Building the perfect home theater personal computer (HTPC) is a project that combines a love of high-definition video with all the geekiness of computer building. Add Linux into the mix, and your HTPC project will be the envy of every open source-loving, high-tech and high-definition geek you know. To do this, get all the right parts for the best possible build, install a Linux distribution, and get a Linux-based TV application to feed TV straight from your computer and into your living room.
Instructions
Buying Parts
1. Buy a stylish HTPC case with a power supply included. Good places to shop for one online include Xoxide, Newegg, and FrozenCPU. Choose an HTPC case compatible with a mini ATX (mATX) motherboard so that your computer will accommodate as much hardware as you need. Check that the case comes with a remote control, or at least a receiver for one.
2. Buy an mATX motherboard compatible with the latest and greatest processor line. Remember, an Intel processor requires an Intel-based motherboard, and an American Micro Devices (AMD) processor requires an AMD-based motherboard. Purchase a compatible processor at the highest clock rate you can afford. Buy the maximum memory the motherboard can take, in a pair, such as two 2 gigabyte (GB) sticks for a motherboard that takes up to 4 GB of memory.
3. Buy the largest hard drive you can afford; at least 500 GB is good for an HTPC computer that will act as a digital video recorder (DVR). Also get a burnable Blu-Ray drive to play Blu-Ray movies and burn recorded shows.
4. Buy a TV tuner for the computer. Two kinds exist--internal TV tuner cards and Universal Serial Bus (USB) "stick" tuners. Stick tuners are external and plug in much like a flash drive, creating a new coaxial port on your computer. Internal cards do not require an adapter to hang out the back or front of your computer, but they do take up one PCI slot. Since most mATX motherboards only have one or two Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots, go with the USB stick TV tuner.
5. Buy a 512 megabyte (MB) or better graphics card. Get a PCI or PCI express graphics card. Graphics cards are not absolutely necessary on most modern motherboards, since the motherboards often have onboard graphics. However, onboard graphics offer basic performance far below what a 512 MB card offers. Check that the card has an HDMI port, which is necessary for watching high-definition video.
Set Up Your HTPC
6. Build the computer. Remember to wear an antistatic wrist strap and work on a clean, flat surface. Start with the motherboard, then the processor and its cooling unit, the memory sticks, your graphics card and finally the drives. Close up the case and plug it into the wall. Connect your computer to your TV using an HDMI cable.
7. Burn a Linux OS image file to a writable digital video disc (DVD-R). To get an image file, go to a Linux distribution's website and download its installation file. User-friendly Linux distributions include Ubuntu, Kubuntu and openSUSE. Burn the file ending in .ISO onto a disc as an image. Insert the disc into your computer and boot it up. Follow the prompts to install Linux.
8. Log on to your home's WiFi network or plug the computer into a hub or router to get onto the Internet. Download a Linux-compatible, TV-watching application such as MythTV, SageTV or Boxee. Before installing the software, plug a cable to your TV signal into your computer's TV tuner. Install the software and follow its steps to set up channels and recording.
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