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Crackbone posted:Actually you should probably be buying this: So thats a better deal than this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103242 Is the multiplier not unlocked on that one?
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Feb 15, 2008 13:42
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bacon! posted:So thats a better deal than this one: To my knowledge, the Black edition is the only chip that an unlocked multiplier in the Athlon family right now. The 5400+ isn't a bad deal either. It really comes down to if you want to piss around with O/C'ing (although multiplier changing is about as easy as it gets).
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Feb 15, 2008 15:18
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I'm putting some parts together for my server (WHS) and wanted to get some opinions on it. I have the case/psu/etc: Motherboard: BIOSTAR P4M890-M7 TE LGA 775 VIA P4M890 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail CPU: Intel Celeron 420 Conroe-L 1.6GHz LGA 775 35W Single-Core Processor Model BX80557420 - Retail Memory (x): CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS1GB667D2 - Retail That board was the best board I could find that has 2xPATA ports, and I have a total of 4 PATA devices currently, and didn't want to buy PCI IDE card. That and it has SATA ports, so I'll be able to slowly upgrade and switch over to SATA going forward. Total price is $130 before shipping, which isn't bad. What do you guys think?
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Feb 15, 2008 16:27
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dfn_doe posted:Well, powerdvd provides the directvideo "codec" which offloads the proccessing to the card. Any software which uses regular directx graphs will be able to use HW accel. Anything which uses it's own codec/video stack won't use it; so things like beyondTV and zoomplayer get HW and VLC get SW only.
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Feb 15, 2008 18:12
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Kreez posted:So it's just a matter of paying $50 and having powerdvd installed on the system, I don't actually have to use it then? Pretty much, I have power DVD Ultra which supports BR and HD-DVD, not sure if all the same directshow filters are present in the basic version of power-dvd.
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Feb 15, 2008 19:08
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Does anyone have any input on a good HTPC keyboard? I'm looking for one with an integrated pointing device, BT or RF, and preferable rechargeable. I've been using an old IR Logitech keyboard and mouse, and I hate having the signal drop out all the freaking time when the cat decides to sit in front of the IR receiver. I've been eyeing the DiNovo Edge 2, but even after the recent price drops, $150 is awful steep, and I'm worried about the range on the BT. That, plus I've never touched one because no one around me has one on display, makes me leery about it.
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Feb 15, 2008 23:45
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diis posted:Does anyone have any input on a good HTPC keyboard? I'm looking for one with an integrated pointing device, BT or RF, and preferable rechargeable. I've been using an old IR Logitech keyboard and mouse, and I hate having the signal drop out all the freaking time when the cat decides to sit in front of the IR receiver. I am pretty happy with my gyration keyboard and mouse combo, now it doesn't have an integrated pointer, but I end up doing most of my navigation with an X10 remote control anyways. I too eyeballed that DiNovo edge but it occurred to me that having a BT keyboard means that your BT stack needs to be working for the keyboard to work, which means that you will have issue doing things like getting into bios setting or may end up with a more complicated than expected setup for linux or other OS's. It certainly doesn't help matter that it is so expensive and my local Fry's has about 20 open box models on the shelf and zero unopened ones which implies they have a very high return rate and very low sell through rate. If anybody else has a suggestion or a review of the edge, I too would certainly be interested in hearing it.
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Feb 16, 2008 00:55
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diis posted:Does anyone have any input on a good HTPC keyboard? I'm looking for one with an integrated pointing device, BT or RF, and preferable rechargeable. I've been using an old IR Logitech keyboard and mouse, and I hate having the signal drop out all the freaking time when the cat decides to sit in front of the IR receiver. I use this keyboard. It's wireless (RF) and has a built-in mousepad. It's designed for the PS3, however, so it doesn't have a windows button. Has worked perfectly for me for about 8 months. It's not very big, and is really light. Uses 2 AA batteries, though.
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Feb 16, 2008 07:55
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code:
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Feb 16, 2008 19:08
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Randi Challenger posted:This is HTPC revision 2. Anything missing that I should look into? Looks good. I take it you have a HDD already? I have an old computer sitting at home doing absolutely nothing. I think I am going to turn it into my set-top box. It only has a Pentium 4 3.2 Ghz processor and a gig of DDR2 667. I know it's probably not enough to decode the fancy stuff, but is this enough to watch HD cable and record? It'd be sweet if I only needed a nicer case, probably a power supply, and front end. Also, since this will need to be on almost all the time and very easy to use(since some random friend might be watching it) what would be the best front end to go with? It needs to have support for an IR remote. I also would like to rip my DVDs to the computer and have it generate a list of movies to watch. One last thing, will the onboard graphics on an older motherboard be good enough to do HD? I'm thinking of the GMA950 chipset series. And if I want to do 5.1 sound will I need to have an S/PDIF connection, or can I use the pink, yellow, blue, green, etc connection? Wood for Sheep fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Feb 16, 2008 |
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Feb 16, 2008 20:51
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Wood for Sheep posted:Looks good. I take it you have a HDD already? Yeah I have a SATA 250GB for movies/music/pictures and an ATA 60 which I will be installing Vista on. HDDs are getting stupid cheap and I dont need any more then 250 for the next 6 months so no need to go crazy now. I'd rather have a few smaller drives and a huge backup drive for redundancy sake in the future.
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Feb 16, 2008 22:04
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Wood for Sheep posted:Looks good. I take it you have a HDD already? For recording and playing back broadcast HD content (mpeg2), that cpu and video combo should be fine. For playback of high-compression hd content (x264), however, it will probably struggle. quote:Also, since this will need to be on almost all the time and very easy to use(since some random friend might be watching it) what would be the best front end to go with? It needs to have support for an IR remote. I also would like to rip my DVDs to the computer and have it generate a list of movies to watch. What operating system do you want to run on it? Windows/Linux? quote:One last thing, will the onboard graphics on an older motherboard be good enough to do HD? I'm thinking of the GMA950 chipset series. And if I want to do 5.1 sound will I need to have an S/PDIF connection, or can I use the pink, yellow, blue, green, etc connection? What would you be plugging the surround sound into, a receiver of some sort? You can do it with the analog outputs (pink yellow etc), if the thing you are plugging into on the other side can handle that for input. Your motherboard doesn't have a s/pdif coax or optical output?
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Feb 17, 2008 01:24
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vanilla slimfast posted:For recording and playing back broadcast HD content (mpeg2), that cpu and video combo should be fine. For playback of high-compression hd content (x264), however, it will probably struggle. An e8400 should be able to brute force high end x264 content just fine. I've got an e2160 at 3Ghz which can play 1080p x264 fine.
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Feb 17, 2008 03:44
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vanilla slimfast posted:
I have never used Linux before, but I think I am going to try it this time. Meedios is the Linux OS for HTPC's right? What about the XBMC port I remeber reading a few pages back, is that out now? I'm trying to keep this cheap, and all the boards with S/PDIF bring the price up, though I have found a few. My question was basically, is that something I NEED to be looking for or is it possible to go without it. It will be going into a Sony Receiver with RCA and S/PDIF inputs so I'm not sure how to set up 5.1 using RCAs. Is this possible, or should I just simplify it and get the S/PDIF?
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Feb 17, 2008 16:37
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Crackbone posted:An e8400 should be able to brute force high end x264 content just fine. I've got an e2160 at 3Ghz which can play 1080p x264 fine. Wrong specs. The person I was responding to has a P4 3.2Ghz
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Feb 17, 2008 19:43
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Wood for Sheep posted:I have never used Linux before, but I think I am going to try it this time. Meedios is the Linux OS for HTPC's right? What about the XBMC port I remeber reading a few pages back, is that out now? MeediOS is a new, open source, windows based HTPC front-end. It is still in early, early alpha. Meedio is an older, closed source windows based HTPC front-end with a very active community and lots of plugins. Yahoo! bought the IP and then basically abandoned it, but the latest version 1.41 was released for free and is still used by lots of people. Plugins and themes available from OpenMAID: http://www.meedios.com/OpenMAID/ Help and support for plugins and themes available on forum: http://www.meedios.com/forum/index.php meedioVintage theme support thread has tutorial for configuring most of the basic plugins that would work out of the box with just about any theme: http://www.meedios.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1477 I personally haven't been able to successfully get the XBMC Linux port working yet, but am going to give it another try soon since it is just too drat awesome.
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Feb 17, 2008 19:51
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Randi Challenger posted:Yeah I have a SATA 250GB for movies/music/pictures and an ATA 60 which I will be installing Vista on. HDDs are getting stupid cheap and I dont need any more then 250 for the next 6 months so no need to go crazy now. I'd rather have a few smaller drives and a huge backup drive for redundancy sake in the future. That motherboard comes with a few SATA and PATA cables.
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Feb 17, 2008 21:13
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ashgromnies posted:That motherboard comes with a few SATA and PATA cables. So I noticed. Consider that about 10$ plus shipping saved 
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Feb 17, 2008 23:16
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Is there a way to use hulu.com on a htpc? The site is all web based, but has someone made a standalone player for it?
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Feb 18, 2008 08:03
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Wood for Sheep posted:I'm trying to keep this cheap, and all the boards with S/PDIF bring the price up, though I have found a few. My question was basically, is that something I NEED to be looking for or is it possible to go without it. It will be going into a Sony Receiver with RCA and S/PDIF inputs so I'm not sure how to set up 5.1 using RCAs. Is this possible, or should I just simplify it and get the S/PDIF? What is the model number for your receiver? That would help us tell you whether you can hook it up without s/pdif. If it does in fact have analog ins, you would just need to get a couple of 1/8" to RCA cables to wire it all up. The digital/surround decoding would be done by the computer instead of the receiver in this setup.
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Feb 18, 2008 08:28
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vanilla slimfast posted:What is the model number for your receiver? That would help us tell you whether you can hook it up without s/pdif. If it does in fact have analog ins, you would just need to get a couple of 1/8" to RCA cables to wire it all up. The digital/surround decoding would be done by the computer instead of the receiver in this setup. Its a Sony DG910. I'm currently using the three HDMI, one Component, TV, DMPORT, and AUX. My computer is currently running to the SA-CD via Coaxial S/PDIF, but that won't be an issue when I build this HTPC. I'm thinking I'll just get a board with S/PDIF just to make it simple. But I'm curious so if someone could explain it to me anyway that'd be great.
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Feb 19, 2008 05:01
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Wood for Sheep posted:Its a Sony DG910. I'm currently using the three HDMI, one Component, TV, DMPORT, and AUX. My computer is currently running to the SA-CD via Coaxial S/PDIF, but that won't be an issue when I build this HTPC. I'm thinking I'll just get a board with S/PDIF just to make it simple. But I'm curious so if someone could explain it to me anyway that'd be great. Pretty much any motherboard comes standard with a S/PDIF connector these days, so it shouldn't be too difficult. I did find a diagram of the back panel of your receiver; it does not have analog surround inputs so your only choice is to use coax or optical s/pdif for surround sound. 
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Feb 19, 2008 17:35
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Cross-posted from the SH/SC parts thread: I've been out of the parts game for a little while now. I'm considering building an HTPC soon. Now, I currently have a half-assed HTPC. It's an Athlon 64 3000+, 2GB DDR400, 7900GS. That is currently adequate for running all of my emulators, 1080P downloaded content, etc on my big screen. However, a few things are bothering me. It's ATX and in a vertical case. I haven't seen an HTPC cases that are ATX that I like/fit my requirements. Also, the on-board USB ports blew on my mobo, which is annoying me. I was considering just buying an mATX motherboard, but apparently 939 boards are going the way of the dingo. I like the Antec NSK2480 case and have found a site to get it fairly cheaply. So my questions are: What would be better, an AM2 system running a lower end X2 or a Intel system running a Celeron Conroe of similar price? Also, which graphics card is generally considered the cheapest, yet can still handle any HD content you can throw at it and has HDCP? As far as keyboards go, I've been loving this one. I got it for $30 as a deal of the day: http://www.amazon.com/Playstation-3-Cordless-MediaBoard-Keyboard/dp/B000MFLBBK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1203446909&sr=8-2 My only regret is that it doesn't have Media Keys, but there is always this version: http://www.amazon.com/Playstation-Logitech-Cordless-Mediaboard-Pro/dp/B000W5RBQE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1203446909&sr=8-1
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Feb 19, 2008 19:49
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VulgarandStupid posted:Cross-posted from the SH/SC parts thread: Either chipset on the low end is going to be fairly interchangable. For what it's worth though, Intel, AMD, and Nvidia are all introducing mATX board with onboard graphic chipsets that do HD decoding (and should all handle HDCP no problem). You can get one 780g chipset now here, and it should be available everywhere by the end of March. The Nvida 8200 chipset is supposed to be soon (AMD chips), but reportedly has some heat issues. The Intel solution is due around June/July. Also, where did you find a cheap NSK2480? Was it mwave?
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Feb 19, 2008 20:33
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Crackbone posted:Either chipset on the low end is going to be fairly interchangable. For what it's worth though, Intel, AMD, and Nvidia are all introducing mATX board with onboard graphic chipsets that do HD decoding (and should all handle HDCP no problem). You can get one 780g chipset now here, and it should be available everywhere by the end of March. The Nvida 8200 chipset is supposed to be soon (AMD chips), but reportedly has some heat issues. The Intel solution is due around June/July. Someone had it for $90 shipped last week, but I guess that's gone. Mwave is the next cheapest at ~$100. I think Antec has some B-stock NSK2480s without PSUS for around $70.
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Feb 19, 2008 20:52
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Does anyone else here own a FusionHDTV RT7 Gold? I've been having problems with its power management stuff (I use the PME option) Power-on recording sometimes works, but not always. I can also intermittently get the computer to start itself from the power button on the remote. The problem is that I don't want to have my computer only record some of the shows I schedule it to record. Anyone else having problems like this? e.g. I turn off computer, can turn back on with scheduling power-on. It turns off after recording, then cannot be turned back on other than by the button on the front of the computer.
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Feb 19, 2008 22:24
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diis posted:Does anyone have any input on a good HTPC keyboard? I'm looking for one with an integrated pointing device, BT or RF, and preferable rechargeable. I've been using an old IR Logitech keyboard and mouse, and I hate having the signal drop out all the freaking time when the cat decides to sit in front of the IR receiver. I've got kind of a general question, too. My HTPC is a Athlon64 3200+ with a 6600gt (clocked way the gently caress down so it doesn't need a fan), and I'm running XP with Mediaportal. Whenever I play any kind of non-HD video, I get some awful tearing, like vertical sync isn't working or something. Is there a way to fix this or is it just the nature of the video files or what?
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Feb 20, 2008 01:14
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I started looking at Meedio and MeediOS and I am confused as hell. I don't know if it's cause I haven't dealt with Linux before, or if I am just completely missing something. Here's what I want the program to do:
Can anyone point me to a place that will help me understand and setup what I awnt to do? edit: MeediOS is for Windows? See, thats how confused I am. edit 2: Looks like MythTV is going to work out for what I want to do. Is the Mythbuntu package working pretty well? Wood for Sheep fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Feb 20, 2008 |
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Feb 20, 2008 02:10
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VulgarandStupid posted:Someone had it for $90 shipped last week, but I guess that's gone. Mwave is the next cheapest at ~$100. I think Antec has some B-stock NSK2480s without PSUS for around $70. This place seems to always have it the cheapest, currently $79.99. Good case. diis posted:Does anyone have any input on a good HTPC keyboard? I am using the Gyration HTPC remote suite. Super cheap right now at $60 and a great air-mouse/remote, with a small keyboard for when you need it. And as far as front end, I'm still using Vista's Media Center, works just fine with everything so far.
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Feb 20, 2008 06:57
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Okay, I've had my eye out for a Blu Ray drive for a while now, particularly this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106227 Since the announcement by Toshiba, the price has dropped $10 ($5 the first day, another $5 last night). What are the chances that it'll keep dropping? Should I buy this one or wait for a competing brand to come out? I'm worried about quality more than price. It's one of the first of its kind, which scares me. Anyone have any experience with BR drives?
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Feb 20, 2008 14:51
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Wood for Sheep posted:edit 2: Looks like MythTV is going to work out for what I want to do. Is the Mythbuntu package working pretty well? I run Myth on Ubuntu but I'm not running it from the Mythbuntu packages/distro. It works like a charm though. How comfortable are you with Linux though? If you don't know anything about Linux as an OS, Myth might be a bit more challenging for you, although the out-of-the-box setup from packages works pretty well. Search for previous posts by me in this thread if you want to read up on the details of my current Myth setup
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Feb 20, 2008 19:11
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vanilla slimfast posted:I run Myth on Ubuntu but I'm not running it from the Mythbuntu packages/distro. It works like a charm though. I have no experience with Linux, but I have always been curious. Is there a good place to start to learn other than just doing it? I really like the look of MythTV and I do need a project(if college isn't enough). edit: Well I just noticed my AverMedia M780 isn't compatible with linux, so I guess thats out. Don't want to have to buy a new card. Are there any decent windows builds besides SageTV? Wood for Sheep fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Feb 20, 2008 |
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Feb 20, 2008 19:16
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106227 It's $130! Another $10 drop in one night 
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Feb 21, 2008 14:22
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If it were 130 for a BluRay player + DVD burner, I would be all up on that poo poo.
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Feb 21, 2008 16:10
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Wood for Sheep posted:I have no experience with Linux, but I have always been curious. Is there a good place to start to learn other than just doing it? That's unfortunate  For reference, compatibility information for Linux tv hardware can be found here A good way to get your feet wet with Linux is to download a "live cd/dvd" which lets you boot the OS and run it from optical media without installing it on your local drives. Ubuntu's desktop CD supports this live functionality.
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Feb 21, 2008 18:08
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Explosm posted:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106227
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Feb 21, 2008 21:03
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dur posted:You'd need a video card like a Radeon 3540 that has HDCP support to actually play any Blurays if you got this for an HTPC, right? Yeah, or just a good processor. I think that's why it has such varying reviews. A lot of people are playing BR better than others with the same drive.
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Feb 21, 2008 21:06
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I asked this one in SH/SC, too, but I think you guys might be more experienced. First of all, pardon my lack of experience with ATSC tuners and HTPCs. I'm looking for a new ATSC tuner card and was wondering if anyone had some advice. Right now I have an old MyHD card. It only displays real-time HD through the VGA output on the card. The program it comes with (which sucks) will not show full HD signal on the main monitor. Can anyone recommend a better ATSC tuner card? I know there's a ton of talk in this thread about these cards, but I don't know which ones will do what I want and which ones are good or not. I would love one that has software, or is supported by software, that can display the full real-time HD broadcast on my main monitor. Bonus points if I can pause and rewind, just like TiVo. Thanks in advance for the help.
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Feb 22, 2008 04:41
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Okay, anyone using MediaPortal and Vista? No matter what I do I can't get this poo poo to start up when Windows does. It pops up an annoying "Vista stopped programs from opening on boot!" message. I even tried adding it as a scheduled task on user log on but that didn't work. How do I tell Vista that, yes, I really do want to run this?
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Feb 22, 2008 05:14
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TheOneVader posted:
The Hauppauge WinTV HVR 1600 seems to be a really good deal right now at $60. I just got one myself, and it's working great. As far as software, I'd recommend not using the stuff they come with, but rather something like Media Center (or Portal). It will be able to do all the cool stuff you want it to. edit: ashgromnies posted:How do I tell Vista that, yes, I really do want to run this? edit2: Is this what you're talking about? Mr FancySocks fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Feb 22, 2008 |
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Feb 22, 2008 05:19
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