What Cases Work Well For Building Set-Top Boxes? 19
magnitron asks: "I'm interested in building my own set-top box like TiVo et al, but adding DVD support and the ability to surf the Web. I have looked all over the place for a decent case that will hold the ATI Radeon All-in-Wonder (this is the heart of the system). The nice and small cases usually have a real small power supply and proprietary motherboard (No AGP). I really like this one, but need it gutless and want to upgrade the motherboard and power supply. Anybody know where I could get a small case that would fit a 250W power supply, a DVD drive and an ATI AGP card in it?"
Improvise.. (Score:1)
I took it, sprayed it black and it looks very slick. Especially with the slot loading DVD drive showing out the front.
Word of warning, I had problems with the colour red on the ATI all-in-wonder. Sometimes it flickered and other times it showed up as white.
Hope this helps.
Been there, STILL haven't been able to do that. (Score:2)
First, the Qbex [qbex.com] isn't what you want. From that shot, it looks like a standard black NLX formfactor box. Which means it's got room for a slim CD/DVD, room for a couple HDs, room for a slim floppy, onboard everything, and usually one or two PCI slots in the back. That's it. No upgradeable AGP, and because of the formfactor, it still looks like a PC. Bleagh.
The Gateway Destination set-top unit is one of these, too.
Unfortunately, that's as close as you can come to a decent PC in a decent case, with much upgradeability at all. Rackmount cases [gtweb.net] are 19" wide, which is wider than some shelves or TVs, and usually also onboard everything, but they don't look back as set-top boxes, and 1U units can have a single PCI slot, and 2U units can have 2, maybe three?
Then there's "real" set-top boxes. Units like this [ecs.com.tw] offer a very non-threatening non-PC look, while still supporting a single PCI slot. Click on the "HTPC" link at the top of the page to see where Qbex probably gets their chassis from.
There's also a nice iDVD [gctglobal.com] offering from GCT-Allwell with an integrated DVD player and PCI MPEG2 decoder... unfortunately it's not upgradeable at all, since the MPEG2 decoder takes up the only available PCI slot.
So in otherwords, you're pretty much stuck. I'd just LOVE to be proven wrong on this, but I think the only real choice you have is to have a chassis custom-built for you. Then get it FCC approved, and sell it online, and have a tidy little side business.
--Vito
Search for BookPC (Score:2)
They're mostly sold as barebone, so you'll need a CPU (Celeron socket 370), RAM (PC66 or PC100 SDRAM), & harddisk (3.5" IDE).
Make sure you get the one with DVD-ROM & wireless keyboard.
You can get them new at Directtron [directron.com], or find them on eBay [ebay.com].
Re:Search for BookPC (Score:2)
-Davidu
Bad Link (Score:1)
The link by magnitron redirects you to the homepage of qbex.com.
Re:Search for BookPC (Score:1)
Re:Search for BookPC (Score:1)
Re:How much power do you need? (Score:1)
The other thing to consider is whether you might want to be able to play DivX movies on this box. The DivX/MP4 codec is very CPU intensive and requires a good processor to get acceptable quality playback (I'd guess around 300-500MHz depending on bitrate). Though it isn't too widespread at the moment, DivX is quite cool and you can find a pretty good selection of material on Gnutella, IRC, etc. (not that I would ever advocate infringing upon copyrights).
Regards, RJS
Re:Search for BookPC (Score:2)
Close, but still no cigar for what you want... (Score:2)
But you might try an AOLTV box - it is supposedly more powerful (pentium something or another), and maybe hackable as well. Of course, getting one without a subscription might prove challenging...
Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
Re:Search for BookPC (Score:2)
-Davidu
Hm. (Score:2)
Nothing too wrong with a standard PC case (Score:2)
Radeon PCI (Score:1)
Old VCR (Score:2)
Recommendations and Design Limitations (Score:1)
It would be very hard to stay with those dimensions since you'd also have to fit at least a power supply, hard drive, dvd drive, and a couple PCI cards in there as well (audio, network). For a reasonably fast processor (such as would be requisite for good DivX/MP4 encoding/decoding) and the AIW card, a 300W power supply will be necessary. Again, ATX format PS is the most flexible so you've got another big chunk (roughly 5 1/2 x 3 3/4 x 6 inches - see ATX Specs [teleport.com]). Also realize that you'll need a good heatsink for your CPU (I'd recommend a Duron or Thunderbird whose included heatsinks are 2 inches high). Using an NLX/Micro-ATX/FlexATX form factor (specs [teleport.com]) buys some size, but limits peripheral/mobo choices. Also check out this quick form factor guide [pcguide.com] and comparison chart [pcguide.com].
I haven't settled on a choice yet, but you might look at the following (these cases are typically about 17 x 17 x 6 inches, which is smaller than the Qbex you mention above). Key components are Abit KT7A, Athlon ~1GHz, ATI Radeon AIW, Pioneer DV-105S, IBM 75GXP HD, NetGear FA312, and Soundblaster Platinum.
Personally, I think the thing to concentrate on is the loudness of the unit, rather than its physical size (and, to a lesser extent its stylishness). I have a Tivo (Phillips HDR312 with 1 30G Quantum) and find it unacceptably loud when watching movies unless placed in an enclosed cabinet (its considerably more quiet than a PC). My focus on cases is just for something that can fit inside my audio cabinet and which can flow enough air (preferably out the back) to keep the system reasonably cool. If I get something really good together, I'll probably just build myself a custom case once its all settled out (but there is lots more important things to do for integration software, remote contol, DivX support, mp3 management, etc. first IMO). Remember you are also going to have a tangle of cables to deal with if you want good integration to an A/V receiver or multiple components.
Some other options to think about:
Good luck, and please email me if you find anything else good or build software around the AIW and/or remote controls.
Regards, RJS
Re:Recommendations and Design Limitations (Score:1)
How much power do you need? (Score:1)
Re:Recommendations and Design Limitations (Score:1)
A typical TV indeed lacks the ability to scan high enough for reasonable computer use, though higher end units and/or good video processors can provide excellent results (expect to pay big bucks). I'd like to stick an LCD screen to the side with an RF keyboard/pointing device, but the price is still kind of high for that.
Regards, RJS