For some time now I've been wanting to build a music server that would connect to my stereo system. We have music in four different formats: CDs, MP3s (some ripped from the former, some not), LPs (yes, vinyl) and cassettes (mostly old mix tapes). Music is played on our stereo, on iPods, and in the car, but rarely directly from the computer. I use a Altec Lansing inMotion to play music in the office. I wanted one place for all this music to reside. That meant hooking up my computer to my stereo so that I could rip the analog media. But the computer is in the office, and the stereo is in the living room. Ripping a few hundred LPs is going to take quite a while, and I couldn't tie up Debbie's office computer while I did that. Hooking the laptop into the stereo didn't seem like such a great idea, either, since it only has a line-in jack. And then there's the playback issue. Once all the music was digitzed, how would I play it? If the digital files lived on a hard drive, I'd have to snake a line from the office into the living room. There are wireless streaming options, but they would require that the computer would need to be on all the time in order to play music, and they only work one-way (from PC to stereo) so recording is out. Plus, we're wireless, but it's not, um, our own network. (Thanks, neighbors!)

So time to build a home theater PC! This is my first time building a computer, I'm very excited. I think this means I level up in Geekitude. I have fond memories of building electronics with my father -- we made a ham radio from a Heathkit. I don't think I'll be doing as much soldering this time around, though.

Here are my basic goals for the Jukebo(Linu)x.

1. Play music and movies. Record audio from the stereo. Play CDs. Rip CDs. Play DVDs?
   
2. Stand alone. I wanted a PC that would essentially be another stereo component, and not require any networking.
   
3. Not look like a computer. The goal is to have something small, relatively unobtrusive, and relatively quiet.
   
4. Not require a television to operate. Most HTPC's are designed to work with the television as the monitor. The thought is that your main activity is going to be using the HTPC as a TiVO / PVR. Although I might end up doing that someday, it's not the primary goal of my device. (After all, we don't even have cable now.) Turning on the TV to play music seems silly.
   
5. Copy DVDs. For those of you with toddlers, you will recognize that the bright shiny DVD is a wonderful toy. It comes in a neat box with cartoon characters on it, and it makes Buzz Lightyear come on the TV! ("TV" is part of Z's limited vocabulary.) A child under the age of two can figure out how to operate a DVD player. A child under the age of two cannot be trained to hold a DVD by the edges. They get chewed on, broken, scratched. Uh-oh, no more Buzz! So yes, I have a legitimate reason to make backup copies of the DVDs that I legally own. So there.
   
6. Work with the iPod. Seems like a no-brainer, just run iTunes on it. But to keep costs down, it looks like Linux is going to be the OS of choice, and there's no version of iTunes for Linux. I'm pretty sure that the iPod mini will only synch with iTunes. The best I could find was a setup to use a Linux box as a music server that a separate, networked PC (running iTunes) would recognize. But see #2 above, no networking. Clearly I have to figure something out.
   
7. (Optional) Internet radio / "podcasts" receiver and recorder.
   
8. (Optional) Display digital photos on the TV.
   
9. Relatively cheap. I wanted to build this for under a grand. Less, if possible, since that's pricey for a stereo component!

So what's going to be under the hood? Here's what I have planned.

• The CPU and motherboard. I've been intrigued by mini-itx systems, which are a low-power, small footprint alternative. This is what people use who build computers into lunchboxes, gingerbread houses, plastic cows, humidors, etc. After some reading I chose the VIA Nehemiah M10000 as the sweet spot between multimedia power and price.

  Cost: $150 for the the motherboard and CPU, and $45 for the memory (512MB), a Chanukah gift from my sister. Thanks, Susie!



• The case and I/O. To run without a monitor or a keyboard, I'd need a built-in display and some buttons. Fortunately, several companies make an LCD display with built-in programmable buttons that fits into a standard drive bay. I considered the Matrix Orbital but Jay (who has built his own MythTV box) pointed me to CrystalFontz, whose product is both cheaper and better-looking. So the idea (yet to be tested) is that the LCD will display the current song, and that you can use the buttons to select albums, playlists, etc.

  So if one drive bay is taken up with the display, I'd need a second one for the DVD-burner. Most mini-ITX cases are, well, mini. The one I decided on was the Casetronic CheckerCube-2215 In black, of course. Here it is:

  
  
  

  Two standard drive bays, one floppy, front USB and audio jacks. And it looks dashing. Plus, I found step-by-step instructions on building a similar system in the same case. With pictures even. Thanks, mathew!

  Cost: $100 for the case (after S/H), $85 for the LCD.

• Drives. It seemd that the best solution for my iPod problem would be to put most of the storage on an external hard drive. When it comes time to synch the iPod, just unplug the HD from the J(L)x, plug it into the main computer, and presto. Plus, we can use it for easy data transfer. If I download something on my laptop, I no longer need to burn it to CD-ROM or use a USB stick to transfer it to the main music repository -- just plug in the HD. I chose a 250 GB Maxtor OneTouch II. Of course I'd need an internal HD to run software, cache DVDs before backing them up, etc. An 80GB Excelstor was a birthday gift from my sister -- thanks again, Susie! Finally, a DVD burner.

  Cost: $230 for the Maxtor, $55 for the Excelstor, $50 for the DVD burner.

• Audio card. Although the Nehemiah has a built-in soundcard, I need four RCA jacks to get the signal from my stereo into the PC (and out again). After reading reviews, it seemed that the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 card was just what I needed. My stepmother and my father (the family audiophile) were generous to give this to me as a birthday present. Thanks, Pa and Mary!

Cost: $130


• Operating system. As you can tell from the cheesy moniker, the Jukebo(Linu)x will be running Linux. Why? Well, first I save $125 by not buying XP Media Center Edition. Second, I've read In The Beginning Was The Command Line, so there. And I've been "Linux-curious" for some time. So what the hey, lets build a machine free of Wintel!

  Which variety of Linux? I have no idea. None at all. Not yet, anyway.

  Cost: Hours and hours and hours of my time, most likely. But otherwise free.

Total cost: $845

For comparison's sake, a Dell 4700C Media Center with comparable configuration, memory, hard drive space, but no LCD output costs $1,313. Looking around at other systems designed as HTPCs, I can't find anything for less than $1,000.

Other bells and whistles to (possibly) add later:

• An infrared receiver so I can control the PC via our Kameleon universal remote. CrystalFontz sells the IRMan which would sit on top, costs about $35. Or maybe I'll get out the soldering iron and build my own?
• WiFi, so I could use the J(L)x as an Internet radio tuner. Heck, maybe I could even get it to tell me the weather every morning.
• Wireless keyboard and mouse. I'll just use an old keyboard while I'm setting this all up. I suppose one day a wireless keyboard could come in handy -- or maybe even one of those rubber keyboard thingies (see "toddlers," above.)
• Card reader. I actually have a card reader that was given to me (thanks Susanne!) that will fit into the floppy slot. I could take pictures directly from the digital camera and show them on TV with it.

But all that's for later. Now it's time to read some manuals! Wa-hoo!

I think this is going to be sweet!

Name:

Email Address (required but not displayed or shared):

URL (optional):

Remember personal info?

Comments (you may use HTML tags for style):

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.