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My Control4 Build w/ Mac Pro Integration


well_armed

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Alright here is my final build:

Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner / Encoder 1229 PCI-Express x1 Interface

Graphics: SAPPHIRE 100284L Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Mother: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor: Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860

Cooler: XIGMATEK Intel Core i7 compatible Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler

*XIGMATEK ACK-I5361 Intel Core i7/Core i5 compatible Bracket Set

Optical: LG Black 8X Blu-ray Burner SATA Model WH08LS20

Storage: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XXX 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

IR to USB: *Rosewill Windows 7 Certified Media Center Infrared Remote Control RRC-127

This should last me 18 months.

Total Cost: $1480.46

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You should look into Niveus - the Zone Pro has the following connections:

Video Output

(1) DVI [HDMI 1.3 via included DVI>HDMI Adapter]

Audio Output

(3) Mini analog outputs for 5.1 analog surround, (1) Toslink optical digital port for 5.1 digital output, HDMI for 7.1 digital output

USB (2.0)

(2) Front Panel, (4) Rear Panel

eSATA

(1) Rear Panel

In addition, it has a built in BD disc player and can play back BD .iso files (including profile 2.0 support and menu structure navigation). We're going to be installing about six of these in two upcoming jobs.

http://niveus.com/

I've been waiting to hear what you were going to say regarding your previous niveus thread. I'm a huge DIY but I also want a solution that I don't have to troubleshoot and will just work. So now I'm trying to decide:

Two QNAP TS-809U-RPs with Hitachi 2TB drives which equals 24TB and multiple Dune 3.0 units OR the Niveus Cargo (16 TB I believe) and Niveus pro series for front ends or any other Niveus front end that will centrally stack.

I'm looking for full blu-ray and DVD ISO support with TrueHD & DTS-MA/HD. Now that your working with both and looking to develop a driver for the Dune HD 3.0, I'm really looking forward to your comparison!!!! I'd like to hear how their respective GUIs integrate with C4 and whether 2.0 will create a new GUI which will pull up a 7MC/mediabrowser type GUI directly from the COP selection of video. Will you be looking to distribute cable TV using the Niveus solution?

Too bad you don't work in Canada!!!

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In the two upcoming installs in which we are using Niveus (more info in a few weeks when the equipment comes in and again in April when we install it), we are not doing cable cards.

As far as storage goes, Niveus doesn't care from what I can tell where it's located. While we're using the Niveus cargo 8TB for "plays nice 100% compatibility", we are also specing a QNAP 8 bay NVR with the same Hitachi drives for camera recording. We didn't want a single NAS to be a bottleneck nor a single point of failure - and actually the security cameras are a more important feature to our customer than distributed video in this particular case.

The plan is to pick up the loaner Dune tomorrow, do a review for C4 Central using both a PC and a Netgear ReadyNas Duo (sorry pharmdsmith :) ) for testing, and then send it to our San Antonio office to see about integration. Once we get our Niveus equipment we should have a nice announcement about that too.

I enjoy DIY myself, I build my own desktops, but for something like media center - I agree, I just want it to work and not have to think about it. Especially when your wife or significant other may hound you because it missed their recordings... :)

Exciting times!

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There's some great info on this thread! It seems like a WMC7 HTPC may be the way to go over the mac mini. I love the mac for photo and home movie processing, but for the home theater WMC looks like the way to go. $800 will buy a lot of PC. Well_Armed, I would love to have a system of your scale. Definitley in my next house. Your research is very in depth, but check out this HTPC build non the less:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17984825#post17984825

I'm probably 3 months away from my Control4 install and still researching my build. However' date=' here's a couple of posts I'd like to share:

Regarding the mac/mac mini video server build:

http://www.htguys.com/mac-mini-video-server

Regarding converting video AND digital audio into HDMI from the mac display port:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=6331&seq=1&format=2#description

Regarding video and audio distribution and SCALING video to different sources:

www.justaddpower.com[/quote']

In my opinion, the Mac Mini is not powerful enough and costs way too much for what you get.

These chords that sandwich the sound have proved to be nothing but crap to me. Maybe this one is better, but they all have failed my ear test.

FYI the Just add power doesnt carry anything better than 5.1 audio on the signal...for you home theater guys.

(I have a dedicated HDMI chord going to the family room t.v. from the A/V closet so I really dont need it, and I already have a great working component switch so why spend another $5K)

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There's some great info on this thread! It seems like a WMC7 HTPC may be the way to go over the mac mini. I love the mac for photo and home movie processing, but for the home theater WMC looks like the way to go. $800 will buy a lot of PC.

And alot of potential angst! I've spent the best part of a week designing a Windows HTPC as well... But can't seem to push the 'purchase' button. Slow boot times, viruses, blue screen of death, unpredictable IR control , constant search for that 'driver'. Difficult networking... Brings back scary memories..

This is maybe where the Niveus solution might really work..sure: use Win7, but just for what it's good at: WMC:)

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There's some great info on this thread! It seems like a WMC7 HTPC may be the way to go over the mac mini. I love the mac for photo and home movie processing' date=' but for the home theater WMC looks like the way to go. $800 will buy a lot of PC.[/quote']

And alot of potential angst! I've spent the best part of a week designing a Windows HTPC as well... But can't seem to push the 'purchase' button. Slow boot times, viruses, blue screen of death, unpredictable IR control , constant search for that 'driver'. Difficult networking... Brings back scary memories..

This is maybe where the Niveus solution might really work..sure: use Win7, but just for what it's good at: WMC:)

You're living in Windows 98 too much, IMO, but I was a systems admin for 10 years so I know how to make Windows behave :) Believe me, Windows 7 is not the Windows of old.... and that's why you go for something like Niveus - they solve all those problems *for* you.

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There's some great info on this thread! It seems like a WMC7 HTPC may be the way to go over the mac mini. I love the mac for photo and home movie processing' date=' but for the home theater WMC looks like the way to go. $800 will buy a lot of PC.[/quote']

And alot of potential angst! I've spent the best part of a week designing a Windows HTPC as well... But can't seem to push the 'purchase' button. Slow boot times, viruses, blue screen of death, unpredictable IR control , constant search for that 'driver'. Difficult networking... Brings back scary memories..

This is maybe where the Niveus solution might really work..sure: use Win7, but just for what it's good at: WMC:)

Not to turn this into a PC vs. mac thread, but I would agree with thecodeman. Those PC arguments are tired, old and Win98. To relate back to this thread, your not going to use the HTPC for email so viruses are limited that way (osX does rule in this arena!). The HTPC will serve a specific purpose of delivering movies and internet media and one can set the security settings to only accept trusted sites like, Hulu.com, netlflix.com, etc. I love my macs, but you have to keep an open mind as well.

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There's some great info on this thread! It seems like a WMC7 HTPC may be the way to go over the mac mini. I love the mac for photo and home movie processing' date=' but for the home theater WMC looks like the way to go. $800 will buy a lot of PC.[/quote']

And alot of potential angst! I've spent the best part of a week designing a Windows HTPC as well... But can't seem to push the 'purchase' button. Slow boot times, viruses, blue screen of death, unpredictable IR control , constant search for that 'driver'. Difficult networking... Brings back scary memories..

This is maybe where the Niveus solution might really work..sure: use Win7, but just for what it's good at: WMC:)

Not to turn this into a PC vs. mac thread, but I would agree with thecodeman. Those PC arguments are tired, old and Win98. To relate back to this thread, your not going to use the HTPC for email so viruses are limited that way (osX does rule in this arena!). The HTPC will serve a specific purpose of delivering movies and internet media and one can set the security settings to only accept trusted sites like, Hulu.com, netlflix.com, etc. I love my macs, but you have to keep an open mind as well.

My whole family is Mac, and love the Apple OS...but Matt has a great point. I am running W7 on my macbook for a while now (bootcamp) and it is a great OS that has the same look and feel of the Apple OS.

But I have found that the Mac just wont do what I want it to do in terms of HTPC operations. Even if Apple brings something to the table that competes, I still am going to be reluctant to adopt due to their arrogance in proprietary technology. Plus, they are too involved in the actual delivery of content (ie. making money), vs. just getting it to us in an easy way.

Not to get to Mac v. PC --> but I think that they they both do things great, some bad, but right now for the money and scalability, PC is the way to go in HTPC design. Just look at how many video card options you have with a PC, this drives cost down, and makes it more affordable to change with technology as rapidly changing as this industry (economies of scale really does apply) --> the fact that apple dictates drivers and which video cards for your Mac infuriates me!

I pulled the trigger on the PC and will have it here next week to build. I will post up pics and my review of the build, as well as integration into my current system (and XBMC with Control4).

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There's some great info on this thread! It seems like a WMC7 HTPC may be the way to go over the mac mini. I love the mac for photo and home movie processing' date=' but for the home theater WMC looks like the way to go. $800 will buy a lot of PC.[/quote']

And alot of potential angst! I've spent the best part of a week designing a Windows HTPC as well... But can't seem to push the 'purchase' button. Slow boot times, viruses, blue screen of death, unpredictable IR control , constant search for that 'driver'. Difficult networking... Brings back scary memories..

This is maybe where the Niveus solution might really work..sure: use Win7, but just for what it's good at: WMC:)

Not to turn this into a PC vs. mac thread, but I would agree with thecodeman. Those PC arguments are tired, old and Win98. To relate back to this thread, your not going to use the HTPC for email so viruses are limited that way (osX does rule in this arena!). The HTPC will serve a specific purpose of delivering movies and internet media and one can set the security settings to only accept trusted sites like, Hulu.com, netlflix.com, etc. I love my macs, but you have to keep an open mind as well.

I don't disagree with Cody's point about Niveus. But you don't need to go back further than 12 months - Vista was a bastardized product that never should have hit the market.

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Final Build:

Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner / Encoder 1229 PCI-Express x1 Interface

Graphics: SAPPHIRE 100284L Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Mother: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor: Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860

Cooler: Dynatron K987 92mm Ball CPU Cooler (to fit the 3U case)

Optical: LG Black 8X Blu-ray Burner SATA Model WH08LS20

Storage: OWC 50GB 2.5" Internal SSD

Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center

IR to USB: Rosewill Windows 7 Certified Media Center Infrared Remote Control RRC-127 (basically ordered this just for the Infrared to USB dongle)

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I'm really quite happy with the Mac mini as a dedicated HTPC. Most of this has already been mentioned, but if it's helpful for anyone wanting to use a Mac mini here's a recap of my set-up. (I don't have C4 touch screen and don't do distributed video)

MAC mini CONNECTIONS:

Video: DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (Mac mini to Denon receiver)

Audio: Digital Optical (Mac mini split to a Denon receiver and C4 amp)

SOFTWARE:

Control: C4 AppleTV driver

Media management: Boxee all the way! (great interface and access to Pandora, Youtube... )

Application switching: Mira (Enables easy app switching between FrontRow, iTunes, Boxee, XBMC... using the SR-250)

Display tweaking: SwitchResX

Remote access: Screen Sharing (built into the MacOS) makes it incredibly easy to access from another Mac

With the Mac mini (newer version) and Boxee combo, 1080p is not an issue http://support.boxee.tv/forums/117555/entries/43724

After it was all set-up, the one thing I was disappointed to find was no access to 5.1 audio from Netflix and iTunes movies... which actually has nothing to do with the Mac mini. So, for movie rentals, I've now switched to Amazon VOD which is great. Amazon VOD provides 1080p & 5.1 audio and can be accessed via my Sony Blu-Ray player (or any of this hardware: http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/ontv/ref=atv_getstarted_ontv

well_armed, thanks for detailing your set-up and generating some great discussion!

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I'm really quite happy with the Mac mini as a dedicated HTPC. Most of this has already been mentioned, but if it's helpful for anyone wanting to use a Mac mini here's a recap of my set-up. (I don't have C4 touch screen and don't do distributed video)

MAC mini CONNECTIONS:

Video: DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (Mac mini to Denon receiver)

Audio: Digital Optical (Mac mini split to a Denon receiver and C4 amp)

SOFTWARE:

Control: C4 AppleTV driver

Media management: Boxee all the way! (great interface and access to Pandora, Youtube... )

Application switching: Mira (Enables easy app switching between FrontRow, iTunes, Boxee, XBMC... using the SR-250)

Display tweaking: SwitchResX

Remote access: Screen Sharing (built into the MacOS) makes it incredibly easy to access from another Mac

With the Mac mini (newer version) and Boxee combo, 1080p is not an issue http://support.boxee.tv/forums/117555/entries/43724

After it was all set-up, the one thing I was disappointed to find was no access to 5.1 audio from Netflix and iTunes movies... which actually has nothing to do with the Mac mini. So, for movie rentals, I've now switched to Amazon VOD which is great. Amazon VOD provides 1080p & 5.1 audio and can be accessed via my Sony Blu-Ray player (or any of this hardware: http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/ontv/ref=atv_getstarted_ontv

well_armed, thanks for detailing your set-up and generating some great discussion!

Your absolutely right..thanks for the reminder :)

I've now got your great setup working on a macmini as well :D, but I need to run Win7 for a couple of reasons (some of our local downloads are only WMC compatible ...and unlike the US we are starved of content. No Hulu, No Netfilx, No Amazon etc...

So do you know by chance if you can get Mira to launch Parallels or Fusion and load up Windows? Or would you need to write an applescript? (I've done this before and used it with Mira)

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So do you know by chance if you can get Mira to launch Parallels or Fusion and load up Windows? Or would you need to write an applescript? (I've done this before and used it with Mira)

I use Parallels 5/WinXP on my MacBook Pro, but I don't have it installed on the Mac mini, so I can't test it with Mira. But, I don't see any reason why you couldn't ad *any* app on your Mac mini (Win7 or Mac) to the Mira launcher. For example, on my MacBook Pro, I have ComposerHE in the dock. When I click on it, it automatically launches Parallels, followed by WinXP, followed ComposerHE. So, I'd just add the Win7 app you want to launch to Mira and see if that works?

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There you go! :) Lurking within these forums is Pure Genius :D A one man Apple HTPC "Team". I wonder what the real guys at Apple have been doing all these years. Now all they need to do is add an HDMI port and a Blueray payer into a MAC Mini...tweek the video card settings (so things pop up like it was an Apple TV) stick a new label on it..lets call it iMediaBox and done! Be a lot easier even than making a double sized iTouch :lol:

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