Topic: NMTs or HTPCs

[air ween]

I'm confused between getting a standalone media player from a HTPC. Which is better from the two? Ayoko naman na magkadoble doble gastos ko. Please shed some light mga masters.

[CocoBoy]

There are advantages and disadvantages for both and issues that make one better than the other like cost, portability, capability, support. You should try to look on some more issues before plunging on getting either. Of course both gets cheap media from the web and you won't be bothered by keeping a physical archive of disks .  Cheers

[danrd]

I actually have both. But I always end up using my nmt more than my pc. Egreat produces better PQ and SQ and its more user friendly than htpc. IMHO and IME. 

[milken]

milken's comparison of HTPC vs. NMT

HTPC
1. Parts upgradeable
2. Requires tech skills to use and build one
3. Not portable; bulky and ugly (unless you buy a HTPC casing)
4. Can perform other functions (e.g. gaming, word processing)
5. Flawless playback, if with right parts
6. Need sound card that can pass through lossless audio - pricey at the moment
7. Better and powerful torrent client
8. Better networking device
9. Need to buy a remote control
10. Generally consumes more electricity

NMT
1. Parts not upgradeable (firmware only)
2. Plug and play; no need to buy parts
3. Portable and small
4. Limited function vs. HTPC
5. Stutter playback in some 1080p files
6. Newer NMT can pass through lossless audio (TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc.)
7. Built-in torrent client not user-friendly
8. Networking not user-friendly
9. Remote control included
10. Energy efficient (approx 25 watts)

You decide which one is best for your taste and need.  Btw, I have both.

[uvax]

NMTs are largely fuss free - you buy one load in a hard disk with movie files and plug it into your AV setup and you're set.

HTPCs take skill and effort to build.

The main selling point for HTPC is the codec flexibility. But I see this as less important nowadays as the greater majority of the HD files are already readily playable on NMTs

[doughn]

i also thinking of what to get....

HTPC
only me knows how to operate
optional wireless remote control ( havent found any decent one)
noisy operation
higher electrical consumption
1080p playback  flawlessly



NMT
even my 6year old daughter knows how to operate
handy
virus free 
remote control
silent operation
1080p playback flawlessly   




choices...choices

[Clondalkin]

I cannot convince my wife to spend around 14K for an Egreat but she will easily agree to get a new PC for its full functionality and unmatched subtitle control.   Sayang daw kung high def playback lang ang kayang gawin (ng maayos at mabilis at reliable) ng device worth more than 10K.    Pero yun 6K na WDTV, oks daw kaso mukhang ang dami pa yatang bugs in terms of 1080p playback and subtitles.  She's not even a techie but very comfortable with codec updates whenever necessary.  Straightforward installation lang naman kase ang codecs and media players for the most part   

[Clondalkin]

Time first Air Ween.  Diba ikaw yung may chance to grab a quad core system for 15K?  Aba'y what are you second guessing yourself for? 

[nerveblocker]

I don't know much about PCs but I am using an HTPC to watch HD movies. Once you get the hang of it, it is very easy to use specially if you have already the media center running on start up. Still using a wireless keyboard for its functions which is really bulky as compared to the remote control of NMTs.

An HTPC has endless options.  So if you know how to use a PC, you won't have any problems using an HTPC. 
 

[air ween]

Time first Air Ween.  Diba ikaw yung may chance to grab a quad core system for 15K?  Aba'y what are you second guessing yourself for? 

Hehehe ako nga bro. Kaso nagdadalawang isip na ako kasi natauhan. 25k nadaw kasama external DVD nya na 4k daw and ung 22 inch AOC LCD nya. Although good buy padin but I was expecting to spend aroung 20-23k for that device, LCD and peripherals. Tingin mo ba ok padin kahit 25k?

[air ween]

Thanks for the inputs guys. ORiginally, I was planning on having both devices but I'm also eyeing for another LCD TV, that is a SAMMY 40LA650 (tama ba? ) which is tagged 80k, aside from my almost a year old PANNY 32LX77. All in all kung bibilihin ko lahat, that will be 120k.. :'(
I- cacash ko ung HTPC and E-great then 3 months installment ung LCD.. I'm worried baka paluin nako sa pwet na nanay ko pag nagkataon..

Anyway, I might settle na talaga sa dalawang yun at pagiisipan ko maigi kung kukuha pako ng panibagong TV.
Please keep on commenting sa comparison between those two kasi baka magbago padin ang isip ko eh.. Hehehe..

[frootloops]

We had the same situation months back. My question to you, if you get both will you be using it in your HT or the HTPC to your room then the NMT goes to your HT?

When I was in this scenario, during that time my desktop was starting to had problems. I was thinking of building an HTPC. But I usually do my browsing/work at my bedroom so it made me think twice if I had to transport my HTPC from my room to my HT. (I guess we have a different situation). Then after months of thinking I finally ended up with NMT due to portability and plug and play function. Economically, the NMT will do more savings in the long run, since it is cheaper (10-13K) then maybe a new regular PC for me for another 15k. So for around 25K, I have an NMT and PC. I will just have to control myself in buying more DVD's. 

[air ween]

We had the same situation months back. My question to you, if you get both will you be using it in your HT or the HTPC to your room then the NMT goes to your HT?

When I was in this scenario, during that time my desktop was starting to had problems. I was thinking of building an HTPC. But I usually do my browsing/work at my bedroom so it made me think twice if I had to transport my HTPC from my room to my HT. (I guess we have a different situation). Then after months of thinking I finally ended up with NMT due to portability and plug and play function. Economically, the NMT will do more savings in the long run, since it is cheaper (10-13K) then maybe a new regular PC for me for another 15k. So for around 25K, I have an NMT and PC. I will just have to control myself in buying more DVD's. 

My HT is located at the living room so from the looks of it, since its a common area, a simple NMT would be practical. But I wanted to have a powerful PC so when my officemate offered to sell his gaming PC with super galit na galit na specs, I offered to buy it.. Kakakasundo palang namin sa price pero pwede pa naman siguro ako magbackout once I made up my mind.. Since mataas na specs nya, I thought of setting it as an HTPC aside from its regular use of browsing and downloading. Medyo irelocate ko lang kasi medyo nasa kitchen ung location nya.

Nanghihinayang lang ako kasi na gagamitin ko lang ung super powerful na PC na yun for browsing and chatting since I prefer my PS3 for gaming. Pero malamang dun na mauwi yun because medyo convince nako to buy a separate NMT, kahit ung WD HD TV lang para makagamit pati parents ko since very user friendly saka para mas makatipid ako since mas mahal ata Egreat.. Tpos set-up ko padin ung PC as HTPC para kapag nakabili nako ng bagong LCD for my room, makapagsetup ako ng sarili ko.. And then di na muna ako tatambay dito sa PDVD para makaiwas uli sa gastos at makalayo sa mga tukso..

[frootloops]

Egreat 31A costs 10k, about 3.5-4k more expensive than WD,the 31B costs 13k and the only difference is the 1.3 HMDI. I was also suppose to get the WD but ended up with Egreat due to easier UI, skip functions,more connections available,wifi capable, networking ready for future plans. 

[air ween]

Egreat 31A costs 10k, about 3.5-4k more expensive than WD,the 31B costs 13k and the only difference is the 1.3 HMDI. I was also suppose to get the WD but ended up with Egreat due to easier UI, skip functions,more connections available,wifi capable, networking ready for future plans. 

I'll take note of that Sir. Thanks. 

[Alfie]

The thread started by Frootloops AKA as Eclipse was very informative and even braoder than the curretn question in this thread, kinda funny why they closed it, anyway, here's a lot of useful information;
http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=85164.0

Air ween- aba....nata-uhan yata ang opismate mo....pero, mukhang OK parin, kaya lang, mahirap kasing bumili nang 2nd hand na LCD monitor, lalo na kung 22" kasi, madalas may dead pixels na, tapos, wala ka nang maga-gawa.

sa 25K maka-kabou ka na nang Quad Core sa gusto monmg MoBo, maraming ibang maganda.
The best talaga kung 15K lang iyun' CPU, kasi madaling mag-palit nang gamit kung may sira mang, pero sa LCD Monitor....malaking subukan, lalo na, 11.5K na lang ang 22" ngayon, maka-ka-pili ka pa, so kung titignan mo, give and take din' ang nangyari sa deal ninyo, lamang ka sa CPU, lamang siya sa LCD. 

[gren]

From my perspective, if you have the same budget, why not just get a dedicated player and a netbook -- probably more or less the same cost as a HTPC.  My definition of HTPC includes a 'nice case', which costs upwards of 10k (Antec Microfusion, Silverstone).  This provides you with a remote which allows almost similar functionality as a standalone player (boot to media centre, remote control based operation).

What I don't like about HTPCs is the maintenance involved -- customisability / upgradeability goes side by side with configuration issues and installation problems.  Case in point -- we tried  setting up Vista 64 on an HTPC (not possible, at least as of a month or so before, we don't have the codecs for Vista 64), even Vista 32 required messing around with Codecs and wouldn't you rather spend that time watching movies?

What I do like about Media Centre is this: http://www.mymovies.dk/  Man, this is what it's all about: movie cover art, movie info, artists, etc. all cross referenced and hypertexted so you can access all the information available  froM IMDB.com.  I think you have more options for this when it comes to HTPCs, with NMTs, it's pretty much basic to none.

If you don't go the 'nice case' route, and use your PC's for the occasional movie viewing, then it's pretty much good.  Depends on your habits -- I just can't live without a remote so I need to have a VDU (video display unit) in front of my case (you can get them from IMON/soundgraph.com, we have a sample in store, but I particularly like the usb attached VDU+IR unit).

If you are an enthusiast, then no question about it: HTPC.  Just that as I grow older, I find convenience to be more of a priority than being a hardcore PC user (mind you, I am a PC gamer, warhammer anyone? ).  But NMTs and other similar appliances (NAS's for example) also have 'hacks' you can perform -- they're essentially simple computers anyway, and logging into  them and reconfiguring them has it's own (geeky) appeal.

Of course, I'm also interested in getting a small form factor / low impact HD capable PC that will do both my torrents and some HD viewing, but that's more on the enthusiast side of me talking.

[CMac]

Just that as I grow older, I find convenience to be more of a priority than being a hardcore PC user

agree. simplicity makes it more enjoyable. no more troubleshooting = no fuss. same goes for the comparison between gaming consoles and gaming pc's. or is it just the "old" part that i can relate to? 

[gren]

actually, for PC's, if you'r willing to spend mucho, you get way better PQ over consoles.  Of course, as far as the 'gaming experience' is concerned (read as: does it add to the total experience) it's pretty much debatable.

For HT though, it's pretty much the same (arguably, I'm not a tweaker, so I can't really say much when you apply post processing on your files, which was the rage when DVD was the only game in town) between HTPC's and stand alone players.

But for the practical gamer in me, I cannot condone spending another 100k on a unit that gets obsolete in 2 years (obsolete in gaming terms, not in terms of general usage).  It just hurts so much less to toss aside a sub 20k console system over something that costs 6 digits. 

agree. simplicity makes it more enjoyable. no more troubleshooting = no fuss. same goes for the comparison between gaming consoles and gaming pc's. or is it just the "old" part that i can relate to? 

[raptor]

Some reasons to choose HTPC or NMT

HTPC

- kung wala ka pang PC
- if you want more than media player functionality
- if you have a budget for good HTPC casing (same as sir gren's comment) and other quality components - this is not just for aesthetics, but for good silent cooling

NMT
- media player functionality on your living room HT
- not much tech expertise on PC's, this is an appliance that's easy to use
- may PC ka na
- power consumption is an issue

[eksi]

NMT
- media player functionality on your living room HT
- not much tech expertise on PC's, this is an appliance that's easy to use
- may PC ka na
- power consumption is an issue

i agree bro

[anya618]

its better to get the NMT kung me pc ka na

[praktikal]

tama ang mga pointers nyo amigos...
ito naman ang sa akin...

...sa mga mahilig mangalikot, butingting at upgrade -- HTPC

...sa mga ayaw mangalikot at butingting -- NMT

kumbaga sa camera:
SLR = HTPC
Point & Shoot = NMT

[Clondalkin]

Sa mga mahilig mag-DL, mag-networking - PC.

Wala naman akong masyadong kinakalikot sa PC.  DL and Watch lang most of the time.  Yung NMT owners nga, tipong  panay panay ang FW upgrade or gadget upgrade itself.    ..and you probably need doctoral knowledge of Sayabas in case you brick the NMT due to faulty FW upgrade.

Kung wala pang PC, PC.  Kung meron ka nang PC, 2nd PC and para while one is busy with the MKVs whether DL, or copying or watching, you and the other family members can conveniently log in to PinoyDVD or chat with family and friends simultaneously on the other terminal.  Dapat tig-iisa munang PC yung mga PC-literate sa household - then NMT.    .   Gastos?

[Alfie]

Wala naman akong masyadong kinakalikot sa PC.  DL and Watch lang most of the time.  Yung NMT owners nga, tipong  panay panay ang FW upgrade or gadget upgrade itself.    ..and you probably need doctoral knowledge of Sayabas in case you brick the NMT due to faulty FW upgrade.

Eto'y  to-too'ng totoo 

Sa mga may experience sa PSP na na Brick...di' ba tamang tama ang analogy ni Clondalkin 
(Iyun' nga lang di' pedeng i-kumpara ang PSP sa PC games)

[fernando_montalban]

Repost ko lang yung pinost ko sa isang thread sa HTPCs just in case some also use the D945GCLF2 and may also want to share their experience with it as an HTPC.

Dual Core Atom HTPC

I have just tested its capabilities with my Sammy 40A650 and I have to say, my findings are great.  My initial impression of an HTPC is a computer that has a very good video card, a very good audio hardware, and can play HD videos flawlessly and great fidelity, that is why, all the while, I was thinking that my dual core atom pc barely reaches an HTPC status.  After seeing what the dual core atom pc can do, I may not continue with my prospect for an athlon based HTPC.  What I have right now is good enough HTPC for me.  What I am saying is, if what you want is something that can play HD videos well enough, this HTPC will suffice. Small and cheap.

My opinion, if you are not that concerned with audio regarding TrueHD, DTS-HD and the like, and you can do without them, an HTPC at this price beats any NMT.  I spent around 11k and that already included a 640GB hdd and not to mention the added capability of upgrading codecs on the fly, using IE/Firefox when surfing the web, your choice of torrent client (uTorrent for me), NAS with discrimination (share only a folder or partition) and play games (like Warcraft III, though it sucks to play DOTA at a 40" screen, 'masyadong malaki'). If you have a hard drive lying around, cost goes down to 6.5k (D945GCLF2[Mobo with Intel Dual Core Atom]+2gigram+Casingw/PSU), that's just 800 more than a WD TV HD Media Player.

The PC is connected via VGA at 1920x1080 playing 720p and 1080p video (mkv) using media player classic with CoreAVC video decoder. Audio is connected via 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack plug to HTIB.

I have to point out that I am not a videophile and/or an audiophile.  What is great for me may only be good for the enthusiasts.  Someone might buy the same PC and get disappointed and blame me.  As far as it concerns me, video playback was very smooth and great.

[fredmontano]

The only thing that's lacking with the Atom 330 is HDMI output. But there's also SPDIF out as well on the mobo. Other than that if properly configured this will sure kick ass only if you have SD TV.

[fernando_montalban]

The only thing that's lacking with the Atom 330 is HDMI output. But there's also SPDIF out as well on the mobo. Other than that if properly configured this will sure kick ass only if you have SD TV.

It still kicks ass even on an HDTV. 

[HD_MOVIES]

The only thing that's lacking with the Atom 330 is HDMI output. But there's also SPDIF out as well on the mobo. Other than that if properly configured this will sure kick ass only if you have SD TV.

bro, may i ask what brand/model yung merong SPDIF? Instead of NMT, baka bubuo na lang ako ng ITX rig..

thanks..

[milken]

Where can we buy this Intel D945GCLF2?  Specs: http://www.mini-box.com/Intel-D945GCLF2-Mini-ITX-Motherboard
It seems that PC Express and Rsun are selling Intel D945GCLF single core Atom only for around P3T.  I plan to build a cheap office PC with this.  I have reservations for HTPC though because of its VGA port and no SPDIF support (according to the specs).  PQ in DVI or HDMI is better than VGA.  http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t50789.html  But I agree, for people looking for a cheap alternative, this combo seems good enough for the price.