Difference between revisions of "User:Alx9r"
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
My criteria for the design of this system is as follows: | My criteria for the design of this system is as follows: | ||
#Wherever possible use known-compatible and mainstream components. | #Wherever possible use known-compatible and mainstream components. | ||
| − | #Wherever possible follow recommendations from forums, reviews, and wiki. | + | #Wherever possible follow recommendations from forums, reviews, [[Video]] and wiki. |
#Use components in the price/performance sweet spot. | #Use components in the price/performance sweet spot. | ||
#Aesthetics should be living-room friendly. | #Aesthetics should be living-room friendly. | ||
| Line 79: | Line 79: | ||
===TV=== | ===TV=== | ||
| + | A 40" wall-mounted LCD seemed like the right thing for my condominium's living room. The [[Video]] showed a Sharp Aquos LC-26D6U in the bedroom. Sharp seems to have good RS-232 control support -- as long as the control port is actually there. | ||
| + | |||
| + | I settled on the Sharp Aquos LC42D64U because it met the following criteria: | ||
| + | *Has RS-232 control. | ||
| + | *Very close to the TV used in the [[Video]]. | ||
| + | *Countless positive reviews, only a few reported issues. | ||
| + | *1080p | ||
| + | *Got it for a good price in my neighborhood. | ||
===Speakers=== | ===Speakers=== | ||
===Orbiter=== | ===Orbiter=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Glue=== | ||
Revision as of 05:09, 2 May 2008
Contents
My First System
In May 2008, I began building a LinuxMCE test system. I wanted to see if I could replicate at least part of what I saw in the Video. The test system system will hopefully become my main working home theatre system.
AV gear-wise, I started with a completely clean slate here as I had nothing: No TV, no speakers, no receiver, no remotes -- a blank canvas. Nice, this is gonna be fun.
My criteria for the design of this system is as follows:
- Wherever possible use known-compatible and mainstream components.
- Wherever possible follow recommendations from forums, reviews, Video and wiki.
- Use components in the price/performance sweet spot.
- Aesthetics should be living-room friendly.
- Keep it simple, but still test the broad capabilities of LinuxMCE.
Hybrid Box
Bill of Materials
| Component | Model | each | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motherboard | ASUS M2NPV-VM | $94.01 | used in Video |
| breakout | ASUS SPDIF-OUT/OPT | $9.02 | SPDIF breakout board |
| breakout | ASUS 9PIN Serial Port Header | $6.60 | two of these to breakout COM ports |
| CPU | AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ EE Dual Core Processor AM2 Windsor 2.4GHZ 512KBX2 65W 90NM | $80.92 | Video used 4400+, 4600+ is cheaper and maybe faster |
| heatsink | Scythe Mini Ninja Heatpipe Fanless Heatsink AM2 | $38.98 | should be good enough to cool w/o CPU fan |
| RAM | Kingston PC2-5300 512MB DDR2-667 CL5 240PIN DIMM | $16.70 | 2 sticks |
| second ethernet adapter | ENCORE ENL832-TX-RENT | $8.68 | based on Realtek_8139 |
| TV Tuner | Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150 MCE | $79.78 | comes with Windows MCE Remote |
| HDD | Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 500GB | $87.20 | |
| optical drive | Pioneer DVR-212D Black | $32.19 | |
| case | Silverstone Lascala LC17B | $129.99 | HTPC form factor, big enough to accomodate conversion to core |
| power supply | OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W | $61.99 | cheap, works, apparently quiet |
TV
A 40" wall-mounted LCD seemed like the right thing for my condominium's living room. The Video showed a Sharp Aquos LC-26D6U in the bedroom. Sharp seems to have good RS-232 control support -- as long as the control port is actually there.
I settled on the Sharp Aquos LC42D64U because it met the following criteria:
- Has RS-232 control.
- Very close to the TV used in the Video.
- Countless positive reviews, only a few reported issues.
- 1080p
- Got it for a good price in my neighborhood.
