Windows 10: Advice on building a user-independant HTPC?

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, so mods feel free to move.

I'm planning to build a cheap HTPC with the sole purpose of acting as a universal movie and game playback streaming device. I will want it to play DVDs and bluray disks locally along with visitor's pictures and movies on disks, sd cards, or usb sticks. I will want it to connect to Netflix, Youtube, CraveTV (maybe), PlayStation NOW, and connect to my main desktop for Steam In-House and maybe ripped movies (but I don't have any ATM so that's not a worry).

And most importantly, I want it to do all this seamlessly and simply so that I can let a (let's assume technically competent) family member or visitor use it without much direct instruction.

Full Bluray support and PSNOW/Steam In-house rules out Linux and consoles respectively, and seems to only leave me with a Windows PC as compatible with everything (Maybe macOS, but I'm concerned that the OS is no longer viable).

However, Windows 10 doesn't do most of these things natively, and I'm concerned about having a jarring interface that makes navigation difficult. I'd prefer everything to be easily controlled by a remote control, hopping to a mini keyboard (maybe a slideout from the remote?) and a Steam controller only when necessary.

How would I do this?
1. Can I use Windows 10's Tablet mode with a tweaked start menu as the interface? Would most apps respect it fine?
2. Will everything work with a standard remote? What remote can I use? If needed, is there one that emulates the laser-pointer accuracy of a Wii Remote, but with proper media controls?
3. What would be the best Bluray software? Preferably one that at least tries to match Windows 10's aesthetic?
4. Can I use Windows Store apps for streaming and media when possible? I'd like to avoid relying on the browser or all-in-one media apps that jarringly kick you out for the few tasks they can't handle.
5. for playing back media on personal usb drives/sd cards/disks, should I just use File Explorer or is there and alternative file explorer that can be tweaked for a more seamless experience?
6. Is it possible to lock it down somewhat so it can be used but people don't have alteration access to it? I suppose I'd have to check each individual app (like Steam or PSNow) to ensure they don't have dangerous access like purchasing, but at the bare minimum can I secure the interface so someone with a lead thumb doesn't delete or break anything?

Thanks.

Thanks.

:)

 

N91 User advice

Hi

Pulled this from another Blog. Good stuff:

===========================================

1) PC suite: Always use the latest PC suite. They are always issuing improvements etc. The PC suite issued with the early N91's (6.80.22 SW versions 1.xx N91's) has issues with handling data over 1.5GB etc and should be replaced with 6.81.13 or later. You can
get the latest PC suite from
http://europe.nokia.com/A4144903, or other local regional sites.

2) PC suite , Nokia Audio Manager: PC suite was designed for phones with 64-512Mbyte cards, not mobile computers with 4GB of memory. It is good for managing contacts, calendar etc but not for managing the content on your HDD (Music, Images, Applications etc).
Nokia audio Manager - same comment. Users should avoid using PCsuite/NAM to manage large amounts of content and keep it solely for managing the phones ROM (C drive). Note also when using PC suite do not start running applications (Gallery, etc) during the
PC suite session. Use USB mass storage for managing your Music, Movies, Images etc and/or Windows Media Player (for Music). Note also that PC suite runs in the background on your PC so often when you plug in the N91 to use USB mass storage or WMP a pop up
comes up saying " PC suite - N91 connected in non compatible mode please change from UI" ignore this (it is only applicable if you want to use PC suite).

3) SW update (refresh) at home: Always use the latest N91 SW (currently 2.00). Like your PC Nokia is always issuing improvements and even new features sometimes (ex: WDRM came with 2.00 sw). The update process is simple and can be done here :
www.nokia.co.uk/softwareupdate . This is a UK site however it has all the languages, operator and country variants for the world. Read the "phone sw update FAQ's" there. The updater will recognize
the version of your N91 (country, operator) and look for the sw. If there is a new version it will tell you, if not then you have the option of reloading the current sw (ie if you wanted to start "fresh" again) or try later. Do not disconnect, answer/make
phone calls etc during the process. It has worked well for thousands of people so far . I suspect other sites in other languages will roll out eventually if you are uncomfortable doing the process in English. Also if you sw is not there it may be that your
operator or country has not approved it yet. Keep trying. You can check you SW version by typing *#0000#.

4) HDD Users Guide : Nokia has now issued a HDD maintenance guide. Go to europe.nokia.com
http://europe.nokia.com/A4158095 and select - Get support then from the list of phones select Nokia N91 there select User guides and from the list of languages select English. Then download the
PDF. It has data about backing up and restoring (ie when to use PC suite and when no to), SW updates (goes through how to prepare for a sw update ), Themes and other TIPs. Alot of the tips from before seem to be in here. Also copying contacts to HDD has issues
with 1.xx sw on GSM only China units (from Blogs), not on WCDMA units. Note WDRM rights will not be saved with a backup-restore (MSFT rules) but usually when you buy a song you get multiple synchs so it is usually not a problems.

5) SMS accelerator : Nokia has issued an application that improves the speed of your SMS messaging. Heavy SMS users have complained about sms messaging getting sluggish over time. This fixes it and keep sms fast. Its recommended that everyone install this and
re-install this after any sw update or user reset (e.g. use of *#7370). It is available at
http://europe.nokia.com/A4158100

6) Battery Life: If you do not care about WCDMA then in tools/settings/network - switch from DUAL to GSM. Make sure your WLAN "show availability" in Tools/Connection is set to "never". Do not leave Bluetooth On unless you are using it for an accessory. Do not
set the HDD as your "memory in use" for messaging (SMS, MMS). HDD is not optimised for messaging. Avoid these fancy 3D active screen savers,

7) Profiles : I just leave the keypad tones off. It seems people in the past had issues with this so just leave them off on profiles. Also using the vibra in profiles that had a short beep as the message or ringtone caused problems with 1.xx SW

8) Messaging Memory: Do not set the HDD as your "memory in use" for messaging (SMS, MMS). In addition to reducing battery life - its slow (HDD buffering is optimized for Video, Music playback), you have to switch back to the phone memory each time you want
to use mass storage to connect to PC. In short why keep a bunch of messages on you phone anyhow?

9) Hard resets: If you get you phone into real trouble there are two resets available. Note these should be treated as a SW update (i.e. you will lose data on your phone memory so back it up). Follow the standard backup procedure for you phone before dong this
(take a look at the HDD guide TIP section). The first one is *#7370# (Code 12345), it will restore the phones memory and clean it up. If you have managed to get the phone to a state where it will not even boot up then - Press and hold simultaneously Green,
3 and * and then press simultaneously power key.

10) Gallery - When you have loaded new content via USB, after a sw update, hard resets, after removing the battery or the occasional reset the Gallery takes a while to open up (if you have alot of content it could be ~ 5-10 minutes). This is a one-off thing
so be patient let it update its database and then after that it should be alot faster. The progress bar is a barber-pole thingy that does not give a very good indication (just spins). Be patient it has not crashed or hung-up just let it finish.

11) "Out of Memory" - The Web browser is great but it does not handle its memory very well. At some point the web browser may issue an "Out of memory" message. This has nothing to do with the HDD memory but rather the RAM memory. Closing applications may help
but it seems to work best if you simply power cycle the device (clean up RAM) before using OSS. Each Sw release seems to improve this situation so its another reason to always update to the latest SW.

12) Pausing while playing a song - This happens sometimes when the file has been corrupted somewhat (during ripping, download) etc. Some songs that will play on the PC may pause on the N91. It is rare however it requires the song be ripped again.

13) "HDD unavailable" etc - In older versions of sw it was possible to get this and even with 2.xx it can happen (more rare). Make sure the battery cover is on fully (and its magnet is not damaged - check the little box in the battery cover with a paper clip
for the magnet). Make sure USB cable is not connected. Make sure you are not running any applications that are using the HDD. Sometimes 3rd party apps it seems have been found to leave a file open on the HDD even when closed and then this can happen - you
may have to uninstall that app. Some apps screw up there databases and it look slike a HDD issue. Finally if none of this works then you may have to do a HDD format, or a SW update/refresh or hard reset to clean out any offending applications.

14) Gallery cant see data, content missing - PC suite can cause this if you were using this for content (PC suite looks like it finished the transfer but you have to look at the correct window in PC suit for progress..another reason why it should not be used
for content management). In some cases you need to reload the sw or hard reset.

15) Common sense and INFO - Some common sense things - do not disconnect USB cable in the middle of a transfer (disconnect properly). Dont try and pop the battery out while accessing the HDD. The HDD can survive drops (in testing dropped >300 times) but if
you are determined to abuse the N91 something will break eventually. N91-1 (WCDMA device Silver with light blue for Europe, Dark grey for APAC). N91-5 (GSM for APAC - Silver with light blue), N91 (GSM for China Silver with dark grey). RM43 is a type number
for WCDMA units, RM158 is the type number for GSM only units. Yes its a 3G device (with no front facing camera), you can do video calls but it requires some flipping back and forth...the device was not optimised for Video calls (its focus was/is music!). It
has WLAN. It takes about 60 sec to boot up. It supports many different video codecs etc (go to N91 FAQ and type in video) etc. Read you users Guide and also check: Support (FAQ etc):
http://europe.nokia.com/A4158095 , Support (UK):
http://www.nokia.co.uk/nokia/0...861,00.html, Tech discussion board at Nokia (type in N91 in search and sort by latest date etc) : http://discussions.nokia.co.uk....id=swupdate and
finally the N91 page
http://www.nokia.com/nseries/i...product,n91.

Thats about it so use these and the stuff they point to and almost all your questions and worries will be solved

===============

cheers Music101

 

PC Building Simulator: A tool for building your own computer.

PC Building Simulator on Steam

Keep an eye on this promising app. Preview available now. Final around the beginning of the year.

* Moved from Insider

 

Paul Thurrott was working on a similar project, https://www.thurrott.com/hardware/77...ct-little-woku Long ago and far away I built a full sized HTPC. I had the same experience Paul had. It never really met my expectations. The remotes (I tried several) always came up short. There was, however a fix for the remote problems. Girder from Promixis Promixis Home Automation Solutions was able to interpret the keyboard codes from the remote so they would match the app that was running. This solved a lot of compatibility problems. The problem today, is that it is so bloody expensive. I think there was a free version at one time. I guess if you are setting up a $100,000 home theatre you can justify the cost but for my living room, not a chance.

Another site that might be useful TheGreenButton

The only thing that really worked was Media Center but that is now dead and gone.

I really think the best solution is Miracast or Chromecast.

Good Luck. Have fun.

 

Darn... Have you seen a motion control remote that has the accuracy of the Wii remote? I'd use one, but it doesn't have a lot of buttons.

 

I've found the devices from Gyration Gyration Air Mouse Computer Input Devices are high quality and work well. You might look at their products.

 

I was hoping for something that had a few media control buttons (like play/pause, ff, rw) though. I might as well just get a Wii remote with it's laser-pointer accuracy. There seems to be literally no other controller that uses that system.

 

Understood - The one Paul Thurrott recommended looked promising (you might check his review again), but I don't think he was satisfied with it's performance.

 

Sadly it doesn't seem Windows 10 is gamepad-friendly at all. I think I'd just go with a Wii remote. Maybe a third party one with decals on the buttons so it's not mistaken for one of the Wii U's controllers.

That answers question 2 and makes a yes for 1 plausible, but I still have the other questions.

1. Can I use Windows 10's Tablet mode with a tweaked start menu as the interface? Would most apps respect it fine?
2. Will everything work with a standard remote? What remote can I use? If needed, is there one that emulates the laser-pointer accuracy of a Wii Remote, but with proper media controls?
3. What would be the best Bluray software? Preferably one that at least tries to match Windows 10's aesthetic?
4. Can I use Windows Store apps for streaming and media when possible? I'd like to avoid relying on the browser or all-in-one media apps that jarringly kick you out for the few tasks they can't handle.
5. for playing back media on personal usb drives/sd cards/disks, should I just use File Explorer or is there and alternative file explorer that can be tweaked for a more seamless experience?
6. Is it possible to lock it down somewhat so it can be used but people don't have alteration access to it? I suppose I'd have to check each individual app (like Steam or PSNow) to ensure they don't have dangerous access like purchasing, but at the bare minimum can I secure the interface so someone with a lead thumb doesn't delete or break anything?

 

Response embedded in the list of questions.