Newbie build ahhh

[anthoop]

I am looking to make a HTPC for the first time and looking for some help. I want to be able to record live TV, store and watch videos, audio and pictures as well as sometime game playing. Was hoping to make it cheaper than what I have come up with so am happy for suggestions to reduce costs but still keep the system effective. Would also like to be able to use a second tv in a different room to access the HTPC watching live tv and videos at the same time as Tv1, how can I accomplish this?


Case: Silverstone LC 16 MB (I like the look of it) $215
CPU: AMD A8-5600K $115
M’board: AS Rock FM2A88x – ITX $135
RAM: Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 $106
Storage: WD Cavier Green 3 TB $135
(SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120 G (is SSD needed) $109)
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W SFX $115
Optical Drive: LG internal Blu-ray Drive CH126528 $56
Case Fan: Silverstone FN121 $12
CPU Cooler: Silverstone NT06 – Pro $65
TV Tuner: ?
Network: ?

OS Windows 8.1


Ant
(Novice HTPC builder)

 

[Wolfshadw]

A couple things about your build

1) No, an SSD is not needed, particularly if this system is going to be on 24/7.
2) Your power supply is a small form factor PSU, but your HTPC case accepts a standard ATX power supply.
3) Depending on how many programs you intend to record at the same time (if any), you may want to consider going with a 7200 RPM hard drive.
4) What OS you get may depend on what TV Tuner you get.

The main question you need to answer is what is the source of your TV viewing, Cable, Satellite, or Free Over-The-Air (OTA) broadcasts? This determines what TV Tuner you need and that determines what OS you need.

-Wolf sends

 

[anthoop]

Thanks Wolf,
I am looking to watch free to air tv, I am rural so we get left behind a lot with access to cable anything and satellite tv is too expensive for what we get. My best Internet access is wireless mobile at 8gb for $56.
So, if I go OTA broadcasts and probably like to record at least 2 and watch 1 what tv tuner would you suggest. Which leads to what OS is best for live tv but still is good for managing video, audio etc.
Can I use 2 TVs in separate room on 1 htpc comp? If I can how?
So many things to remember!

Cheers,
Anthoop

 

[Wolfshadw]

Pretty much the gold standard for OTA recordings is the Hauppauge WinTV-HVT-2250. What I would probably recommend for your situation is the following:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Silverstone NT06-PRO 74.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($53.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X EXTREME4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($50.41 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Silverstone LC16BM-USB3.0 HTPC Case ($216.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($52.99 @ Mwave)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: Ceton Echo ($174.99)
Other: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 ($109.99)
Other: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 ($109.99)
Total: $1205.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-24 08:00 EST-0500)

The two TV tuner cards will give you a total of four tuners for your network. This allows you to record four channels or view one channel and record three channels, simultaneously. Assuming there is some type if wired network between where the HTPC is and the second TV is located, the Ceton Echo can be placed at the second TV and one of the four tuners of the HTPC can be assigned to the Echo. The Ceton Echo then acts as if a TV Tuner is physically installed at that location and all the functions of the HTPC now exist at the second TV.

Note: Assigning one tuner to the Echo leave only three tuners available at the HTPC. One for viewing and two for recording (or three for recording).

-Wolf sends