Poll: What's the most you'd pay for the ultimate HTPC?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 23rd 2008 at 12:21PM

The wide range of computers that can pull duty as a HTPC varies wildly from $500 all the way up to $25,000, but at what point are you getting the best money can buy, or just throwing money away? Many in these parts like to role there own, while others spend the big bucks on the latest Nievus system. So we're asking, what's the most you'd pay for the ultimate HTPC? We're not talking about the whole setup here, just the main unit, so digital cable tuners would be included, but not media streamers like Microsoft's Extenders. What we really want to know is, assuming these high dollar systems do actually offer the best possible solution, are they even worth it at their high price?

[Thanks, Derek]

Filed under: Polls, Media PCs

Tags: HTPC, Polls

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

kcmurphy88 @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:36PM

Missing is the "Who needs an HTPC?" option.

Neutral

glenn s @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:38PM

Agreed, the option should be there. But seriously, here's a couple of reasons:
1) To have complete control over the codecs that yours system can play.
2) Browse the web and watch TV at the same time on the same screen. I do this all the time.

I could add more, but those two are enough for me.

Neutral

Loban @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:34PM

I agree, that's what I would have voted. I have a Popcorn Hour and the only file I can find that it can't play is Blu-Ray iso. Other than that, it'll play everything I throw at it including the most important file type of all; matroska.

Neutral

kcmurphy88 @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:37PM

Yeah, I have a PCH A100 myself. I also have DirecTV which means I can't much use an HTPC. But I have 6 tuners and 3 terabytes of disc hooke to DirecTV, along with the PCH and wired ethernet for my download needs, and the DirecTV boxes do streaming. SO does my Denon3808 (audio). So I guess what I have would fall under "unintentional homebrew."

Neutral

Mike @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:41PM

If you want power you gotta pay for it. Specifically the the ability to have 10 Extenders running on your system or to have more then 4 cable card tuners. The only people who offer that ability right now are Niveus and Life|ware and their systems aren't cheap. Starting at about 5000 may still be to low. If you want to fill your house with the ultimate A/V / Home Automation system you have to be willing to shell out some bucks.

Neutral

Scott Byer @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:57PM

It's crazy that there's such a price leap between the systems that don't quite cut it and the top end fan-less liquid cooled beasts.

Where's my Blackbird Media Center, darnit?

Neutral

burndive @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:57PM

I'm curious, how does one "role" one's own HTPC. Does it involve rolling 20-sided dice?

My HTPC cost me $575. It has Blu-ray and an HDTV tuner. I upgraded it with a Gigabit Ethernet card and an old analog USB tuner I had laying around from when I bought my laptop, and a sound card that would do SPDIF out.

I also slapped in a 1TB drive and a 320GB drive (the latter I already had).

Neutral

Randy @ Sep 23rd 2008 1:48PM

1 US Dollar. Hey, you asked....

Neutral

glenn s @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:16PM

I kept mine under $500, using an older case, but spending a bit of elbow grease to give it a shiny new paint job, sound dampening material and very quite fans. I also lucked out on a nice refurbished Gyration Air-mouse and keyboard for cheap. I will break the $500 barrier when I add a blu-ray drive, but that won't happen until I know I can use Blu-ray under Linux. (AMD has pretty much said they will support Blu-ray in their linux drivers for the oem market. It's just a matter of time before the rest of us Linux geeks get it). For a 'tricked-out' system with Blu-ray, HD tuners, and a nice VFD display and IR (or RF) remotes I could easily see spending about $1000.00 in all. But it doesn't have to be all at once.

Neutral

Larry @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:20PM

I put together a MythTV HTPC a couple of years ago. After everything was put together it cost me around $600. My next PC purchase will be a Microsoft Media PC, but I am not looking to spend more than my old MythTv PC.

Neutral

Tim @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:47PM

I built mine last year. I just added a second HD Home Run and a second network card for the HD Home Run. Recording 4 shows at once is sweet. Not much chance to do 4 at a time, but 3 at a time is pretty frequent. I think I spent more on the 4TB of hard drive space than I did the mobo and the processor, but having all my favorite movies and TV available through XBox is worth the price. I have one XBox in the living room and one in the bedroom. If I get sleepy while watching a show/movie, I stop it, go to the bedroom, and resume it. It is a nice setup that works well for me.

Neutral

Peter F @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:44PM

All about "rolling my own", but with this OEM-only cable card restriction, you can't build your own separately.

Neutral

Derek @ Sep 24th 2008 5:36AM

I agree, that is a huge problem. I've been wanting to build it myself but that has been one of my biggest turn-offs so far.

Neutral

phanbouy @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:45PM

who needs a > $500 machine? we're talking purely dedicated hardware here so you can leave off the Xeon processors, people

surely you're not using your HTPC as a transcoding workstation right?

Neutral

Randall Lind @ Sep 24th 2008 9:30AM

When I first got my Magnavox 32 inch HDTV I hook up my PC via HDMI to watch hulu streams. Then after 2 weeks my HDMI port became locked. I had to call tech support and get a new one sent to me because nothing we did unlocked it.

So I am never doing that again. I also have a VGA port but however when I had my PC connected via that I got a humbar.

Neutral

AR @ Sep 24th 2008 6:18PM

I'm guessing "roll your own" means build your own...which you can do for a hell of lot less cash. Not to mention, with AnyDVD HD and Daemon and TMT, you have your own HD video jukebox.

As for thermals and noise, there are cheap and good ways around this. I mounted my HTPC and AV equipment in a wall with access under the stairs to the back of the components. I use 36" SATA II cables and have all the drives outside of the HTPC case in a hard drive condo (CFI-B3053BB). This eliminates audible drive noise and significantly minimizes heat.

The only draw back for HTPCs is this total inability to pass a 7.1 Digital (not analog) signal to the receiver for decoding HD audio. However, the ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 and TMT have apparently solved that issue. The only problem is the ASUS card is not out in the US. When it does drop, it will probably be OOS everywhere for weeks as this is the only functional advantage that stand alone players have on HTPCs. Of course, that's assuming price, thermals and noise are not important or are resolved.

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