital solution for the future that can be upgraded over time is the best thing to do for now. I have the ability to spend $2500-3000 in the near term, but I consider that to be the ultimate system" and just dropped what I believed to be being looked for in a pinch... an 'ultimate system'.

My machine is my home theater, my recording studio, my ripper, my burner, my br player... it's everything.

I disagree with your point 'a' completely. I get what you're saying for pretty well the rest of it, but you're referring to a closet box file server so we're not on the same page to begin with.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

My machine is my home theater, my recording studio, my ripper, my burner, my br player... it's everything.

I disagree with your point 'a' completely. I get what you're saying for pretty well the rest of it, but you're referring to a closet box file server so we're not on the same page to begin with.

I think we are finally on same page
If OP wants a cool desktop, which also plays to TV your suggestion have some merits, but I would not recommend this - much better to have two piece solution:
Backend server and a (many) frontends clients.

 

[aberkowitz]

Been traveling the past 2 days, but with lots of time to do some reading- I think I have my build list somewhat together. I will post when I get home.

Btw- I cannot recommend highly enough htpc Assassin- both the blog and the server build page. Spending a little bit of money upfront for advice/guidance seems very well worth it if you're going to spend even more money later.

 

[aberkowitz]

Finally had a chance to get back to this. I've pulled together a build that I think meets all of my needs and is within my budget, and I'd love to get feedback. I did a lot of reading on build vs. buy, and I believe with the amount of storage that I want to have (given the volume of movies that I and want to rip), that I'm better off building. Plus, I haven't built a PC in a very long time and I think it'd be a fun project.

Here's what I'm thinking initially:

Storage: 5x3TB hard drive ($675)
SSD for OS: ADATA 64GB ($80)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 ($95)
Processor: Ivy Bridge i3 ($128)
RAM: G.SKill 4GB ($38)
Power Supply: FSP AURUM Gold ($70)
RAID: FlexRAID ($60 for both pooling and parity)

For the both the server and front end software I'm planning on using Plex. I may also experiment with XMB, but I like the fact that Plex doesn't require codecs.

Case: I left this for last because I'm slightly torn. I love the Fractal Design Define Mini (Fractal Design Define Mini Black Micro ATX Silent PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 support and 2 x 120mm Fractal Design Silent Fans - Newegg.com), my only issue is that it's a bit of a beast for my home theater cabinet. At 19 inches deep there would be little room for cables coming out the back unless I were to attempt to rearrange everything and have it on a diagonal, but I'm pessimistic this will work.

Based on my research I've come up with 2 alternatives. The first would be to go with a different case- a Silverstone SST-GD08B (SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum / Steel Grandia Series SST-GD08B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Newegg.com). I like the fact that it has a ton of space of HDDs and it's horizontal so it nicely fits in the pre-existing environment. I've read a lot of good reviews of the Silverstone- it doesn't seem to be as quiet as the Fractal, but is probably close. It's $40 more, but with my budget I see that as a negligible amount. The second choice would be to get the Fractal anyway and keep it in my bedroom, and then use Plex to stream media to my PS3. We will not be in our current condo for more than another year or two, so when we moved I'd make sure I wouldn't set it up this way. I'd prefer to have the box directly connected to my receiver, but I guess I could live with it temporarily.

This build, including Windows, a cheap keyboard/mouse, and a wireless adapter comes out to between $1400-1450 depending on which case I choose.

Would love feedback if anybody has anything.

 

[jinjuku]

You won't need the RAID software as the mainboard supports it in chipset with the Intel Rapid Storage manager. You may want to reserve the $60 saved and earmark it for a Radeon Graphics card if you don't care for the onboard Intel HD.

 

[Grador]

Any off brand SSD makes me really nervous. I would look at going intel or Samsung.

 

[aberkowitz]

You won't need the RAID software as the mainboard supports it in chipset with the Intel Rapid Storage manager. You may want to reserve the $60 saved and earmark it for a Radeon Graphics card if you don't care for the onboard Intel HD.

Thanks- I'd read some mixed things about RST's ability to handle drives >3 TB. It seems like the problem can/has been solved with driver updates, but I wanted to have Flex budgeted as a backup.

 

[jcunwired]

I am using FlexRAID with no problems. There is a newer version in the works that includes tRAID that you may wish to wait for, but it's worth looking at.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Finally had a chance to get back to this. I've pulled together a build that I think meets all of my needs and is within my budget, and I'd love to get feedback. I did a lot of reading on build vs. buy, and I believe with the amount of storage that I want to have (given the volume of movies that I and want to rip), that I'm better off building. Plus, I haven't built a PC in a very long time and I think it'd be a fun project.

Here's what I'm thinking initially:

Storage: 5x3TB hard drive ($675)
SSD for OS: ADATA 64GB ($80)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 ($95)
Processor: Ivy Bridge i3 ($128)
RAM: G.SKill 4GB ($38)
Power Supply: FSP AURUM Gold ($70)
RAID: FlexRAID ($60 for both pooling and parity)

For the both the server and front end software I'm planning on using Plex. I may also experiment with XMB, but I like the fact that Plex doesn't require codecs.

Case: I left this for last because I'm slightly torn. I love the Fractal Design Define Mini (Fractal Design Define Mini Black Micro ATX Silent PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 support and 2 x 120mm Fractal Design Silent Fans - Newegg.com), my only issue is that it's a bit of a beast for my home theater cabinet. At 19 inches deep there would be little room for cables coming out the back unless I were to attempt to rearrange everything and have it on a diagonal, but I'm pessimistic this will work.

Based on my research I've come up with 2 alternatives. The first would be to go with a different case- a Silverstone SST-GD08B (SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum / Steel Grandia Series SST-GD08B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Newegg.com). I like the fact that it has a ton of space of HDDs and it's horizontal so it nicely fits in the pre-existing environment. I've read a lot of good reviews of the Silverstone- it doesn't seem to be as quiet as the Fractal, but is probably close. It's $40 more, but with my budget I see that as a negligible amount. The second choice would be to get the Fractal anyway and keep it in my bedroom, and then use Plex to stream media to my PS3. We will not be in our current condo for more than another year or two, so when we moved I'd make sure I wouldn't set it up this way. I'd prefer to have the box directly connected to my receiver, but I guess I could live with it temporarily.

This build, including Windows, a cheap keyboard/mouse, and a wireless adapter comes out to between $1400-1450 depending on which case I choose.

Would love feedback if anybody has anything.

I would be helpful if you could provide actual links to products you liked as there could some misunderstandings like only Asrock H77 Mobo for $95 at Newegg is this one:
ASRock H77M-ITX Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com - which has only 4 SATA ports - ie you couldn't connect 6 sata devices as planned
Unlike Jinjuku - I don't recommend using onboard host RAID, yes it's free, but you won't be able raid 5 drives anyhow. You'd need to get ether 200-300 raid controller or cheaper 6 port sata2/3 controller

For htpc use getting a even a mid-range dedicated gpu is an overkill, but intel is infamous for terrible drivers and If you intend to directly connect this machine to tv you might want to get lower end radeon 5xxx series card or above for better HDMI support.

A-Data SSDs are highly recommended by Toms hardware for performance and value, but their reliability is big question mark. For most reliable SSDs I would go with intel/micron ssd

Speaking of MicroITX - I strongly considered this case: LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com
just found this one too:
Fractal Design Node 304 FD-CA-NODE-304-BL Black Aluminum / Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

It's safe to assume that if you are going with microITX case/mobo for 6 drives you'd need an addition pcie sata controller

p.s: I love FSP and can't recommend them enough

 

[jinjuku]

This is the ASRock board I saw: ASRock > H77 Pro4/MVP

Has RAID 5. Nothing wrong in home use with Firmware RAID.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

This is the ASRock board I saw: ASRock > H77 Pro4/MVP

Has RAID 5. Nothing wrong in home use with Firmware RAID.

- 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors by Intel[SUP]®[/SUP] H77, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel[SUP]®[/SUP] Rapid Storage and Intel[SUP]®[/SUP] Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug function

He wants 5 drives in raid - can't do it on only 2 sata ports. I don't know if this controller support sata port multipliers

 

[jinjuku]

He wants 5 drives in raid - can't do it on only 2 sata ports. I don't know if this controller support sata port multipliers

My read is that you would use a port multiplier. That is part of the SATA spec I believe.

 

[Grador]

My read is that you would use a port multiplier. That is part of the SATA spec I believe.

It's not guaranteed but it is very very likely to support it.