Component setup help

[admin_exported]

Hi All

I am trying to plan my setup for home.

What I was thinking of doing is having a setup containing:

SKY digital Box
HTPC
Integrated AMP
TV (plasma monitor ... no tuner or speakers)
Speakers

Ofc the HTPC will provide audio source for music, but I would also like it if the Video from the sky box went through the HTPC aswell.
Is this setup easy to implement or and is there anything specific I should make sure that I have ?

Thanks for your help

regards

Matt

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

If it were me;

I'd ditch the HTPC and get a bluray player and seperate CD player, hook them to the amp along with the SKY (you don't say if it's HD or not). You may find a 'monitor' will cost more than a tv with integrated tuner/speakers.

Your SKY will take care of any digital channels, bluray for video and CD for audio.

If you desire a PC, perhaps for mp3 use, buy an 'ordinary' PC so you're not paying extra for top of the range grfx card (SKY box takes care of that), sound card (amp takes care of that) and copious amounts of disc space for time shifting (SKY takes care of that if it's SKY+ or SKY+HD). The PC will rip CD's with approriate software installed and you can hook this to your system either through analogue leads, over a network or your favourite portable mp3 player and dock.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Anonymous]

hi cofnchtr

thanks for your reply ... but i have about 2000 CDs that i have ripped to lossless (flac), that is why I want the htpc.

and yes its SKY HD and also the HTPC i am thinking of getting is from hush .. completely silent with no fans and SSD

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

So you already have a PC - some receivers can connect to a wireless network as they are DLNA compliant - seek out one of those and (if you have one) you can connect to your wireless network and feed your FLAC through the receiver/amp. Alternative is a portable mp3 player dock to suit the amp you choose. Your mp3's can then be fed from your portable player to the amp via an input.

Whatever PC you eventually use, you'd be better sending video straight to the tv. I see no benefit in sending video to the HTPC rather than the TV? You may have specific reasons for including an HTPC - I just don't see the need. An ordinary PC can send mp3 to the amp just as an HTPC can.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting an HTPC?

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.