Tech Tip 49 - HTPC Pointers, Part 2

by Jason Kohrs - 19.OCT.05

In the first of a two-part series of Tech Tips on getting started with a Home Theater PC, or HTPC, we looked at the two most basic features to be considered: audio and video. With those areas addressed, there are still plenty of aspects worth considering that can help your computer become better integrated into your home theater for a truly enjoyable experience. Some of these aspects include component speed, cooling, noise, style, and the user interface.

As with any other computer, the speed of the components can be a concern for an HTPC. It all depends on exactly what functions the user has intended for their particular unit.

If they are only interested in audio/video playback and functions like viewing photos and web browsing, even the most basic of computers may suffice. A system solely for DiVX / DVD video and MP3 audio playback would work fine on just about any system, perhaps even an old 400 MHz system from the late nineties (if you have such a machine around at this point). The only additional items that would be necessary are a compatible AGP/PCI graphics card with TV-out and a sound card. Sure, the performance might not be up to par for today’s applications, but it doesn’t take much to handle the basics. Multi-tasking on such a system might result in jittery video or lagging audio, so don’t ask an HTPC built around past generations of technology to do too much at once.

Upgrading a system from these meager starting points only improves the capabilities of an HTPC, and may not cost all that much either. Considering the minimum required for handling the basics, you may even be able to retire your old desktop PC to the living room and still be satisfied with the performance. Cutting edge is not necessary, at least not always.

If you want to play video games, the requirements change and you will obviously need a processor, memory, and video card that match the minimum requirements published by the game manufacturer. Some of the required hardware, or suggested minimal hardware for reasonable performance, for games today is enough to have the casual game player thinking twice about such an investment.

Playing video games on a big screen is an incredible experience, and takes things to a whole new level when compared to game play on your typical desktop monitor. Being able to see things in a game on a larger scale, and with the detail offered by an HDTV (if available), really makes these capabilities desirable. It’s just a matter of deciding how modern of a system is needed, and whether it is an affordable path to take with your HDTV.

One other area of HTPC use that may be speed critical is capturing video and TV. Not only do you need a processor capable of handling the conversion of the video signal to digital data, but you also need a hard drive that can keep up as well. Asking a system with a slow hard drive (or processor) to capture any length of video can result in a recording that has an audio/video sync issue or other glitches in the playback.

Modern hard drives with SATA-150 or even ATA-100/133 interfaces should be fast enough, and multiple hard drives may really speed thing up. One method of increasing the performance is to have one hard drive run the operating system and capturing software, while a second hard drive is only used to store the captured files. Another option would be to install your drives in RAID 0, as described in this Tech Tip, which effectively doubles the speed at which your drives can read/write data.

Cooling and noise will be addressed together, as the bulk of the noise from a computer system is generated by its cooling solutions. Keeping an HTPC’s components nice and cool is just as critical in a desktop PC, and maybe more so, as you don’t want your system to overheat and crash in the middle of your favorite movie or game!

That said, noise that seems minimal when produced by a typical desktop computer may seem excessive in an HTPC environment. If you are watching a movie with a particularly quiet scene, you do not want that silence punctuated with the hum of fans or the whir of drives. A previous Tech Tip on quieting your PC provides tips appropriate for a desktop computer, as well as an HTPC, making it a resource worth referencing.

The bulk of the tasks handled in this environment are not overly demanding, and since older components can handle it, newer components can do so without breaking a sweat. But, things like game play and other multimedia applications can be quite processor, memory, graphics, and hard disk drive intensive, so the components may generate a decent amount of heat that needs to be dissipated. Some low noise cooling steps are listed below.

The easiest answer is to use larger fans (120mm) that can spin at lower speeds to move the same volume of air as smaller fans (80mm). In general, slower spinning fans generate less noise, while larger fans are capable of moving more air due to their larger area.

This, of course, requires a case that can handle larger fans, such as this one, that has mounts for exhaust fans at 80mm, 92mm, and 120mm in size. Choosing a case will be discussed more in the section on style, but this is another area that can impact cooling. Any case could pass in an HTPC environment, but choosing one optimized for efficient cooling is a good idea. If an HTPC is to be mounted in a component rack, it will need to dissipate its own heat while in a space filled with other heat-generating components.

Adding a fan speed controller is another approach to taming the roar of any size fan. The controller shown at the link provided controls up to 7 fans, so you could easily connect all of your case fans, processor cooling fan, and whatever else may be actively cooled. By using the integrated thermal probes and LCD thermometer, you can then monitor the temperatures of your critical components and regulate the fan speed for a perfect balance between safe operating temperature and low noise output.

Water cooling is another option for keeping system components running cool and quiet. Basic water cooling kits can be installed that cool the CPU, as well as perhaps the video card, motherboard chipset, system memory, and hard drives. Where you might have had a cooling fan on every component mentioned, you would now have one fan on a radiator that cools the water that circulates over these items. Even one fan may be too many, as some high-end water cooling kits, such as this one from Zalman , are passively cooled and don’t have fans.

Power supplies are another source of noise, as they generally employ fans to keep their internal components cool, as well as helping to cool the system’s case by drawing air out. Many power supplies are now designed with one larger fan to provide the necessary cooling with minimal noise, while others can now be purchased with no cooling fan at all. Since power supplies with fans may contribute to a case’s cooling, selecting a fanless power supply may require additional efforts (more airflow) inside the case to keep things at a comfortable temperature.

Although cooling fans provide the bulk of the noise, drives may contribute as well. Many hard drive manufacturers now offer downloadable utilities, like Hitachi’s Feature Tool, that allow the owner to change the acoustic profile of their hard drives. Decreasing the noise output may impact drive performance, but it may be worth it in many situations in order to silence the system.

As I mentioned previously, just about any computer case will do when it comes to the basics of an HTPC, but style may be an important facet of your build. Many manufacturers now offer computer cases that mimic the design of traditional rack components, making your HTPC blend in with the rest of your home theater gear. Thermaltake, Ahanix, and Silverstone are just a few of the brands focusing at least a part of their product lines toward HTPC enthusiasts.

In general, an HTPC style case will have a horizontal configuration so that it will fit in your component rack. It will offer a stylized front face to mimic typical A/V components, the stock cooling solutions will be optimized for low noise output, and many times the chassis material will be aluminum to aid in the dissipation of heat. All of these special features are not cheap, as a good quality HTPC-specific case may cost several times what your typical mid-tower case would.

For those with a creative side, modifying a more basic case may be more rewarding and a great deal less expensive. Perhaps a bit of cutting to optimize airflow, a coat of (silver or black) paint, and a few accessories should do the trick. Many of the options found in an off-the-shelf HTPC case can be purchased separately, so you could add things like a vacuum fluorescent display, stylized optical drive bezels , and just about any other finishing touch required to turn your basic desktop case into an attractive HTPC case.

All that is really important regarding the user interface is that you can see well enough to access the applications you want to run. If you have the screen size / resolution to do so, even your typical Windows desktop will be adequate for interacting with your HTPC. The Windows desktop may work fine, but it has more than you need on it for basic HTPC applications, and it generally looks more like a work environment than a play environment, so there are ways to address that.

There are Windows and Linux based shells to make the HTPC interface more user friendly, and these generally involve the use of large icons and text that provide access to only the most common application: MP3 player, DVD player, web browser, image browser, and so on. These shells add functionality to your typical desktop operating system that can make them much easier to navigate in an HTPC setting, regardless of the TV size/quality being used. For a free and easy to use HTPC shell for use with Windows XP, check out Media Portal.

If you don’t want to install a shell on top of an existing operating system, or need to buy a new license of an OS for your HTPC anyway, Microsoft recognized the emergence of this segment of the market, and has something for you (of course they do). Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition may be the most familiar name when it comes to HTPC specific interfaces, and it combines an easy to use ‘shell’ with many other back-end features that make it custom tailored to a multimedia existence.

There is another aspect to the user interface that is also a bit different with an HTPC. Your typical mouse and keyboard will obviously still function with a computer in your living room, but do you really want to be constrained to within three feet of it? A wireless setup is ideal, as it allows the computer to be located with the rest of the electronics, while you can be comfortably seated on the couch across the room and still have full control.

There are numerous wireless mice and keyboards on the market, but for basic interaction, perhaps a combination unit would be the best bet. There are some wireless keyboards with a small joystick-style pointing device that lets one convenient device handle both tasks. These may be great for basic system navigation and launching of applications, but considering video games once again implies better hardware. You can still go wireless for serious game play, but the precision of the components is more critical in a high-paced game, and a high-end wireless mouse like the Logitech MX1000 , for example, may be worth the extra money.

Another way to interact with your HTPC takes on a feel more familiar to components found in the living room: a remote control. The Ahanix iMon is one example of an infrared remote control, much like you would use on your TV or DVD player, but fully capable of controlling your computer. It allows for control of mouse functions, typical multimedia controls (play, stop, volume, etc.), as well as programmable buttons for launching your favorite applications. We have previously discussed the ATI HDTV Wonder for its video capturing abilities, but the included remote is also a nice feature as it handles enough desktop features that it may minimize the need for a mouse or keyboard as well.

By no means an exhaustive reference for building an HTPC, this Tech Tip hopefully touched on a few areas worth considering by those looking to bring a PC into the living room. HTPCs don’t necessarily have to be powerful or expensive, but the possibilities only increase as the horsepower does, and hopefully this series of tips is a good starting point for a variety of interest levels in the home theater experience.

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