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TheDingo posted:It can handle 1080p right now without GPU decoding and a cheapish CPU (E5200), but GPU offloading should reduce CPU load. The 9400m does support hardware h.264 decoding. Here is a little note about the Macbook Pro showing the CPU load dropping in half when the 9400m takes over h.264 decoding: http://appleaddiction.net/?p=802 The Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H and a E5200 would be able to handle 1080p content no problem?
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Apr 14, 2009 16:15
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evilalien posted:You mean it supports Nvidia GPU acceleration out of the box for Linux. Not Windows. Whoops, yeah you are right. My bad.  My advice still stands, get it for Aeon STARK.
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Apr 14, 2009 18:23
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Boris the Blade posted:The Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H and a E5200 would be able to handle 1080p content no problem? I have not stress tested my setup (720p is about all that I run). It really depends on the player and content, but from what I have heard people are running 1080p CPU only just fine. On any software that supports GPU acceleration, it will definitely be no problem.
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Apr 14, 2009 18:37
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Stuntman Mike posted:The reviews for the Zotac 9300 Mini-ITX are actually pretty solid. I'm getting one for a mini gaming box in a few weeks. The real challenge is just finding a case that can fit all the poo poo you want in it. I just read a pretty good 7 page review. the only problem is whether or not the mini-itx cases are large enough to fit a standard desktop size disc drive. Im not shelling out $300 for a slimline blu-ray drive. Tho before I seal the deal I wanted to confirm if anyone knew whether or not it was capable to playing 1080p flawlessly.
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Apr 14, 2009 22:14
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I'm thinking of building some sort of HTPC front end. My question is if I'll be able to play back say, 10GB or so files over ethernet. My backend is simply an old P3 1Ghz with a bunch of hard drives in it. If I buy a powerful front end (I'm liking the sound of this Gigabyte board you guys are talking about), would the backend be able to keep up with streaming over 100mbps ethernet? I don't see why not, but am I missing something? Also, what OS are you guys using?
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Apr 15, 2009 00:08
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Boris the Blade posted:Just to make sure I'm following you. Why is it people keep asking this question? It's been answered (by me) already in the thread. I have this exact setup under my TV in my living room. The answer is YES. If you are using decent video playback software (or codecs) then there is nothing that I have yet to attempt to playback that dropped a frame.
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Apr 15, 2009 04:26
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Jensen posted:Why is it people keep asking this question? It's been answered (by me) already in the thread. There seems to be alot of repeating lately - someone called it out not too long ago the OP is from 2007; Maybe it's time to start a new thread and put FAQs up front to stop people from asking.
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Apr 15, 2009 15:21
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Praesil posted:the OP is from 2007; Maybe it's time to start a new thread and put FAQs up front to stop people from asking. Definitely agree with this. I had toyed with the idea of starting a new thread but haven't gotten off my rear end to do it
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Apr 16, 2009 03:16
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TheDingo posted:Depends on the source material and player. XBMC does not support video hardware acceleration, so all of the heavy lifting is left to the CPU. I've heard that the threshold for 1080p H.264 decoding is a 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo or higher. If you have a less strenous codec or a player that will let the video hardware handle some of the work, it will drop. To hopefully help someone out, killasampla does not play flawlessly on my dual core AMD 3.1ghz processor. Most 1080p does, but not that one.
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Apr 19, 2009 01:30
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Killa Sample is very much a worse case scenario however. It has massive bitrate spikes and every option was set to max, something you won't find even on a blu-ray disc. It's like the Crysis of video, there is likely nothing currently available that will play it correctly without it being complete overkill.
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Apr 19, 2009 14:28
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How is this for a file server/HTPC/Cheap and small PC? Intel E5200 GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H Kingston 2gb RAM WD Green 1TB HDD In WIN IW-BT611T.300L case w/ 300w Power Supply This is about the price I'm looking for, hovering around $300. Any suggestions? The only thing set in stone is the CPU, as I've already got it. That case looks to be great for my media center furniture- but if it sucks or something, I'm open to ideas.
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Apr 19, 2009 21:24
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I want to play 1080p x264 content, but my old AthlonXP isn't cutting it. What do I need in terms of software and video card to get GPU acceleration to help (assuming I just have AGP). Failing that, how much CPU horsepower is needed to run this?
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Apr 20, 2009 19:00
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I'm on the lookout for a LIRC compatible IR receiver that I can purchase and not build. Are there any remotes which come with receivers that I can plug in and reprogram? Or reputable DIY makers who sell these online?
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Apr 20, 2009 20:02
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CloFan posted:How is this for a file server/HTPC/Cheap and small PC? I hope I am not misleading but the Green WD drives aren't supposed to be too popular for HTPCs. Many people feel they run much slower than WD reports (a big no-no when you're trying to make your HTPC not look like a computer) and it may stutter more frequently on 1080p content. Something to take into consideration, especially since I'm so annoyed WD doesn't seem to make a 1.5TB hard drive that isn't in their Green line.
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Apr 20, 2009 23:22
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Milky_Sauce posted:I hope I am not misleading but the Green WD drives aren't supposed to be too popular for HTPCs. Many people feel they run much slower than WD reports (a big no-no when you're trying to make your HTPC not look like a computer) and it may stutter more frequently on 1080p content. Something to take into consideration, especially since I'm so annoyed WD doesn't seem to make a 1.5TB hard drive that isn't in their Green line. Yeah, I got swayed that way. I ordered a little bit earlier today, got a Black edition instead. I'll evnetually be adding a DVD drive and TV Tuner card, but for now it'll just be a fileserver and stored media machine.
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Apr 21, 2009 01:21
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The Gigabyte motherboard that's been mentioned so often in this thread [the GA-E7AUM-DS2H] seems to be nigh-on un-sourceable in Australia. The main factors this board has going for me are the following: - audio and video via HDMI - HDCP compliant - 1080P video, and 7.1Ch audio - micro-atx sized With those points in mind, is anyone able to recommend me a similar motherboard with the above constraints that I could [hopefully] get my hands on in this backwards country? On the other hand, if anyone knows where I can order one from within Australia, that'd be excellent too. e: spelling, clarification. buildmorefarms fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Apr 21, 2009 |
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Apr 21, 2009 03:59
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I'm after building a HTPC as well, but trying to keep it really low cost. The GA-E7AUM-DS2H is a bit out of my budget, but I've found the GA-MA78GM-DS2H which is 2/3 the price of the aforementioned one. This one comes with an ATI HD3200 integrated, and runs on the AMD 780G chipset. Is this enough for decoding 1080p when paired with 2GB DDR2 and 2.6 GHz AMD dual core CPU? Or am I better off buying a really cheap mobo with a dedicated entry level GPU like say an ATI HD4350 w/ silent cooling?
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Apr 21, 2009 09:36
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Here is my attempt at "HTPC for under $500." My aim is to be able to play 1080p and Blu-Ray. No gaming will be done. I'll be outputting to a Samsung 46" 1080p LCD via HDMI. SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum / Steel LC10B-E ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - $109.99 SeaSonic S12 II SS-330GB 330W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS Certified - $49.99 Foxconn A7GM-S 2.0 AM2+ / AM3 Ready AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - $69.99 AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core black edition Processor - $64.99 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s - $109.99 LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner - $109.99 Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 - $47.99 Total - $557.93 Let me know if I can get away with anything less. Thanks.
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Apr 21, 2009 17:08
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You can get away with much less. Here's what I am using (and most of this is a popular build around here). Not sure if the prices have changed since: MB GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H 9400 RT - $119.99 CPU INTEL|PDC E5200 2.5G 2M R - $72.99 DVD-ROM SONY-NEC|DDU1675S 20X BK % - $17.99 HTPC CASE ATHENATECH|A100BB.270 RT - $49.99 MEM 1Gx2|OCZ DII800 OCZ2VU8002GK - $22.99 HD 250G|WD 7K 16M SATA WD2500YD % - $39.99 Total= ~$324 If you want Blu-Ray, swap the DVD-ROM for a retail Blu-Ray drive (OEM does not include the required software) for an extra $80 and the total is just over $400.
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Apr 21, 2009 18:09
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What do you guys use for storage? My 5 year old HTPC needs to be retired, and my new HTPC will be too small to properly house hard drives, so and I'm trying to decide if I want to (in order of price): a) Use old HTPC as server and add new drives as necessary b) Use old HTPC as server but buy a RAID controller and new uniform drives c) Buy a glorified external hard drive enclosure: contains multiple disks, expandable, RAID1 (simple) d) Buy self contained expandable NAS thingy +RAID5 (simple) I'm not a packrat, and for philosophical reasons I don't want to give myself tons of free space. 1-2TB will more than satisfy me for a long long time. I like the idea of keeping my old HTPC in commission, but I feel like reliable RAID controllers are expensive.
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Apr 21, 2009 19:22
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ynotony posted:What do you guys use for storage? My 5 year old HTPC needs to be retired, and my new HTPC will be too small to properly house hard drives, so and I'm trying to decide if I want to (in order of price): Does anyone offer a solution of getting rid of buzzing in speakers? I currently have my HDAV hooked up to my parasound amp and I am getting buzzing out of the speakers.
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Apr 21, 2009 19:37
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TheDingo posted:You can get away with much less. Here's what I am using (and most of this is a popular build around here). Not sure if the prices have changed since: But with that build I'm paying about $50 more for the motherboard and processor.
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Apr 21, 2009 19:44
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TrippleNipple posted:I'm after building a HTPC as well, but trying to keep it really low cost. The GA-E7AUM-DS2H is a bit out of my budget, but I've found the GA-MA78GM-DS2H which is 2/3 the price of the aforementioned one. This one comes with an ATI HD3200 integrated, and runs on the AMD 780G chipset. Is this enough for decoding 1080p when paired with 2GB DDR2 and 2.6 GHz AMD dual core CPU? I have that motherboard, it works fine when decoding 1080p. I have a 2.4ghz dual core AMD chip and it can play 1080p cpu based content (I use xbmc) pretty much 90% of the time. Killasampla gives it some trouble so depending on how you want to go just use a player that supports gpu decoding or maybe try to step up the cpu one more in speed.
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Apr 21, 2009 20:14
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ynotony posted:What do you guys use for storage? My 5 year old HTPC needs to be retired, and my new HTPC will be too small to properly house hard drives, so and I'm trying to decide if I want to (in order of price): You might consider doing software RAID instead of trying to deal with a RAID controller. There will be a minor performance hit, but for your purposes it will probably work fine. I do software RAID under Linux for my HTPC (4x500GB, RAID5), and it runs like a champ. Only time it suffers is when I'm trying to do something like 3 HD streams (2 recording, one playback) all at the same time and even then it's a very sporadic i/o wait here and there (if at all)
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Apr 21, 2009 20:29
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the posted:But with that build I'm paying about $50 more for the motherboard and processor. True, but the overall cost is over $100 cheaper for a machine that will be just as capable as well as cooler and quiter. It's a matter of taste though, as that case you got is much nicer but costs $160 with PSU. 4GB of ram is also not required as you won't being doing any real multitasking, just streaming/decoding data as fast as possible from a single source. HDD is also a personal issue, as I just picked something cheap and reliable because I stream everything from a home server and don't need a large capacity for storing video. What you picked out will work just fine, I'm just showing another option.
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Apr 21, 2009 21:01
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Here is what Im thinking:
Im going for the DVD drive because slim line Blu Ray drives are really expensive. And Im not sure if Ill be using that case or not, Ive wanted to build a NES PC for a long time now.
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Apr 22, 2009 03:09
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Milky_Sauce posted:I hope I am not misleading but the Green WD drives aren't supposed to be too popular for HTPCs. Many people feel they run much slower than WD reports (a big no-no when you're trying to make your HTPC not look like a computer) and it may stutter more frequently on 1080p content. Something to take into consideration, especially since I'm so annoyed WD doesn't seem to make a 1.5TB hard drive that isn't in their Green line. I have the green and no, it isn't as fast as a "normal" hard drive but it's plenty fast to stream 1080p content without stuttering.
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Apr 22, 2009 04:07
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Share Bear posted:I'm on the lookout for a LIRC compatible IR receiver that I can purchase and not build. Are there any remotes which come with receivers that I can plug in and reprogram? Or reputable DIY makers who sell these online? Just gete a normal MCE remote. They come with a USB IR receiver which you can reprogram with various software utilities. I just setup a button to power my TV on/off via blasting today.
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Apr 22, 2009 04:09
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1 sale a day has a Logitech Harmony 720 on sale for $60. Worth it for an HTPC? Edit- also is this tuner card/remote any good? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100014 It suites my needs (especially low profile), and doesn't seem to have many bad reviews. edit2- there's also a version of that card for $15 less (but no free shipping) without remote. CloFan fucked around with this message at 17:49 on Apr 22, 2009 |
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Apr 22, 2009 17:44
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CloFan posted:1 sale a day has a Logitech Harmony 720 on sale for $60. Worth it for an HTPC? Harmony remotes work fine with standard media center IR receivers so you should be good to go. quote:Edit- also is this tuner card/remote any good? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100014 It suites my needs (especially low profile), and doesn't seem to have many bad reviews. Depends on what you are looking to capture? What is your source?
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Apr 22, 2009 17:56
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CloFan posted:1 sale a day has a Logitech Harmony 720 on sale for $60. Worth it for an HTPC? Ordered! I have been using a Harmony 360 (the one made specifically for the Xbox 360) for over 2 years and it is fantastic. The only reason I want to replace it is because my retarded cat started chewing on it when I was gone, so it looks beat up (and doesn't have the built in battery and color screen of the 720). I've found most IR recievers for PCs to be either over priced or a huge pain to set up with HTPC front ends. I eventually gave up on the one I had and modded an original Xbox IR in to my HTPC case and it works perfect in XBMC with the Harmony.
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Apr 22, 2009 18:26
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vanilla slimfast posted:Harmony remotes work fine with standard media center IR receivers so you should be good to go. Thanks! I'm looking to capture my cable feed- it's just standard cable through coax, with some HD channels in the lower 100s. I can pick up OTA signals as well, but nothing that I can't get through the line and it's not really any clearer. I've got this HDTV edit- as far as hooking it up, HDMI or VGA? I'm assuming HDMI is better, since it's digital, but felt like asking anyways. CloFan fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Apr 23, 2009 |
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Apr 23, 2009 02:57
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im using VGA into my 720p tv.. the difference im expecting is obviously I can't do 24p or anything like that.. But when I started using LCD's the diference between the VGA and the DVI was very apparent when looking at text, the lines were much much crisper with DVI.
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Apr 23, 2009 12:32
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CloFan posted:Thanks! I'm looking to capture my cable feed- it's just standard cable through coax, with some HD channels in the lower 100s. I can pick up OTA signals as well, but nothing that I can't get through the line and it's not really any clearer. Do you have a set-top box with your cable or do you plug it into your TV directly? If it's the latter, then you should be able to use a capture card like the one you linked earlier with no issues.
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Apr 23, 2009 17:06
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buildmorefarms posted:The Gigabyte motherboard that's been mentioned so often in this thread [the GA-E7AUM-DS2H] seems to be nigh-on un-sourceable in Australia. The main factors this board has going for me are the following: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131354 it's available at MSY for 119... I know its AMD, but its got everything you wanted, including a Nvidia 8300 onboard. It's what I will be buying when I upgrade
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Apr 23, 2009 17:16
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vanilla slimfast posted:Do you have a set-top box with your cable or do you plug it into your TV directly? Plug into my tv directly, no cable box involved. I'll probably get that Avermedia card w/o remote (since I ordered that Harmony), and a usb IR receiver.
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Apr 23, 2009 17:37
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CloFan posted:Plug into my tv directly, no cable box involved. I'll probably get that Avermedia card w/o remote (since I ordered that Harmony), and a usb IR receiver. Just double check that the IR receiver has a set of programmable IR codes that can be mapped to the harmony.
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Apr 23, 2009 18:05
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I figured this question would apply here but if I can't get an answer here, I'll try other threads/subforums. I want to buy a BD drive for my computer. I run Windows Vista Home Premium x64 if that matters and my computer isn't actually an HTPC so no front end issues or anything. I basically am looking for something that will play BD in Vista without problems and hassle and will also upscale regular DVD's. I looked for a second on Newegg but I didn't see anything about upscaling. Obviously price is important, the cheaper the better. Thanks for the help!
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Apr 23, 2009 21:04
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I think a better question would be if there is any DVD playback software out on hte PC that doesn't upscale anymore. Just pick up a retail package BD drive. If for some crazy reason the included player doesn't support DVD upscaling, you can use one of the many free programs out there that will. Hell, I think Vista's built in DVD player does.
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Apr 23, 2009 21:20
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TheDingo posted:I think a better question would be if there is any DVD playback software out on hte PC that doesn't upscale anymore. Just pick up a retail package BD drive. If for some crazy reason the included player doesn't support DVD upscaling, you can use one of the many free programs out there that will. Hell, I think Vista's built in DVD player does. Ah thanks. If Vista's does, I don't notice it at all. It looks pretty bad.
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Apr 23, 2009 21:23
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