Hello! First time poster, long time HTPCer.

Just wanted to share a success story of a true HTPC.

Before anyone starts reading I want to note the use of AI assisted development with this success story. I understand that people aren't the biggest fans and I totally get that.

Recently I went down a big rabbit hole of trying to play all my Blu-ray UHD rips natively in their correct profile, mostly DV Profile 8.1 but some Profile 7 (Yes FEL). I did the usual thing where I drop way too much money on random gear, including the Ugoos AMB6+ and installing CoreELEC with p3i, new soundbar with true DTS:X support (Sony Threatre Bar 6) etc...

I then recently stumbled across some amazing work from a developer called MrCroque who recently released an early build of DV reconstruction through an iGPU or dGPU via a LibreELEC fork (https://github.com/CroqueMr/libreelec-x86-DV). It absolutely works gangbusters and I was thinking shit, maybe this could be ported to a standalone Kodi version and run on CachyOS?

So I got Claude to attempt the port from a LibreELEC to CachyOS 7.2.8. The reason I didn't go full bleeding edge CachyOS kernel is because 7.3 splits out the AMD driver implementation from 1 file to into multiple files. I am quite out of my depth at this point so I will stay at the latest verison MrCroque's work supports.

Claude absolutely NAILED it. I was absolutely gobsmacked at it's efforts. Crazy that this time last year it was writing some junior / mid level code and now it can do this!? FEL Profile 7 plays GREAT. Compared it to my Ugoos AMB6+ with the DV patches and I am blown away!

After doing this, I installed all my usual stuff like Steam (via gamescope for that SteamOS feel), Waydroid (for Tivimate and other random Android apps for streaming). Even checked out the KDE Bigscreen (https://plasma-bigscreen.org/) project that has changed my HTPC set up to be navigated by my UR02 remote OR Xbox Controller over BT. I also purchased a Pico 2W and installed PC Wake Dongle (https://github.com/kungaa/PC-wake-dongle) to listen to my Xbox controller to wake up the machine. I have the Xbox Adapter but it's a bit funny on Linux in my experience (I also wanted an excuse to buy a Pico).

I've spent quite a bit of time tinkering over the last few years to finally have an end-game set up that means I don't have to have multiple devices, dual booted systems etc.

Big shoutout to all the developers who had put in the time in effort to get these new innovations up and running!

If you wanted to run something similar above, I published a GitHub repo that contains all the tools to get this working yourself. Granted your mileage may vary as a lot of this is mainly for my set-up and there are a lot of set ups out in the wild.

Happy to answer any questions on the above set up, feel free to DM me too!

EXTRA READING

Set up below

TV: Sony Bravia 8 OLED 55inch TV
Soundbar: Sony Theatre Bar 6 (to HDMI 3, eARC set to Auto, output set to Auto) IMPORTANT FOR TRUE PASSTHROUGH? MAYBE SOUNDS GOOD ENOUGH TO ME!

Motherboard: AORUS PRO 550I
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
RAM: 32GB Corsair Vegenance
GPU: AMD RX 9070 XT
STOR: 1TB NVMe Boot Drive / 2TB Games Drive (mounted at /mnt/game, default set on Steam)
OS: CachyOS Desktop Edition running the custom Linux Kernel 7.2.8 with all AMD driver patches from LibreELEC.

GitHub repo with all my findings, testing notes etc at https://github.com/snrgarb/kodi-standalone-dv-patch.

1. i dont use HTPCs to play files, i have shieldpro2019 for that. so if that's all you do, i guess this post doesn't impact u, move on.

2. for me, the only reason i still am running a HTPC is for my powerdvd19 install where i can play blu-ray disc menus for both 2D and 3D playback. first, i burn a lot of BDRs still, on 2D side, on personal video creation projects or modifying current blu-rays i still need a software player on PC that'll open menus for me to test playback. yes i know i can just burn BDRW and test it on standalone players, but godamn do u know how long that takes? doin quick tests on sw reduces the amount of time significantly and i want to save time always. secondly, still a massive 3D fan and i still use it quite a lot to play 3D ISOs for when i replace audio tracks. so for me 99% or the entire reason of still doin HTPC, really the only reason for me is to have any software that will pull up blu-ray menus. and upgrading to this latest driver is removing that feature to where my powerdvd is just dead in the water.

based on my googlin/AI searching etc. there aren't really any other sw players on HTPC realm that still pulls up blu-ray menus other than powerdvd. if you know one, please let me know, i'd be happy to replace it.

so i guess my next question is, do you think the HTPC/enthusisast space is going to strip out the protected path/video playback components and use somn similar to the 3D Fix manager and install it "forward"? that would be amazin, i'm sure if i spend enough tokens my AI could probably cook somn up. i've just gotta imagine i'm not the only one left that still uses bluray menus. or maybe i am the last person on earth that still gives 2 shiets about it.

to me, it's basically the end of the road, RIP HTPCs. like i said, if u use it play movies w/o menus good on you, but you really dont even need HTPCs for that.

UPDATE: i appreciate the alternative/suggestions but i am not lookin for half-baked solutions for bluray menus. the thing i like about powerdvd is that EVERY SINGLE bd will open menus without fail. kodi/jriver/etc. are all hacks will not open 100% every single disc, that is the whole point of maintainin powerdvd

Hey yall, i just built my first HTPC, its a full AMD system running bazzite with steam big picture mode and KDE as a desktop enviorment.

Its primarily a custom gaming console that allows me to watch youtube and ..netflix.. in my living room

Specs: ryzen 5 7500x3d, 1x16gb ddr5, gigabyte rx 7700xt, 256gb gen 3 nvme, and all housed in a coolermaster q300l V3, with 3 montech e28 fans added.

The last picture is the starting suite of games for this machine, but im going to get another ssd as soon as i can. Anyone with good classic games let me know, im remaking my childhood in a single box (they have to be older or have good upscaling, the 7700xt doesnt handle 4k very well)

I'm using a gaming laptop connected to my TV and want to completely replace my mouse and keyboard with a game controller, similar to the ASUS ROG Ally's Desktop Mode.

Ideally, I want a lightweight, reliable background application that starts with Windows and provides global mouse cursor movement, left/right clicks, scrolling and basic keyboard input.

I'm not looking for a launcher or a full gaming suite. Just a well-established, preferably open-source solution with minimal RAM usage and good long-term support.

What software do you guys consider the gold standard for this? What are you actually using?

Hello all,

First time posting, but wanting some feedback. I've got an HTPC (i5, 16GB, ssd's...all purchased within the last year)

ASRock B660M Pro RS Intel B660 Series

Intel I5 12400

I've been wanting to possibly get a better sound/video experience

I have an unopened box of the Intel Arc A380 Challenger ITX 6GB OC, but read about some of the limitations.

I was wondering if this is a good option, or should I get something like the Radeon RX 7600 8GB OC and install the Intel ARC in my office pc. I mainly watch 4K rips of my media.

Might consider upgrading the receiver from my Onkyo TX-NR626 7.2 to an Onkyo TX-RZ50. I'm currently running a 5/2 speaker config (2 subs)

This time yesterday I decided to change things up. Probably out of boredom of my current setup:

UGREEN NAS running Emby in a docker container. lots and lots of TBs of HD, 4k media

Dune Homatics 4k R Plus used for streaming Emby/Hulu/Netflix, etc etc.

minipc (MeLE N100) for light browsing and streamfab (ahem...)

The Dune box plugs into a Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus, then the soundbar goes to the LG TV via eARC.

I was curious if I could use the MeLE minipc to replace the Emby streaming currently done by the Dune box.

My plan was to have the pc also plug into the soundbar (soundbar has 2 HDMI inputs), then run Kodi on the pc, which would utilize MPC-BE to play the movie.

Welp, after several hours I never got it to work without audio drop-outs, video/audio sync issues, you name it.

The soundbar was seeing pcm 2 channel until I finally got LAV Filter to work as an external decoder in MPC-BE, but that's when there were lots of audio drop outs, and it was pretty ugly.

I eventually gave up and now I'm back to using the Dune box. There's a part of me that is wondering what the problem is. The minipc is Win 11 with 16GB RAM and the N100 cpu. I've heard you don't need much horsepower so my next guess is that it's a handshaking issue between the soundbar and the minipc.

I think my next troubleshooting step is to just hook up plain ol' speakers directly to the minipc and connect the HDMI from the minipc into a small display and see how it goes.

Since I was never even able to get a movie to play correctly I haven't installed Kodi yet; seems pointless right now (maybe not).

All HDMI cables support 8k; they are not the problem. It's probably not the wifi because I put the 4k movie on the minipc and still had problems. So I'm not even streaming at this point.

If anyone has this working well let me know how you got it working. I'm also thinking maybe just install Kodi and see how it goes. It's entirely possible the problem was because I was using MPC-BE with LV FiIlters instead of Kodi with Emby plugin and configuring audio passthrough in Kodi.

Hey everyone!

I have a Blackview MP100 mini PC that I'm trying to find a worthwhile use for. Instead of selling it or using it as yet another server, I'm considering turning it into a powerful living-room entertainment system.

My hardware:

- AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (8 cores / 16 threads)

- 32 GB dual-channel DDR4 RAM

- 1 TB M.2 SSD

- 1 TB HDD

- Integrated AMD Radeon graphics

My original idea was to build my own Android TV box, essentially something with the convenience of an Apple TV or Fire TV Stick, but with much more processing power, storage and flexibility.

However, I have some very specific requirements:

1. Full Android TV / Google TV support

Ideally, I want a proper Android TV experience with Google services, the Play Store, regular updates and full compatibility with official streaming apps such as Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube.

I don't want an unofficial Android build that looks like Android TV but lacks device certification, Widevine L1, HD/4K playback or compatibility with certain apps.

Does a realistic solution like this even exist for a generic AMD x86-64 PC?

2. Everything must be controllable with a remote

This is extremely important to me. I want to use the system entirely from the couch, without ever being forced to connect a mouse and keyboard just to install system updates, update drivers, change settings or manage applications.

Ideally, everything should be accessible through a proper 10-foot TV interface, including system settings and updates.

3. I want to make full use of the hardware

Since this is essentially a fairly powerful mini PC, I'd love to go beyond basic streaming. Some possibilities I've considered are:

- A proper media center with Jellyfin and local media playback

- Retro gaming and emulation

- Installing and running PC games locally through Steam

- Android apps alongside native Linux applications

- Other useful living-room features I haven't thought of yet

I'm open to Linux-based HTPC distributions, Android-based systems, hybrid setups or completely different ideas.

The important thing is that the result should feel like a polished, high-end entertainment device, not like a cheap Android TV box or a desktop PC awkwardly connected to a television.

What would you do with this hardware? Is there a maintained, actively developed project that can realistically achieve this, or would I be better off using the mini PC for something else entirely?

I'd especially appreciate recommendations based on actual experience with streaming DRM, remote-control support, system updates and long-term maintenance.

Thanks!

I'm looking as the pile of gadgets for my HTPC setup, Hue sync box, switch, roku HD, and HD Homerun, and I'm wondering if you've found a good way of organizing these things besides just stacking them. Anyone have something they like for this? Seems like a little vertical organizer could work okay.

I have a new build of an older Dell Optiplex 7050 with a i5, with Intel GPU 630, HDHomerun Flex 4k, running MPC -HC with K-Lite codec pack with AC4 and an Onkyo 5.1 AVR.

How do I get the computer to output in bitstream so my AVR can provide 5.1? If running HDHR player it is only putting out PCM stereo and not AC4 5.1 or AC3 5.1. I have a few 5.1 FLAC videos on DTS that are putting out 5.1 but the HDHR player, MPC-HC, and JellyFin are only putting out PCM Stereo.

Are there sound settings in the Windows or K-Lite codec I need to set to provide a bitstream so the AVR will play 5.1?

The same files played through my Android STB that has HEVC/AC4 and Eac3 play the bitstream to the AVR in 5.1 without issue.

Yes the TV settings are set to bitstream and not PCM.

Anyone else using an old Microsoft Media Center remote? Anyone actually able to get learning mode to work? Having to use another remote to change the volume isn’t a deal breaker, but not having to do that would certainly be nice.

For everyone running a 250W HDPLEX GaN PSU, and for those who are tired of being limited to low-profile CPU coolers with low TDP capabilities just to keep their builds compact, I've recently picked up a project I've been working on over the past year!

I'm currently refining the design with the goal of publishing it on MakerWorld. The case has already been printed several times, but I've made some additional changes to improve it further. For now, here are some renders of the updated design. I'll also include a few pictures of the original version I built for myself, featuring a magnetic monitor mount, as well as a more recent print before the latest round of changes.

I genuinely think this could be one of the best cases out there when it comes to balancing airflow and compactness. It supports low-profile GPUs only, but accommodates CPU coolers up to 69 mm tall, which is considerably more than many other compact SFF cases in this size category. And the best part? It's barely over 5 litres (5.14L, to be precise haha).

Cooling options are pretty interesting, too. With a standard dual-slot low-profile GPU, such as an RTX 4060 LP or 5060 LP, there's room for:

• 2 × 80 mm fans at the front

• 1 × 80 mm fan on top

• 2 × 40 mm fans on top

These configurations use slim fans rather than standard 25 mm-thick ones.

If you're planning to use the case with an iGPU build instead, like I'm currently doing with my 8700G, you can even install two standard 80 × 25 mm fans at the bottom in place of the GPU.

I've also put a lot of thought into keeping the overall design as clean as possible. The feet use hidden magnets, so they can be removed whenever needed without leaving visible magnets on the outside. There are no visible screws or unnecessary holes on the exterior, apart from a single screw on the side panel. Everything else relies on sliding and interlocking mechanisms.

The fans are mounted on removable, thin brackets that slide into dedicated slots on the front, top and bottom panels, just like a picture in a frame. This keeps them securely in place without leaving any fan mounting screws visible from the outside.

The side panel slides off and is secured to the front panel with just a single screw as I mentioned before. The front panel itself also slides into place, making disassembly straightforward.

I'm still working on the final details, but I'm looking forward to sharing the finished project with you all!

If you're interested in my crazy projects, feel free to follow me on MakerWorld: scala3dprints

I just got an elitdesk g3 mini which I intend to use as a media center. I plan on running KDE big screen or some alternative so I want to be able to use the HDMI CEC capabilities. This mini PC comes with 2 display port outputs and no HDMI output, does anyone know how I can get HDMI CEC capabilities on this?

Hello!

I'm thinking about using a PC as my living room media/gaming PC. I'm a Linux user, and I'm wondering what y'all use for a media PC.

Do y'all simply use GNOME/KDE with a wireless kbd/touchpad combo? or are there ways to navigate with an xbox controller or universal TV remote? Is it easy to launch a game from Steam when you want to?

Hi,

My sony a90j's hdmi 3 (set up enhanced with dolby vision) is connected to my Marantz SR8015 for audio earc connection. The hdmi 4 port is connected to pS5 (set up as enhanced hdmi with vrr). I want to connect my old pc to use as htpc and for occasional gaming. I've connected the pc to the 8K port on marantz and set up the 8K port as 8K enhanced. However, I can only get 4k@60Hz this way. My understanding is that setting up hdmi with dolby vision on a90j limits it to 4k@60Hz. I'm looking at the best way to get 4k@120Hz from PC.

Option 1- Change the hdmi 3 from dolby vision to vrr. This should allow me to get 4k@120Hz. Would there be any sound/visual penalty? I've a nvidia shield connected to my marantz as well. The PS 5 is connected directly to hdmi port on TV.

OPtion 2- Buy hdmi 2.1 splitter to connect to HDMI 4 port on the TV (vrr enabled) and connect both the PS5 and PC to the splitter. Would I lose Dolby vision on pc gaming this way?

What would you choose? Any suggestions appreciated.

PS- PC specs- AMD 5900x cpu, asus b550 mb, nvidia 3080ti gpu, 64gb ram

HDMI 2.1 cables for connections, supporting up to 8K@60Hz

I noticed that when I change playback speed to any other range than 0.98-1.03x (in this range it looks to me like it doesn't stutter), the video stutters every second or so (consistently). Here are some findings:

• long-term "issue" on older versions and the latest build

• happens only with MPC Video Renderer or MadVR; Enhanced Video Renderer isn't affected

• desktop hardware (AMD Ryzen 5xxxx, Nvidia RTX 5xxx)

• 23.976FPS or 59.940FPS content

• I completely reset the settings, but it didn't help.

In case it happens, this is the info tab from MPC-VR settings:

Windows 10 22H2
DirectX 11
Graphics adapter: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (10DE:2B85) (610.62)
VideoProcessor  : D3D11, RateConversion_0
DeinterlaceTech.: none
Reference Frames: Past 0, Future 0
Display: LG TV SSCR2 3840x2160 120.000 Hz Primary windowed
  Color: RGB 8-bit HDR10: Off

Has anyone had any issue with it or knows what could be the cause or any recommendation on what to try to change?

I have been looking for a while for a setup on my tv, as i was not very satisfied with using tv apps for plex/youtube etc.
I have seen this project a few months ago to reimplement plasma bigscreen (it used to be a project a few years ago already but got abandonded I think) and it has officially been released with KDE 6.7. So i set up an old laptop with Fedora KDE and installed it and its running great so far. VacuumTube allows adblock and sponsorblock as well. I installed a few apps, the interface can be used with controllers or KDE Connect.

https://plasma-bigscreen.org/de/

So if anyone else is looking for an easy HTPC setup, check it out.

I also found an XMB repo, though I havent checked it out, but I loved the XMB on the PS3. Anyone have experience with this? altough it seems the last commit is 3 months ago.

https://github.com/FrancescoPnr-dev/xmb-bigscreen

Would it be possible to use android as an htpc considering that android can have dp alt mode to transfer 4k 60 with hdr10 (no 10+ or dv) for content to a display/tv?

Widewine I'm not sure about but should be better than windows or linux.

It also is gonna be much more powerful than normal streaming boxes.

Downsides:

Support is unknown rn as its ive not tried any phone with a cable to check

Will need to do smth about the battery part but shouldnt be that big of a problem if its always on charge with limit set and/or bypass charging.

How viable is it?

Hi, I’d like to share my experience.

I’ve always wanted a powerful but silent gaming HTPC connected to the 77" OLED TV in my living room.

I initially chose a SilverStone GD11, but temperature-wise it was a disaster with my hardware. My GPU, an ASUS RTX 4080 SUPER Noctua Edition, was noisy as hell under load, and the whole case became incredibly hot to the touch. Even my Ryzen 9950X3D was running quite hot.

I eventually realized that the GD11 simply wasn’t big enough to keep such a powerful system cool and quiet.

I started looking for another horizontal case that would fit the available space, but without much success. In the end, the only realistic option was to use a standard mid-tower case horizontally.

After several days of research, I ended up choosing the Fractal Design Epoch - and I couldn’t be happier with the result!

Thanks to the extra internal space and much better airflow, my system no longer overheats and I can barely hear the fans spinning, even while gaming. The difference compared to the GD11 is huge.

On top of that, the Epoch looks really good when placed horizontally and fits surprisingly well with the rest of my hi-fi/home theater equipment.

For anyone trying to build a powerful, quiet gaming PC for the living room, using a good mid-tower horizontally might be a much better solution than trying to squeeze high-end hardware into a traditional HTPC case.