Assembled HTPC

nipunkx

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Let me begin by saying that I am a complete novice in computer hardware field. I would like to own a basic HTPC that can stream HD content to AVR.
1) Is it readily available in stores for sales or do we have to assemble it?
2) If its available to purchase, can you please suggest me a good base model? OR If needs to be assembled, can any hardware technical guy assemble it for me?
 
Thanks Ranjeetrain for letting me know this info. But I read mixed reviews about this product online in Amazon and I understand that I have to install RAM and HDD or SDD additional as well as operating system. Is there any thing else that I can look into?
 
There are truck loads of HTPC threads, please do search and I am sure most of the questions you have in mind will be answered by me or somebody else ..... the latest HOT HTPC thread is http://www.hifivision.com/home-theater-pc-htpc-media-pc/62385-yet-another-htpc-advice-thread.html

go through it and you should be on the right track ...... if there is any very specific query shoot here and I shall try to answer that ....

BTW HTPC is just a PC tuned a bit for Home Theatre requirements. I am not sure where r u located but from where ever you will purchase the hardware, same people will also help you assemble for a very nominal price.

There are branded PCs as well but are a bit expensive, then there are APU based PC like E350N where we have GPU and Proc all on one chip. You still need RAM and HDD, rest is same as any other assembled PC. Other type these days is SFF-PCs (small form factor PCs like NUC and BRIX), which are SOC type assembly. It not necessary you need to install RAM and HDD, I mean yes barebone ones you need to, but you can get complete package as well with everything install and ready, you just need to connect the display, put the OS and use it as you want to. (http://www.ebay.in/itm/Intel-NUC-DN...-4GB-DDR3-1-TB-HDD-WIFI-BT-HDMI-/271643416728)

Last and current gen latest type are Compute Stick which are PC on a HDMI stick, recent iterations have become pretty powerful, (eg Intel PPSTCK1A32WFC Bay Trail-T Compute Stick ) however feasibility as an HTPC is yet to be determined, with latest Intel graphics drivers for Bay Trail-T (32-bit) we have support for bitstreaming of DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus. This means that Netflix and other similar OTT sites are in the clear, but not HD audio with BD rips or ISO, also with only wifi n these are anyhow not recomended ......
 
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Let me begin by saying that I am a complete novice in computer hardware field. I would like to own a basic HTPC that can stream HD content to AVR.

By stream do you mean wireless? Or do you mean from online sources like Netflix or from a local source like HDD?

If the latter, do you need the HTPC to also store the files or do you have an external HDD with the content?

1) Is it readily available in stores for sales or do we have to assemble it?

Both are an option. Assembled will be cheaper and you can pick and choose. Pre-assembled will be more expensive and also you cannot pick and choose individual components like HDD, RAM, GPU, etc.

2) If its available to purchase, can you please suggest me a good base model? OR If needs to be assembled, can any hardware technical guy assemble it for me?

Here is a recent config Sam shared - http://www.hifivision.com/home-thea...et-another-htpc-advice-thread.html#post688768.

The local store you buy the components from will also assemble it for free.

My 2 cents...
If you have content on a HDD and don't need a heavy duty PC for upscaling, HFR, etc. get Raspberry Pi 3, install OpenELEC on it and have a good time streaming both local content and online content like movies, TV shows, etc.
 
Thanks Ranjeetrain for letting me know this info. But I read mixed reviews about this product online in Amazon and I understand that I have to install RAM and HDD or SDD additional as well as operating system. Is there any thing else that I can look into?

Don't worry about the mixed review. A lot of not-so-tech-savvy users buy something and can't get it to work. They vent their frustration out when writing the review. Most of the negative reviews would be one-liners or won't cover in detail what they tried before giving up. So, a lot of negative reviews simply don't deserve to be there. Amazon's minimal censoring policy about reviews is also a reason. If you write a negative review you have a lot brighter a chance it will get published on Amazon than say Snapdeal, Flipkart etc.

There is also a version which is ready to use. Here it is: Amazon.in: Buy Intel BOXNUC5CPYH - Next Unit of Computing Mini PC Fully Loaded (Celeron Dual Core N3050 upto 2.16Ghz, 4GBLRam, 120GB SSD, Wifi + Bluetooth Module) Online at Low Prices in India | Intel Reviews & Ratings

You need to install the OS though. Please understand one thing. An HTPC does need some work before it starts pleasing you. Installing OS, configuring software, configuring NAS etc are some of the many steps you may have to take. For computer literate guys it's not such a big deal. They can easily grasp the required concepts and follow instructions given some hints. So, if you are good with computers don't hesitate.
 
There are truck loads of HTPC threads, please do search and I am sure most of the questions you have in mind will be answered by me or somebody else ..... the latest HOT HTPC thread is http://www.hifivision.com/home-theater-pc-htpc-media-pc/62385-yet-another-htpc-advice-thread.html

go through it and you should be on the right track ...... if there is any very specific query shoot here and I shall try to answer that ....

BTW HTPC is just a PC tuned a bit for Home Theatre requirements. I am not sure where r u located but from where ever you will purchase the hardware, same people will also help you assemble for a very nominal price.

There are branded PCs as well but are a bit expensive, then there are APU based PC like E350N where we have GPU and Proc all on one chip. You still need RAM and HDD, rest is same as any other assembled PC. Other type these days is SFF-PCs (small form factor PCs like NUC and BRIX), which are SOC type assembly. It not necessary you need to install RAM and HDD, I mean yes barebone ones you need to, but you can get complete package as well with everything install and ready, you just need to connect the display, put the OS and use it as you want to. (Intel NUC DN2820FYKH Celeron N2820 2 4GHz DC 4GB DDR3 1 TB HDD Wifi BT Hdmi | eBay)

Last and current gen latest type are Compute Stick which are PC on a HDMI stick, recent iterations have become pretty powerful, (eg Intel PPSTCK1A32WFC Bay Trail-T Compute Stick ) however feasibility as an HTPC is yet to be determined, with latest Intel graphics drivers for Bay Trail-T (32-bit) we have support for bitstreaming of DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus. This means that Netflix and other similar OTT sites are in the clear, but not HD audio with BD rips or ISO, also with only wifi n these are anyhow not recomended ......

:signthankspin: Thanks a lot Sam. That was pretty informative and helpful.
 
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