A Budget Home Theater & PC Setup: 4K, HDR, UHD Blu-ray, and More
by Ganesh T S on December 26, 2017 8:30 AM ESTEvaluating Display Sources: HTPCs & CE Devices
Home Theater PCs used to be bulky versatile machines that had to support built-in TV tuners, a number of hard disks, as well as optical drives. However, the rising popularity of network TV tuners, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and OTT streaming have resulted in the a transformation of the functionality that people expect from HTPCs. Simply put, a modern-day HTPC needs to be a flexible and versatile media player capable of handling a multitude of codecs and DRM requirements. The latter is not restricted to the handling of the encoded video. The display output also needs to be secure, while providing enough bandwidth and features to take full advantage of the capabilities of the downstream devices in the setup.
The average consumer often finds the 'it just works' nature of consumer electronic (CE) equipment such as the Roku streamers, game consoles, and standalone Blu-ray players to be attractive. However, for power users, the flexibility of HTPCs (such as the ability to support arcane subtitle formats or specific container features such as MKV chapters, or, even serve as a gaming machine) is simply too much to give up. Certain CE devices such as the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV STB attempt to offer the best of both worlds. However, they are still closed platforms, and often do not have enough horsepower to fall back upon software decode for unsupported codecs.
Despite my predilection for HTPCs, I wanted to bring out the pros and cons of other closed solutions. Towards this, the evaluation of various options for media playback / display sources addresses the following aspects:
- HDR Support
- OTT Streaming (YouTube and Netflix)
- Local Media Playback (via USB)
- UHD Blu-ray Playback with HDR
The first candidate is the TCL 55P607's built-in Roku platform. Our tests were processed with the TV connected to the network using its wired 10 / 100 Mbps interface and Wi-Fi disabled. Firmware version 8.0.0 4142-30 was used.
The second solution in our evaluation set is one of the most popular Android TV STBs in the market - the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV (SATV). Despite having launched back in 2015, the combination of high-end hardware and regular firmware updates have kept it at the top of the media player / Android TV STB market. Our tests were processed with the SHEILD connected to the network using its wired 1 Gbps interface and Wi-Fi disabled. Firmware version 6.2 was used.
The use of a RF remote / controller, combined with IP control using a smartphone app, mean that the SHIELD can be safely tucked away out of sight in a home theater setup.
Moving on to the HTPC front, we have three different PCs, with configurations and driver versions listed in the table below.
Compact Home Theater PC Candidates - 2017 | |||
PC | Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EN1080K | ASRock Beebox-S 7200U | Intel NUC7i7BNHX1 |
CPU | Intel Core i7-7700 | Intel Core i5-7200U | Intel Core i7-7567U |
GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X) | Intel HD Graphics 620 | Intel Iris Graphics 650 |
RAM | Corsair Vengeance 2x16GB DDR4-2667 SODIMM | Micron 16ATF1G64HZ 2x8GB DDR4-2133 SODIMM | Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 2x16GB DDR4-2400 SODIMM |
Storage | Toshiba OCZ RD400 (512GB) | Kingston SSD Now V+ SNV325S2 (128GB) | Samsung SSD 840 EVO (500GB) + Intel Optane (16GB) |
BIOS | 2K170814 | 1.73 | BNKBL357.86A.0054 |
GPU Driver | 388.31 | 4877+ (beta) | 4877+ (beta) |
Specifications | Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EN1080K Specifications | ASRock Beebox-S 7200U Specifications | Intel NUC7i7BNHX1 Specifications |
Pricing (NOT as configured) | USD 2000 (with 120GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM, and Windows 10) | USD 349 (Barebones) | USD 506 (Barebones) |
Note that we are using a beta driver from Intel that will be released to the public in January 2018. The reason behind the use of this driver will be apparent in our UHD Blu-ray Playback section.
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update was used as the OS for all the tests done using the above PCs. This version is critical for cutting-edge HTPC functionality, as it brings HDR desktop and media payback support into the stable release channel.
191 Comments
View All Comments
Doomtomb - Monday, January 22, 2018 - link
I guess I'll throw my two cents in because everybody is jumping in with their own opinions on Home Theater. (there is no right answer to satisfy everybody).I'm 28, just moved into my first house, trying to do HT right, on MY budget. My TV crapped out on me so I put my money into an OLED during Black Friday. No regrets, Zero. The picture quality is hands down better than my 2015 Samsung LED-LCD. It is significantly noticeable, by everybody that views it. Second, I spent some money on 5.1 speakers and subs about 7 years ago. Can you really count that cost? Maybe ~$1000 including the receiver. Speakers are by Polk Audio, could be better, but just fine for entry level. AV Receiver is not super fancy but is reputable brand, Marantz, from 2012. Got it on craigslist with some speakers at a super deal. Thing sounds beautiful, has all the Dolby codecs minus Atmos. I find myself only wanting audio out from my TV. If you need 4K picture, plug the device into the TV and output the audio with optical. Sound quality doesn't change much over the years, only features. Keep the smart features on your TV or set-top box. Keep the audio on your receiver, heck you could go with just an Amplifier but you probably want surround sound so you need processing = receiver. Do not overspend on that device, they become outdated VERY quickly.
bella44 - Monday, June 4, 2018 - link
Xbox is a nice option. Now we can also install apps like terrarium tv on Xbox to watch movies and Tv shows for free. Get terrarium tv from https://terrariumtv.io29a - Tuesday, June 12, 2018 - link
Rather than getting an XBox they should download a pirated copy. That's the only way the studios will take notice.RiZad - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
" Further research revealed that the Tegra K1 SoC in the SATV does not support VP9 Profile 2" The Shield TV never came with the K1, the 2015 and 2017 version both have the X1RiZad - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
https://www.anandtech.com/show/9289/the-nvidia-shi...ganeshts - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Thanks. I fixed that typo.trane - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Vega supports HDCP 2.2. So is it just the driver we are waiting for? Nvidia released a driver for it much later, too.ganeshts - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Still looking for a compact machine with Vega GPUs....Chaser - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Linux based Myth TV PVR server back end. (Works great with any decent CPU/RAM) HDHome Run cable converter box. (Free) Comcast Cable card. Amazon Fire TV w/Kodi plug in to manage my channels, lineups, recordings. Pure bliss and I save a lot of money.ddrіver - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
That would just be too budget... Plus, nobody sponsors articles with "ghetto" solutions.