Can you use A hard drive to...

[Dave N.]

Hey Steve,
I just got a copy of Ubunto to use on a pc if I decide to go the route of a server but what extra software did you have to install to make your system work?

I'm trying to figure out a way to do all this including getting an older pc but installing a video card with a HDMI out and then a good sound card with a optical out for the audio.

Looks like there are these new media storage devices hitting the market but who knows just how good these are?

Thanks

Dave

[Steve Conner]

It would take me so long to try and figure out/remember what extra software I installed, that I'm not going to even try and make a full list. Here are a few I can think of:

Apache 2
PHP5
MySQL
(these three are preinstalled if you choose the LAMP Ubuntu installation, but stuff necessary for video and audio probably will be missing)

samba (for file sharing with Windows machines)

Development tools and headers (for compiling stuff from source)

mplayer (compiled from source with the legally dubious w32codecs bundle to play Windows Media movies, DivX, DVDs etc)

mpd
phpMP

envy24control (for controlling the Delta-66)

lcdproc (from source)
lcd-stuff (from source, I ended up hacking the source to add extra features and fix a few bugs)

and about 50 other things :|

PS: DVI and HDMI are pretty similar. You get DVI-to-HDMI adaptors. However, HDMI allows embedded digital audio, and I don't know if a video card is smart enough to do this, as it would need to appear as a soundcard too.

[Dave N.]

Hey Steve,
Thanks again on the info. I have been doing some reading over many forums and I have found that some folks are building home theater PC's using the new motherboards out with HDMI outputs and using 7.1 audio on the motherboards. These same folks are running MS vista media format and installing the LG brand Blu ray HD dvd burners so they can play both formats in 1080P

Also using dual sata 500 gig hard drives for video-audio storage.

This is a costly route but seems to have promise. Seems the era of computer home theater is rushing in more now than ever

I wonder though using vista seems a rather funky way to do home theater. I'm not a MS vista fan really, its not all that great a media system.


I wonder if any folks here have tried doing this new HTPC with HDMI out build?


Dave