Author Topic: Share your HTPC Setup (Read 342340 times)

andaleon · « **Reply #330 on:** Jul 08, 2004 at 07:24 PM »

Number1,

Each minute is 114 MBytes.

How long is the movie?

Anthony

number1 · « **Reply #331 on:** Jul 08, 2004 at 09:07 PM »

Quote from: andaleon on Jul 08, 2004 at 07:24 PM

Number1,

Each minute is 114 MBytes.

How long is the movie?

Anthony

Wow, you must have tons of storage space for all those movies.

How are they encoded, Windows Media 9 or DIVX?

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #332 on:** Jul 09, 2004 at 12:23 AM »

Quote from: andaleon 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

Sir,

Hehehe!! I use to tweak meridian-audio gears.

Egay

andaleon · « **Reply #333 on:** Jul 09, 2004 at 12:22 PM »

Number1,

The files are raw transport stream *.ts. Windows Media 9 is a lossy compresion scheme. DiVX is worse.

I use a lot InClose removable drive. I can slide in/take out a drive at will.

The movies are actually in backed up in D-VHS.

jpadua · « **Reply #334 on:** Jul 09, 2004 at 03:48 PM »

Quote from: Meridian-Audio 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.

tamang tama, while we are on that subject. I just recently setup an HTPC and am trying to connect it via DVI... lumalabas lagi is 1280x480p and the colors are negative.
The display properties only show 1280x480 as the only selectable resolution.

To circumvent this, I have to boot into windows, using a monitor with the resolution set to 1280x720. From there I enter the display panel then turn on a second monitor (where the TV is connected.. DVI port). The RPTV displays 1280x720 with no color problems.

As long as the DVI cable is connected to the TV, the HTPC will always boot 1280x480p and with negative colors. If I leave the TV off during boot, then use the display properties to activate it. It works ok.

Any ideas?

andaleon · « **Reply #335 on:** Jul 09, 2004 at 09:37 PM »

I have seen this when I was setting up a HTPC with a Toshiba 65H83. I guess I did not heed the warning that most RPTV's DVI input is not really designed as a PC input.

The true heart of the problem is that these RPTV's don’t send an EDID to the graphics card, or if they do, it is does not specify that it is a digital display device. The DVI port is on until the Windows driver is loaded (that’s why you can see the boot logo), but since the driver doesn’t get the correct message from the monitor, it shuts off the DVI port, or do weird things like what you see.

EDID is the plug and play information that the monitor sends to the graphics card to tell the OS what monitor is plugged in.

There is a cheater device called DVI Detective (www.dvigear.com) that stores the EDID in the EPROM. You graphics card would now see a constant EDID. That one costs around $65.00.

Now, you have to decide if it is really worth it. Most RPTV's are CRT variety and hence not a true digital display. (Good or bad-it is matter of debate-like the ongoing debate between CD and Vinyl- Tube or Solid State.) The use of DVI is not going to yield any performance advantage unless you are using a pixel based display - like DLP's, LCD, LCOS, plasma.

You maybe better of using a VGA-to-Component Transcoder.

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #336 on:** Jul 10, 2004 at 12:14 AM »

jp,

anthony is right.
PC graphics card is OS or driver dependant unlike standalone DVD player with DVI output.
heres the link about EDIDhttp://www.webopedia.com/TERM/E/EDID.html

Meridian-audio

jpadua · « **Reply #337 on:** Jul 10, 2004 at 11:48 AM »

Yeah, I sorta new that... part... I was just wondering if anyone here had a workaround which didnt require me to use DVI Detective or resort to a VGA to Component Transcoder. These things arent available in the philippines. I might go with DVI detective, since I'm goin to the US in a few weeks might be easier... or better yet just get an ATI Component Dongle... hmm I'll have to check if it is compatible with a radeon 9200.

If his Tosh, had VGA input... I wouldnt have this problem

Setting up over VGA is so much simpler.

Jay

andaleon · « **Reply #338 on:** Jul 10, 2004 at 10:15 PM »

I'll go the ATI Dongle, if I were you JP.

To build a EDID emulator, you need an EEPROM programmer, some EEPROMs and build its supporting circuitry, power supply, etc. If you consider this fun and as a challenge then it's worth it.

Here is the raw EDID of the Toshiba if you need it:

00: 00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 52 62 00 01 EC CB 01 00
10: 19 0D 01 03 80 00 00 00 0E EE 91 A3 54 4C 99 26
20: 0F 50 54 20 00 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01
30: 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 1D 80 18 71 1C 16 20 58 2C
40: 25 00 00 00 00 00 00 9E 8C 0A D0 8A 20 E0 2D 10
50: 10 3E 96 00 00 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 00 FC 00 54
60: 6F 73 68 69 62 61 20 54 56 0A 20 20 00 00 00 FD
70: 00 3B 3D 1F 2E 08 00 0A 20 20 20 20 20 20 01 25

From an economic standpoint however, the "economies of scale" are against it. You'd be much better off buying a DVI Detective.

My own experience though, go analog connection to the Tosh. DVI is not worth it. Or, like what Meridian said-go for a DVD player with a DVI output.

They started selling the Samsung HD841 here in the US. It's a

1.)DVI output DVD player-and
2.).SACD player-
3.)and DVD-Audio Player-too.
4.) Retail is $180.00.

This might just save you a lot of headache.

If you are coming close to Chicago. I'd like to invite you personally to my home. PM me.

Anthony

jpadua · « **Reply #339 on:** Jul 11, 2004 at 10:13 AM »

Thanks Anthony for the tip, most likely will get the dongle since its the cheapest solution. Not as Flexible as a direct VGA connection but as long as I can get good image on his Tosh I guess it will be just fine.

I'm goin to NY for 1 week then SF... I wish we had stop to chicago... my cousin lives there, and hell yeah sure I'd love to see your Wonderful Setup! (BOW AKO SA YO).

Ive already got a list of HTPC things to buy hehehe...

1. Wireless Keyboard with good range.. maybe the liteon Airboard.
2. Maybe a matrix orbital VFD
3. a Griffin Powermate USB multipurpose controller (for my Digital recording PC)
4. Maya44 4in 4out USB soundcard (for my Digital recording PC)
5. Ati Component Dongles (notice it's plural) I'm sure a lot of people might need it here.
6. Haupaugge PVR-250
7. IR-Man If I can find one..
8. If I have enough cash left maybe an ATI X800Pro! whoa! hehe but thats sorta bordering... ummm overkill.

Anthony anything you could recommend I bring back home?

BTW ATI dongles you can only buy online right?

JP

andaleon · « **Reply #340 on:** Jul 11, 2004 at 12:17 PM »

JP,

Instead of the liteon Airboard, I highly recommend a Gyration Mouse/KYBD combo.

http://www.gyration.com/ultragt-compact.htm

It's a RF mouse that you can hold up in the air.

Philander · « **Reply #341 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 02:07 PM »

jpadua and to other masters,

I am starting to build-up HTPC... I would like to ask your suggestions for the cheapest and most ideal video card for HTPC use.
My Philips TV has VGA input, progressive capability and supports 1080i sources.

very very limited bugdet only.... I mean limited, meron kayang maganda for 2K budget, hehehheheh...

Thanks in advance.

number1 · « **Reply #342 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 02:30 PM »

Quote from: Philander on Jul 19, 2004 at 02:07 PM

jpadua and to other masters,

I am starting to build-up HTPC... I would like to ask your suggestions for the cheapest and most ideal video card for HTPC use.
My Philips TV has VGA input, progressive capability and supports 1080i sources.

very very limited bugdet only.... I mean limited, meron kayang maganda for 2K budget, hehehheheh...

Thanks in advance.

The Ge-cube 9550 extreme platinum seems really good since it uses the same core as the 9600XT but with a lower core speed and memory timings. For less than P6k, imho, i think this is really worth getting. Or you could wait in the coming month or two for the Radeon 9250 chip to be released locally.

nerveblocker · « **Reply #343 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 03:15 PM »

MSI MEGA 180 DIGITAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT BAREBONE PC SYSTEM

Features:

?Home Theater PC
- Create, Watch, Edit Rich Media Content in Your Living Room
- Surf the Web and Play Internet Games Wirelessly
- Instant on CD / Radio / MP3 support
?Bundled MSI Media Center Deluxe Software
?5.1ch Surround Sound
?Intelligent Color LCD Display
?Built-in WiFi
?6 in 1 Media Card Reader
?AMD Processor Support

Specifications:

System Features
?Supports Socket 462 for AMD?Duron?and Athlon?XP processors up to 3000+
?nVIDIA nForce2 (Crush 18G) + MCP2T Chipset
?Supports up to 2 DIMMs , 2.0GB DDR 333 memory
?Supports 1 x 8X AGP Slot
?Supports 1 x PCI 32 bit Slot

Audio Features
?Instant-ON CD / MP3 and Radio Features
?Support for 5.1ch Surround Sound Audio
?nVIDIA SoundStorm?Dolby?Digital (Needs Dolby Receiver)
?Dual Optical SPIDIF In / Out (Front / Rear)

Video Features
?Integrated nForce2 (8X AGP)
?Dual VGA out
?S-Video Out

Communication Features
?Wireless LAN 802.11B
?10/100Mbps LAN
?56K Modem

Front Panel Connectivity
?Optical SPIDIF in
?Mic-In
?Headphone Jack
?USB 2.0 x2
?IEEE 1394 Firewire x 2 (6 pin and 4 pin)
?6 in 1 Media Card Reader

Rear Panel Connectivity
?Dual VGA
?PS2 Keyboard and Mouse
?LAN Port (RJ-45)
?USB 2.0 x2
?Parallel Port
?S-Video
?Optical SPIDIF Out
?Speaker-out / Line-in / Mic ?in (5.1ch)
?56K Modem
?AGP Slot
?PCI Slot

TV Tuner Functions (Optional with MS-8606-040 MEGA TV Tuner Card)
?Free Scan
?Time-Shifting
?Scheduled Recording (MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4)
?Channel Preview
?Screen Capture
?Parental Control
?DVD / Photo / Video Authoring Software bundle

Software and Other Features
?Bundled MSI Media Center Deluxe III Software
?Microsoft PC 2001 Compliant
?Suspend to Ram/Disk Function
?Top Tech III (Thermal Overheat Protection Technology)
?PC Alert System Hardware Monitor
?250W(PFC 5V/12V SB) Full Range
?Dimensions: 202 (w) x 320 (d) x 151 (h) mm

Do we have this here already? It is pegged at $300.00

jpadua · « **Reply #344 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 03:51 PM »

Quote from: Philander on Jul 19, 2004 at 02:07 PM

jpadua and to other masters,

I am starting to build-up HTPC... I would like to ask your suggestions for the cheapest and most ideal video card for HTPC use.
My Philips TV has VGA input, progressive capability and supports 1080i sources.

very very limited bugdet only.... I mean limited, meron kayang maganda for 2K budget, hehehheheh...

Thanks in advance.

Hi We have similar TV's except mine is a philips pixel plus. But the VGA port is the same.
hmm well if your budget is really low... the best na cheapest would be to use an ATI9200. Ive setup one already and works great with my philips VGA input. Was able to output, 480p 540p 1080i, unfortunately at 2k wala kang mahanap... the 9200 would range from 3k-4k.

You can also probably try the 9200SE it should be the same in terms of Video/DVD performance (not gaming).
PowerColor ATI 9200SE 64DDR tv-dvi P 2,550.00 sa PCX.

VGA naman yung input mo so this is all you need pag super budget ka

of course you need powerstrip to be able to output the correct timing frequencies for HDTV.

Philander · « **Reply #345 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 04:05 PM »

Thanks a lot number1 and jpadua...

jpadua,
What is a powerstrip, ignorante ako...

Thanks.

jpadua · « **Reply #346 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 04:41 PM »

Quote from: Philander on Jul 19, 2004 at 04:05 PM

Thanks a lot number1 and jpadua...

jpadua,
What is a powerstrip, ignorante ako...

Thanks.

Oh oh sori di ko na explain... its a system utility that allows you to customize display output settings. You need it especially if you want to create HDTV signals like 540p and 1080i. Ang standard monitor resolutions kasi was meant for a computer monitor which is multiscan ang HDTV especially yung philips natin di multiscan so kelangan talaga yung timing frequency is the same as the ones it supports lang. You can download it at www.entechtaiwan.com Its trail ware.. it works naman even if you dont purchase, if you dont mind the nag screen... the longer you use it, the longer the nag screen stays on before powerstrip activates itself. You can always re-install it to reset the duration time of the nagscreen pero hassle. Once na setup mo na and you find it to be of real use to you, purchase mo nalang para at least entitled ka to free upgrades.

bayonic · « **Reply #347 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 05:13 PM »

Quote from: nirvblakr on Jul 19, 2004 at 03:15 PM

MSI MEGA 180 DIGITAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT BAREBONE PC SYSTEM

Features:

Software and Other Features
?Bundled MSI Media Center Deluxe III Software
?Microsoft PC 2001 Compliant
?Suspend to Ram/Disk Function
?Top Tech III (Thermal Overheat Protection Technology)
?PC Alert System Hardware Monitor
?250W(PFC 5V/12V SB) Full Range
?Dimensions: 202 (w) x 320 (d) x 151 (h) mm

Do we have this here already? It is pegged at $300.00

what's included with the $ 300 price

a complete box < no monitor , no keyboard > goes for around 6K hongkong dollars ...

included is a 3.0 GHz Pentium , 512 MB RAM , Combo Drive ...
i believe the display card is onboard ... so basically all you need to add is a Monitor.

cheers

Philander · « **Reply #348 on:** Jul 19, 2004 at 06:40 PM »

Quote from: jpadua on Jul 19, 2004 at 04:42 PM

Oh oh sori di ko na explain... its a system utility that allows you to customize display output settings. You need it especially if you want to create HDTV signals like 540p and 1080i. Ang standard monitor resolutions kasi was meant for a computer monitor which is multiscan ang HDTV especially yung philips natin di multiscan so kelangan talaga yung timing frequency is the same as the ones it supports lang. You can download it at www.entechtaiwan.com Its trail ware.. it works naman even if you dont purchase, if you dont mind the nag screen... the longer you use it, the longer the nag screen stays on before powerstrip activates itself. You can always re-install it to reset the duration time of the nagscreen pero hassle. Once na setup mo na and you find it to be of real use to you, purchase mo nalang para at least entitled ka to free upgrades.

Thanks a lot.... more questions to come...

jpadua · « **Reply #349 on:** Jul 21, 2004 at 09:09 AM »

If might you might have missed it, this is how my HTPC case looks like.

I prefer building it from scratch than getting a barebone PC... where's the fun in that! hehehe just kidding the MSI looks promising without the hassle of all the hardware setup. Nice LCD display too.

You can also checkout other pics here.
http://jaypadua.fotopic.net

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #350 on:** Jul 22, 2004 at 11:08 AM »

Quote from: nirvblakr on Jul 19, 2004 at 03:15 PM

MSI MEGA 180 DIGITAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT BAREBONE PC SYSTEM

Features:

?Home Theater PC
- Create, Watch, Edit Rich Media Content in Your Living Room
- Surf the Web and Play Internet Games Wirelessly
- Instant on CD / Radio / MP3 support
?Bundled MSI Media Center Deluxe Software
?5.1ch Surround Sound
?Intelligent Color LCD Display
?Built-in WiFi
?6 in 1 Media Card Reader
?AMD Processor Support

Specifications:

System Features
?Supports Socket 462 for AMD?Duron?and Athlon?XP processors up to 3000+
?nVIDIA nForce2 (Crush 18G) + MCP2T Chipset
?Supports up to 2 DIMMs , 2.0GB DDR 333 memory
?Supports 1 x 8X AGP Slot
?Supports 1 x PCI 32 bit Slot

Audio Features
?Instant-ON CD / MP3 and Radio Features
?Support for 5.1ch Surround Sound Audio
?nVIDIA SoundStorm?Dolby?Digital (Needs Dolby Receiver)
?Dual Optical SPIDIF In / Out (Front / Rear)

Video Features
?Integrated nForce2 (8X AGP)
?Dual VGA out
?S-Video Out

Communication Features
?Wireless LAN 802.11B
?10/100Mbps LAN
?56K Modem

Front Panel Connectivity
?Optical SPIDIF in
?Mic-In
?Headphone Jack
?USB 2.0 x2
?IEEE 1394 Firewire x 2 (6 pin and 4 pin)
?6 in 1 Media Card Reader

Rear Panel Connectivity
?Dual VGA
?PS2 Keyboard and Mouse
?LAN Port (RJ-45)
?USB 2.0 x2
?Parallel Port
?S-Video
?Optical SPIDIF Out
?Speaker-out / Line-in / Mic ?in (5.1ch)
?56K Modem
?AGP Slot
?PCI Slot

TV Tuner Functions (Optional with MS-8606-040 MEGA TV Tuner Card)
?Free Scan
?Time-Shifting
?Scheduled Recording (MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4)
?Channel Preview
?Screen Capture
?Parental Control
?DVD / Photo / Video Authoring Software bundle

Software and Other Features
?Bundled MSI Media Center Deluxe III Software
?Microsoft PC 2001 Compliant
?Suspend to Ram/Disk Function
?Top Tech III (Thermal Overheat Protection Technology)
?PC Alert System Hardware Monitor
?250W(PFC 5V/12V SB) Full Range
?Dimensions: 202 (w) x 320 (d) x 151 (h) mm

Do we have this here already? It is pegged at $300.00

its already available locally but the price is to high. Price is around 20k+ w/o processor & RAM included.

bayonic · « **Reply #351 on:** Jul 23, 2004 at 12:04 AM »

... kagandahan nito , madaling ipuslit sa NAIA customs ..... hehehe

nerveblocker · « **Reply #352 on:** Jul 23, 2004 at 02:58 PM »

Hi! My soundcard is a REALTEK ALC655. One of the features that it has is that it has S/PDIF output. In my limited understanding, with S/PDIF it can output digital signals such that I can attach the output of the soundcard to the coaxial digital input of my receiver so I can achieve surround sound using my receivers' DD/DTS decoders? Can I do this?

andaleon · « **Reply #353 on:** Jul 23, 2004 at 08:19 PM »

nirvblakr,

That's exactly what's it for!

nerveblocker · « **Reply #354 on:** Jul 24, 2004 at 05:10 AM »

thanks! Gastos na naman! $:-\$

Meridian-Audio · « **Reply #355 on:** Jul 25, 2004 at 10:43 PM »

Quote from: nirvblakr on Jul 23, 2004 at 02:58 PM

Hi! My soundcard is a REALTEK ALC655. One of the features that it has is that it has S/PDIF output. In my limited understanding, with S/PDIF it can output digital signals such that I can attach the output of the soundcard to the coaxial digital input of my receiver so I can achieve surround sound using my receivers' DD/DTS decoders? Can I do this?

nirvblakr,

Sure you can do it.. All you need to do is to buy 75 ohms coaxial digital cable. Or just use an ordinary RCA interconnect cable for the mean time in order to test it..

nerveblocker · « **Reply #356 on:** Jul 25, 2004 at 11:30 PM »

Meridian-Audio- Thanks pre! This is getting more exciting and expensive

bayonic · « **Reply #357 on:** Jul 26, 2004 at 12:20 PM »

hey JayPadua et al.

can you please give an estimate on how much a similar system would cost if purchased in Manila ?

Shuttle SFF case
3.8 GHz Pentium 4 with hyperthreading
1 GB RAM
160 GB HD
on board VideoAdapter
on board SoundCard with optical out

rough estimate lang .

thanks in advance

getafix · « **Reply #358 on:** Jul 27, 2004 at 10:13 AM »

bayonic - you could try logging in to www.pcx.com.ph and/or www.villman.com for current prices of the above mentioned components

FaFa_RoLaNd · « **Reply #359 on:** Jul 28, 2004 at 03:54 PM »

Quote from: bayonic on Jul 26, 2004 at 12:20 PM

hey JayPadua et al.

can you please give an estimate on how much a similar system would cost if purchased in Manila ?

Shuttle SFF case
3.8 GHz Pentium 4 with hyperthreading
1 GB RAM
160 GB HD
on board VideoAdapter
on board SoundCard with optical out

rough estimate lang .

thanks in advance

SFF = 18k
3Ghz+ = 25k
1 GB ram = 20k
160GB = 7k
XPC SFF comes with onboard video and sound card.

But with the specs that u hav in mind kakatawa naman onboard video and sound ang gusto mo. teehee...

ati x800 = 24k
audigy zs = 6.2k