First HTPC running Mythbuntu - HW look ok?

[jonno]

Here's what I've come up with for a Mythbuntu HTPC system. I'm gonna use this mostly for OTA digital tv. My tv is currently analog but I'll probably upgrade later this year sometime. I want to be able to watch OTA tv, DVD's (not too fussed about HD-DVD or Blu-Ray yet) and sometimes certain video via websites.
I already have a pcHDTV hd-5500 tuner card
I have a spare 320GB drive that I'm going to use initially till I see how this works. I'll probably add another drive later. I also have an 802.3G wireless card that I'll use for watching some low res stuff over the net.

So here's my shopping list:
ASUS P1-AH2 Barebones System (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16856110057)
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103204)
A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820211066)
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827151151)
Finally it seems like the MCEUSB2 remote is the most consistently supported in Mythbuntu but I see a lot of MCE remotes out there. Does someone have a link to where to buy one of these?

[Kawayanan]

Interesting, you and I are looking at almost the exact same thing. I have standard (analog) cable. I currently have a PVR-500 (dual tuner), and was planning on getting:

Same P1-AH2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856110057)
Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103774) (65W, but cheaper and more powerful I think)
Looked at 1GB DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313021), but saw the deal you listed (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820211066) yesterday (may do the 2GB)
I looked at 250GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262) and 500GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073) drives (I'm leaning toward the 500GB)

As for the remote, to be safe I went with the microsoft one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16880100851) (it seem to be well supported). I actually got it at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Center-Control-Receivier/dp/B000FNDPS6/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-2708496-1403627?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1199279598&sr=8-1) though (I had a gift certificate). There were a few sellers, and I checked first to make sure it came with the IR blasters (some didn't, some did - if you don't need the blasters, it may not be a big deal). I should get the remote tomorrow and will test it out.

I have also been thinking of adding a digital tuner (pcHDTV or hdhomerun) at some point for OTA (or I also hear that the unencrypted basic cables ones are also there since I have standard - I'd have to test that)

Kawayanan

Edit - I almost forgot, you may want to add a round IDE cable (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010010317+1217713099&name=IDE+Round+Cable). Some of the reviewers mentioned that a normal ribbon cable really messes up the air flow. The free shipping ones end up being the cheapest. :)

[aaltieri]

I also use the PVR-500 and PVR-150 and love both of them and very highly recomend adding them to any system. They are fairly small footprint and provide good results for SD viewing.

One thing I will add, though. I did the same thing you did with my first Myth box. I used a 300 gig HD that I had laying about. That lasted at most a month and I was adding drives for the recordings. Hard drives are cheap enough now, that I'd recomend getting a second hard drive. Remember that HD recordings will take up a LOT more space than SD. By way of example, a single ep of Star Trek took about 7 gigs. The same thing in SD was closer to one gig.

Honestly, If you plan to save recordings or just record a lot, I'd get a second drive.

[GLMontyWV]

One thing I will add, though. I did the same thing you did with my first Myth box. I used a 300 gig HD that I had laying about. That lasted at most a month and I was adding drives for the recordings. Hard drives are cheap enough now, that I'd recomend getting a second hard drive. Remember that HD recordings will take up a LOT more space than SD. By way of example, a single ep of Star Trek took about 7 gigs. The same thing in SD was closer to one gig.

Honestly, If you plan to save recordings or just record a lot, I'd get a second drive.

I'll second that. Just built my first box this weekend and am not kicking myself too much over the 250GB I build my system around since it was an extra but I see myself dropping a second 500GB or maybe even a 1TB sometime in the next 6 months.

My specs are pretty similar, went with an AMD 5200+, Gigabyte board to get a few more PCI slots (TV and wireless), 2 GB of RAM and a Samsung DVD burner, haven't tried it out burning yet but silent on the read.

If you are buying new drives, START with a 500GB at least.

Monty

[GLMontyWV]

Just a little commentary on the P1-AH2

Wow that thing is small....do you have experience working with that small of a PC?

CPU only up to 5200+

1 ATA and 2 SATA slots, make sure you don't end up with 2 IDE devices.

Drive Bays 1 x 3.5" and 1 x 5.25" (1 HD ONLY)

Power Supply 250 W (PFC) That enough juice?

2 PCI slots, no PCIe but where would you put them? Are your tuner cards going to fit?

If it's all good that sure would look sweet in the TV stand.

Monty

Have you reviewed this? http://parker1.co.uk/mythtv.php

[Kawayanan]

Just a little update:

I got the remote today. As I mentioned in a previous post, I got the Microsoft MCE remote (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16880100851). I actually got it from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Center-Control-Receivier/dp/B000FNDPS6/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-2708496-1403627?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1199279598&sr=8-1) however ($28 with free shipping :) ). I had checked with the seller to make sure it had the ir blasters. I got exactly what I expected (remote, receiver, 2x ir blasters, batteries). Its the third one pictured on the Mythtv wiki MCE remote page (http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/MCE_Remote) (version 2, model 1039 - not colored buttons on the bottom).

I currently have a test mythbuntu install on my desktop to try everything out (with a PVR-500). It worked very easily. I plugged it in, booted the computer, and selected it in the mythbuntu control panel. After restarting the frontend, it just worked. :) There were a few button that didn't work, but lirc recognizes the buttons correctly (I ran irw and all the buttons were properly recognized). It just looks like the .lircrc file don't have all the button defined for some reason. I think that will just take getting a complete .lircrc file. I think there shouldn't be much trouble getting it perfect though. :)

Even more exciting though, I went ahead got all the hardware and will soon have the mythtv box I have been wanting! :)

Just ordered:
Asus P1-AH2
Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (65W)
2 x 1G DDR2 800 RAM
500GB, 16MB cache, SATA Western Digital HD
round IDE cable

already have:
microsoft MCE remote and receiver
DVD drive
PVR-500

I should be having fun soon :)

[GLMontyWV]

Even more exciting though, I went ahead got all the hardware and will soon have the mythtv box I have been wanting! :)

Just ordered:
Asus P1-AH2
Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (65W)
2 x 1G DDR2 800 RAM
500GB, 16MB cache, SATA Western Digital HD
round IDE cable

already have:
microsoft MCE remote and receiver
DVD drive
PVR-500

I should be having fun soon :)

Were is me, and given the small size of that case, I think I would go ahead and spend the $30 to purchase a SATA DVD drive and use the much smaller SATA cable instead of even a round IDE cable and save that DVD for a larger build. I don't think you are going to want to have anything extra restricting airflow in that case.

Look forward to hearing about your build!

Monty

[newlinux]

I have a P1-AH1 (socket 939 version of the AH2) that I've been using for about a year and half and it works fine for me. The 250w PSU seemed small, but has worked with the two tuner cards I have in there and an X2 4200. Two hard drives in there is difficult unless you don't add a CD/DVD drive. Most annoying thing is that SPDIF out is in the front. The two PCI slots are a little small. They fit the two tuner cards I put in there (tight squeeze - Avermedia A180 and a Kworld ATSC 110). I have a hauppage PVR-150 (full height version) in another backend and I think it would be a really tight squeeze, but doable.

It's whisper quiet, but at high temps the CPU fan can get loud. You could buy a better CPU fan, but choices are a bit limited due to space constraints.

But overall it has been great. It serves as a web server, file server, master backend, and HD frontend for me without any real problems.
Just my 2 cents...

[Kawayanan]

Were is me, and given the small size of that case, I think I would go ahead and spend the $30 to purchase a SATA DVD drive and use the much smaller SATA cable instead of even a round IDE cable and save that DVD for a larger build. I don't think you are going to want to have anything extra restricting airflow in that case.

Look forward to hearing about your build!

Monty

I will probably upgrade the DVD drive at some point, and it will probably be SATA then. Right now, I'm just trying to save money and use what I have. Its a WAF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_acceptance_factor) thing. :) I'm pretty sure that down the road it will become a loved little box around our home. :)

I think at some point it will be upgraded to have a digital (OTA and QAM) tuner and a nicer, faster DVD burner.

I have a P1-AH1 (socket 939 version of the AH2) that I've been using for about a year and half and it works fine for me. The 250w PSU seemed small, but has worked with the two tuner cards I have in there and an X2 4200. Two hard drives in there is difficult unless you don't add a CD/DVD drive. Most annoying thing is that SPDIF out is in the front. The two PCI slots are a little small. They fit the two tuner cards I put in there (tight squeeze - Avermedia A180 and a Kworld ATSC 110). I have a hauppage PVR-150 (full height version) in another backend and I think it would be a really tight squeeze, but doable.

It's whisper quiet, but at high temps the CPU fan can get loud. You could buy a better CPU fan, but choices are a bit limited due to space constraints.

But overall it has been great. It serves as a web server, file server, master backend, and HD frontend for me without any real problems.
Just my 2 cents...

Good to hear its worked well for you. Right now I don't have SPDIF, but it does seem silly to have it in front. Same goes for the Firewire. :( If I ever tried the Firewire Cable box thing, that will be a pain. I'm also hoping the 2 USB in the back doesn't become a problem. For right now, I will have to have it wireless (haven't pulled wire to that part of the house yet). With the wireless being USB, that only leaves one free USB in the back. I figured the PVR-500 will be a tight fit, hopefully it won't be to much of a problem. I'll keep track of my build and experience. I'll probably post my setup on a blog at some point.

Kawayanan

[newlinux]

I will probably upgrade the DVD drive at some point, and it will probably be SATA then. Right now, I'm just trying to save money and use what I have. Its a WAF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_acceptance_factor) thing. :) I'm pretty sure that down the road it will become a loved little box around our home. :)

I think at some point it will be upgraded to have a digital (OTA and QAM) tuner and a nicer, faster DVD burner.



Good to hear its worked well for you. Right now I don't have SPDIF, but it does seem silly to have it in front. Same goes for the Firewire. :( If I ever tried the Firewire Cable box thing, that will be a pain. I'm also hoping the 2 USB in the back doesn't become a problem. For right now, I will have to have it wireless (haven't pulled wire to that part of the house yet). With the wireless being USB, that only leaves one free USB in the back. I figured the PVR-500 will be a tight fit, hopefully it won't be to much of a problem. I'll keep track of my build and experience. I'll probably post my setup on a blog at some point.

Kawayanan

Yeah. I actually like the firewire in the front. It's not great for digital cable control, but it is nice when I want to download HDV capture of my camcorder. But it would be nice if it had a firewire port in the back too, instead of 2 in the front.

[Kawayanan]

Well, I got all my hardware yesterday. I put it together and figured I would post a update and warning.

The pvr-500 doesn't really fit in the P1-AH2. After about 2 hours of thinking, fiddling and more manhandling than I would like with hardware, I got it in and its running. I really wouldn't suggest it though. There is absolutely no way it would fit in the second slot, and even where it is its touching the sides and you can't use the shroud for the CPU fan. I woulds stick with other PCI cards if you want the P1-AH2. When I have a chance I will measure the dimensions of a PCI card that should work without problems.

Other than that, everything is going fine so far. Its more than quiet enough (can't hear it really from a few feet away). The only noise I noticed was the DVD drive, so I may have to try to set that to a slower speed for DVD playback. The other thing I quickly noticed was that you need a monitor for the install. Mythtv it readable, but the decreased resolution on a TV makes the installation text almost unreadable. I think once everything is setup the TV would be fine for everything but non mythtv stuff (I would use ssh or VNC for setting and maintenance).

Kawayanan

[Chuckels550]

What are you using for audio? You might want to verify that whatever you are using supports digital audio line out under ALSA. If you are using a PCI soundcard, know that not all support digital line out.