40" TV + HTPC Recommendation

[karthik_i]

Hi,

I am looking to build an media center with an HTPC + 40" TV

For the TV:

1. Budget: 45-50k for both
2. Display type and size: 40", LED
3. Primary use of Tv/monitor? Media Center
4. Ports Required? Whatever is required
5. Preferred choice of brand? Any reputable brand
6. Any TV/monitor in consideration? No

I was considering a Smart TV, but decided to go for an HTPC instead because of the flexibility. Here's what I would like to achieve with my HTPC.

1. Stream media from my primary PC wirelessly and the Internet and control playback via remote on an XBMC like setup.
2. Be able to play Live TV from my Set Top Box.
3. Be able to record Live TV to my Primary PC or HTPC.
4. Be able to play CDs/DVDs.

Also, I would like to recycle a 5.1 channel home theatre which I have lying around. I have no clue how to hook it up to the HTPC. What would be the hardware required to do so?

I would appreciate it if you could advice me whether to invest more into the HTPC, in form of a GPU, to get that extra bit of perfromance if needed.

Thanks in advance.

 

[whitestar_999]

I will leave the TV suggestions for others & instead focus on technical aspects of your query.

1.Streaming media wirelessely from pc will require a lot of effort & money.
How to Stream Video to Your TV - PC, Mac, Mobile

2.any set top box just needs to be connected to a video output device like TV to play live TV.you can switch between video input of set top box & pc.

3.to record from set top box you will need to buy a costly tv tuner card & the ones with hdmi port starts from ~5000 which is the recommended port to record HD content.

4.any dvd writer(costs ~900) can play dvd in combination with capable media player software.

 

[karthik_i]

Thank you for your reply.

In my past experience, I don't think streaming media is that difficult when you consider DLNA options like Plex Mediaserver, XBMC running on your primary PC. Am I mistaken here? I am assuming streaming performance will suffer if I go for such a setup? Is there a way to offset this?

I will be watching standard definition content on live TV. Can I make do with cheaper TV Tuners? How easy/difficult is the integration in such a setup?

I'm eyeing the Athlon 5350 platform with some interest. How good a choice would this be?

 

[whitestar_999]

You are right about those options but the quality will suffer though how much is a subjective matter.wireless simply doesn't have the bandwidth to carry large amount of data in very short time.for SD content even cheap tv tuner will do but note the input/output ports to see how many connecting options are available for a specific set top box & monitor/tv.Athlon 5350 is very weal & in my opinion is not worth its price.get celeron or pentium dual core for 2-3k & a basic gigabyte h61 mobo for ~3k,much better than athlon.for ~4k get ati radeon r7 240 or equivalent graphics card if you intend to use some video processing to enhance picture quality in certain cases.

 

[Minion]

Hi,

I am looking to build an media center with an HTPC + 40" TV

For the TV:

1. Budget: 45-50k for both
2. Display type and size: 40", LED
3. Primary use of Tv/monitor? Media Center
4. Ports Required? Whatever is required
5. Preferred choice of brand? Any reputable brand
6. Any TV/monitor in consideration? No

I was considering a Smart TV, but decided to go for an HTPC instead because of the flexibility. Here's what I would like to achieve with my HTPC.

1. Stream media from my primary PC wirelessly and the Internet and control playback via remote on an XBMC like setup.
2. Be able to play Live TV from my Set Top Box.
3. Be able to record Live TV to my Primary PC or HTPC.
4. Be able to play CDs/DVDs.

Also, I would like to recycle a 5.1 channel home theatre which I have lying around. I have no clue how to hook it up to the HTPC. What would be the hardware required to do so?

I would appreciate it if you could advice me whether to invest more into the HTPC, in form of a GPU, to get that extra bit of perfromance if needed.

Thanks in advance.

Get Philips 40PFL5059/v7 for tv will set you back by 28k.

1)Don't have idea.

2)Yes,you only need to connect DTH to tv with HDMI port.

3)For recording tv shows in good quality you need this
Buy Online Hauppauge Colossus HD Video Capture Card in India

but it is pricy though see if you can find any cheap alternative.