Author Topic: Share your HTPC Setup (Read 345046 times)

zerone_null · « **Reply #300 on:** May 06, 2004 at 08:54 AM »

thanks

yup i just used svideo wire runs inside and exits from back,,then plugs into svideo

jpadua · « **Reply #301 on:** May 06, 2004 at 09:51 AM »

Zerone, thats cool, how much did you get that LCD? I wanted to mod my case before exactly the same way.

By the way, you've got a kick ass HDTV right there man! HAYOP.. thats my dream TV.

zerone_null · « **Reply #302 on:** May 06, 2004 at 11:32 AM »

thankx bro,

oh the LCD i got for about P5600 from downtown chinese vendors

the HDTV yeah pretty sweet.. but i think i'll be on "thrift mode" again for a couple of months muna. :'(

getafix · « **Reply #303 on:** May 07, 2004 at 05:07 PM »

medyo OT...

jpadua - saw your site... where did you get your lcd display... the one mentioned in the guides section? and how much did the display set you back?

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #304 on:** May 08, 2004 at 12:00 AM »

Here are latest addition on my HTPC Winfast TV & the Character LCD display.

jpadua · « **Reply #305 on:** May 08, 2004 at 08:49 AM »

Quote from: getafix on May 07, 2004 at 05:07 PM

medyo OT...

jpadua - saw your site... where did you get your lcd display... the one mentioned in the guides section? and how much did the display set you back?

I got it from a company called Rastek, their office is in makati herrera corner valero, in front of starbucks (not chatham house) I forgot the floor, you could just ask the guard. They have 16x2 and 20x4 LCD displays. The 16x2 is about 1000 bucks while the 20x4 is about 2000, I'm not sure if they changed their prices though.

I forgot their website URL... do a search on pinoypc.com thats where I found them

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #306 on:** May 08, 2004 at 11:18 AM »

Boss Rasteq is not selling anymore LCD eh. more on project kits na sila.
If Anyone interested with Character LCD display i Can sell you one but a little expensive din eh I have 2x16 & 4x20 . Just PM me if want to know the price.

jpadua · « **Reply #307 on:** May 08, 2004 at 11:44 AM »

Quote from: Meridian-Audio on May 08, 2004 at 11:18 AM

Boss Rasteq is not selling anymore LCD eh. more on project kits na sila.
If Anyone interested with Character LCD display i Can sell you one but a little expensive din eh I have 2x16 & 4x20 . Just PM me if want to know the price.

ahh ganun ba? hehe, sabagay I bought my LCD from them almost a yr ago

zerone_null · « **Reply #308 on:** May 08, 2004 at 01:15 PM »

there are non-lit lcds in electronics shops... about P250~P350 lang.. 4x20 same setup sa guide nya

pretty nice.. if mahal na talaga price for just an 80-character lcd kit.. just buy a cheapo colored LCD tvs like i did.. and hook it up to your tv-out. best bang for buck option..

bote · « **Reply #309 on:** May 28, 2004 at 07:36 AM »

Hi Jpadua. How are you?

I have a few questions about my video card if I may. I bought radeon 9600 se from sapphire and audigy ls sound card. My problem is when I installed Need for speed underground, the video is garbled as in many lines appear when I am playing. And the ati driver from time to time does not work saying the ati control panel did not initialize. I had to reinstall it each time it happened. Would you please help me to find out what's wrong?

My cpu is athlon 2000xp 256 ram just in case you need to know. Another one is I can't see any difference between my old inno 3d 440 geforce and the radeon. Could it be my setting? Now it is 1024x768 at 85 refresh. They look just the same for me.

Thank you very much for the time.

Eddie

jpadua · « **Reply #310 on:** May 28, 2004 at 08:57 AM »

Quote from: bote on May 28, 2004 at 07:36 AM

Hi Jpadua. How are you?

I have a few questions about my video card if I may. I bought radeon 9600 se from sapphire and audigy ls sound card. My problem is when I installed Need for speed underground, the video is garbled as in many lines appear when I am playing. And the ati driver from time to time does not work saying the ati control panel did not initialize. I had to reinstall it each time it happened. Would you please help me to find out what's wrong?

My cpu is athlon 2000xp 256 ram just in case you need to know. Another one is I can't see any difference between my old inno 3d 440 geforce and the radeon. Could it be my setting? Now it is 1024x768 at 85 refresh. They look just the same for me.

Thank you very much for the time.

Eddie

hmm, I cant really say much about the SE version, atually its not recommended by most, but anyway since you have it already, its still a good card for video. The colors are supposed to be better especially when viewing DVDs. You can also use interlaced resolutions if you are using an HDTV. If you are using a monitor, you might see a slight difference lang. ATI really shines when connected to an HDTV.

about your garbled video, what drivers are you using? have you downloaded the latest drivers?
Catalyst 4.50 is already out you can get that from the ATI website.

bote · « **Reply #311 on:** May 29, 2004 at 01:26 AM »

Thanks Jay. I am using it with my epson projector. I found out that the lines would disappear on dvd playback if I raised the refresh to 85 from 60. But with gaming, the lines remained. But I couldn't really see much difference with regards to dvd playback as against the inno 3d geforce. I pulled it out and plugged the inno in again to test and I still can 't say there is much difference. I have not downloaded catalyst yet. I am using what was included with the card. What could be the refresh for the game? My projector would only accept up to 85.

Hope you could still come up with a suggestion. Thanks again for the time.

Eddie

jpadua · « **Reply #312 on:** Jun 05, 2004 at 09:45 AM »

hmm what resolution are you using for the game? every resolution set in the video settings has a certain refresh rate, what resolution are you using for DVD?... is your game and DVD set to the same resolution?

bote · « **Reply #313 on:** Jun 06, 2004 at 03:15 AM »

Thanks for the reply Jay. I've tried many resolutions and used them on both the game and dvd playback. But now I fixed it at 1024x768 at 85 hz. Lowering the refresh to 60 at that res causes flickering too on dvd playback. I tried other games too and they also flicker. I would like to plug in my Nvidia and see what happens. But that's for later as I am starting to see a little differnce now with the radeon for dvd.

Ed

jpadua · « **Reply #314 on:** Jul 03, 2004 at 10:23 AM »

Hi Ed, ano na balita sa setup mo? have you got it running already?

yukon · « **Reply #315 on:** Jul 03, 2004 at 05:37 PM »

jp, what do you think is the best HTPC player, PowerDVD or WinDVD?... what are you using right now?... are there any players that we can get for free?... Ang PowerDVD ko kasi (repackaged as AsusDVD XP) nag-due for registration na, so am now down to 2-channel with the S/PDIF connection to my receiver.

bote · « **Reply #316 on:** Jul 04, 2004 at 01:34 AM »

Hi Jay. Yes it is but still only with dvds. Can't play any games yet. I was hoping you would think of any solutions. Thanks.

bote · « **Reply #317 on:** Jul 04, 2004 at 01:34 AM »

Hi Jay. Yes it is but still only with dvds. Can't play any games yet. I was hoping you would think of any solutions. Thanks.

andaleon · « **Reply #318 on:** Jul 04, 2004 at 03:31 AM »

Hey guys, don't mind kung sali ako sa discussion ninyo.

I'm just discovered this group PinoyDVD. I was born and raised sa Pinas pero ngayon ay medyo inuulan ng yelo sa Chicago pag winter.

I have made several posts in the "Audio-setting up" portion of the Forum.

I agree with the experts, like jpadua , of this column. A HTPC can be built that will beat even the best DVD players in the market. They can be amde to sound that will blow away some jaded audiophiles.

This is especially true if you are using a LCD. DLP.Plasma display with a DVI input. Keep the video digital until it hits your eye.

The HTPC I built has the following.

1.) Cooler Master Wave Case
2.) Asus P4C800-E Motherboard--875 Chipset, 800 FSB
3.) Pentium 4 Canterwood 3.2GHz
4.) 1 GB DDR-400 RAM
5.) ATI Radeon Pro 9800 128MB AGP Video Card
6.) M-Audio Revolution 7.1 Sound Card
7.) Dvico Fusion HDTV Gold Tuner Card- ATSC and QAM
8.) Extra IDE Controller Card
9.) Two 160GB (Each) Seagate S-ATA drives
10.) Two 250GB (Each) Seaget ATA-133 dirves
11.) Two 120GB (Each) Maxtor Gold ATA-133 drives
12.) Monarchy Audio Digital Interface Processor to clean up the SPDIF output of the Sound Card and reduces jitter error.

Why this much storage? I record and archive HD files and I actually run out quickly, until I edit my recorded files.

I addition to the usual PC stuff, software include:

1.) Theatertek
2.) Powerstrip
3.) DVHS Tools

jpadua · « **Reply #319 on:** Jul 05, 2004 at 09:40 AM »

Hi Andaleon, welcome to PinoyDVD.

You have one kick ass HTPC setup bro. Lucky for you, you have access to most if not all HTPC specific hardware there in Chicago... around here I really have to look hard, and kung wala talaga, order it from another country.

I have upgraded my setup as well so, just to give you an idea of what i'm running now.

1.) Arisetec Accent HT-400(S)HTPC case
2.) Enermax 350w PSU (might upgrade to Silverstone 400w 120mm fan PSU)
3.) MSI K7N2 Delta - ILSR Nforce2 Ultra 400
4.) Athlon XP 2500, OC' to 3200 @ 200fsb
5.) Artic VGA Silencer (to come in a few days)
6.) Gigabyte 3D Pro Cooler, 4-way Heatpipe CPU cooler.
7.) 512MB DDR-400 RAM Apacer
8.) ATI Radeon 9600XT 256MB AGP Video Card
9.) Nforce2 MCP-T Soundstorm AC-3 Digital Encoder (sometimes I use my M-audio card)
10.) Pixelview Play TV 7000 Hardware MPEG-2 Encoder w TV Tuner

As for my hard drives, I have (2)40GB and (1)60GB, I'll be getting S-Ata drives next so I can store lots of video.

Software wise currently using.

Zoomplayer
WinDVD Codecs
Powerstrip
Showshifter
SageTV 2 (will upgrade to)

Andelion hope to see you posting a lot here soon! (hold on... kaw ba si DocVenson?)

jp

jpadua · « **Reply #320 on:** Jul 05, 2004 at 10:22 AM »

Quote from: yukon on Jul 03, 2004 at 05:37 PM

jp, what do you think is the best HTPC player, PowerDVD or WinDVD?... what are you using right now?... are there any players that we can get for free?... Ang PowerDVD ko kasi (repackaged as AsusDVD XP) nag-due for registration na, so am now down to 2-channel with the S/PDIF connection to my receiver.

Hi Yukon, actually there are several depending on what you need.

If your connection to your Audio video reciever is via spdif, I would recommend, sonic decoders.

Players that use sonic decoders are:
Sonic Cineplayer
TheaterTek DVD

If you are using an analog soundcard, 5.1 6.1 or 7.1 (you are connected directly to powered speakers or are using a direct analog conneciton)
WinDVD Platinum with Audio Pack.

What I'm currently using is WinDVD Platinum.

andaleon · « **Reply #321 on:** Jul 05, 2004 at 11:52 AM »

My HTPC is my HD Tivo.

I posted this in the Audio Forum but I think this is the proper venue for this.

--------------------------------------------------

THIS IS MY COLLECTION OF HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO FILES (Playable via a powerful Home Theater Computer-or can be trasferred to D-VHS).

Be cautioned though- these eats up Hard Drive space like Pacman on Steriods!

Here is a sample of my collection:

PBS/Discovery-HD/Documentaries:

Discovery Channel - Alien Insect - Praying Mantis
Discovery Channel - Extreme Hawaii
Discovery Channel - Sacred India
Smart Travels - Paris

Sporting Events:

NBA playoff 2000 clips (San Antonio vs. Dallas)
NCAA basketball finals 2000 clips, Arizona vs. Duke
NCAA Basketball finals 2003, Syracuse vs. Kansas
NFL Superbowl 2002 - Raiders vs. Buccaneers
NFL Superbowl 2002 halftime show (Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting)
NFL Superbowl XXXVIII 2003-2004 Season - Patriots vs. Panthers
Olympics: Womens Figure Skating Long Program
Olympics: Womens Figure Skating Short Program
Olympics: Opening Ceremony
Olympics: Closing Ceremony

Music/Concerts

Academy Awards 2003
Academy Awards 2004 (Billy Crystal host)
Britney Spears - In The Zone (November 2003 broadcast)
Grammy's 2003
Grammy's 2004

Specials / Miscellaneous/HDNET

Bikini Destinations - Acapulco
Bikini Destinations - Best Of
Bikini Destinations Bahamas
Bikini Destinations - California Dreamin'
Bikini Destinations - French Riviera
Bikini Destinations - Hawaii
Bikini Destinations - Las Vegas
Bikini Destinations - Lima, Peru
Bikini Destinations - On Location in Lake Powell
Bikini Destinations - South Beach
Bikini Destinations - Spring Break Cancun
Bikini Destinations - Venus Swimwear Calendar Shoot (Join top bikini models as they set sail on a series of adventures to exotic locales. Follow aspiring swimsuit models during the annual Venus Swimwear Calendar Shoot. )
Dallas Maverick Cheerleaders
HDNET: Over America
HDNET: Over Chicago
HDNET: Philadelphia
HDNET Wild Hawaii
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Tonight Show Musical Guests & Interviews

2-28-02 Grammy's red carpet interview
2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model
311 - Love Song
Alicia Keys
Allison Krause & Emmylou Harris
Allison Krause & Union Station
Alyssa Milano interview
Angelina Jolie interview for Tombraider 2
Anna Nicole Smith Interview
Annie Lennox - Into The West
Ashanti
Beyonce Knowles Interview
Beyonce Knowles - Fever
Blue Man Group w/Venus Hum - I Feel Love
Blue Man Group w/Gavin Rossdale - The Current
Britney Spears Interview
Britney Spears - Me Against The Music
Cameron Diaz Interview
Catherine Zeta Jones Interview
Celine Dion - Have You Ever Been In Love
Celine Dion
Charlize Theron Interview
Charlotte Church
Cirque du Soleil-The Water Bowl
Cirque du Soleil
Clay Aiken
Crosby, Stills, & Nash (1st episode back after WTC terrorist attack)
Dave Matthews
Diana Krall- Narrow Daylight
Depeche Mode
Dido
Elton John
Elton John & Billy Joel (two songs)
Elton John - Circle of Life
Enrique Iglesias - Hero
Enrique Iglesias - Escape
Enya
Fleetwood Mac - Peacekeeper
Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will
Jennifer Aniston interview (Bruce Almighty)
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson - Take My Breath Away
Jewel - Standing Still
Jewel - Break Me
Jewel - Intuition
Jewel - Stand
Joe Cocker
Josh Grobin
Josh Stone
Julia Roberts
KD Lang and Tony Bennett
Kylie Minogue
Lee Ann Rhymes
Mandy Moore - I've Got a Crush On You
Mandy Moore
Marc Anthony - English song
Marc Anthony - Spanish song
Michelle Branch - All I Wanted Acoustic
Michelle Branch - Goodbye To You
Natalie Imbruglia
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado - Powerless
Nicole Richie-Interview
Norah Jones - Don't Know Why
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Norah Jones - Sunrise
Pamela Anderson interview
Passion of Christ, The Choir
Phil Collins - No Way Out
Prince
Rebecca Romijin-Stamos Interview - The Punisher
Ricky Martin & Christina Aguilera
Shakira - Whenever, Wherever
Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes
Spring Break 2004
Tori Amos
Tori Amos - Taxi Ride
Tori Amos - Winter
Ramdy Travis
U2
Vanessa Carlton - 1000 Miles
Wilson Philiips
ZZ Top

Anthony Andaleon

bayonic · « **Reply #322 on:** Jul 05, 2004 at 12:01 PM »

Quote from: andaleon on Jul 05, 2004 at 11:52 AM

My HTPC is my HD Tivo.

I posted this in the Audio Forum but I think this is the proper venue for this.

--------------------------------------------------

THIS IS MY COLLECTION OF HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO FILES (Playable via a powerful Home Theater Computer-or can be trasferred to D-VHS).

Be cautioned though- these eats up Hard Drive space like Pacman on Steriods!

hi, that's some collection you have there .... just wondering where can i get some of these on D-VHS...

i'm planning of getting the JVC 40000 ... i need sources aside from the D Theatre tapes to justify the purchase ...

tia

andaleon · « **Reply #323 on:** Jul 05, 2004 at 09:21 PM »

Bayonic,

Tansferring to D-VHS is a time consuming process. It's done in real time. It is more efficient doing it via hard drives.

Caution though, HD transport streams are memory hogs. You can only fit five minutes of HD in a CD-ROM.

Everyone,

Has there been any Pinoy show or concert shot in HD?

Any plans to start broadcasting HD in Manila?

Is the use of HDTV sets getting common?

Anthony

Here is what my HTPC feeds:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vhome&1085349192&read&3&4&

Some other pictures:

Room darkened to pick up the image on the screen.

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #324 on:** Jul 07, 2004 at 10:03 AM »

wow! what a set up.. Hehehe! you are using eggleston work speakers huh!!
Any way here's my new HTPC hardware.
I am currently using the Shuttle XPC 61G2 water cooled small sff PC with pentim 4 2.0 processor,NVdia FX 5200 128mb/128 bit,512mb ddr400, Sony DVD rom,80 gig hard drive,Leadtek winfast T.V. tuner & hook it up on NEC XG-135 LC CRT projector,& some yamaha receiver amp.

Software:

MyHTPC front end
J River Media Center
Powerstrip
WinDVD Platinum
Power DVD

jpadua · « **Reply #325 on:** Jul 07, 2004 at 10:23 AM »

Meridian, nice!!! ok dumadami na ang HTPC cult natin sa pdvd! heheheh

andaleon · « **Reply #326 on:** Jul 07, 2004 at 11:11 AM »

My HD Movie Listing:

NOT DVD- Full HD, NOT 480p but 1080i/720P

Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible 2
Monsters Ball
Monsters Inc
Moulin Rouge
Patriot, The
Professional (Leon), The
Pulp Fiction
Queen of the Damned
Raiders of the Lost Arc
Resident Evil
Road to Perdition
Rock, The - OAR
Saving Private Ryan
Shanghai Nights
Showtime
Shrek
Silence Of The Lambs
Spiderman
Star Trek - The Voyage Home
Star Trek - The Wrath of Khan
Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones
Starship Troopers
Stuart Little 2
Swordfish
Terminator 3
Thelma and Louise
Titanic
Toy Story 2
Unfaithful
Vertical Limit
What About Bob
What Women Want
Wild Side
Wild Things
Wrong turn
X-Men
X-Men 2
XXX

New additions

Ginger Snaps
Princess Bride
Okinawa's Coral Treasures
The Gift
Final Destination
There's Something About Mary
Frequency
Anna And The King
Predator
Stir of Echoes
Kill Bill Vol 1
Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #327 on:** Jul 08, 2004 at 12:50 AM »

jp,
Heheh.. Actually I was an HTPC user since 2001 coz I am connected to Listening in Style & video is my specialty since 1997. Pero d kmi nag concentrate gaano sa HTPC dhil marami kaming hawak na video scalers. Pero ako more on HTPC talaga.. Kaya kudos to all HTPC users...

Kaya if u have some questions also about any video matters dont hesitate to pm me.. more power to pdvd members..

I also design hometheater acoustics & offer audio & Video calibration.

andaleon · « **Reply #328 on:** Jul 08, 2004 at 02:53 AM »

Meridian-Audio,

By your call sign, I presume you use a lot of Meridian gear.

I used to have a 508-24 CD player.

Anthony

number1 · « **Reply #329 on:** Jul 08, 2004 at 03:57 PM »

anthony,
On the average, how much storage space do each movie(s) consume?