Build a Home Theatre PC
At some point you've probably watched a movie or music video on your PC. While it's impressive that you can do that, it's never quite the same as watching it on your television. A Home Theatre PC (HTPC) isn't just a case of connecting your PC to your television though. It's about that PC looking the business from the moment it it turned on to the moment it is turned off. With customisable libraries, skins endless connectivity options, it's a great project that'll make use of that desktop PC or laptop that you just don't use anymore.
This guide is primarily for a Windows set up (it's the easiest way for most people to go).
This guide is primarily for a Windows set up (it's the easiest way for most people to go).
Where to start...
There are a few decisions to be made before you start. Let's break them down to hardware (the physical parts of the computer) and software (the programs and code that runs on the computer).
Hardware
A lot of decisions here will be based around what you have available. You don't need a lot to have your system running impressively. It may be worth setting up what you have and seeing how it performs before splashing out on upgrades that may not be necessary.
CPU (Processor)
I'd personally recommend a Pentium 4 2.5Ghz or better for HD video playback. Anything that can play the video you want to play will be fine though as the HTPC software I recommend doesn't demand much from your setup.
RAM (Memory)
Go for at least 1Gb of compatible RAM if you're going to be running Windows XP or Windows 7. This is and area where spending a little extra will offer big improvements.
Graphics Card
You really want a card that has an HDMI port that can also send sound to your television. The card itself doesn't have to be extremely powerful. Anything that states that it supports HD video playback should be fine.
The best thing you can do is get your setup together and play back some of the best quality video you have on your television at the highest supported resolution. If it plays fine now, it'll play fine when configured as a HTPC.
Optical Drive
This depends on what you're likely to be playing back on your HTPC. A BluRay drive might sound like an obvious option, but this will bump up costs. Consider the drives burning capabilities if you'd like to burn any of your media to CD or DVD.
If you're working on a laptop, you're likely to be stuck with what you already have.
Hard Drive
Again, this depends on what you're likely to be doing with your HTPC. The PCs are much more impressive with a large library of music and movies, so I'd recommend at least a 1Tb hard drive.
If you are using a desktop PC that already has a hard drive, you just need to check that there is room to add a second hard drive in the future. If you do decide to replace the original hard drive with something larger, be prepared to reinstall the operating system and required drivers.
If you are using a laptop, you are unlikely to have the option to add a second hard drive (unless you choose to add an external hard drive). You should consider adding a larger hard drive from the outset (being prepared to reinstall the operating system and drivers).
Other bits
A silent CPU fan and silent power supply are optional upgrades that you'd be glad you invested in if your desktop PC is a bit noisy. Just make sure that they're compatible with your requirements.
There are some nice cases for desktop HTPCs too. It's worth considering this from the start as you'll have to start from scratch again when you move everything into another case.
CPU (Processor)
I'd personally recommend a Pentium 4 2.5Ghz or better for HD video playback. Anything that can play the video you want to play will be fine though as the HTPC software I recommend doesn't demand much from your setup.
RAM (Memory)
Go for at least 1Gb of compatible RAM if you're going to be running Windows XP or Windows 7. This is and area where spending a little extra will offer big improvements.
Graphics Card
You really want a card that has an HDMI port that can also send sound to your television. The card itself doesn't have to be extremely powerful. Anything that states that it supports HD video playback should be fine.
The best thing you can do is get your setup together and play back some of the best quality video you have on your television at the highest supported resolution. If it plays fine now, it'll play fine when configured as a HTPC.
Optical Drive
This depends on what you're likely to be playing back on your HTPC. A BluRay drive might sound like an obvious option, but this will bump up costs. Consider the drives burning capabilities if you'd like to burn any of your media to CD or DVD.
If you're working on a laptop, you're likely to be stuck with what you already have.
Hard Drive
Again, this depends on what you're likely to be doing with your HTPC. The PCs are much more impressive with a large library of music and movies, so I'd recommend at least a 1Tb hard drive.
If you are using a desktop PC that already has a hard drive, you just need to check that there is room to add a second hard drive in the future. If you do decide to replace the original hard drive with something larger, be prepared to reinstall the operating system and required drivers.
If you are using a laptop, you are unlikely to have the option to add a second hard drive (unless you choose to add an external hard drive). You should consider adding a larger hard drive from the outset (being prepared to reinstall the operating system and drivers).
Other bits
A silent CPU fan and silent power supply are optional upgrades that you'd be glad you invested in if your desktop PC is a bit noisy. Just make sure that they're compatible with your requirements.
There are some nice cases for desktop HTPCs too. It's worth considering this from the start as you'll have to start from scratch again when you move everything into another case.
Software
There are a lot of options here. I'm going to discuss the ones I have experience with.
HTPC Software
There are a few different pieces of software to convert your PC into a complete home media solution. I've used something called XBox Media Center (XBMC). Don't let this confuse you, it runs perfectly on any half decent PC. It's called XBMC because it was initially developed for the original XBOX, but has since come a long way and is used by many people on HTPCs and other hardware.
It's totally free and comes in many shapes and sizes depending on your setup.
PC Operating System
The idea behind building a HTPC is that it doesn't look or feel like a PC to the user. However, we know the truth. It is a PC and it needs an operating system just like other PCs so that it can function correctly.
I strongly recommend sticking to what you have and know. If your PC has Windows XP or Windows 7 on it, that's fine, although I'd recommend a clean install. If it has anything older than that, you might want to check that the hardware is up to the task of playing back video smoothly.
I did personally try the Ubuntu distribution of Linux. I faced a lot of problems I was unfamiliar with from the go, such as graphic card compatibility, sharing access to the drives over the network and even getting XBMC to start up properly when the PC did. I switched back to Windows 7 and found the process a hell of a lot easier. The ATi graphics card performed a lot better with the Windows drivers too.
You can download a Linux operating system environment preconfigured with for XBMC with it installed. The advantage here means that there 'should' be minimal set up required from you. The disadvantages are that if something does go wrong and you're not experienced with Linux, you could up the creek without a paddle. Also, these distributions are designed just for XBMC. It may be difficult to get anything else running on there as you'd like.
If you're going for Windows, it'd be good to have the installation disks. If the hard drive has a recovery partition and you're keeping that hard drive, that's fine. If you're replacing the hard drive or the operating system, make sure you have those disks.
Other bits
XBMC Remote Control Apps
This is free software for your smart phone that allows you to browse the content of your media libraries on your phone and select them for playback on your HTPC. You can also send YouTube videos and Photos for display on your system too. This has to be seen to be believed!
Via Google Play Store (for Android devices):
Official XBMC Remote ( here )
Via Apple App Store (for iPhones and iPads):
XBMX Commander Free ( here )
Win Remote Lite
Another free piece of kit for your smart phone and HTPC. This allows you to totally remote control your HTPC with your phone. It comes in handy if you want to do anything outside of the XBMC software (like browse the web or change some system settings).
This is only available on Android ( here ). It requires a small application to be installed on your Windows (only) HTPC. You can download this ( here ).
HTPC Software
There are a few different pieces of software to convert your PC into a complete home media solution. I've used something called XBox Media Center (XBMC). Don't let this confuse you, it runs perfectly on any half decent PC. It's called XBMC because it was initially developed for the original XBOX, but has since come a long way and is used by many people on HTPCs and other hardware.
It's totally free and comes in many shapes and sizes depending on your setup.
PC Operating System
The idea behind building a HTPC is that it doesn't look or feel like a PC to the user. However, we know the truth. It is a PC and it needs an operating system just like other PCs so that it can function correctly.
I strongly recommend sticking to what you have and know. If your PC has Windows XP or Windows 7 on it, that's fine, although I'd recommend a clean install. If it has anything older than that, you might want to check that the hardware is up to the task of playing back video smoothly.
I did personally try the Ubuntu distribution of Linux. I faced a lot of problems I was unfamiliar with from the go, such as graphic card compatibility, sharing access to the drives over the network and even getting XBMC to start up properly when the PC did. I switched back to Windows 7 and found the process a hell of a lot easier. The ATi graphics card performed a lot better with the Windows drivers too.
You can download a Linux operating system environment preconfigured with for XBMC with it installed. The advantage here means that there 'should' be minimal set up required from you. The disadvantages are that if something does go wrong and you're not experienced with Linux, you could up the creek without a paddle. Also, these distributions are designed just for XBMC. It may be difficult to get anything else running on there as you'd like.
If you're going for Windows, it'd be good to have the installation disks. If the hard drive has a recovery partition and you're keeping that hard drive, that's fine. If you're replacing the hard drive or the operating system, make sure you have those disks.
Other bits
XBMC Remote Control Apps
This is free software for your smart phone that allows you to browse the content of your media libraries on your phone and select them for playback on your HTPC. You can also send YouTube videos and Photos for display on your system too. This has to be seen to be believed!
Via Google Play Store (for Android devices):
Official XBMC Remote ( here )
Via Apple App Store (for iPhones and iPads):
XBMX Commander Free ( here )
Win Remote Lite
Another free piece of kit for your smart phone and HTPC. This allows you to totally remote control your HTPC with your phone. It comes in handy if you want to do anything outside of the XBMC software (like browse the web or change some system settings).
This is only available on Android ( here ). It requires a small application to be installed on your Windows (only) HTPC. You can download this ( here ).
Setting Up
Okay, you've made a some decisions or, you've got yourself a bit excited and you want to get on with it. Let's go.
Back up
Make sure that you back up any files you wish to keep that are currently on your HTPC. Burn them to CD, send them to an online cloud storage site, copy them to a memory stick etc. Do not depend on them being there when everything else is done.
Install new hardware
Fully power down and disconnect your PC. Remove any unnecessary hardware (noisy extra case fans, internal dial up modem cards etc.) and install any new hardware (graphics cards, sound cards, hard drives etc.).
Clean out any dust while you're in there.
Power up
Make sure that everything is conected safely and that no wires are crossing fans. Close the case and power up to make sure that all of the new hardware is working. Don't worry about installing drivers just yet.
Clean Up
We want the system running as good as possible. If you have replaced the original hard drive, you need to install your operating system. As long as you still have the original hard drive, you can reinstall that to have the PC running exactly as it was before.
How you install or reinstall your operating system will depend on the system itself. You'll likely be booting from a CD or DVD. Most computers are already configured to do this if there is a bootable CD or DVD in the drive when the PC is powered up. It should just be a case of following instructions.
If you're installing a Linux distribution, the devices should be automatically recognised and installed. If you're installing Windows, you may need to download drivers (software that makes some of the hardware function correctly). Drivers for the hardware that came with the computer can usually be found on the computer manufacturer's web site. Drivers for graphics cards and sound cards can usually be found on their manufacturer's websites.
Once all set up, you should be seeing your computer running like new.
Install XBMC
This is as easy as installing anything else with the exception of you having to get it to start up by itself.
Download XBMC from here .
Run the file and allow it to install by answering 'Yes' to prompts and clicking the relevant 'next' buttons. Opt to have the shortcut sent to the desktop.
Don't launch XBMC just yet.
Copy the shortcut by right-clicking it and selecting 'copy'.
Click the Start button / orb and type into the search SHELL:STARTUP .
Click the resulting folder and drag the XBMC shortcut into there.
Basic installation is complete.
Coming soon:
Configuration: Get your HTPC looking sexy and answering to your demands via your smart phone.
Troubleshooting: Not every installation will go as planned. I'll try to cover some of the problems I have come across during my set up.
Get in touch if you're have any problems or would like some further information via my contact page.
Back up
Make sure that you back up any files you wish to keep that are currently on your HTPC. Burn them to CD, send them to an online cloud storage site, copy them to a memory stick etc. Do not depend on them being there when everything else is done.
Install new hardware
Fully power down and disconnect your PC. Remove any unnecessary hardware (noisy extra case fans, internal dial up modem cards etc.) and install any new hardware (graphics cards, sound cards, hard drives etc.).
Clean out any dust while you're in there.
Power up
Make sure that everything is conected safely and that no wires are crossing fans. Close the case and power up to make sure that all of the new hardware is working. Don't worry about installing drivers just yet.
Clean Up
We want the system running as good as possible. If you have replaced the original hard drive, you need to install your operating system. As long as you still have the original hard drive, you can reinstall that to have the PC running exactly as it was before.
How you install or reinstall your operating system will depend on the system itself. You'll likely be booting from a CD or DVD. Most computers are already configured to do this if there is a bootable CD or DVD in the drive when the PC is powered up. It should just be a case of following instructions.
If you're installing a Linux distribution, the devices should be automatically recognised and installed. If you're installing Windows, you may need to download drivers (software that makes some of the hardware function correctly). Drivers for the hardware that came with the computer can usually be found on the computer manufacturer's web site. Drivers for graphics cards and sound cards can usually be found on their manufacturer's websites.
Once all set up, you should be seeing your computer running like new.
Install XBMC
This is as easy as installing anything else with the exception of you having to get it to start up by itself.
Download XBMC from here .
Run the file and allow it to install by answering 'Yes' to prompts and clicking the relevant 'next' buttons. Opt to have the shortcut sent to the desktop.
Don't launch XBMC just yet.
Copy the shortcut by right-clicking it and selecting 'copy'.
Click the Start button / orb and type into the search SHELL:STARTUP .
Click the resulting folder and drag the XBMC shortcut into there.
Basic installation is complete.
Coming soon:
Configuration: Get your HTPC looking sexy and answering to your demands via your smart phone.
Troubleshooting: Not every installation will go as planned. I'll try to cover some of the problems I have come across during my set up.
Get in touch if you're have any problems or would like some further information via my contact page.