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PROJECT: THE ULTIMATE HIGH-DEFINITION HOME THEATER SERVER
Selected Hardware Components
TV TUNERS:
We decided to go with a pair of the
AutumnWave OnAir GT USB
HDTV units. These units are
supported by SageTV 6.0
for QAM tuning, something we really want.
Furthermore, these have IR remotes, allowing us to
control the HDHTS from the couch. Better yet,
the remote control program includes codes to control
SageTV itself!
The OnAir GT package includes the OnAir GT itself,
the remote, USB cable, telescoping antenna, a
leatherette pouch, A/V input cables, CD and
documentation.
  
With digital cable signals, maximizing S/N ratio is
critical to achieving flawless, uninterrupted video
and audio streams. Weak signals at the point
of entry at your home can be weakened further when
cheap splitters and long cable runs are used.
In our facility, we decided to overall all splitters
and replace them with those manufactured by the
premier manufacturer of the cable TV industry,
MCR Group Inc.
On the upper left is the TAP splitter. This is
used to split the signal between a cable modem, and
everything else. The cable modem connects to
the TAP connector. The other three are
splitters with a special DC pass path as shown by
the red line. This DC path allows DC power to
travel up the cable to a drop amp. Normal
splitters do not have a DC path, therefore requiring
the installer to connect the drop amp power supply
directly, which is not always practical.
Here is the best drop amp in the market today.
It does not have any return amplification.
Amplified return signals can screw up the AGC
circuitry, reducing the signal being sent to you
from the cable head-end. As you can see, the
power supply has the coax connector. The best
place to connect a drop amp is closest to the
street. But because there are no AC outlets on
the sidewalk, the cable distribution box of your
apartment complex, or is simply inaccessible, using
a splitter with a DC passthrough path as as shown
above would send power from inside your home to
wherever the drop amp is. Keep in mind that a
drop amp simply amplifies the voltage coming into
it, regardless of the voltage being actual signal,
or noise. This amplification allows the signal
to travel further and to more TVs or devices; a drop
amp will not be able to clean up a dirty signal, or
in other words, it cannot increase the S/N ratio.
Because we decided to use two of the OnAir GT
tuners, we did not want to saturate the on-board USB
2.0 EHCI controller when both tuners are streaming
HD to the HDHTS. Adding an add-in USB 2.0
controller card, such as this
Syba USB 2.0 PCI Express x1
would split the bandwidth.
 
RAID CARD:
For data integrity, RAID-5 or RAID-6 must be
used. There are numerous controllers out
there, but we decided to use the
Highpoint HPT 1820A. This product won our
SATA RAID controller challenge, and is quite
affordable compared to other 8-port SATA RAID cards.
HARD DRIVES:
No question here: 8x
Seagate Barracuda ES 750GB! Eight of these
behemoths in RAID-5 yields a 5.25TB usable
partition, while in RAID-6, the partition is 4.5TB,
but allows the array to function even with two
failed members.
OPTICAL DRIVES:
Because content such as DIVX CDs or DVD sets can
span multiple discs, having two DVD-ROM drives is
essential. Any make, model, or even speed
would suffice. However, we expect to
transition to HD-DVD and/or Blu-Ray drives in the
future, once we are certain that HDCP issues are
resolved.
SOUND CARD:
The K8N-DL has an on-board SPDIF output port,
allowing us to deliver a digital audio signal to the
AV receiver. But some audiophiles may be
seeking "bit-perfect" audio reproduction, and the
K8N-DL's on-board audio is not capable of that.
There are a few PCI-based and even USB solutions
which can provide "bit-perfect" output, but it is
not required, and will not be covered here. As
long as Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS / AC-3 streams are
properly outputted to the receiver, the "digital
surround sound audio" requirement is met.
ACCESSORIES:
To reduce noise as much as possible, we decided
to watercool the CPUs and GPU. Our choice is
the Zalman Reserator 1 Plus.
Here is the Zalman VGA
ZM-GWB2 Waterblock:
  
Made out of anodized aluminum, this block has a
polished base, comes with detailed instructions, and
fits nearly every GPU made. It also includes
EIGHT heatsinks for the memory chips. The only
issue with this solution is that one slot is lost
due to its size.
Installation of the Zalman waterblock is very
easy, but still requires a bit of care so as not to
damage the GPU core:
Turn card over and
remove four screws securing the stock cooler
 
Simply put a bit of
thermal interface material on the GPU core, mount
the waterblock, attach the retaining arm and screw
it in.
The Reserator 1 Plus
comes with only a single CPU waterblock, so a second
one was needed to cool both CPUs. Each CPU
waterblock includes a set of retaining plates and
various hardware to accommodate installation on
nearly every socket type. With a bit of
creativity and minor tube surgery, the blocks are
bolted onto the K8N-DL, and the hoses attached.
 
To cool the internals of the system and those EIGHT
7200RPM Barracudas, fans were needed. We opted
for the white LED fans manufactured by
CoolerMaster.
Quiet and inexpensive, these fans provide enough
cooling while hardly making any noise at all.
 
Next is an interesting gadget, the
Logisys Remote
Multifunction Panel. This device occupies
a 5.25" bay, providing two front USB ports, a 1394
port, one adjustable fan port, two very nice analog
temperature gauges, and RF-controlled Power and
Reset buttons. Yes, just like your car alarm,
this product provides you with a little keychain
dongle with two buttons, allowing the Power or Reset
buttons to be pressed up to 15 feet away. Very
cool when you're on the couch and need to turn on or
reset the HDHTS. It has a telescoping antenna
which normally sits in an unused expansion slot
L-bracket.
 
The PSU we decided to use was a choice made after so
many tests and trials. The
Seasonic S12-600
not only provides us up to 600W of power, but it is
also THE MOST EFFICIENT and MOST QUIET PSU we have
seen. With an efficiency rating exceeding 80%
and Active PFC, this PSU is solidly built and is
backed by a 3 year warranty.
  
To add a card reader and four more fan controls and
sensors, we added a
Thermaltake HardCano 13. This
awesome little unit fits in a 5.25" bay, and has a
USB 2.0 card reader with four slots for nearly every
flash card type available. The USB connection
is the typical four-pin motherboard header as shown
below. The display shows fan RPM, temperature
of the sensors, and its background illumination
color can be changed to suit your taste.
Furthermore, it also has an audible alarm to inform
you of any fan or over temperature alerts. Very
cool!
  
 
For the OS HDD, we are opting for a
Western Digital Raptor. Because it is a 10k RPM HDD, it is likely to run on the warm side. So to lengthen its useful life and thereby protect data, active drive cooling is a must. The
Vantec Vortex is
just the right device to cool the Raptor, and look
sexy at the same time. It is made of aluminum,
and has a centrifugal blower in front, just behind
the door. Flipping down the front opening
reveals a removable air filter. A digital
display shows drive temperature taken from a wired
probe, and can be shown in either Centigrade or
Fahrenheit. A button switches the fan speed
from OFF, to LOW, and HIGH, and also selects the
temperature units.
 
 
Lastly, we need a way to control the HDHTS from the
couch with keyboard control. Standard wireless
keyboards are good enough for desktop use because
the range is less than five feet. We've tested
those keyboards and mice, and there is no way to get
them to work from the couch, about 15 feet away. We eventually
discovered the Adesso
WKB-4000US, a splendid keyboard with
touchpad. It has a USB receiver and takes four
AAA batteries. Couch testing proves its
tremendous range and its small, lightweight build
make it essential for any home theater PC. Its
touchpad even has a scrolling section. One day
I may disassemble it and paint the shell black.
Because it uses AAA batteries, it would be nice to
the environment if we used rechargeable ones.
ASSIA makes some
great batteries and pretty versatile chargers, which
can be used both at home (AC) and in 12V vehicles.
Other manufacturers also sell and market
high-capacity AA and AAA batteries, some with even
higher ratings, but we've seen the ASSIA brand as
having the best price/performance ratio among NiMH
most brands. These can be found nowadays on
eBay and other online merchants.
However, if your HTPC is within 9-10 feet of your
seating area, you can use a full-size wireless
keyboard and mouse.
The Logitech MX3000 Cordless Desktop is
one of the best ones we've tried. It's battery
life is stupendous, and its mouse tracking is superb
even on non-traditional mousing surfaces. The
great thing about the keyboard are its super-useful
macro buttons and other multimedia functions ideal
for HTPCs.
Adesso has another product we found very useful, but
for managing the movie collection - the
Adesso NuScan 1000
barcode scanner. This USB-based product
allowed us to quickly and easily enter all our DVDs
into the DVD Profiler database. No sweat, no
mistakes, no doubt that this product is a required
accessory for any serious DVD collector.
DVD Profiler Screenshot:
The last accessory one can truly take advantage of
is a great universal remote. Logitech's
Harmony series of remotes is just the ultimate in
affordable super remote controls. Here is the
880, an IR-only remote which is programmed via USB
through a browser-based interface.
Very intuitive, easy to configure, and comes with a
recharging base too! the only catch is that
everyone must get used to using this remote instead
of the dozen others you may have on the coffee
table. For some it may be okay, but others
might not like having to get used to a new gadget
just right after they finally figured out all the
old ones.
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