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That isn’t to say you’ll have a hard time setting up Kodi. From there, you can just start using Plex whether you’re home or thousands of miles away. When running Plex on a client computer, mobile device, television or set top box, it will automatically detect any servers connected to your account. All you do is install the server software, tell it where to find your media, and create a Plex account that you can use to log in from the server and any client devices. If you’re looking for a simple process, you’ll probably prefer Plex. Kodi can take five minutes too, but it can also take a lot longer if you want to configure additional features and customise your setup. We have two recommendations: Kodi (formerly known as XBMC) and Plex. There are hundreds of options for your home media centre software, and you should experiment with as many of them as you can to find one that’s right. Windows 10 is fantastic, because it runs a swathe of great software suites. Of course, if you have your own machine already, you can skip this step and get on with your software install! Choose Your Software
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If you’re doing that you’ll need to remember you lose the ability to truly customise your machine with an off-the-shelf purchase, and you might end up paying more for the convenience at the end of the day.īuying your own machine comes with the added benefit of getting Windows 10 pre-installed, whereas building your own machine means you need to factor in the cost of a software licence. Of course, you can always just buy a machine off the shelf for your HTPC needs. Check out this list for specific component names and numbers. Also keep in mind that you’ll want a small-ish case that fits inside your entertainment unit. You’ll need a fraction of the cash.įor a basic system, you shouldn’t need more than 2GB-4GB of RAM, an Intel Core i3 or AMD A6 CPU, a decent Blu-ray disc drive and a hard drive that’s at least 1TB in size. And don’t worry: building a HTPC isn’t like building a gaming PC.
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Ideally, you’d like this thing to be your ultimate media PC, so let’s use that as our frame when looking for specs. Sure, you could use something like the cheap and cheerful Raspberry Pi mini-computer, but what you really need for that hot new HTPC is something a little more grown-up. You’re going to need a machine with enough grunt to make sure that your HTPC is up to the job in front of it. Here’s how to get started! Choose Your Specsīuilding a home-theatre PC is relatively easy, but you have to remember up front that not all hardware is created equally. If you don’t already have a home-theatre PC (HTPC) up to the job of streaming your content, you’ll need to source one from parts or buy one off the shelf. Here’s how to turn your Windows 10 machine into your home theatre’s best friend. Just because Microsoft killed Windows Media Center in Windows 10 doesn’t mean that you’re out of luck with your home-theatre PC.
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