(Part 3) Best products from r/htpc

Over the years I've tried all sorts of HTPC keyboards and mini-keyboards, and keyboard/controller combos. None of them have been perfect, but I keep looking and appreciate your desire to make a better one!

My favorite overall is the Logitech K830. If I had to recommend ONE htpc keyboard to someone, it would be this one. Backlit keys and full function keyboard+trackpad can't be beat.

Here's what I don't like about the Logitech K830

• I wish it had actual function keys. My HTPC is a linux box and I use this keyboard for everything, and I would sure appreciate dedicated function keys (they could be tiny ones like on macbook keyboard...)
  
• I wish it had a higher resolution mouse -- it's not the best PC gaming keyboard...
  
• From a few years of using the keyboard in my lap, mine has started to bend slightly downward in the center.
  
• Rubber feet have long since come off. Wider feet with stickier glue might be good.
  
• I wish it had full size arrow keys instead of tiny arrow keys
  
• I wish it had a larger battery so that it could go longer between charges.
  
  Now... on to other devices I've used to control media centers...
  
  My current favorite TV remote is the ROKU remote. I don't need 50 buttons, and I feel like the Apple TV remotes don't have enough buttons. The roku remotes are just about right, but don't support CEC, I don't need the extra video service buttons that I can't reprogram, and if a roku-clone remote also supported an 'air mouse', I would certainly buy a couple.
  
  I've also tried just about every game controller as an HTPC controller, and my favorite one is the WII controller because it has enough buttons to do everything I really need while holding it in my hand, and I don't need to look at it. If someone made a wii-clone HTPC controller that held a charge more than a few days, with an air mouse mode, I'd buy a bunch of those!
  
  Lastly... tiny keyboards..
  The Rii Mini K12 is too flat for my likes, and it's only slightly smaller than a fullsize keyboard.
  
  I like this mini wireless keyboard because of backlighting: https://www.amazon.com/FAVI-Wireless-Backlit-Keyboard-Built/dp/B0090BTY8Y/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1520276357&sr=1-3-catcorr&keywords=rii+mini+wireless+backlit
  
  However, it would be much better IF the following changes were made:
  
  
• larger trackpad
  
• auto backlight by default
  
• arrow keys set apart so that I can find them by feel instead of looking at keyboard
  
• move escape key
  
• get rid of android keys
  
• maybe make it fractionally bigger...

Some suggestions for keyboard/mice:

Lenovo N5902. Goes on sale regularly.

Logitech K400

Generic keyboard/touchpad remote. There are many slight variants on this.

I've found that due to the size/shape/content of my living room, a wireless receiver plugged into my HTPC doesn't work 100% reliably. I've connected a USB extension cable to the back of my HTPC and run it behind things and under my couch to give me the best reception. Generally you can go up to 15 feet; any longer than that and you need a powered extension.

If you have a Logitech Harmony remote, I highly recommend the OVU4003/00 (RC6) USB IR reciever. Once set up with Windows and the Harmony remote, it works with XBMC/Kodi out of the box. This receiver was branded as HP/Dell/Gateway/Philips and probably many more. A Flirc is another option but it is ugly (IMO) and more expensive.

Regarding hardware, if you aren't gaming you don't need a lot. When using older gear the most important thing is video hardware acceleration. For Intel machines, you need something with at least GMA 4500 (Q45 chipset) graphics or later, and for AMD you need something with at least a 760G chipset. This hardware dates back to 2008/2009. Dedicated graphics cards should be at least a Radeon HD 2600 or a GeForce 8500. These cards date back to 2006/2007. CPUs are a grey area, but any mainstream dual core CPU (Athlon X2, Core 2 Duo) from 2007+ should be able to handle most everything. My first HTPC had an AMD Athlon X2 5000+ and it's still working just fine with W7 and Kodi.

If you want to game (and don't want to use a device like the DOKO), you'll need to find a quiet case that supports full length video cards. There are a bunch available, and I'm not sure if this has changed in the last 2-3 years, but the vast majority of HTPC cases large enough to support full size gear and M-ATX motherboards are simply too long to fit in a standard A/V rack or TV stand. The only exceptions I am aware of are the Silverstone GD05 and GD04. I'd be willing to bet that Silverstone has some other cases that will work also.

Additionally, you'll want to find a PSU, case fans and CPU cooler that are quiet and efficient. The best resource for this is http://www.silentpcreview.com/.

Lastly, if your A/V receiver has only S/PDIF audio inputs (no HDMI) and you want to play games in 5.1 surround sound, you're going to need to find either a sound card or motherboard with an S/PDIF output that supports DTS-Connect and/or Dolby Digital Live. Motherboards stopped coming with this around 2008 (AFAIK) and the cheapest option to get it in an add-on card is the Sound Blaster Z.

I thought I would share my cheap HTPC build. It was made mostly from parts I had sitting around.

Basically, it is:

• A Lenovo M90P PC, but is not the SFF (Small Form Factor) version. Mine has an i5 Core 650 with 8GB of RAM. Note that this is a BTX motherboard, so it's not compatible with ATX parts.
  
  
• 128GB Samsung Pro 840 SSD for the OS.
  
  
• Two WD Red 4TB drives, setup in a Storage Pool under Windows 10. I also sync my library to a backup server and to a second external HDD. (I previously only had one, but it overheated and died, I did not have backups, and I lost my entire library! That is why I am doing this again.)
  
  
• A CPU fan controller.
  
  
• A HDD cooling fan added to each WD drive. The fans keep the HDDs around 87F - 93F degrees, which is acceptable considering this is in the same small cabinet with my stereo receiver, Tivo, and PS3, which all get pretty warm when running.
  
  
• Added a Lian Li MF-699 3-fan bay cooler to add air flow.
  
  
• Asus Xonar sound card
  
  
• EVGA GeForce GT 610 video card with an HDMI output
  
  
• This little wireless keyboard
  
  
• One of these power adapters which allowed me to plug in the two HDD fans with MOLEX connectors (as the Lenovo only has SATA power connectors)
  
  
• Passmark disk checkup utility to monitor the temps of the HDDs. This is required because using Storage Pools prevents most HDD monitoring software from working. Passmark actually monitors the drives at the system level, not at the "Drive letter" level.
  
  And that's it.
  
  It is running Windows 10, a Plex media server and media player, and a PlayOn server.
  
  I use the sound card because the built-in one either didn't support 5.1 or did not support 5.1 through Plex. It connects to my AVR.
  
  I use the video card to get an HDMI output, which goes through a 5-port HDMI switcher (my 3 other devices, including a Steam Link plus one spare port), and then to my projector (which only has 2 HDMI inputs and obviously doesn't have sound, hence the AVR).
  
  I hope this is inspiration that you don't have to spend a lot to get a fully functional HTPC.

The ultimate remote. Literally.

I bought one of these when I moved in with my now wife a few years ago. She didn't like my collection of remotes and remote keyboard, she just wanted to be able to turn on Bravo. Best thing I ever did. Automating activities makes turning things on/off correctly a snap. For a keyboard you can get one of these. Whatever you turn on that accepts a bluetooth keyboard - PC, PS4, Fire TV, whatever - the keyboard is automatically connected to it. I wouldn't try playing Quake on it, but it works great for web browsing. Battery in the remote dies? No problem, open up the Harmony app on a phone or tablet and work it that way while the remote charges.

I've since set up cheaper Harmony Companions to control the bedroom TVs, since I use Xbox 360s as media center extenders for live TV. My daughter has some Philips smart bulbs and it controls them as well. Overall I've come to love Harmony Hub based products, they just work.

The Raspberry Pi by itself is just a board. Like a PC, you need other stuff to make it work -- at the very least, a power supply and an SD card on which to install the OS. A kit like this gives you the power supply and a case, or you can go bigger and get a kit that includes power, case, wifi, hdmi cable, and a preloaded SD card. For htpc purposes, you don't need a kit like this, which includes a bunch of components that you aren't going to use (LEDs, breadboard, breakout cables, wires, etc -- stuff that you'd use if you were going to use the pi to build projects, but is unnecessary for a media player).

Don't bother with any heatsinks or fans. The RPi doesn't need them even for overclocking. Case quality can vary, but even the cheap cases are generally decent. You'll want at least a 2A power supply, especially if you intend to plug in external HDDs that don't have their own power source. And if you don't go with a kit that includes an SD card, make sure you buy a good quality card instead. That's your only storage on the device, so you want it to be as reliable as possible. Which means no bargain basement, "10 for a dollar" cheap SD cards. Go with name brands like Samsung.

And finally, /r/raspberry_pi. They're big on the Zero right now, but I'd suggest you go with a 2 B instead (quad core and more RAM makes it worth the extra cost).

You've thought this out pretty well. I'd probably only change a couple of things. First would be to look into getting a networked HDHomeRun DUAL over a USB tuner. I'd go with this one because you'd be able to connect it to any computer in the house over LAN. If this wouldn't benefit you then a USB tuner might suit you better.

And the second is I wouldn't necessarily change, but you might want to consider. The chromebox ships soon, but we don't know yet if we'd be able to load any other OS on it yet. My guess would be yes. Other chromebooks have had success, but we just don't know yet so I wouldn't commit just yet.

The only other issue I can see is Plex might have an issue transcoding to play on your devices, especially the Celeron based chromebox.

Edit: Oh, and for wife proofing, I've got a Harmony 650 and FLIRC IR dongle that makes controling my TV, receiver, cable box, and HTPC easy

OK, so for remote I use this with a flirc. That way I have a truly universal remote with physical buttons (better for operating in the dark) for not a lot of cash. I do have a Logitech K400 for the rare times when I need a full keyboard.

For a case, I have the Silverstone ML03B. Small form factor and really blends with the other components. Depending on your CPU, you may not even need an aftermarket cooler. I have the i3 4130T with a stock cooler and it's dead silent. I built 2 years ago, and at the time, the only gaming I was doing was emulating old-school NES through some Gamecube. EDIT: So I only used the intel integrated graphics (HD 4400). /EDIT If you do want/need a GPU, you'd need a half-height to fit the case. Just last week I picked up a GTX 750 ti. It improved Dolphin emulation dramatically, and runs Skyrim at 1080p on Ultra settings at 60 fps.

Hopefully that answered some of your questions. If you have any more, feel free to ask.

Here's how I built mine. It's completely silent and performance wise, this thing is awesome. With some additional tweaking it could probably meet all your requirements.

DS81 - approx. $188

Crucial 16GB RAM - approx. $94

Intel I3 CPU - approx. $118

Scan Disk 120GB SSD - approx. $45

Total Cost - approx. $445. For your requirements you would probably want to buy a SAN or some extrernal USB storage and consolidate your media/music.

Software

Install Kodibuntu

Listening/viewing the media remotely is largely just a matter of properly setting up your home network routing and using dynamic DNS.

Only comment I have is that the WD Green drives sometimes have a mind of their own when it comes to power management. I've got one as a storage drive in my PC and I often need to wait for it to spin up (about 3-5 seconds) at the oddest times.

Often, it will spin up only when I try to access a file (as opposed to just browsing the file lists). This, in turn, causes the application opening the file to freeze sometimes.

It's not a big deal on my PC when I'm trying to use CBR Reader or VLC. However, it might be a huge annoyance on an HTPC.

Edit: Try the Caviar Blue from WD instead.

I think it would be simpler to get a power strip like this (edit: or here's a cheaper one), which switches certain outlets on and off based on the power draw from another outlet.

For your situation, you could plug your monitor (edit: or TV, as the case may be) into the control outlet, so that when it turns off, the outlet that the receiver is plugged into turns off as well. Then when it turns back on, the receiver gets power again too.

I am struggling to come up with the right term for the product, I thought it was 'smart power strip', but that phrase seems to be getting muddied by IoT-type power strips.

Belkin also makes a power strip with a remote switch, which would make shutting off the monitor and receiver and whatever else easier, but not automatic.

As far as I know, there is no way to send Harmony commands from a computer if you went with a Harmony Hub

I have done this numerous times and you can put as large a fan as have the ability to cut out. The top rear of the cabinet will be best and shouldn't affect the TV.

Look through your old electronics for a 12V transformer you can butcher or output from the PC. The xBox probably only heats up when running but the DirectTV box likely runs hot all the time. You can look at buying a Smart power strip like this and tell the fan to run only when the TV is on.

If you had a receiver, some models have switched outlets to turn on equipment when it is running. (Check your direct TV box for this as well) But that would only turn it on with the cable box which you might not run with the PC.

I would add Eventghost to the list (based on Phyton), with that you can automate some tasks (example.... if this exebutable is opened do this and that or else..... if this window is focused or non focused do this or that and stuff like that).

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As for the remote, I would recommend you the non official "Xbox Remote" from PDP (Performance Designed Products) with combination of FLIRC USB, that mentioned remote even has "motion backlit" for all the buttons (white) just like "keyboard backlits" but the difference is that the "lights" turns off on itself after some seconds if you dont move your remote which ofc saves your battery:

amazon.com

amazon.de

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One thing I should mention about this remote is that you need to be careful because the case can easy wear out if you dont treat it well (avoid water, fluids in general and everything will be fine).

ic, in that case make sure you find one with display port and get an active display port to HDMI adapter so you can run 4k @ 60hz. The HDMI port on that card isn't 2.0. Even if you're connecting to a PC monitor for 4k you'll still want to use display port since it has enough bandwidth to support 4k.

I was going down the same road and ended up just getting a larger case. Went from an Antec ISK 110 to this monstrosity. But it's still silent at least.

Looks like Gigabyte has something.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GV-N75TOC-2GL-Graphics-Cards/dp/B00MW8NXAW

They are on the same circuit. I have all the outlets for the entertainment area hooked into a single breaker. Then at the entertainment center, I have all the equipment plugged into a belkin surge protector (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IF9QW0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

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I do have a ground cable nut on my receiver. I don't have anything running to it at the moment as I believe this is more for turntable interference than actually grounding the receiver.

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Do you have an easy way to see if it's a ground loop?

>Because the receiver supports HDR.

I know, so shouldn't HDR have worked since it's capable of passing the signal through?

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>Any card that can push 4k/120/HDR content ought to have multiple outputs too, right? I actually can't remember the last time I saw any video card that wasn't capable of multiple outputs.

I don't think most cards have multiple HDMI outputs. Mine has two hdmi, two display ports and a dvi port. The radeon 7 im looking at on amazon has 3 display ports and 1 hdmi. However, im going to try using my onbaord videos hdmi to my receiver to make sure I can get audio. Then I can just disable audio in the nvida control panel through my geforce 1070 so that windows only choice is to use my onboard sound hdmi.

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Edit: In fact, every Radeon 7 on amazon only has one HDMI and goes with triple display port.

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https://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-16GB-Boost-1xHDMI/dp/B07NFGDZWQ/

Thanks for the input. I wasn't able to get that system as the guy sold it already.

I'm just thinking about building my own instead of getting a used one. Is a combo motherboard/cpu good or should I buy them separately (will raise cost by maybe $100).

What do you think about the following? I'm open to suggestions (probably will build in couple of weeks).

• Motherboard/CPU Combo
  
  
• 4GB Ram
  
  
• 120GB SSD
  
  
• Sentey case
  
  I have Windows 7 that I'll be installing.

got it re : refresh rate.. I will move the refresh rate to 30 hz.

AVR : Denoon X4500H : http://manuals.denon.com/AVRX4500H/EU/EN/DRDZSYzvebvotm.php

HDMI Cable (both PC--> AVR and AVR --> TV): Belkin 4K : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075N83B9X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 so HDMI does support it

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Looking at the denon, I am realizing that i have set it to standard .. so I will set it to Enhanced. I am assuming that i should keep the HDR setting in Windows 10 switched off.

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Side note: I dream of the day when all this is plug and play - SOME DAY

I can second this recommendation.

I recently purchased this model;

http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-GD04B-USB3-0-Aluminum-Computer/dp/B008J0ZODQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412064837&sr=1-2&keywords=silverstone+GD0

What I really like about these is that they are much shallower from back to front than normal ATX cases (even many so-called HTPC cases). As such, they actually fit on an a/v rack and blend well with other a/v equipment in terms of size.

This particular model supports up to 3x 3.5" drives, or 2x 3.5" + 1 2.5". If you want to include an optical drive, you lose one 3.5" mounting point.

Harmony Companion. Best universal I've owned. I've been using it for 4 years now with no issues.

Don't get another 650; those button issues are known and will reoccur. It happened to two 650s I had before getting the harmony companion set.

Thank you so much for the help! I really appreciate it. I found a NUC for $150, so I'll probably go with that.

The Lifehacker article you linked me, "The Complicated Method: Watch Your Movie Now with XBMC" only works on windows correct? So I couldn't throw on linux and do the same thing with MakeMKV and the plugin for XBMC?

EDIT:

Here is the NUC I was looking at

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Next-Computing-Black-BOXDCCP847DYE/dp/B00B7I8HZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407978168&sr=8-1&keywords=B00B7I8HZ4

EDIT 2:

Nvm, I'm an idiot and didn't read the article fully

Crap, replied to myself instead of you.

Port: http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetPDF.aspx/4aa6-9224enuc.pdf Page 3/5

Video showing HDR: https://1drv.ms/v/s!ArKGv9LOf89ctoFR5ATCPGDxBOQo2g?e=VzuB25

DisplayPort adapter used: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B077JB28KM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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EDIT: also, to clarify, my setup is Elitedesk 800 Mini G3 > CAC-1080 Displayport-HDMI Adapter > Amazon Basics high speed HDMI Cable > Onkyo TX 373 receiver > amazon basics high speed HDMI > Hisense 50" 4k HDR10 tv

Case - Antec ISK110 DC Powered

MB - ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+

APU - AMD A-10 6700 4-Core 3.7GHz 65W

Cooling - Noctua NH-L9A Low Profile

Memory - Crucial DDR3 1866 2 X 4GB

Disks(Internal) - 2 X Crucial M4 64GB SSD

Disks(External) - StarTech e-SATA enclosure w/ 2 X 1TB WD Blue HDD

Optical Disk(External) - Vantec USB2 enclosure w/ Sony Optiarc BluRay Drive

OS:

• Win7 w/Media Center + BluRay + Steam
  
  
• Linux Mint 17 + XBMC + Steam (to be replaced w/SteamOS)
  
  
  
  
  
  

OpenELEC might be a good solution for you. Linux knowledge isn't required.

http://openelec.tv/

You'll need a raspberry pi and a microsd card. You can even buy kits that come with OpenELEC pre-installed on the SD card. http://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Complete-Original-Preloaded/dp/B008XVAVAW

If you can swing the upfront cost, something like a low end NUC will probably save you money over a few years

Looks like it's $120 for the non-Prime model. If the cable outlet is near OP's computer, wouldn't one of the ~$60 USB ones he mentions work just as well?

Just picked this up for Xmas running win 7 and XMBC:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B7I8HZ4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use it as an HTPC in the master bedroom, pulling my media from a 7tb NAS. All Blu ray rips at 1080p, no stuttering at all. My only gripe is you cannot turn it on with a remote, you'll have to play around with the sleep/hibernate settings to be able to power it on with a usb remote. I haven't seen a NUC that uses 2.5 drives so you'll have to spring for a mSSD. Prices aren't that bad, I got a 64gb for $50.

FAVI FE02RF-BL. It's seriously awesome.

http://www.amazon.com/FAVI-FE02RF-BL-Wireless-Keyboard-SmartStick/dp/B0090BTY8Y/ref=pd_cp_e_1

You can use a pci-e card with front header connections. You can buy a cheap SSD and graphic card which should be good enough for media streaming and stuff.

Something like this Kingston? 120gb is same price as 60gb, so looks like a decent deal.

Your TV has displayport?? Or you're planning to use an adapter like this or this? If so, there's not much data on HDR working over that type of connection. It's not supposed to work (because it's DP 1.2 and not 1.4) , but one Intel CPU guy did manage to get HDR working. Haven't heard anything on AMD.

So far all AM4 boards have done HDMI 2.0 regardless of what their specs say. The tested ones are in the Wiki.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B7I8HZ4/ref=mw_dp_mdsc?dsc=1

The Celeron is more than enough power for a simple XBMC box.

Would a GTX 750Ti be enough for the games I mentioned?