Topic: Share your HTPC Setup

[jpadua]

Thanks Jay for your input. My HTPC case is the Siverstone LC01, got it from Xtreme Modz. It was connected to the (ahem) 55" Plasma of Hitachi. You're right with the price of TheaterTek, quite painful. But the nice thing about it is you can adjust the custom resize of the screen per DVD. And you can set it up directly with ffshow. Monitor resolution is set at DVI with 1024 x 768. Can't get any higher than that. I have another computer now with HTPC config. The other one has the Themaltake Tsunami Dream Silver case. This one runs a AMD 64 3.0 g, 512 mb ram, ATI 9800SE 128 mb connected to a 19" Samsung 193P LCD set at 1280x1024. Becuz of this stuttering thing, I tried using WinDVD 6 on both machines. Both still stutters but not as bad as the TheaterTek. I turned off ffshow and they still stutter. Is there a one off program that can help me? :'( :'( :'( I currently decommisioned the Silverstone and got the Denon 3910s from AVD in Shang.

Mouldingo.... NICE!!! hey we have the same case right now... since I only have one PC now, I transferred the guts of my HTPC from the Kanam-HT400 to a new Tsunami Dream... I can see you are using a Thermaltake tower... I'm using naman the Aerocool Tower with dual Fan config push pull.  My only gripe about this case is that I find it loud! heheh I want to change all the thermaltake fans to Akasas and see if I can lower the audible noise from the fans.. pero feeling ko PSU ko yung maingay... currently using an HEC475 PowerOP. 



My Current Hardware config

AthlonXP 2500 @ 200FSB = 3200
Aerocool HT101 heatpipe with dual Fan
512 DDR 400 Apacer
MSI K7N2 Delta ILSR - with MCP-T soundstorm
9800Pro with Artic VGA silencer
160GB Seagate SATA

Using spdif out to a Marantz SR4300 6.1 speaker config.  I just love DolbyDigital Live! 5.1 gaming via spdif is awesome.
DVI output to Syntax 27" LCD @ 1280x720p

I plan to build a new HTPC using an A64 this time... I'll put my Kanam HT-400 back into my setup

I'm really intrigued by your stuttering problem... could it be your video drivers?  with that much horsepower (P3.2 and A64) tapos no FFDshow pa, you should have no stuttering at all.   Do get stuttering if you play a DVD from the hard drive?  Try backing up a DVD on the hard drive and playing it with winDVD or TT... if there are no stuttering it might be your DVD rom... if there is still stuttering.. its got something to do with your codecs.... try to uninstall TT, then erase the codecs themselves manually.   Try removing your soundcard and test it again and see if you get stutters without your sound card... we really have to test one by one to isolate the problem.

[Mouldingo]

Thanks Jay! Will try that. 

[jpadua]

Anybody need DVI to Component Adaptors for HDTV  PM me, I have a few stocks left.

[bravoexo]

Thanks Jpadua.

Matagal na pagiisip isip na naman...haay...

[Qman]

on going Im building 2

1st rig (tested once)
Silverstone LC03
1 gig DDR400
Asus K8V SE Deluxe
80 Gig & 160 Gig SATA
Innod 3D 6600 GT 128mb
Athlon 64 3200+
LG Super DVD writer 16x
Hex (something forgot) 475 watts

2nd rig
Asus A8n SLI
SATA 250 Gig
X600 powercolor ATI
iyong ibang parts wala pa di available sa pinas, like socket 939 Athlon 64 FX etc.... trying to buy sa labas. 

[jpadua]

on going Im building 2

1st rig (tested once)
Silverstone LC03
1 gig DDR400
Asus K8V SE Deluxe
80 Gig & 160 Gig SATA
Innod 3D 6600 GT 128mb
Athlon 64 3200+
LG Super DVD writer 16x
Hex (something forgot) 475 watts

2nd rig
Asus A8n SLI
SATA 250 Gig
X600 powercolor ATI
iyong ibang parts wala pa di available sa pinas, like socket 939 Athlon 64 FX etc.... trying to buy sa labas. 

WOW droool... astig ako still waiting for cash... 

How do you plan to cool your rig? what HSF are you using? 


buo ako ng isang HTPC ulit (soon soon soon! excited na ako)

Aristec HT-400 Case (Black)
A64 3200
DFI Lanparty
Corsair 1GB
6600GT or 9800Pro still deciding
Samsung DVD-rom quiet drive
Akasa PAXPower Ultra quiet PSU (18db) 460W dual 12volt rails!
Aerocool HT101 Superconductor HSF (silent din pero ok yung cooling)
Artic VGA Silencer (kung ATI) or Coolermaster coolviva
200GB Seagate SATA (still looking for Samsung Spinpoint <- these are ultra quiet)

the wait is agonizing.. I want to build build build!! hehehe

[Qman]

thanks j, mainly sayo ko nakuha ang idea to build an HTPC eh hehehehe..  Punta sana ko ng tubes eh mas malakas ang dating ng thread mo ehehe

puro stock lang ang gamit na to cool my rig like the HSF na kasama ng AMD 64 processor for the meantime sa unang rig then hanap hanap sa net at basa basa sa mga recommendation nyo at ng ibang forum kung anong the best HSF. Okey naman ang temp eh mother board is ranging 36-38 degree then little less than 40 ang processor.   Di ko lang natest maigi dahil pinabalik na uli ako ng trabaho

Hassle lang medyo ang Silvestone LC03 dahil sa kapal at dami ng mga wires ng PSU ko crowded na ang loob.  Tinanggal ko pa ang isang part nya para magkasya lang sa ilalim ng optical/hard drives sa tabi ng mobo ang mga wires na di gamit 

Talagang problema lang sa pinas availability ng mga gusto nating parts. 

[number1]

Questions:

1. The DTS soundtracks in DVD movies or DiVx files are not being decoded at all, what additional codec(s) or filter program(s) do I need to install to decode the soundtrack properly? AC3filter is useful for decoding DD5.1 in DiVx files but not DTS.

2. How and what software can I use to make or force an anamorphic (16:9) signal output from the video output of a graphics card connected to a 4:3 TV (through S-Video)? I have tried the trial version of PowerStrip and its quite frustrating to use.

3. Is it possible to take advantage of the postprocessing features of a HTPC when used in conjunction with an outdated 4:3 Standard Definition TV not even capable of any Progressive Scanning?


Current System:

Laptop: Compaq 2800
Specs-
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 Mobile 1.8 Ghz
RAM: 512 MB PC266
VID: Ati Mobile Radeon 7500
Screen: 15" LCD UXGA (1600x1200 native res.)

WinDvD 6
PowerStrip Trial Version
Windows XP Home Edition
FFdshow
Zoom Player

[jpadua]

Questions:

1. The DTS soundtracks in DVD movies or DiVx files are not being decoded at all, what additional codec(s) or filter program(s) do I need to install to decode the soundtrack properly? AC3filter is useful for decoding DD5.1 in DiVx files but not DTS.

2. How and what software can I use to make or force an anamorphic (16:9) signal output from the video output of a graphics card connected to a 4:3 TV (through S-Video)? I have tried the trial version of PowerStrip and its quite frustrating to use.

3. Is it possible to take advantage of the postprocessing features of a HTPC when used in conjunction with an outdated 4:3 Standard Definition TV not even capable of any Progressive Scanning?


Current System:

Laptop: Compaq 2800
Specs-
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 Mobile 1.8 Ghz
RAM: 512 MB PC266
VID: Ati Mobile Radeon 7500
Screen: 15" LCD UXGA (1600x1200 native res.)

WinDvD 6
PowerStrip Trial Version
Windows XP Home Edition
FFdshow
Zoom Player

1. Download Gabest Codecs, these will allow you to play DTS encoded DivX tracks. For DVDs winDVD should be able to decode DTS.  Are you connected to an amplifier via spdif? use spdif output so that DTS will be decoded by your amp.  If you are using an analog soundcard, it depends if your winDVD supports DTS.  If so just select 5.1 or 6.1 analog output winDVD should decode DTS for you.

2. Are you talking about DivX or DVDs?  With DVDs?  with DivX you can encode it into your desired aspect ratio.  For DVD's You can change the aspect ratio using zoomplayer by pressing "R".  To use a 16:9 hardware resolution on a 4:3 SDTV  thats not possible.  To connect to an SDTV your only option is to use Composite or S-Video.  The output from your card is a hardware scaled resolution.   Your video card has to convert the hi resoultion image to 480i with its own (DACS) Digital to Analog Converters so even using powerstrip its imposible, your video card will always convert whatever resolution you have into 480i (which is 4:3).

3. Yes by using FFDshow, you can post process your DVD.  It wont be as evident as using a progressive scan TV or HDTV but you will see an improvent. Usally sharpening is the most evident post processing effect you can use.  Even if your output is 480i your video source will be sharper than no processing at alll.

[jpadua]

Hi! I just found this out recently, I just bought a blue tooth dongle with the expectation only to sync my K700i and transfer audio files and pictures to and from my pc and cellphone.   The Bluetooth dongle comes with Widcomm bluetooth software and suddenly my phone had a new BT option... Remote Conrtol! Apparently windows detects your K700i as a Human Interface Device (HID) just like bluetooth mice and keyboards!

The K700i comes with standard HID profiles.  Desktop, Windows Media, and Presenter.  I found a tool to create your own HID files! Made one for Zoomplayer.

Here's a sample of my HID profile I made for Zoomplayer.  By the way.. the Menu button is the "Return Key" and the Eject button is "0"  apparently the HID doesnt support the ";" key (root menu of ZP) and the "/" key (eject drive in ZP).



Here are some HID files (just transfer them to your K700i via bluetooth)

http://www.m2systech.com/files/hid_zp.hid (the one I made)
http://www.m2systech.com/files/hid_windvd.hid (downloaded from the web)
http://www.m2systech.com/files/hid_wmp10.hid (downloaded from the web)

You can control your mouse via the joystick of your K700i also have left and right mouse buttons, windows volume control and mute.

I'll make some more HID profiles for more windows control than the default desktop remote control profile on the K700i.   

[number1]

2. Are you talking about DivX or DVDs?  With DVDs?  with DivX you can encode it into your desired aspect ratio.  For DVD's You can change the aspect ratio using zoomplayer by pressing "R".  To use a 16:9 hardware resolution on a 4:3 SDTV  thats not possible.  To connect to an SDTV your only option is to use Composite or S-Video.  The output from your card is a hardware scaled resolution.   Your video card has to convert the hi resoultion image to 480i with its own (DACS) Digital to Analog Converters so even using powerstrip its imposible, your video card will always convert whatever resolution you have into 480i (which is 4:3).

Thanks Jpadua! YOur posts are always very helpful and insightful.

How did you manage to get an anamorphic output with your Syntax LCD? Is it through PowerStrip? PowerStrip is really useful mostly if you have a HDTV-ready TV, especially a LCD since it is essentially treated like a monitor thereby making the convergence between PCs and HTPC much smoother.


I don't know if you are familiar with the Creative DxR2 dvd decoder card, but this card can output anamorphic signals to the T.V. Watching DVDs with this card was quite comparable to watching DVDs on expensive set top dvd players (circa 1998-99). I have retired this since it only seems to function with Win98 and below!

I then got a Pioneer 533K set top dvd player to replace the Creative card above. This player also outputs anamorphic signals to the T.V. I can also program it to convert anamorphic signals and display it in LBWS, if desired.

I also have a Philips Dvp-642K, which I use mainly for DivX viewing. This player also outputs anamorphic signals to the T.V. but DivX files seem to be limited to only LBWS (for the ones encoded in anamorphic).

Ok, I ventured into this new project of setting HTPC to consolidate everything I do with different set top players all into a HTPC, to simplify and streamline everything. I am using the laptop as a test bed for experiments before I build a new PC for the sole purpose of being used in my HT.

So far, I have been disappointed. Dvd and DivX viewing on my laptop is limited to LBWS, which is why I wanted to find ways to make the signal output in anamorphic with the hope the video will look better. Jay, based on your explanation this is not ever possible on a SDTV. To make things worse, aside from being limited to LBWS viewing, the video is also looked degraded, like watching through a screen door. I have done extensive comparison between the laptop and the set top players, in the end the set top player still have an edge (in my case). So as of this moment, I dont see my laptop replacing my set top players.

Jay, how about a widescreen CRT capable for 480p, 576P, 720P, 1080i? Connection would be from VGA to D4 connection. How will you make the PC output in anamorphic signal, in this case to take advantage of the native widescreen support by the TV? Btw, I ask this because I was intially planning to get a surplus Jap TV capable of displaying the mentioned progressive scan modes and it is by no means cheap either (price is comparable to a brand new 29" Sony). Looks like I'm better off saving the money and getting an LCD TV like yours.
 

[jpadua]

Hi Number1,

What do you mean exactly by outputting Anamorphic widescreen to a 4:3 TV?  To what I know kasi, anamorphic video is encoded at full screen but designed for a 16:9 set.  So if you view it in a 4:3 you would get full screen but scaled to 4:3 (image stretched vertically)  Is this what you are trying ing to achieve?  I'm not sure kasi what you mean... If what you plan to do is get anamorphic fullscreen then use the tv to squeeze the image to the proper aspect ratio (widescreen mode) then this is achievable.   You dont have to output a widescreen resolution for that.  The output if the pc is mainly to match the native resolution of your TV.  The video through the player can output Anamorphic (edge to edge) LBWS and 4:3.  So if you have a 4:3 HDTV and its native resolution is 480p then you can use the pc to output 720x480p to match your displays resolution to get 1:1 pixel ratio.  Then use the player (i.e. zoomplayer) to manipulate the image to the correct aspect ratio.

To explain a little bit about aspect ratios and DVDs

Fullscreen DVDs - output 4:3 fullscreen correct aspect on a 4:3 display, on a widescreen TV image will look horizontally streched.
Anamorphic DVDs - output 16:9 fullscreen correct aspect on a 16:9 display, on a 4:3 TV image will look vertically streched.
Letterbox Widescreen - output 4:3 blackbars on top and below to correct aspect ratio.  On a 4:3 TV image will have correct aspect but with blackbars.  On a widescreen TV output would be streched horizonaly blackbars will be doubled its width and have the wrong apect.

Set top DVD players have settings for Anamorphic, LBWS and 4:3 just so that source will scale to the correct aspect depending on your Display.
Using an HTPC this is set using the software player's selection of aspect ratios and not by the video resolution.  So in my earlier post about powerstrip I was talking about something else... I think...

Back to your original post... you dont need to output a widescreen resolution... on an SDTV you wont get the same output quality as set top DVD player since the DACs to output 480i is outputting 640x480i to your SDTV, unlike set top players which output 720x480i.  If you plan to use an HTPC with an SDTV you can only do so much with the picture quality. So whatever you do with powerstrip will just be overridden by the DACs. If you are using an Nvidia card, there is a software utility for SDTVs called TVtool and this has a setting for 720x480i output comparable to set top players.. maybe even better, unfotunately this wont work with ATI cards. Using an HDTV is a completely different experience.

"To make things worse, aside from being limited to LBWS viewing, the video is also looked degraded, like watching through a screen door."

This is caused by the scaling of the video to an analog signal for your TV.  Maybe you can try this... when viewing video... always set your resolution to 640x480.. and try playing the video again and see of you see the screen door effect.  If you set your desktop resolution to anything higher than 640x480, your card will still output a 480i signal but it will be a scaled down version of that resolution... not good, bad picture quality. 

Your laptop is technically 4:3 so to view video with the correct aspect ratio will give you black bars on top and bottom.  With the syntax LCD, my PC resolution is 1280x720. Since the syntax is natively 720p I get exact 1:1 pixel ratio, so the TV does not do any scaling of its own.  When I view a DVD or DivX file, I get full widescreen.  Only have black bars if the aspect ratio is widescreen Theater type (yung mas wide na anamorphic).

"how about a widescreen CRT capable for 480p, 576P, 720P, 1080i? Connection would be from VGA to D4 connection. How will you make the PC output in anamorphic signal, in this case to take advantage of the native widescreen support by the TV?"

This is where you will need powerstrip to create a resolution that is native on your display.

480p - (864x480)
576p - (1024x576)
720p - (1280x720)
1080i - (1920x1080 interlaced)

These are all widescreen resolutions to get 1:1 pixel ratio


sorry if my explanation is all over the place... :p

Jay

[ronjet]

mga sir.... how much po kaya abutin paggumawa po ng htpc setup now?

sir jpadua , jackryan n sir andaleon...hehe...dami ko nang nababasa..tnx sa mga info..para tuloy nakakaingganyo magassemble nito..kaya lang madugo sobra.....hehe... congrats ngapala mga sir..ganda nung mga setup and mga napopost niyo...

[jpadua]

mga sir.... how much po kaya abutin paggumawa po ng htpc setup now?

sir jpadua , jackryan n sir andaleon...hehe...dami ko nang nababasa..tnx sa mga info..para tuloy nakakaingganyo magassemble nito..kaya lang madugo sobra.....hehe... congrats ngapala mga sir..ganda nung mga setup and mga napopost niyo...

Hi ronjet,

actually the price depende sa yo! think of it as building a PC... you can build a complete PC with cheap components.  You can also build an uber rig with really high end components.   You can easily manage a budget naman.. like get affordable components but splurge on the video card... etc.   it depends talaga how nice you want your HTPC to be.. down to the case, silent case fans... superstable powersuply, good cooling heatsink CPU fan...

Jay

[ronjet]

sir jay. tnx for the fast reply. oo nga sir...maybe if decided na hehe..sa inyo ako hihingi ng tulong... ..magbabasa basa pa ako dito..hehe...again,thanks

[Pogi]

Sir jpadua


where can i buy an affordable but sturdy power supply for my pc?

[jpadua]

Ronjet! sure no problem! that's what this thread is here for!

Pogi,

Power supply... well.. its really hard to know where to start.  First I'll start off from the cheapest to the expensive ones.

Generic Powersupply - These are dirt cheap, but the voltages on the rails are not stable.  You are not getting the correct voltage rating most of the time.  Especially if you have a lot of peripherals on your computer and a voltage hungry CPU and Video card.  These PSU's are also loud.
Price - about 350

Dynamo Dual Fan - STAY AWAY from these.   I blew one up, an 2 other friends of mine blew theirs up within weeks. (and my rig back then was just an AthlonXP 2000)
Price - about 750 - 900

TASK Dual fan - A lot of poeple from tipid pc swear by it, becuase is cheaper than most and offer a full factory warranty for 3 yrs! but Ive had 3, and they all failed on my one after the other in about 6 months. So wouldnt recommend these.   I guess thats why they have the warranty claim.
Price 1500- 2300

HECs - Reliable (PowerOP or SilentOP) My last HEC lasted more than 3 yrs... before It died on me.  The SilentOP is pretty quiet you could still hear a slight fan hum but its pretty negligible.  Unfortunately the higest wattage model is only 385w.  So its pretty good for a PC with standard equipment. The PowerOP goes up to 475w but its quite loud.   I'm using one on my gaming Rig.. and I must admit.. the buzzing is really annoying me right now, but that's just me.
Price 1800 -  3200

Enermax - These have been around for a long time... very good quality PSUs, Stable. Only tested the regular 450w flavor... but it sure aint as loud as the PowerOP thats for sure.
Price 2K up - 3800 for the 450w

These power supplies are more for enthusiasts and are rock stable.

Antec Pure power - Rockstable, Dual 12v rails for more stability, expect these PSUs to last you years, can handle high PC power demands, and server applications (which you leave on 24/7)
You can get Antecs from rising sun.
about 6k-7k (ouch!) 

PaxPower Akasa Powesupply - This is very interesting... Dual 12v rails (one dedicated for the CPU)... rock stable... and almost in audible at 18db.
This is what I plan to buy next.  You can order this through Waycool of TipidPC (he brings in all the akasa stuff)  This PSU can power a rig full of drives, lights, fans, intensive video card. Best of all its almost inaudible, really silent. (about 24db is what your ear can hear in normal situations)
about 5K

These power supplies are all available here in the philippines... there are a lot of other power supplies that are great too bad you can't buy them here. So I guess you can make a fair decision depending on what your computer power needs and silencing needs.

Here's a useful site to check what your PC power requirements might be.  Make sure to add some headroom when choosing a PSU in case you add some more components.

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/


Jay

[jackryan]

PaxPower Akasa Powesupply - This is very interesting... Dual 12v rails (one dedicated for the CPU)... rock stable... and almost in audible at 18db.
This is what I plan to buy next.  You can order this through Waycool of TipidPC (he brings in all the akasa stuff)  This PSU can power a rig full of drives, lights, fans, intensive video card. Best of all its almost inaudible, really silent. (about 24db is what your ear can hear in normal situations)
about 5K

Jay,

Are there potential PSU modifications such as changing the internal fans perhaps to more specialized fans that generates much less noise?

thanks,
-jackryan

[jpadua]

Jay,

Are there potential PSU modifications such as changing the internal fans perhaps to more specialized fans that generates much less noise?

thanks,
-jackryan

I'm not sure how that would work out.  Ive seen the PSU internal fans, well the 80mm kind and they are exactly the same type of 80mm you would find on any computer.  I guess you can change them out,  although I don't know what the thermal properties will change to... These silent PSUs were designed to still be adequately cooled and yet have a low db output rating.  So I'm not so sure.. there might be some guide on the web how to do this kind of mod.

[Pogi]

thanks for the info sir jpadua


i 've already used the calculator and surprisingly...  i only average around 267 watts with my rig...  i have around 350 watts with the built in psu...  so i guess the psu is not the problem...  grrrr....  baka naman mobo ang problema....  can't seem to have my pc checked with the local shop since i can't live without a pc even for a day

[jpadua]

Jackryan,

I managed to find a guide on how to change your PSU fans.
Check this out.

http://modasylum.com/guides.php?guide=35

By the way you can lower the noise on your case fans by modding it to 7v from the normal 12v.  This will lower your fan speed and also lower the CFM but the noise level will drop dramatically.   So If your PC is not running that hot and you can spare some airflow, then quiet down you case fans with this mod.

Take the power connector from your fan and put the 2 leds on opposite sides....

12v red to yellow, black to black.
5v red to red, black to black.
7v red to red, black to yellow.  (this is what we would want to do)

there you go another way to silence your case without buying more expensive silent fans.

Jay

[number1]

What do you mean exactly by outputting Anamorphic widescreen to a 4:3 TV? 

Once my 4:3 SDTV detects an incoming anamorphic signal (from the set top dvd player), it(TV) will automatically switch to convert the signal into LBWS. I call this "outputting an anamorphic signal" because the TV literally switches to widescreen mode with black bars appearing on the top and bottom part of the screen. So while playing an anamorphic dvd, the TV is in this "widescreen mode" and, say, I flip the TV channels, the TV images will appear squashed similar to viewing 4:3 material on a 16:9 screen. I was hypotizing that if I can make my video card output to the TV an anamorphic signal (just like what the set top dvd player does when playing anamorphic materials), then perhaps it would trigger the TV to swtich to its "widescreen mode" and therefore the output from the laptop will at least look similar to the set top players. I hope this is much clearer. 

So basically there are no apparent benefits in using HTPC ONLY with a SDTV due to resolution limitations of the latter.

[jpadua]

Once my 4:3 SDTV detects an incoming anamorphic signal (from the set top dvd player), it(TV) will automatically switch to convert the signal into LBWS. I call this "outputting an anamorphic signal" because the TV literally switches to widescreen mode with black bars appearing on the top and bottom part of the screen. So while playing an anamorphic dvd, the TV is in this "widescreen mode" and, say, I flip the TV channels, the TV images will appear squashed similar to viewing 4:3 material on a 16:9 screen. I was hypotizing that if I can make my video card output to the TV an anamorphic signal (just like what the set top dvd player does when playing anamorphic materials), then perhaps it would trigger the TV to swtich to its "widescreen mode" and therefore the output from the laptop will at least look similar to the set top players. I hope this is much clearer. 

So basically there are no apparent benefits in using HTPC ONLY with a SDTV due to resolution limitations of the latter.

So your tv does the anamorphic squeeze automatically? is there any way to manually do that on your TV?  In my pixelplus I have the option to do an anamorphic squeeze.  If  you can do that with your TV then you can still have anamorphic from an HTPC.  output 640x480 from your PC to your TV via S-video.  Make sure than you are in overscan mode (there is usally a place to set this in the display settings).  Run Zoomplayer.  Select aspect ratio to Anamorphic.

[dokie]

question lang po.

meron po bang s-video to component output adapter  or cable?yung available locally..eh kamusta naman yung picture quality nun? plano ko kasing gawin htpc yung pc ko ngayon.thanks!

[johndoe]

meron nito na monster cable n brand..try visiting the listening room.or sa bose.

[jpadua]

question lang po.

meron po bang s-video to component output adapter  or cable?yung available locally..eh kamusta naman yung picture quality nun? plano ko kasing gawin htpc yung pc ko ngayon.thanks!

Hi Dokie, I'm not sure if there is an s-video to component adaptor or if there is (acc. john doe's post) you would still be getting an s-video signal.  Just through a different kind of cable.  The video output coming from the s-video port is already a downsized pc resolutions permanently configured at 480i.   I doubt you will see much of a difference using an s-video to component cable ot a straight s-video connection to your TV.

You dont have to spend for a component cable.. just plug the s-video cable straight into your TV's s-video inputs.  Most modern TVs have an S-video  video input.

[dokie]

thanks sa reply johndoe & jpadua

eh meron po ba nung vga to component cables? mas mataas po kaya ang magiging resolution nun compared sa s-video? thanks ulit!

[jpadua]

Actually meron, depende sa video card mo.  but if you will be connecting to an SDTV same pa rin ang result.   Nasa TV talaga, becuase only 480i lang ang tatanggapin ng SDTV.

[downtown]

Hi,
I'm interested in building my own HTPC, I'm thinking of using my current rig's vid card, ATI Radeon 9700 Pro as the card for the HTPC, is this enough and what are the other things I would need.
Thanks

[jpadua]

yup a 9700pro is powerfull card for an HTPC.  Maybe a good soundcard.  You can use an Audigy2 or other SB cards, even Motherboards that have built in digital audio output will do.