How To Watch Streaming Live TV via XBMC on Your Windows

You can cancel your cable after you’ve read rest of the guide. This is for real, just recently released XBMC add-ons called SuperTV enables you to watch/streaming LIVE TV channels from tons popular TV channels in US and Europe.

First, if you don’t know what’s XBMC is, you better check out this awesome piece of software. It’s a home media center that can be run on almost any platform that you can think of, fully support on any PC, Mac, Linux, Apple TV, game consoles (Xbox).

Launch XBMC, go to System > Settings >  Add-ons > Install from zip file

Navigate to the location where you previously downloaded. Install SuperTV-1.105.5.zip (you should always download and install the latest version whenever available)

Once you have installed, navigate back to the main menu. Go to Programs

Launch SuperTV.

Now all the channels around the world are on your finger tip. I’ve personally tested some of the channels within United States, shows like ABC, CBS, FOX and ESPN all seems to be fully working at the moment of writing this post.

There you have it, there are over hundreds channel you can choose from, some might work some might now. But hey, if you are just for some live news or sports shows this is the perfect tool you need for your living room. Plus if you have an second generation jailbroken Apple TV, you can watch this on your big TV at your living room instead.

There is a fix for that if your video stopped playing/steaming after 60 seconds. You need to replace this DLL file at the following location

Program Files/XBMC/system/players/dvdplayer/librtmp.dll

if you need to update your XBMC in the future make sure this DLL file gets properly updated as well.

You can download and update libRTMP here. (PC) For all other platforms go visit this wiki page

How To Stream Live TV To Your XBMC

Not so long ago, XBMC added a live TV option. The catch: it depended on you having a TV tuner card on your media centre computer, and a way to get a signal. This could mean using an antenna for free, over the air TV – or it could mean paying for a cable subscription.

But what if you live in an area with bad reception, and don’t want to pay for cable? You’re not out of luck. You have several options for getting live, streaming television on XBMC, and we’ve outlined the best ones below. Whether you’re hoping to watch the World Cup or relax with some sitcoms, we’ve got you covered.

Not sure how to get started with XBMC? Check out our complete guide to XBMC .

We’ve shown you how FilmOn can let you watch live TV online, for free. Now there’s an XBMC add-on that makes this even better. FTV Guide gives you an EPG for browsing, and watching, what’s on FilmOn (and a few other places) right now.

The British channels show up first, but if you keep scrolling you’ll also find US channels – not to mention a few from Ireland, France and the Middle East. You can remove channels you’d rather not see, and customize the order everything shows up in. For example, I moved my favorite local channel to the top as the mountains interfere with TV reception. Streams are frequently HD, though this varies from channel to channel.

You’ll need a few other add-ons installed for FTV Guide to work. These are:

• FTV. which provides access to FilmOn channels. Geoblocking is mysteriously unsupported, meaning you can watch every channel – not just those from your own country. Annoying, right?
• TVCatchup. a UK-only service for watching TV online.
• USTVNow. a subscription service intended for US peoples living abroad.
• SportsDevil. an XBMC extension for watching sports and other live television from a variety of sites.

This forum post provides a list of currently supported channels, and which plugin powers them.

Another EPG setup for XBMC, On-Tapp.tv also uses a variety of sources to provide TV broadcasts from around the world. FTV is supported, as are a number of other XBMC addons, though you’ll need to add many of the stations yourself by pointing to the proper stream.

TV listings aren’t free, and the makers of OnTapp aren’t willing to steal them. As such, using this add-on isn’t free: you’ll need to pay for a subscription. This isn’t for the streaming itself: just the listings. Streaming comes from other add-ons, including the ones listed above.

If OnTapp looks similar to FTV Guide, that’s not a coincidence: FTV Guide was made as a response to OnTapp requiring a subscription. Of course, the subscription means the listings work consistently – something that can be inconsistent with FTV Guide.

MashUp for XBMC tries to be the ultimate XBMC add-on, combining a wide variety of video sources. You’ll find various sources for TV shows, movies and more than a few lists of live streams.

The streams offered can be confusing to browse, and vary in quality. Most of these streams are unauthorized, and not all of them work. You also can’t expect live TV listings. Still, if there’s only a couple of channels you want, you might find them here – but be aware of the legal implications in your jurisdiction.

Are you mostly just interested in watching the news? We’ve shown you how to watch the news using XBMC. and World News Live is the best way to watch live news stations.

You’ll find a few stations including BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera English.

IPTV is a protocol used in some Eastern European countries to provide live TV services. If you live in such a country, consider using Simple ITV Client. With it you’ll be able to browse stations using XBMC’s built-in live TV functionality.

There are a few more add-ons worth mentioning here.

• iPlayer for XBMC lets you watch BBC stations live, if you’re in the UK.
• SportsDevil. mentioned above, provides live sports from a variety of (legally questionable) sites.
• Addons like NHL Gamecenter for XBMC give you access to legal streams, if you have a subscription. Search for your sport of choice, there might be a legitimate option.

Do you know of any other ways to watch live, streaming TV using XBMC? Let your fellow readers know in the comments below, okay?

Xbmc live

by tomek on January 28, 2015

FireCore  has surprisingly released a new version of aTV Flash for Apple TV 1 making it an “all-new platform for running the latest XBMC version 13.2 (Gotham)”. It includes support for the latest video add-ons, 1080p video, and more.

by Roshan on August 22, 2014

The final version of XBMC 13 Gotham  (and in fact the final version of XBMC  itself), is now available and ready to sneak into your Apple TV 2 . XBMC 13.2 Gotham will be the last update of the popular software to bear the iconic name, as the team confirmed that all future updates will be known by the new name Kodi Entertainment Center .

Best Live TV IPTV AddOns for Kodi XBMC 2015

By MJD. Jul 29, 2015

I thought I would make a post to show all the live TV add-ons for people that visit the site. I have a lot of single posts which you can view but rather than making you trawl through my site to find the add-ons I thought it would be better to put them all on one page to make it easier for you.

As a Kodi user I advise using a VPN: Offers a virtual firewall, unblocks sources and more and you get 25% off by using BLOG25 as a checkout discount

RUYA - This is a paid add-on (the only paid add-on you will find on my site). If you are looking for a reliable IPTV service I can guarantee you will not be disappointed with this. It has lots of live TV channels with most in HD and all the sports channels you could need. Contact them via Twitter for details. As well as Kodi they also have an Android apk, Enigma 2 plugin and Mag portal. I do get a free account for sharing this.

BBC iPlayer - All the BBC channels live. This does require you to be in the UK or have a UK VPN.

Stalker TV - Stalker clone.

BBTS - You may have used the IPTV list from BBTS in the past. He now has an add-on with various sports and international channels.

cCloudTV - This add-on has a huge list of channels from around the world. Definitely something you will be able to get a lot of favourites from to add to your favourite TV guide add-on

GenieTV - Look in Streams > GenieTV Scraped Live TV for the live TV to choose from

Project Cypher - Project Cypher is back up and running. Not a huge amount of channels available at the moment but Sky Sports and Movies are available

Channel PEAR - A new add-on for Kodi (June 2015) but looks very nice. Has some great streams and is something you should check out.

Chicago List - Lots of Spanish live TV channels

Daffys IPTV & VOD - A relatively new IPTV add-on but looks like a good one, definitely something worth trying.

DexterTV - At the time of writing this is the best IPTV/Live TV add-on available. A must have add-on

DIJ Entertainments - This add-on has definitely improved since I last tried it. It currently has very good SD links to Sky Sports & Sky Movies. It also has links to a variety of other content including: Fitness Videos, WWE Videos, CCTV Cameras, Movie Boxsets, TV Shows, Kids Movies, HD & SD UK TV and more. This really is a great little add-on to have in your collection.

Dutch Cloud TV - Whilst this add-on is geared towards Dutch users with lots of Dutch speaking content there are also links to other live TV channles from U.S. Italy and Spain. You might find a few surprises in there if you take some time to check all the channels.

F.T.V - Loads of channels for your viewing pleasure. Lot's of UK channels which aren't geo-targeted so you can watch them without a VPN.

.F.U.B.A.R. - This is a great add-on. Lots of choice in the IPTV section to watch lots of live channels (Svenska TV Kanaler)

FreeTuga - This add-on has a wealth of live channels from Spain and Portugal amongst others. Also offers live sports.

Halow Live - This is a great little add-on and the dev is always on top of things making sure the streams are working and adding new streams as he finds them. It has lots of sport as well as channels from many different countries.

IsraeLIVE - This add-on has lots of UK, US & Israeli TV channels as well as others from around the world.

iStream - A very popular add-on. Launch it and select the Live TV link and you can spend your day surfing through all the channels it has available. Lots of terrestrial & satellite channels available. Sport channels too.

ITV - All the ITV channels live. Requires UK VPN/Proxy

Lihat IPTV - A great add-on with lots of channels to choose from.

Navi-X - One of the oldest and most well known add-ons this has too much stuff to list. But rather than having a link in the add-on that goes directly to live TV you can search for the channel you are wanting to watch.

Operation Robocop - A nice IPTV add-on with a huge selection of channels to choose from

Phoenix - Woody is back and can be found in the Phoenix TV section. Staael also updates his live channels all the time and always has a good stream if you like watching your football, One242415 has lots of international live streams and Crusader88 has more international channels than you can shake a stick at. Plus there's loads of other stuff there too. Rockcrusher has lots of TV & Movies to choose from and updates his lists all the time

Renegades TV - This add-on allows you to use an EPG to which you can link preset add-ons. This is regularly updated and well worth looking at.

SportsDevil - Doesn't need any introduction. It's sports channels.

Stream Engine - An add-on with links to live Sports channels and other stuff too.

UK Turks Live Streams - An add-on with plenty of live UK Sports and TV channels.

Zem TV - Lots of Pakistan and India live TV.

Best Movie add-ons for Kodi - This is a new page and I will be updating it with all the best movie add-ons that come to Kodi. Hopefully we will see a lot of new add-ons in 2016 as the Kodi community grows.

Check out my other Kodi posts; you'll find plenty to improve your Kodi experience

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XBMC uPnP Streaming Guide

Want to stream your XBMC content to other devices in your house, including video game systems, Android + iOS devices, Mac + Windows PCs? This is the guide for you!

UPnP stands for Universal Plug and Play and is a set of standards that helps networked devices (just like the ones in your home) find each other and communicate. We’re going to use it here to allow XBMC to share its local media libraries with a bunch of devices on your home network. Your network can be either wired or wireless, it doesn’t make a difference.

Unfortunately I only have an Android and a Windows 7 device to test this on, but Wikipedia tells me there are plenty of apps for iOS. Mac OSX  and Linux  that can act as UPnP clients. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 also both have UPnP capabilities but I don’t have either of them to test on.

• XBMC Eden RC2 running in Windows 7 (will work on anything from XBMC Dharma 10.0 and up): Download
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich (will work on any Android device)
• Windows 7 PC, Windows Media Player 12

• First we have to configure XBMC. From the main menu go to Settings -> Network -> Services. Depending on what skin you’re using, your screen may look different from mine:
• You need to turn on the following items:
  • “Share video and music libraries through UPnP”
  • “Allow control of XBMC via UPnP”
  • “Allow programs on this system to control XBMC”
  • “Allow programs on other systems to control XBMC”
• I have HTTP control set up as well, but that’s only for controlling XBMC via a browser and will not be covered in this guide. You do NOT need to turn on “Allow control of XBMC via HTTP”.
• That’s it for the server. I should note that this guide assumes you have some music and video libraries set up to share with your other devices.

• Go to the Android market and download Bubble UPnP. If you intend to stream your video library, you will need a video player. I recommend BSPlayer Lite. but most video apps should work.
• After installing BubbleUPnP it will ask you to set up a server. Feel free to skip this step, it’s an optional feature that’s part of Bubble UPnP.  You can look into it deeper if you wish.
• Make sure that your wifi is turned on and connected to the same network as your XBMC server. Go to the devices tab in BubbleUPnP. Under “Select Library” you should see your XBMC device there, and you may see some other devices on the network. Select the XBMC server from the list.
• Under “Select Renderer” be sure that “local renderer” is chosen. The local renderer is your Android device. You can also use this app as a remote of sorts to play music from your XBMC library on some other device that shows up in the “select renderer” list. This could be a PC that has it enabled or perhaps another XBMC device in the same house.
• If you go to the library tab, you will now see your music and video libraries. You can browse through them to play whatever you wish. It can sometimes take a second or two to load the entire library, so be patient.
• In my experience, HD video playback can be a bit choppy if your Android device isn’t powerful enough. Most devices released in the last year should be able to handle it. My Touchpad running ICS works beautifully but my original DroidX stutters quite a bit. Music playback works wonderfully on both devices.

Xbmc live

XBMC supports most common audio, video, and image formats, playlists, audio visualizations, slideshows, weather forecasts reporting, and third-party plugins. It is network-capable (internet and LAN shares). Unlike proprietary media center applications like Windows Media Center from Microsoft. or other free-software media center applications such as MediaPortal and MythTV, XBMC Media Center does not yet include native DVR/PVR TV-recording functionality or an EPG TV-Guide interface of its own, it does however offer the possibility to integrate such functionality through third-party plugins. [11] [7] [1] [9]

Through its plugin system, which is based on the Python programming language. XBMC is expandable via add-ons that include features such as television program guides, YouTube. Veoh. online movie trailer support, and SHOUTcast /Podcast streaming. XBMC also functions as a gaming platform by allowing users to play mini-games developed with Python. on any operating system. [11] [7] [1] [18] [19] [20]

The Xbox version of XBMC also contains the ability to launch console games, and homebrew applications such as emulators. Since the XBMC for Xbox version is not distributed, endorsed, or supported by Microsoft. it means that XBMC for Xbox requires a modchip or softmod exploit to run on the Xbox game-console. [3] [10] [21] [2]

XBMC has greater basic hardware requirements than a traditional 2D software applications, this basically means that it needs 3D capable GPU graphics hardware controller for all rendering; on the other hand, powerful 3D GPU chips are common today in most modern computers. Other than that, XBMC has from the start been designed to be resource efficient and runs extremely well on what (by Intel Atom standards) are relatively underpowered OpenGL 1.3 (with GLSL support) or Direct3D (DirectX) 9.0 capable systems that are IA-32 /x86. x86-64 or PowerPC CPU based. [1] In order to allow for smooth playback of 1080p high definition content without dropping frames, an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz processor or better is required when decoding purely using the CPU. though hardware accelerated video decoding using VDPAU is supported in XBMC 9.04 (and later) under Linux on Nvidia graphics hardware. [28]

XBMC can play media from CD/DVD media using an internal DVD-ROM drive. It can also play media from an internal built-in hard disk drive and SMB/SAMBA/CIFS shares (Windows File-Sharing), or stream them over ReplayTV DVRs/PVRs. UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) shares, XBMSP (Xbox Media Stream Protocol ) shares, or stream iTunes -shares via DAAP. XBMC can also take advantage of the Xbox's Ethernet network port and a broadband Internet connection if available, using themoviedb.org or imdb.com to obtain thumbnails and reviews on movies, thetvdb.com for TV Show posters and episode plots, CDDB (via FreeDB ) for Audio-CD track-listings), and album-thumbnails via AMG. it can stream Internet-video-streams, and play Internet-radio-stations (such as SHOUTcast ). XBMC also includes the option to submit music usage statistics to Last.fm and a weather-forecast (via weather.com ). It also has music/video-playlist features, picture/image-slideshow functions, an MP3+CDG karaoke function and many audio-visualizations and screensavers. XBMC can in addition upscale/upconvert all standard-definition (480i/480p/576i/576p) resolution videos and output them to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p high-definition resolutions. [11] [1] [29]

XBMC can be used to play/view all common multimedia formats. It can decode these in software and optionally pass-through AC3 /DTS audio from movies directly to S/PDIF digital output to an external audio-amplifier /receiver for decoding. [11] [1]

The Video Library, one of the XBMC metadata databases. is a key feature of XBMC. It allows the organization of video content by information associated with the video files (eg. movies and recorded TV Shows ) themselves. This information can be obtained in various ways, like through scrapers (ie. web scraping sites like IMDb. TheMovieDB. TheTVDB. etc.), and nfo files. Automatically downloading and displaying movie posters and fan art backdrops as background wallpapers. The Library Mode view allows you to browse your video content by categories; Genre. Title, Year, Actors and Directors. [1] [9]

The second video-player 'core' for video-playback is a ported version of the open source cross-platform player, MPlayer. which today is only used as a backup player in XBMC for Xbox and not in any other versions of XBMC. MPlayer which is known for playing practically all common media-formats and XBMC for Xbox handles all codecs and containers normally supported by MPlayer, (which is all FFmpeg supported codecs and also several external ones with the help of proprietary DLL -files. [3] [7]

HTPC Guide

There is a quiet revolution underway as people are dropping their cable and satellite TV services in favor of low-cost internet streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon, Fox News and free terrestrial broadcast HDTV.  Taking back control from the Titans of TV not only saves money but also time which ultimately makes watching TV a better experience.  But don’t settle for a half-baked solution!  Most of the new services out there, such as Microsoft’s Xbox Live and Google’s Chromecast, offer internet streaming only, with no ability to receive broadcast HDTV.  Why forgo the largest source of free HDTV programming available, especially when it’s more reliable and provides better picture quality than streaming, cable or satellite TV?

This is the 21 st Century and the ability to time-shift record and skip commercials is essential to most users, as it should be.  The problem is that the DVRs provided by cable and satellite companies only function when their subscriptions are active.  Even those DVRs that can record free broadcast HDTV typically disable that feature if your subscription is not paid.  Even worse, those DVRs are closed systems, hindered by DRM copy-protection and advertising schemes and some even limit what streaming services you can receive.  Well, open-source HTPC software has made tremendous strides in recent years and now we don’t have to take it anymore!

HTPC software has advanced to the point that anyone who knows how to install and use Windows can build their own HTPC that is better than anything the Titans offer.  After extensive research, I found this beautiful, integrated solution that combines the best of internet streaming (from any service) and broadcast HDTV with full DVR features on a Windows PC optimized as a Home Theater PC.  The combination of XBMC and MediaPortal software with the SchedulesDirect EPG service is outstanding!  When installed together with the Firefox or Chrome browser, you have a truly complete solution for internet and broadcast HDTV – all integrated into a single, elegant menu system which is driven by a wireless remote control and mouse.  Plus, this system is open, highly serviceable, expandable and upgradeable.  It’s ready to adapt to whatever happens next in the ongoing TV revolution.  Meanwhile, you will have a better TV viewing experience while saving money.

The Best HTPC Solution

• The most complete and actively-developed HTPC software – XBMC and MediaPortal.
• The most complete and reliable EPG service – SchedulesDirect.
• Optimized for broadcast HDTV with DVR for use in North America.
• Windows 7 or 8 with Silverlight for the best streaming support for Netflix, Hulu, etc.
• Plugins for the most internet streaming channels, like YouTube Fox News, etc.
• Very low power and quiet operation – 50 watts typical power dissipation.
• Open system. No DRM.  Highly serviceable, expandable and upgradeable.
• Can support multiple TVs and older TVs without HDMI inputs.
• Good PC gaming and web browsing capabilities.
• Easier to build and maintain than Linux solutions.
• Lowest cost of operation (See chart below).

The XBMC Main Menu showing some DVR events for Live HDTV

It turns out that the most difficult part of building a HTPC is getting the DVR functionality with a reliable Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for the local HDTV broadcasts in your particular area, and a DVR is really useless without a good program guide.  This has been the major advantage of the Tivo service for many years.  However, there is another online EPG service for HTPC users in America named SchedulesDirect which offers excellent reliability and lower cost.  SchedulesDirect is actually the only online EPG service in America which is reliable, easy to install, low cost, legal and does not require you to buy and use a proprietary set-top-box.  The funny thing is that SchedulesDirect only supports open-source software projects like XBMC and MediaPortal.  They do not support, for example, Microsoft’s Windows Media Center because that’s not open-source software.  WMC has been a good solution for several years as it’s included with Windows 7, but Microsoft’s support for WMC has been fading recently.  Many WMC users are responding by switching to XBMC or MediaPortal, because these are open solutions with superior user interfaces and are supported by SchedulesDirect.  Most other HTPC solutions out there lack an EPG source for users in America and their websites largely ignore this problem.  They typically document EPG solutions that are only available in other countries, such as DVB EPG, or solutions that are difficult to install because they scrape EPG data from websites, such as XMLTV and WebEPG.  SchedulesDirect is by far the best solution for HTPC users in America because it does not have those problems.

The SchedulesDirect Program Guide in XBMC for Live HDTV

My HTPC solution is to use the combination of XBMC and MediaPortal with the SchedulesDirect EPG service on Windows 7 or 8.  The MediaPortal TV-Server software manages the HDTV tuners and EPG and XBMC provides a beautiful user-interface that integrates everything into a single menu system; Live TV, DVR, Internet TV, Radio, BluRay/DVD, Music, Pictures and Weather.

XBMC and MediaPortal are the most widely used HTPC solutions with SchedulesDirect support and fortunately, these projects are compatible.  They actually share a common ancestry and compliment each other really well. They are also experiencing rapid growth in users and continued active development, so they are most likely to be well supported into the future.

Finally, XBMC and MediaPortal have plugin architectures which allow their feature sets to be extended.  This is where much of the important capabilities of this software actually lies.  The complete List of Add-ons for XBMC is impressive, although not all of them have been maintained well as XBMC has evolved.  But, the availability of such a large number of plugins and their active development is what really sets XBMC apart.  This guide details the installation of many of the best plugins that have been of the most use to me.  You will certainly find more, so please leave a comment below to share what you find!

If you have time to research other HTPC solutions, by all means do so, but keep in mind that most of the solutions you will read about are actually configured for use internationally, don’t necessarily support the ATSC standard for broadcast HDTV reception in America and probably rely upon questionable sources for the EPG data needed for a quality DVR.

Some Recommended Links for Further Reading

A good first step for your HTPC project is to download and install XBMC onto any Windows PC just to give the user interface a test drive.  You can use much of XBMC even without a TV tuner installed, such as internet streaming channels and the music player.

Live HDTV in XBMC with program information displayed

There are versions of XBMC for Linux, but they require different TV server software (because MediaPortal is for Windows only) and a different streaming solution because NetFlix requires Microsoft’s Silverlight which does not run directly on Linux.  Windows is easier because it already includes most of the drivers and codecs required for HTPC and Windows is generally easier to maintain than Linux.  There are also a lot more games available for Windows.

By limiting this guide to a specific configuration on Windows, it’s much more concise and accessible.  A problem with the documentation for most HTPC solutions, including XBMC and MediaPortal, is that they support so many different hardware and software platforms that it’s really difficult to navigate if you have not built a HTPC before.  My aim with this guide is to focus on this very specific configuration designed for new users in America that combines the best of internet and broadcast HDTV technology and is easy to build.  This is simply the best solution for most new users in America.

This HTPC costs a lot less to operate than typical cable or satellite TV subscriptions and with the combination of NetFlix streaming and broadcast HDTV, we never miss seeing anything we want, even when the TV Titans go to battle.  For illustration, here is a summary of my monthly TV subscription costs, which includes my internet service.

My Monthly TV Subscription Cost

A SchedulesDirect account costs $25 annually for the EPG service.  This is the only subscription fee that is required for this HTPC solution, besides an internet service provider and I recommend NetFlix, Hulu Plus or Amazon for paid streaming services.

MediaPortal has a client part and a server part, often called the front-end and back-end, respectively.  You can run both on the same HTPC, or you can have other HTPCs that just run the client part and receive content from a shared MediaPortal TV server.  XBMC and MediaPortal are compatible projects and a popular configuration is to use only the TV-Server part of MediaPortal (to control the HDTV tuners and the EPG) and run XBMC for the client, instead of using the MediaPortal client.  This means XBMC provides the user-interface and the MediaPortal TV-Server does most of the work behind the scenes.  I use a single HTPC to run both the MediaPortal TV-Server and the XBMC client on Windows.

Some of my favorite Internet Channels with XBMC Plugins

This software can be installed on any PC, but since the DVR function requires the unit to be powered continuously it’s best to build a dedicated HTPC designed specifically for low-power operation.  This design is compact, low power and very quiet. It’s styled like component audio equipment to sit near your HDTV.  The Silverstone case features a black-anodized aluminum front with USB 3.0 sockets on the front.  The motherboard has PCI Express 2.0 and 3.0 x16 slots, which can accommodate a graphics card if you want better gaming capabilities than the HD4000 graphics, which is integrated into the Intel Core I3 processor.  However, that will probably also require increasing the capacity of the power supply and running more of the chassis fans which are built into the Silverstone case.  The integrated graphics works fine for all but the latest games and without a graphics card, the chassis fans are not even needed, so only the processor and power supply fans are required.  These are variable speed fans which only run as needed based on temperature sensors, which makes this system run extremely quiet.

I recommend using a combination of a solid state disk (SSD) and a Seagate Pipeline hard disk (HDD).   Windows and all of the rest of the software is installed on the SSD and the HDD is only used for storing recorded audio and video.  This provides fast operation while also keeping the power and noise down.  The Seagate Pipeline series drives are designed for HTPC applications with a lower rotation speed (5900 RPM) that reduces power consumption and noise.  A cheaper solution would be to eliminate the SSD and install all the software on the HDD, in which case you should use a conventional 7200 RPM HDD.