Building new vs. Upgrading
The first thing many people wonder is whether they can upgrade an existing PC for Blu-ray playback or whether a new system will be called for.
The easiest way to check if your system has the necessary hardware to playback BD video is to run Cyberlink's BD/HD DVD advisor tool available here. This will let you know if your graphics card, processor, memory, and OS are up to the task. Now, if either your graphics or monitor are not HDCP compliant and connected via DVI or other digital cable you will fail that part of the test. That's okay, as you can use VGA cabling to connect the monitor and avoid HDCP issues. If any of the other major components doesn't show as "green" (or passed) then you will need to update those components as well if you choose to upgrade your system for Blu-ray playback. If you want to see the exact system requirements for Blu-ray playback, you can also check out this link.
In general, if your PC is more than a couple of years old, it likely would require a major overhaul in order to support Blu-ray playback and an entirely new build might be a better option. Newer systems, if they feature a supported video card, may need nothing more than a Blu-ray disc drive be added, in which case upgrading certainly makes far more sense.
Blu-ray Disc Drives
Whether you are upgrading or building a new system for Blu-ray playback or recording, you are definitely going to need a Blu-ray optical drive. The BD drive landscape is changing frequently and new models are constantly coming out that are faster and cheaper than the earlier models.
You essentially have three choices for your BD drive. You can get: 1) a drive that reads BD/DVD/CD media, 2) a drive that reads BD media, but can write to DVD/CD media, or 3) a drive that reads and writes to all those media, including BD.
If all you want is a reader, expect to pay a little shy of $200 for a Lite-on (or soon-to-be released Benq) read-only drive. The "combo" format (reads BDs, writes DVDs and CDs) go for under $300 from Pioneer and ASUS. Drives that can write to BD media generally go for $500-600 at retail from a wide variety of vendors. The latest generation of these drives can usually write to 50GB discs, and can record single layer BD-Rs at 4x speed. Sony and Panasonic have an excellent new drive out for writing discs at 4x, as does Pioneer, though the Pioneer cannot record 50GB discs. LG also makes a BD reader and BD writers that also can playback HD DVD discs, for those looking for that capability. For a full list of all the available drives and their specs, check out my full list.
Whichever drive you pick, be sure to get either a retail drive or an OEM drive that includes the necessary playback software. There's no sense in saving $20 by getting an OEM drive just to find out you need to shell out $100 for a full copy of PowerDVD Ultra.
Ideal Specs on a New Build
If you've decided to do a completely new PC build, you will want to look for the following specs at a minimum:
- Intel or AMD dual-core processor (at least 2Ghz for Intel or 2.2Ghz for AMD)
- ATI HD2400 or HD2600 series or Nvidia 8400, 8500, or 8600 series graphics card, to offload much of the video processing to the graphics card. The card needs at least 256MB of onboard RAM
- 1 GB RAM minimum (though with Vista 2 GB is definitely better)
- Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista
- A large, high resolution monitor will, of course, make BD viewing a much better experience and allow you to see more of the inherent resolution of the video
If you are building a PC also to be used for gaming you will want to increase your specs accordingly:
- Faster dual core or quad core processor
- ATI HD3800 series or NVidia 8800GT -- the other Nvidia 8800 series cards and the ATI HD2900 series cards will work for BD playback, however they do not feature the more advanced video processing that these models and the lower end models shown above do, so Blu-ray playback will consume considerably more processing power than it otherwise would
- 2 GB RAM minimum
Specific Component Recommendations
This section is made up largely of components that davowavo and I discussed when he was in the process of designing an excellent general purpose PC that would also allow for great Blu-ray playback. I don't really love or hate any specific companies, and your needs may well be different, depending on if your PC will have different uses, especially gaming.
CPU
The Core 2 line from Intel really does seem to be the undisputed champion when it comes to media playback. It's really hard to recommend anything else. The E6550 or E6750 are fantastic performers with 4MB cache that won't break the bank. You can certainly make due with less processing power, but those seem to be the best bang for the buck with plenty of room to spare in case your needs increase in the future. If you are building a true HTPC (ie, one that would be in your home theatre room connected to your HDTV), I would grab an OEM processor and get a decent "silent" heatsink/cooler. When it comes to HTPCs, every decibel counts. Keep in mind that with a retail CPUs, a fan/heatsink is provided, but with an OEM CPU, it is not.
CPU FAN/HEATSINK
A retail stock CPU heatsink/fan will usually suffice for general purpose PC use, and is easier to install. The downside is that they won't keep the processor as cool and will be somewhat louder than the "silent" aftermarket option. If you were planning to overclock the processor, then the aftermarket options are definitely worth the investment.
If your case has the room, take a look at the Zalman CNPS9500 or the Thermaltake CL-P0114. Both have "silent" modes that do a fantastic job of keeping the processor cool with virtually no fan noise.
MOTHERBOARD
I would pair your CPU with a high quality Intel P35 or P965 chipset motherboard. Be sure to use DDR-2 if you go with P35 though; DDR-3 prices are outrageous, and don’t offer any real performance advantage in media playback. Many gamers swear by the Nvidia Nforce chipsets, so if you are planning on building a gaming rig that is definitely an alternative to consider. If you're not planning on gaming, though, it's hard to beat the quality and stability of the Intel chipsets. I primarily use ASUS motherboards in my builds, but there are many vendors of quality boards out there. Any time I'm building an HTPC, I always am sure to use a motherboard with a firewire port built-in; you never know when you'll want that on an HTPC.
Of the two Intel chipsets, the P35 is still quite new, and the drivers are still being updated regularly. That's the main downside, if there is one. The P965 has been out quite awhile and is a proven rock-solid stable chipset. The P35 hasn't shown any real signs of being a "problem" chipset, and I think will earn a similar reputation over time. The latest southbridge and other components are also included, as it's a newer model.
HARD DRIVES
Western Digital Raptors (10k drives) are incredibly fast, but cost a LOT per GB and run loud. They're great for servers and workstations, but for most purposes they're not really worth the cost. A new 7200rpm SATA drive will be quite a bit faster than one several years old, and can be had for dirt cheap compared to the Raptors.
In general, Seagate and Western Digital are the two top brands of hard drives. Make sure they are SATA, and ideally have 16MB cache for optimal performance.
If you have older EIDE drives that you want to use in a new system, keep in mind that many of the newer P35 motherboards only have a single EIDE channel. You can of course use converters to connect EIDE drives to the SATA ports, if need be.
On Newegg, you should be able to pull up several different EIDE to SATA converters for $9.99 to about $14.99. They're basically just a small circuit board that plugs into the EIDE port on your drive, and provides a SATA port to connect to the motherboard ports. If you go with a motherboard that has two EIDE ports you could avoid this issue (many of the P965 boards have two EIDE ports, but the newer P35 boards often only have one). One nice thing about using the converters though is that drives don't have to share the same channel as they did on EIDE.
RAM
2 GBs of RAM is the sweet spot for media playback (including BD) in Vista. Use more and you're really not going to get much of an improvement. Use less and you'll be risking video stuttering. Most of my builds use Corsair, but I know others who like Crucial. I would definitely stick with a quality brand, though.
I would consider going with DDR2 1066 instead of 800, even if it means loosening the timing's to 5-5-5-15 or so. From what I've seen on the Intel chipsets, the extra bus speed trumps tighter latency settings.
VIDEO CARDS
There are a lot of choices for video cards. Personally, for an HTPC that definitely won't be used for gaming, I prefer the Nvidia 8600GT. The PureVideoHD chipset does an excellent job of offloading AVC and MPEG-2 video decompression from the processor, and you can find models from ASUS and other vendors that are essentially silent, which is fantastic for HTPC use. If you find that you have A LOT of VC-1 titles (or if you also play HD DVDs), then the ATI 2600 series may be better for you as they can offload VC-1 video as well. The downside, though, is that the ATI cards don't offload nearly as much of the video decoding from AVC titles.
For anyone who wants a system for gaming as well, look to the Nvidia 8800GT or the new ATI3800 series -- which finally brings enhanced video processing to the higher-end cards.
For video playback only, 256MB of video RAM is fine. Presently any additional RAM doesn't really provide any improvement. Also, while there is definitely a difference in performance between the various types of GDDR RAM found on different cards, unless you're gaming you likely would never notice the difference.
MONITOR
One area where many people assume they will need to spend quite a bit of money is on replacing their monitor. This may not be the case. If you have the budget and the desk space, a new 23" - 27" 1920x1200 HDCP-compliant monitor is ideal for watching Blu-ray movies at full resolution. This will also allow you to use a digital connection between the graphics card and the monitor as you will have a protected digital path.
If you already have a reasonably large, high-resolution screen, however, you can continue using it on your new build. If the monitor has an HDCP-compliant DVI port then you can connect the monitor to the system using DVI cabling. If the DVI port is NOT HDCP-compliant, you can use the analog VGA port at full resolution.
For example, if you have a 1680X1050 widescreen monitor, the video from a BD will be scaled directly from 1920x1080 to 1680x945 (16:9 shown within your 16:10 monitor), regardless of which connection you use. If titles start to use ICT (Image Constraint Token) in the future, those titles will be downscaled to 1/4 resolution, then scaled back up if you are using an analog VGA connection. If ICT is used, it is not expected until 2012 at the earliest.
As for the resolution on that example monitor, here’s the easiest way to look at it:
Blu-ray disc: 1920x1080 = 2,073,600 pixels
Your screen: 1680x945 = 1,587,600 pixels
Regular DVD (NTSC): 720x480 = 345,600 pixels
So, while you're not getting full 1080p resolution, you are getting about 60% more than 720p and you can see about 4.5 times the resolution of a regular DVD.
SOUNDCARD
Most modern integrated HD-Audio solutions should be fine for watching BDs. Under Vista, Microsoft has largely done away with the hard accelerated audio that made Creative so famous. That said, there are still some excellent soundcards out there that put out fantastic quality audio. Just think about the quality of your speakers or your audio system before dumping money on a soundcard that may not make much if any difference.
If you're budget is tight, a sound card is the first thing I would consider doing without. If you get a motherboard with a good HDAudio codec, there's not much of a reason presently to get a soundcard on an HTPC. The creative X-Fi series is good... and I use one in my main PC... but for HTPC use, most of what it brings to the table is unnecessary. However, if cost isn't an issue, and sound quality is of the utmost importance to you, then an X-Fi is not a bad choice (just avoid the X-Fi Xtreme Audio, which isn't really an X-Fi).
Probably the best audio card for pure audio quality right now is the Auzentech X-Meridian, though it comes at a fairly steep price ($200 MSRP). The card is geared exclusively for HTPC use and puts out some of the best quality audio you can get, without all the hardware-assisted gaming stuff of Creative's line. Auzentech also has lower end models that perform very well for HTPC use as well.
If you do decide to go with an X-Fi, I would avoid the Xtreme Audio. It's not really an X-Fi….it just took the name of the rest of the series. It uses a "special" driver that lacks all the X-Fi options present for all the other cards. The other X-Fi cards all do very well, though. I think you can get an Xtreme music for pretty cheap, most places.
SPEAKERS
I firmly believe that speakers need to be properly auditioned prior to purchase, though with PC speakers that may not be possible. If you are building an HTPC then you probably don't need speakers as you will be connecting the sound card directly into your audio receiver. For everyone else, again, I recommend auditioning speakers if at all possible. There are some great 5.1 (and 2.1) PC speaker systems out there... and there are some real dogs.
I have the Promedia 2.1. The 2.1 Max's are the new version and should be every bit as good. I have a friend with the GMX's... they're very good speakers also... in a different package.
5.1 is fantastic for Blu-ray, of course, but it depends on whether your PC area can really accomodate it. The Promedia 5.1's are pretty expensive. I know Logitech makes some good 5.1's at a somewhat lower price point.
For those looking for some reference speakers, NHT Hifi has a new 2.1 solution available that is absolutely fantastic. The pricing, however, is somewhat less so. (Note: the price on the 2.1 package has recently dropped to $699, though the volume control module still costs another $190).
OPERATING SYSTEM
The big debate, of course, is XP versus Vista. If you have a slower PC, then definitely stick with XP. It may be your only choice, depending on your hardware. I wouldn't even think of going Vista unless you have a decent processor, at least 1GB of RAM, and a graphics card/igp capable of running aero. To really have a great experience with Vista, then 2 GB RAM and a dual-core processor are ideal.
Beyond that, if you have the system for it, Vista provides an excellent user experience (if you turn off UAC), particularly for basic tasks, media playback, and internet surfing. Where it falls short of its promise is in gaming. Hardcore PC gamers should definitely either stick with XP for now, or dual-boot both. There are Vista-only games coded to DirectX 10 coming out now, but for the most part, the additional RAM and processing requirements of the OS will slow down most other games -- and, even if it's only slightly, it's enough to annoy many hardcore gamers.
As for the teething pains, those were very real early on. At this point, virtually every piece of recent hardware has stable drivers available for Vista, and most recent software has been fully compatibility-tested with Vista. You definitely should be running with all the updates installed (Microsoft has provided a ton of updates that address various issues, including application compatibility), but unless you use older -- or custom software you shouldn't have many problems with Vista. This is really the sticking point with businesses, as it is with any new OS release. SP1, due early next year, should provide a major boost to application compatibility and fixing the few remaining issues with the OS.
Personally, I run Vista-64 on both of my main systems and haven't had any real issues for many months now. The new Media Center is fantastic for DVDs and TV tuners. For BD, you do need additional software for playback, but both major BD playback solutions work terrifically under Vista.
As for the different versions of Vista, I highly recommend going with Home Premium. Vista Ultimate costs a lot more for nothing most people will ever need, and Vista Basic lacks...well…pretty much everything. Vista Business is a great choice for businesses, but lacks Media Center, leaving it lacking for HTPC use.
As for 32-bit vs. 64-bit Vista, most people will never know the difference. Most any hardware you get now fully supports both, and all the media software works fine either way. If you think you'd ever want to expand the system with another couple GB of RAM, then definitely go with Vista-64. If you get an X-Fi soundcard and want to use Creative's DVD-Audio application, then go Vista-32 as it doesn't support Vista-64.
Personally, I use Vista-64 on all my systems, but my HTPC builds for others have been mixed, depending on what people want, and what-all their system is to be used for. For the most part, it's just a matter of personal preference. You shouldn't have any issues with either.
I don't generally recommend everyone upgrade to Vista right away, but if you have the system for it, and if gaming isn't your top priority, then Vista definitely has more going for it than against it.
FAQ
Q: I want to connect my new PC to my HDTV or an existing monitor, but the new graphics cards only have DVI outputs.
A: Most cards now have dual-DVI outputs. Usually both of the outputs are DVI-I outputs, which means they are actually analog capable outputs once you connect the included DVI-VGA adapter. The little adapter isn't actually "converting" the digital signal to analog, it is just a port adapter. The video card knows if the adapter is in place and sends the signal as analog instead of digital. I've yet to see a dual-DVI video card that didn't come with at least one adapter for this purpose.
The HDMI spec is basically just DVI video (with HDCP compliance) with various support for audio signals depending on HDMI revision. Some video cards come with DVI to HDMI adapters, or you can buy them separately, or get cables with a DVI port on one end and an HDMI port on the other. All work just fine as long as the video card supports HDCP (which all the ones I mentioned earlier do).
Nonetheless, dealing with the audio portion of HDMI is more problematic. If you want to send the audio over HDMI cabling, there are various solutions that allow this.
However, all of them at the moment are dealing with passing the coax/optical digital output over HDMI... which means there is no multichannel PCM, Dolby TrueHD, or DTS-HD available with this resolution. It also means that you can just as easily run an optical cable directly from the soundcard to the receiver, and bypass any potential problems with delays or sound quality that could arise from sending the audio through the video card’s circuitry.
Q: What software do I need to playback Blu-ray movies?
There are currently 2 main software solutions for playing back Blu-ray video on PCs -- Cyberlink PowerDVD (BD or Ultra editions) and Intervideo WinDVD (BD edition). Intervideo's solution is not sold directly to consumers and is generally only found on pre-built systems from major manufacturers. Most Blu-ray disc burners come with PowerDVD BD edition, and end users can purchase PowerDVD Ultra edition if they want more full-featured software. Arcsoft also has a playback solution in the works, however it is still in beta.
One word of caution: PowerDVD (like all the standalone BD players) gets updated frequently to add support for new titles, etc. Be wary of any new update, though. Usually, they're great and do what they're supposed to. However, occasionally they release an update that breaks more than it fixes. When you see a new update, it's a good idea to check boards (either at Blu-ray.com or at Cyberlink's site) to see if others have been having any problems with it. A quick glance should let you know; there's an uproar anytime there's a problem.
