Hackintosh HTPC Help

[jsnkid]

Hi, I have been a long time user of XBMC on my HTPC's on the windows side, with my macbook pros enjoying plex....

However the Media server/ app store really puts Plex on top! My concerns revolve around HD content though. Most of my movies are Blu Ray Backups in full quality .m2ts files. Will these function correctly with the True HD/ DTS MA? I would love to bitstream these via HDMI in the future to a new AVR, so ensuring this is possible is KEY.

 

My hardware on the current (soon to be hackintosh) HTPC is:

 

Giagbyte H55M-S2H

Intel Core i3-530

4GB DDR3

3x 2TB WD Green Drives - Media

1x Seagate 750gb HDD - Boot

 

I have read mixed things on the state of Intel HD graphics in the world of hackintoshing, so i am willing to buy a discrete GPU, even though i mainly wanted the integrated for heat (and therefore noise) considerations. If this is the case, what is the minimum GPU for HD acceleration and HDMI Audio currently.

 

If possible i would also still like to be able to boot into Windows 7 mainly for a few work programs and DVD Fab to rip the blu rays.

 

Any links/ advice would be greatly appreciated! I cannot seem to find current info about this subject in logical form.....

 

 

Finally, I am in no rush, so if for example, there is a way to use the i3 graphics soon then i can hold off on the GPU purchase.

 

THANKS!

[Arterio]

I'm going to offer you an alternative.

 

You should look into Team MediaPortal. http://www.team-mediaportal.com

 

This has a media server that lets you stream pictures, music, videos, and live tv to any computer on your network. It runs on Windows and is capable of playing BluRay movies.

 

I've been using it for a few years now and it's only gotten better with time. The great part about it is that it's entirely free and has a huge number of graphical themes and functionality plugins to customize it to your will.

[jsnkid]

Thanks, but If i am going to stick with Windows I am okay with XBMC... I really like Plex and would like to run it on my HTPC, and that would mean hackintoshing... Thats why I am here.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. but i am really looking to find out answers to the questions I asked.

 

Thanks!

 

BTW -Isn't mediaportal yet another fork of xbmc?

[Arterio]

I don't believe so. Pretty sure it's independent.

[jsnkid]

I don't believe so. Pretty sure it's independent.

Just checked Wikipedia, and yep, "Its source code was initially forked from XBMC Media Center. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaPortal

 

 

But back to my original questions, anyone?

 

Thanks!

[3ofakind]

I believe the OP does not use a the HTPC for TV in which case going over to Mac is probably feasible. I use MediaPortal mainly for TV and trying to setup TV on Mac? No thanks!

 

Back to the hardware issue, I may be buying a i3-530 so I'm interested. I've read that other people have successfully run Snow Leopard with this processor.

 

I've also read that Apple have released the Video Decode Acceleration Framework (April 2010) for these cards only: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, GeForce 320M or GeForce GT 330M.

http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#te...010/tn2267.html

 

So at the moment OSX is not really a viable option for hardware video acceleration.

 

In my tests HD x264 takes up about 50% of my Quad Q6600 and HD 4670 using VLC for Mac. This processor is roughly the same in benchmarks as the i3-530. So the i3 should playback HD with or without GPU acceleration on Mac. I suppose this is true for you in Windows as well?