Building a HTPC
by Graeme Clark

Home Theatre PCs – often referred to as ‘Media Centres’ – are the latest must-have gadget for any technology enthusiast. They allow you to have a central music centre in your household, schedule TV recordings, play back video content and also allow internet access in your living room. This means that they can replace your Freeview box, DVD Player, VCR and CD player with just one single box, and since you can load all your CDs into the system, you can tidy those out of view as well. And it’s a few less remotes to lose behind the couch.

While investing in a whole new ready-made HTPC system can be a difficult investment to justify, building your own using leftover components from a recent upgrade suddenly makes it an even better proposition - the following article shows you how to recycle a slightly older PC into a useful commodity for the living room. I took a Pentium 4 2.6Ghz system with 512mb RAM and a Radeon 9800Pro graphics card and converted it to an HTPC – while the system was no longer cutting edge for playing games, it’s more than up to the job for media duties. In fact, even a 1.5Ghz AthlonXP system is adequate to use Windows Media Centre, so this is bordering on overkill !

Items required to transform your PC to a HTPC :

Case (Typically £70-£200)
(link to Kustom PCs HTPC Case section)

The most important thing to remember when choosing an HTPC case is to get one the right size – check our site descriptions and note the Form Factor. If your motherboard has 6 or 7 expansion slots in total, it requires an ATX case or if your board has 3 or 4 slots it will fit into a MicroATX or ATX case. Also check the dimensions of the case and make sure it will fit into your TV stand or cabinet. If you are using a cabinet, remember to leave 60-70mm clearance at the rear for cables and airflow. The Silverstone cases denoted with an ‘M’ are multimedia models and include a remote control and VFD display – more detail on these later !

Media Software  (£81.99 for Windows MCE 2005)

We would typically recommend Windows Media Centre Edition – it’s a full new operating system install with a slick front-end , great functionality and built in support for sharing with other media devices in the household. However, you can save money here by using either iMon MultiMedian (bundled with Silverstone ‘M’ and Zalman HD160 cases) or CyberLink PowerCinema (bundled with some TV cards including the Club3D Zap2202). These applications don’t have quite the same feature set but are a cheaper way of having a remote-controllable front end for playing back stored media.

TV Card  (£47 to £115)
(link to Kustom PCs TV Card section)

There’s a few choices here, but most important with Windows Media Centre Edition is that the TV card must support use of ‘BDA’ rather than ‘WDM’ type drivers. Any card stated as being compatible with MCE will of course be fine, but if you’re planning on using an existing TV card then make sure to check for availability of BDA drivers.

• Analogue cards support connection of an RF Aerial and will pick up Channels 1 to 5 and most also allow connection of an input via SVHS or Composite to capture from a Sky or Cable set-top box – more details of setting this up follow later in the article.
   

• Digital Tuner cards (often referred to as Freeview cards) can pick digital TV signals, enabling additional free channels to be received. This is the easiest way to upgrade to a wider range of channels without the additional expense of monthly charges from Sky or a cable provider. See http://www.freeview.co.uk/ for a full list of supported channels and a postcode check facility to ensure Freeview is available in your area !
   

• Hybrid cards have both digital and analogue tuners, which certainly allows options to kept open. However, it should be noted that MCE supports only using one ‘type’ of tuner at once so it’s not possible to have it setup for receiving capture from a set-top box and Freeview at the same time. Hybrid cards are best considered for the possibility of using Freeview just now and leaving scope to switch to a Sky or Cable package at a later date.
   

• Satellite Tuner cards are an area we’re looking at just now and should allow the set-top box to be bypassed and the viewing card to be inserted into a module on the tuner card. This should allow for a better picture and also the means to remove an additional box from the media ‘stack’ in your living room – more details to follow soon !

MCE allows the use of dual tuners so that you can watch one program ‘live’ and record another at the same time. We stock dual tuner analogue and Freeview cards, so if you’re likely to find more than one programme on at a given time that you can’t miss, then consider a dual tuner card.

Cooling and Noise Levels
(CPU Cooling, VGA Cooling, Power Supplies) 

There’s no definite guide here as noise levels are quite subjective, as we all have different tolerances ! It should be considered that if you are moving a previous ‘work’ or ‘gaming’ PC into an HTPC role, the current cooling setup may be too loud for use in the living area. Ideal cooling setups will vary from case to case, but the important point to remember is to be conservative  - hardware with a high heat output is not easily made silent when enclosed in a smaller space ! Our favourite setup with an ATX system is to use a Zalman 7000Cu CPU Cooler since this a large, slow diameter fan but is also low in profile so it has more headroom – ideal since HTPC cases are typically slimmer than the width of a regular tower case. Couple this with a power supply with an internal fan (such as the Nexus or Akasa units, which are very quiet) and most systems should be able to get away without running additional case fans. High end graphics cards can often be a source of noise, so consider changing the cooler to an Arctic Silencer model which will reduce noise output and also channel hot air straight out the back of the case rather than circulating it inside again. If you crave silence, you may be better switching to a low heat output Pentium M setup or if you still want to use your existing hardware, the mCubed HFX case will keep even a high-end system at reasonable temperatures, with no fan cooling whatsoever !

Control Devices (included with some cases, or £24.00 - £84.49)
(link to Kustom PCs Remote Control section)

Another essential component to a HTPC system is a form of remote control – getting up and walking across the room to change a channel or audio track doesn’t really cut it in gadget terms ! It’s worth noting that some of our HTPC cases include a remote control and integrated IR sensor (at the time of writing this includes Silverstone ‘M’ models and Zalman HD160 models) , and also some TV cards include a remote control as well, so you may be able to have this part bundled already. If not, the Microsoft MCE Remote does a fine job, and the package includes a USB receiver box and a nicely laid-out remote that illuminates in green when the buttons are pushed. The Microsoft kit also includes two ‘IR Blasters’ which can be used to control channel selection on set-top boxes. Later in this article we’ll show you how to set up the Silverstone / iMon remote control with MCE , as well as how to set up the Microsoft IR Blasters with a Sky set-top box.

Building an HTPC

So here’s the fun bit – assembling a set of components into an HTPC case. It’s assumed here that you have worked in a PC before, so this is more an illustration of what’s involved in assembling an HTPC rather a guide showing every fine detail of PC assembly. Nonetheless , the obvious warning of making sure to handle components carefully to avoid static damage stands, and checking component manuals for pin-out information etc is strongly recommended.

This is our starting point – one empty Silverstone LC16M case and a selection of components, freshly removed from a working tower. Rather conveniently I already had a TV card, Zalman cooler and Arctic Silencer installed in my PC so that saves some work straight off. While the components are removed from the system this is the best time to swap coolers if applicable. And if not, it’s the best time to give the existing fans a good blow out to get rid of any dust… Compressed air cans are a very useful commodity here.

Cable management is an important point here – while we don’t need to spend huge amounts of time making the inside of the case a work of art, at least keeping the wiring neat and orderly means that the system will be easier to work inside and will also help keep the system cooler. Take some time to plan cable routing for your system, and here I’ve untangled the standard case cabling and laid it out in a neater fashion. The first step is to tie back the firewire and front audio cables – my motherboard won’t support these so it’s as well to get them out of the way sooner rather than later ! 

With the cables out of the way, installing the motherboard is a breeze. Remember to move the I/O backplate shield from your existing case and press this into the new case before installing the board and also check that standoffs are in the correct places to hold your board in place. 

Next up, we can start to hook up the headers from the case front panel. There are two sets of USB headers on this motherboard, meaning that we can remove the external USB port connector for the VFD Display / Remote sensor and connect it directly to the motherboard, along with two of the front USB ports on the case. Use of a cable tie or rubber band to keep the cables bunched together is a good bet – if anything they are a little bit long for most motherboard designs so there’s quite a bit of excess. As a rough guide to placement – the red cable on the USB plugs is the voltage line and this is pin 1 on most motherboards. The USB header on the motherboard may be marked with a ‘1’ or a bold line printed on the circuit board, but it’s best to check the motherboard manual to be sure here. 

The iMon remote kit included with the Silverstone case allows the PC to be powered up from an ‘off’ state using just the remote control. To achieve this , it draws power from the standby power line from the power supply using a pass-through lead. This connects to the end of the main ATX power cable and then connects to your motherboard, with a fly-off lead leading to the iMon module at the front of the case. Noting the illustration below , this pass through cable is a 24pin type, and if you’re using an older motherboard it is likely to be a 20pin connector – just use the latching notch to get the correct positioning of the power supply cable and the remaining 4 pins can be removed from the connector that plugs into the motherboard.

Following this, the iMon board has a 2pin connector to connect to the ‘Power On’ header of the motherboard and a pass-through connection to the standard power switch on the case. This means that pushing the power button on the front of the case will still allow the PC to power up, but also giving the iMon module the ability to power up the PC from receiving a power signal from the remote control. The positioning of the power and LED headers on the DFI motherboard used here resulted in some rather awkward installation, but a little bit of patience and a steady hand resulted in all the connectors reaching the right place ! 

Now is ideal timing to install the power supply into the case. A 120mm fan-cooled Nexus model is used here, which is kept cool by being able to draw air through mesh in the side of the case and push it out the back of the power supply. This results in the PSU generating very little increase in ambient temperature and also keeps it nice and quiet ! 

Before we install the drives, it would be a good bet to make sure all the core components are functioning correctly and that the front panel wiring is correct. The only other part we need to get up and running is the graphics card, so install this now and connect a keyboard and monitor to make sure the system gets to the Power-On Self-Test pages and that all appears well ! All went well here, and as a note, it’s normal for the iMon VFD display not to be showing any text at this stage – it will show characters once the software has been installed. 

Next we can add in storage devices … The Silverstone case here can take a total of 6 hard disks , but this can begin to make things a little bit cramped. If you add two drives to each set of bays, make sure to space them out to give them some breathing room , or add an 80mm case fan to the front of the bay if you are using all of the bays. Fewer larger disks are always a better bet than multiple small disks since the system will be cooler and quieter with just one or two hard disks installed. Installation is easy enough here – the hard disk cage is unscrewed from the case, the drive screwed into the cage, and then the cage reinstalled. Make sure to line up the hooks on the base of the cage so that it installs securely back into the chassis. Single Device cables are ideal for IDE drives since it can free up quite a bit of space and make the system neater, although I’ve grown quite attached to my green and orange two device cables, so they’re staying for the moment ! Tucking excess cable into the bottom of the drive bay keeps the motherboard area tidy.

Some HTPC cases include a ‘Stealth’ bezel kit for the CD drive to give the finished case a smoother appearance. This may take the form of a stick-on flap for the CD drawer, or in this instance a hinged flap on the front of the case that pops down when the CD drawer opens. The Samsung drive was an easy fit here, but note that drives with a full width tray cover (eg Pioneer ‘Retail’ DVD Burners) will need to have the front drawer cover removed so that they can fit through the case flap. The graphics card needs to be removed to install the CD drive, and following connecting up the CD drive it’s time for another quick power up test to ensure that the eject mechanism is working. Admittedly I got it wrong here first time, with the drive installed in the front-most set of screw points which resulted in the eject button being pushed right against the button on the case. Moving the drive back to the next set of screw points resolved this , and the eject mechanism works fine now – and looks great !

Last thing is to install any add-in cards – in this instance a wireless card, Hauppague Freeview TV Tuner and Audigy2 sound card. Another quick power up test gives us a ‘good’ beep and so it’s time to get the system sealed up by putting the case lid back on. The bar on the right of the picture is a strengthening bar that runs along the centre of the case and offers some reinforcement to the chassis if it is being placed within a stack of other equipment.

Software Setup

Installing Windows Media Centre Edition follows the same procedure as any ‘regular’ Windows install, but I’ll detail some useful pointers that are worth being aware of.

Drivers are the same in MCE as regular Windows XP with the exception of graphics and TV tuner drivers, both of which require MCE compatible downloads. In addition, only DirectX9 capable graphics cards are supported, so this means minimum of GeForce FX5200 or ATI 9xxx series graphics cards. While most sound cards will run fine with Windows XP drivers, it’s worth noting that Creative Labs supply an alternate MCE control panel for their X-Fi cards, which can be downloaded through their website.

Additionally, you will also require an MPEG2 decoder to be installed – this is not shipped with Windows and so installing Power DVD6, WinDVD or nVidia’s Platinum PureVideo Codec is required to be able to playback DVDs or watch TV. The two former applications are commonly bundled with DVD Writers or graphics cards as freebies, but for best performance and quality the nVidia package is recommended.

Once driver installation is completed, you can launch the Media Centre application from the Start Menu. The following menus are fairly simple, and basically allow you to specify an internet connection method, adjust your picture output and set up TV functions. On the latter, setting up with a Freeview card is simple – let Media Centre scan for channels and then specify your region so that a relevant version of the programme guide is downloaded for programmes shown in your area.

If you are using an analogue card to capture from a Sky or Cable box, the procedure is a little more involved, but can certainly prove to be very effective. First off, get your Set Top Box connected to the analogue input on the capture card, ideally by SVHS connection. If your STB only has a Scart connection, you may be best to adapt to a Composite connection rather than SVHS as a high percentage of Sky boxes will only output in black and white picture when adapted to SVHS. Media Centre will attempt to detect the input from the STB and show a preview. Next, you’ll need to hook up an IR Blaster from the Microsoft remote control receiver and attach it to the IR Receiver area of your STB. Media Centre will then ask you to input button presses from the STB remote control aimed at the Microsoft remote receiver, allowing it to ‘learn’ the IR commands from the remote, and this is tested by Media Centre then attempting to change channels on your STB. Usually this works well, but I’ve found that it’s more reliable if you tell MCE that the channel change function is not working and to go through the longer step of learning each button – just to be sure ! Lastly, MCE will ask for confirmation of your Satellite or Cable provider so that it downloads the relevant programme guide information.  The guide performs very well in MCE – a lot faster than Sky’s TV listings and with the bonus of an easy search function, it makes finding programmes a breeze. Just pick a channel and MCE sends out a signal through the IR blaster to change the channel on the Set Top Box, and this works when scheduling recordings as well as Live TV – so set up a recording at 8pm on Sky One and MCE will send ‘106’ to the STB a couple of minutes before the start time and begin recording from the input received through the analogue capture card.

Next, you’ll want to import your own music and video content in the system, and simply dragging any existing media into the respective ‘My Music’ and ‘My Videos’ folders allows them to be picked up by MCE and easily played back using the remote control. Windows Media Player does a reasonable job of finding album artwork, but there’s usually quite a few covers missing. Album Art Fixer (http://www.avsoft.nl/artfixer/) can be used to search for and tag album artwork to your music collection, or alternatively installing Windows Media Player 11 allows for a convenient way to group albums and restore missing artwork. Although at the time of writing Windows Media Player 11 is still in beta format, it seems to perform well and can be downloaded from here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.mspx).

Now let’s have a look at how the iMon remote and VFD kit included with the Silverstone / Zalman / HFX cases can be integrated with MCE. First off, the drivers included with the cases are quite often a little bit behind – so visit this page and download iMon installation 5.0. Run the installation files and these should pick up the iMon hardware automatically, and following a restart the iMon VFD should fire into life with a welcome message. Try adjusting the volume with the remote control and you should see that the screen displays the volume level as it’s adjusted – neat ! 

For true integration with MCE we need to use a utility called FrontView – this is available as a trial and can be registered for a small fee, and it allows the VFD display to show track / programme title information from Media Centre. It works a treat, and certainly looks fantastic in use – see here for download information. To enable use of the remote within Media Centre, double click on the iMon Tray icon, choose setup and click the button to import a setup profile. Choose ‘XPMediaCentre’ and it will load a profile that allows the iMon remote to control all MCE functions – it performs just the same as the Microsoft remote, with the exception of the ‘IR Blaster’ function described in the above section regarding Set Top Box integration. 

Also, click here to see a video clip of Frontview in action when playing and changing audio tracks in MCE.

That’s the basis of building a fantastic and useful Media Centre PC – with a potentially low investment (even with Media Centre included a HTPC conversion can cost less than £250) you can have this useful kit installed in your living room and bring an end to the multitude of boxes under the TV, the handful of remote controls and the stacks of CDs cluttering up the place. If you have any questions regarding HTPCs, please do let us know via our sales email address, or ask a question in the HTPC area of our forums for input from other customers !