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Blaise
Sep 10, 2003
Quick questions:

I'm thinking of using my Macbook as a part-time HTPC, just to play HD rips across our network on the HDTV I plan to buy in the next few weeks.

1) What's a good player to use in OS X to play 720p HD rips? I have VLC and it's a bit choppy.
2) Can you output HD signal across VGA? I've seen a few TVs with VGA inputs and I wasn't certain if you had to use DVI/HDMI or not.

Blaise fucked around with this message at 16:43 on May 28, 2007

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Bender
May 12, 2001

Fun Shoe
I guess this is an HTPC question, but I'm not sure if what I'm looking for actually exists:

I want to put a stereo in my master bedroom to listen to music shared from a media server elsewhere in the house. I want to avoid another actual computer in my house, so I was wondering if there's some product out there already that does this. Ideally it would have a little LCD screen built in that would allow me to browse and select music.

Does such a product exist?

dfn_doe
Apr 12, 2005
I FOR ONE WELCOME OUR NEW STUPID FUCKING CATCHPHRASE OVERLORDS

Bender posted:

I guess this is an HTPC question, but I'm not sure if what I'm looking for actually exists:

I want to put a stereo in my master bedroom to listen to music shared from a media server elsewhere in the house. I want to avoid another actual computer in my house, so I was wondering if there's some product out there already that does this. Ideally it would have a little LCD screen built in that would allow me to browse and select music.

Does such a product exist?

Try one of the products available through slim devices. My neighbor seems pretty happy with his squeezebox and the interface seems real nice with an easily readable lcd display.

Bender
May 12, 2001

Fun Shoe

dfn_doe posted:

Try one of the products available through slim devices. My neighbor seems pretty happy with his squeezebox and the interface seems real nice with an easily readable lcd display.

Ah, cool. A bit expensive, but I expected that.

choo choo
Nov 26, 2002
I need someone to go over my proposal for a HTPC system and tell me if I'm straying, or if there's options I missed.

Hardware:
P4 2.4ghz
1gb DDR333
ATI 9800 Pro
Hauppauge PVR-350

Now, I have an extensive video, TV show, and music collection that I want to be served, as well as some cable recordings such as hockey games and random things now and then that I want the PVR capabilities with. I will not be recording many shows everyday.

I can't afford a HD TV as of now, and my current CPU won't do HD very well anyways, so I decided to start with this, and look for something new later on, after I get a better TV. Am I wrong in thinking this?

Also, I am leaning towards a MythTV setup. I want to use the box as a backend & frontend combo, as well as a second frontend setup on my Macbook. Also for single file streaming to the Macbook as well (via VLC). What other software can do this and is easy to use?

A large part of my media viewing will be divx and xvid files. Is there any software that excels in this part of the media center package?

This box is also my defacto Usenet and torrent downloader, which I control remotely via the Macbook. Will this have any impact on the HTPC side of things? (aside from unpacking and things I can set to a lower cpu priority).

Really I just want to get some recommendations for the best media center software than handles all my needs.

EDIT - Anyone want to make a usage comparison between Media Portal, and MythTV? I mean how easy it is to setup, and then ease of use after. Is there shortcomings with either of them?

choo choo fucked around with this message at 19:03 on May 29, 2007

Treytor
Feb 8, 2003

Enjoy, uh... refreshing time!
What is the best mpeg encoder for Windows Media Center 2005?

I have a VBox Cat's Eye 150...

They suggest Mainconcept Mpeg encoder for MCE, but I was wondering if there was a better / free alternative?

Crackbone
May 23, 2003

Vlaada is my co-pilot.

tragick posted:

Does anyone have experience with getting the hardware acceleration to work with the 8500/8600 series cards?

I've got a new 8500GT, Vista, and the latest versions of powerdvd and nvidia drivers. When I try to play an x/h264 file I can hear it but all I get for video is a blank green screen. :confused:

If I turn HW accel off in the cyberlink filter settings or powerdvd itself, the videos play fine, albeit w/o hardware acceleration, which is the whole point...

There's a lot of possible issues.

First off, if you have installed any codec/video player pack other than PowerDVD, Haali Media Splitter, and maybe AC3 Filter, you need to remove them, and possibly flatten/reinstall. They can seriously interfere with the ability of PowerDvd's drivers to utilize HW accel.

After that, are you trying to run the videos windowed? It seems to be a somewhat common bug that Media Center/WMP11 can greenscreen video if windowed. Try playing it through Media Center fullscreen.

Finally, there are some reports that .2065 version of PDVD works great, but the .2911 version, which is the latest, has broken HW acceleration for playback through anything other than PowerDVD.

Other than that, welcome to driver hell, and wait it out for newer versions of PowerDVD/Nvidia Drivers/Haali's. I'm still fighting my installation, which is being wonky in the extreme.

Crackbone fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Jun 1, 2007

TheBoohi
Jan 26, 2005

Suffer not the witch to live
I'm planning on building an HTPC, but in the meantime, I'm using my laptop (Thinkpad T40) instead. It is plugged into my HDTV via VGA. The laptop uses a Mobility Radeon 7500, which isn't great, but will do fine for now. I am running Media Portal and it is working great.

My only problem at the moment is getting the right resolution for my TV. I want to do 720p, but my adapter isn't showing it as an option. I am using 1360x768, so it doesn't quite fit. I tried using Powerstrip to force it, but the adapter just won't take it. Anyone have any suggestions?

RibeyeJaksom
Apr 16, 2003
Is there a TV tuner card that will take the signal from my digital cable set-top box and let me view/record HDTV through my HTPC? I have been looking at these Hauppauge cards and they only seem to allow for analog cable, unless I am misunderstanding something? (Is the set-top box converting it to analog for the TV so I don't have to worry about this?) I just want to be able to record/PVR HDTV from my digital set-top box with my HTPC. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

BrutusBeefcake
Jun 6, 2003
I just saw this deal for a barebones PC (has everything but an operating system) from Tiger Direct. Any thoughts on how this would work as a start for a HTPC? I am very encouraged by the DVI out and the 2 gigs of RAM. The whole thing is just 350 bucks.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3163629&sku=I69-2146%20H&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1379C

Quick specs from the website:

" One of our most extreme barebone kits ever. And we’re selling it for a price that will save you hundreds over an equally powerful pre-built system. This affordable barebone includes an Intel Pentium D 940 3.2GHz DT 800FSB CPU, Intel’s D945GCCRL Socket 775 MicroATX motherboard, a Seagate 250GB SATA HDD with NCQ, an XFX GeForce 6200 TurboCache 64MB GDDR2 video card that supports 256MB, along with an Optiarc 18XD DVDRW OEM SuperMulti optical drive. And our product experts have selected 1024MB of Ultra’s PC4200 DDR2 memory at 533MHz to give your system the versatility and agility it needs to master the most advanced applications. Dressed in our new Power Up Corporate ATX case complete with a 450-watt power supply, your new system will be ready for anything you could possibility imagine.

Plus, for a limited time only, receive an additional 1GB DDR2 PC4200 memory for FREE!"

BrutusBeefcake fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jun 6, 2007

RibeyeJaksom
Apr 16, 2003

BrutusBeefcake posted:

I just saw this deal for a barebones PC (has everything but an operating system) from Tiger Direct. Any thoughts on how this would work as a start for a HTPC? I am very encouraged by the DVI out and the 2 gigs of RAM. The whole thing is just 350 bucks.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3163629&sku=I69-2146%20H&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1379C

Quick specs from the website:

" One of our most extreme barebone kits ever. And we’re selling it for a price that will save you hundreds over an equally powerful pre-built system. This affordable barebone includes an Intel Pentium D 940 3.2GHz DT 800FSB CPU, Intel’s D945GCCRL Socket 775 MicroATX motherboard, a Seagate 250GB SATA HDD with NCQ, an XFX GeForce 6200 TurboCache 64MB GDDR2 video card that supports 256MB, along with an Optiarc 18XD DVDRW OEM SuperMulti optical drive. And our product experts have selected 1024MB of Ultra’s PC4200 DDR2 memory at 533MHz to give your system the versatility and agility it needs to master the most advanced applications. Dressed in our new Power Up Corporate ATX case complete with a 450-watt power supply, your new system will be ready for anything you could possibility imagine.

Plus, for a limited time only, receive an additional 1GB DDR2 PC4200 memory for FREE!"

450 watts sounds like overkill and it will probably be really loud.

Crackbone
May 23, 2003

Vlaada is my co-pilot.

RibeyeJaksom posted:

Is there a TV tuner card that will take the signal from my digital cable set-top box and let me view/record HDTV through my HTPC? I have been looking at these Hauppauge cards and they only seem to allow for analog cable, unless I am misunderstanding something? (Is the set-top box converting it to analog for the TV so I don't have to worry about this?) I just want to be able to record/PVR HDTV from my digital set-top box with my HTPC. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Quick lesson in High Def broadcasts:

Over the air signals you get with rabbit ears are ATSC standard. The signals you get over cable is QAM. Tuner cards that record high-def only do ATSC, no QAM - more than likely because of piracy concerns.

The only thing that comes close to what you want is called an HD Homerun. You can check it out over here:
http://www.silicondust.com/
It's made by a very small company that probably doesn't give a gently caress if the cable companies care about it, so it can read QAM signals. However, that being said, it's a pain in the rear end to get it to work in either Linux or Windows MC. Check the forums on that site to get a better idea of what it takes.

RibeyeJaksom
Apr 16, 2003

Crackbone posted:

Quick lesson in High Def broadcasts:

Over the air signals you get with rabbit ears are ATSC standard. The signals you get over cable is QAM. Tuner cards that record high-def only do ATSC, no QAM - more than likely because of piracy concerns.

The only thing that comes close to what you want is called an HD Homerun. You can check it out over here:
http://www.silicondust.com/
It's made by a very small company that probably doesn't give a gently caress if the cable companies care about it, so it can read QAM signals. However, that being said, it's a pain in the rear end to get it to work in either Linux or Windows MC. Check the forums on that site to get a better idea of what it takes.

Thank you. I have already looked into ATSC but 1) in my area it would require a roof antenna which is not possible in my current living arrangement and 2) would not have HBO/premium channels which is why I am looking for something that can take the unencrypted signal out of my cable box. HDHomeRun looks exactly what I want, only I hope it can take the signal from my box instead of dircetly from the cable coax and let me use it in conjunction with an IR blaster.

edit: Do I even need a tuner for this? Would a coax video card input and a IR blaster to change the channel work? I guess I need a tuner for stuff like program guide?

RibeyeJaksom fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Jun 6, 2007

BrutusBeefcake
Jun 6, 2003

RibeyeJaksom posted:

450 watts sounds like overkill and it will probably be really loud.

Good catch on that. For only $350 for the system maybe I can just upgrade the power supply to something quieter, unless anyone knows of a cheaper system out there.

Crackbone
May 23, 2003

Vlaada is my co-pilot.

RibeyeJaksom posted:

Thank you. I have already looked into ATSC but 1) in my area it would require a roof antenna which is not possible in my current living arrangement and 2) would not have HBO/premium channels which is why I am looking for something that can take the unencrypted signal out of my cable box. HDHomeRun looks exactly what I want, only I hope it can take the signal from my box instead of dircetly from the cable coax and let me use it in conjunction with an IR blaster.

edit: Do I even need a tuner for this? Would a coax video card input and a IR blaster to change the channel work? I guess I need a tuner for stuff like program guide?

The HDHomerun is a tuner,but it actually connects via ethernet, either directly to the computer or via a router. So no, you wouldn't need a coax connector on your system.

I don't believe you can hook it up after the cable box, because the cable box is actual a QAM tuner itself. You could run them in parallel though (a splitter feeding the cable and HDHomerun at the same time).

You'd probably be better off asking the other questions on their forums, as I haven't gotten one yet, and was just investigating it recently.

Fnord
Apr 20, 2001
WHAT

RibeyeJaksom posted:

Thank you. I have already looked into ATSC but 1) in my area it would require a roof antenna which is not possible in my current living arrangement and 2) would not have HBO/premium channels which is why I am looking for something that can take the unencrypted signal out of my cable box. HDHomeRun looks exactly what I want, only I hope it can take the signal from my box instead of dircetly from the cable coax and let me use it in conjunction with an IR blaster.

edit: Do I even need a tuner for this? Would a coax video card input and a IR blaster to change the channel work? I guess I need a tuner for stuff like program guide?

Your premium channels will all be encrypted, making the HD Homerun useless. Unfortunatly, the only way to get what you want right now is to buy a brand new very expensive media center with cable card slots. You can thank cable labs rear end hattery for that.

RibeyeJaksom
Apr 16, 2003

Fnord posted:

Your premium channels will all be encrypted, making the HD Homerun useless. Unfortunatly, the only way to get what you want right now is to buy a brand new very expensive media center with cable card slots. You can thank cable labs rear end hattery for that.

So nobody except people willing to buy a Velocity Micro media center are able to do this? So how exactly are people setting up their TVs when they have premium cable? Are they splitting their cables before it reaches the cable box and using one TV input for the cable box and one for the HTPC? Doesn't that defeat a large part of the HTPC's purpose? What do they do, switch to the HTPC to use PVR function with ATSC channels and then switch back to the set-top box for premium channels (which they cannot PVR)? That seems like a real pain in the rear end. Is there really no better way?

EC
Jul 10, 2001

The Legend

RibeyeJaksom posted:

So nobody except people willing to buy a Velocity Micro media center are able to do this? So how exactly are people setting up their TVs when they have premium cable? Are they splitting their cables before it reaches the cable box and using one TV input for the cable box and one for the HTPC? Doesn't that defeat a large part of the HTPC's purpose? What do they do, switch to the HTPC to use PVR function with ATSC channels and then switch back to the set-top box for premium channels (which they cannot PVR)? That seems like a real pain in the rear end. Is there really no better way?

From my research, there is no really good way to do your own HD PVR at this point. OEM Cable Card PCI Cards would be a good start, but I just don't see that happening at this point. It's a shame really, because I would probably be willing to pay my cable company for the privilege, but "OMG PIRACY" mentality is stopping it in its tracks.

Crackbone
May 23, 2003

Vlaada is my co-pilot.

RibeyeJaksom posted:

So nobody except people willing to buy a Velocity Micro media center are able to do this? So how exactly are people setting up their TVs when they have premium cable? Are they splitting their cables before it reaches the cable box and using one TV input for the cable box and one for the HTPC? Doesn't that defeat a large part of the HTPC's purpose? What do they do, switch to the HTPC to use PVR function with ATSC channels and then switch back to the set-top box for premium channels (which they cannot PVR)? That seems like a real pain in the rear end. Is there really no better way?

Nope, not really. Piracy concerns have cut off high-def recording at the knees.

BTW, yes premium stuff like HBO and Showtime is encrypted, but any other high def stuff typically isn't, although it varies from provider to provider.

Wood for Sheep
May 19, 2006
I'm going to be putting together a HTPC very soon and am looking for some input. I am trying to decide whether to put together a whole new PC for it, or just transform my current desktop (I have a laptop that I'd use for everyday college stuff). My current desktop has this:
  • Dell Dimension 8400 Mini-Tower*
  • Dell 0J3492 ATX Mobo*
  • 3.2 GHz P4 Processor
  • 2GB DDR2 667 RAM*: 2x512MB 1x1GB
  • 260 GB SATA HDD*
  • ATI Radeon X800GT 128MB*
  • XP Media Center Edition
* Things I think I would upgrade either way.

I am looking to put all this in a case that is less than 16"(W) x 20"(L) x 8"(H). In order to do this I think I will need a new mobo because it's a Dell and will probably be easier that way. I haven't decided which one, but I don't think I will upgrade the Processor. I will most likely upgrade the RAM to 2x1GB DDR2 667/800 (depending on the new mobo). The HDD will be upgraded to at least a 500GB SATA drive. Graphics card will be a last priority and a "if its in my budget" kind of thing.

Although I'll have this set up as a HTPC I'd like to still use it for gaming as well. Nothing too graphics heavy, though. This will be hooked up to a 37" LCD through HDMI running at 1360x768. I would like to be able to watch 720p TV and use the DVD drive to watch movies. One other thing that I may do is set up a smaller 15/17" LCD monitor so that I can use it as a computer and still watch TV.

What do you think? Good to just upgrade or should I just build a whole new one. I am also looking for cases that fit those dimensions and are nice looking but basic/simple/easy on the eyes. Are there any suggestions? And finally, as far as TV Tuners go, what brands are good for the money and what features would be necessary to record/watch 720p?

cheeto
Sep 26, 2003
I <3 Horse
I just built a HTPC and am having a problem

Motherboard Asus MSA-VM HDMI (ATI X1250 embedded video)
Monitor RCA 32 SD Tv using S-Video

I am running Vista Home Premium and have catalyst 7.3 install (7.5 wouldnt load control the panel) My only refresh rate options on the tv are 29hz or 30hz no matter the resolution or color suggestion. Someone please help, this is killing me and I can't figure out what to google for.

Thanks

edit: after googling "Vista 30hz" seems like a ton of people have this problem

cheeto fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Jun 8, 2007

EC
Jul 10, 2001

The Legend
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2143304,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

I saw this article this morning, and its got me intrigued on what these cards could mean for the HTPC market. Does anyone have any thoughts? A $50 DX10 card based on the 8x series from NVidia makes me all excited.

RibeyeJaksom
Apr 16, 2003

EC posted:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2143304,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

I saw this article this morning, and its got me intrigued on what these cards could mean for the HTPC market. Does anyone have any thoughts? A $50 DX10 card based on the 8x series from NVidia makes me all excited.

Except they "will probably lack HDMI" which probably means DVI as well. I guess thats not a big deal for some people.

EC
Jul 10, 2001

The Legend

RibeyeJaksom posted:

Except they "will probably lack HDMI" which probably means DVI as well. I guess thats not a big deal for some people.

Its got DVI, and it would be a huge deal for most people like me, who use a DVI>HDMI adapter because my TV doesn't have a VGA/DVI input.

Edit: this non-English site has some pics.

Crackbone
May 23, 2003

Vlaada is my co-pilot.

EC posted:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2143304,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

I saw this article this morning, and its got me intrigued on what these cards could mean for the HTPC market. Does anyone have any thoughts? A $50 DX10 card based on the 8x series from NVidia makes me all excited.

They don't really have any bearing on HTPC market... DX10 really has nothing to offer HTPC users. The 8500/8600 series have been the biggest gamechanger cards lately, providing high-def decoding, and being available with HDCP, and fanless.

And there is virtually NO chance of these low-end 8000 series not having DVI connectors. When they say HDMI, they probably mean actual HDMI. It's not easy to find VGA-only cards anymore. Hell, most of the $25 dollar cards on Newegg have DVI on them.

Crackbone fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Jun 8, 2007

pretend to care
Dec 11, 2005

Good men must not obey the laws too well
Ok, WTF is the deal here.

I've got my DVI-HDMI cord going to my new 42" Toshiba LCD. It says no signal, and when I go to my monitor configurations I can't even detect the LCD.

What am I doing wrong? Do I have to install drivers for the monitor or something?

EC
Jul 10, 2001

The Legend
Probably a resolution issue. What is the native res of the TV and what are you sending it?

Whatever the answer, try 1280*720 and go from there.

pretend to care
Dec 11, 2005

Good men must not obey the laws too well

EC posted:

Probably a resolution issue. What is the native res of the TV and what are you sending it?

Whatever the answer, try 1280*720 and go from there.

It's not a resolution problem. When I'm connected via the VGA and the resolution isn't right it says something about improper resolution. This just says there is no signal (when I'm on the HDMI input).

And my computer won't even detect the thing over the DVI connection. ATI Catalyst Control says there's nothing connected to my secondary output.

Is it likely that it's a bum cable?

dfn_doe
Apr 12, 2005
I FOR ONE WELCOME OUR NEW STUPID FUCKING CATCHPHRASE OVERLORDS

pretend to care posted:

Ok, WTF is the deal here.

I've got my DVI-HDMI cord going to my new 42" Toshiba LCD. It says no signal, and when I go to my monitor configurations I can't even detect the LCD.

What am I doing wrong? Do I have to install drivers for the monitor or something?

Did you make sure to power up the display before the computer? I've no direct experience, but I've read that advice at least 100 times in the past few weeks while reading about HTPC->HD connections.

pretend to care
Dec 11, 2005

Good men must not obey the laws too well
Display was on well before the computer was. I've even rebooted the computer since connecting. :smith:

Thus far I'm just chalking it up to a bum cable. I'm gonna try and order one before Newegg stops its Friday shipments but I may just be too late.

pretend to care fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Jun 8, 2007

Kinison Khan
Apr 14, 2006

From a hooker's heart I stab at thee...

pretend to care posted:

Ok, WTF is the deal here.

I've got my DVI-HDMI cord going to my new 42" Toshiba LCD. It says no signal, and when I go to my monitor configurations I can't even detect the LCD.

What am I doing wrong? Do I have to install drivers for the monitor or something?

I have a similar setup (DVI2HDMI & Toshiba 42" LCD), what you may need to do is reset the factory defaults for the TV itself. Go into the Install Setup, look for a firmware setting and arrow over left or right until you see an option to reset to defaults (Press 0000 then let it reset, unplug power cable for 20-30 seconds). Reboot HTPC and it should display through DVI.

I have yet to see if this little bug reproduces when using the component cable output.

pretend to care
Dec 11, 2005

Good men must not obey the laws too well
I fixed it. Good lord these ATI drivers are such a clusterfuck, nobody knows what's going on with this poo poo from ATI to tech help forums. The advice I ended up getting that worked was basically just to gently caress around with settings until something worked.



As you can see, having that checked (which is the default) is supposed to "help" if you have your display set to a higher resolution. In reality this crippled my card's ability to output a 1920x1080x60 signal.

EngineerJoe
Aug 8, 2004
-=whore=-



I might be getting an HDTV soon and I would want to connect my computer (with HDCP support) to my TV using a DVI->HDMI cable. The distance is around 25-30 feet away so would a monoprice cable be able to handle 1080p or would I be better off getting a similar length cable at Bluejeans? There is a significant price difference ($60/$18) so I'd rather get the cheaper one if it'll work. Also, Monoprice has a few different gauges available...

Edit: My question seems to be answered here: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hdmi-cable-battlemodo/the-truth-about-monster-cable-part-2-268788.php

Answer: 35Foot monoprice cables can't handle 1080p but a quality ($200) Monster cable will. BlueJeans claims they get 1080p at 50 feet so that should be a problem.

EngineerJoe fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Jun 14, 2007

Miko
May 20, 2001

Where I come from, there's no such thing as kryptonite.
Why don't you just get the 24AWG cable from Monoprice? It seems they're better quality for long run installation from some of the reviews. And its cheaper.

Does anyone else have any experience with their cable?

EnergizerFellow
Oct 11, 2005

More drunk than a barrel of monkeys

EngineerJoe posted:

Answer: 35Foot monoprice cables can't handle 1080p but a quality ($200) Monster cable will. BlueJeans claims they get 1080p at 50 feet so that should be a problem.
I'll bet money on that being bullshit. Officially HDMI really is only two wire gauges, 24 and 28. 28 is good to an effective length of ~20' and 24 ~100'. That $30 35' 24 AWG cable from Monoprice should work fine for you.

Remember, this is a digital signal, so as long as the signal gets there, the rest just doesn't matter.

EnergizerFellow fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Jun 14, 2007

EngineerJoe
Aug 8, 2004
-=whore=-



EnergizerFellow posted:

I'll bet money on that being bullshit. Officially HDMI really is only two wire gauges, 24 and 28. 28 is good to an effective length of ~20' and 24 ~100'. That $30 35' 24 AWG cable from Monoprice should work fine for you.

Remember, this is a digital signal, so as long as the signal gets there, the rest just doesn't matter.

Yeah I'm a strong proponent of "It's digital, stupid" but I'm concerned about the signal not getting their at all. From what I hear, HDMI is a pretty crappy cable spec that can't really handle the bandwidth for 1080p for long distances.

So you're saying that 24 AWG cable should be more than enough for 35'? Hmm. It's much cheaper... Where did you come up with the numbers that 24 can go about 100'?

Wood for Sheep
May 19, 2006
Are there digital amplifiers/switches? I know when I run long setups at work I need to run VGA through an amp before putting it on a projector. We run VGA cables about 50' regularly with that setup. That way might be cheaper and still produce the quality picture you want, if it's around.

Just found this: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011001&p_id=2786&seq=1&format=2&style=

quote:

# Support high-resolution display settings480p, 720p, and 1080i(with upto 50ft Monoprice 28AWG, 24AWG, and 22AWG Tin and Silver-Plated Copper HDMI cables)
# 1080p(with upto 35ft Monoprice 28AWG, 24AWG, and 22AWG Tin-Plated Copper cables)
# 1080p (with 50ft Monoprice 22AWG Silver-Plated Copper cable)

SnatchRabbit
Feb 23, 2006

by sebmojo
Not sure if this really qualifies as an HTPC or not, but it looks pretty sweet later on I may pick one up as a replacement for my trusty XBMC. Assuming it can do anything above 720p it's as good as a sale. Any thoughts?

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/archos-tv-plus-also-downloads-movies-surfs-the-web-268961.php
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/15/archos-tv-plus-details-hands-on/#comments

SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Jun 15, 2007

RibeyeJaksom
Apr 16, 2003

SnatchRabbit posted:

Not sure if this really qualifies as an HTPC or not, but it looks pretty sweet later on I may pick one up as a replacement for my trusty XBMC. Assuming it can do anything above 720p it's as good as a sale. Any thoughts?

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/archos-tv-plus-also-downloads-movies-surfs-the-web-268961.php
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/15/archos-tv-plus-details-hands-on/#comments

It says right in that article that it can't.


quote:

# It can only output up to 720p via HDMI; it only records up to VGA resolution MPEG-4 files, so HD programs will be downscaled



Worthless.

RibeyeJaksom fucked around with this message at 22:41 on Jun 15, 2007

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OldSenileGuy
Mar 13, 2001
I'm looking to turn my PC into an HTPC of sorts in the near future. My plan for now is to convert all my TV DVDs (Simpsons, Futurama, X-Files, Twilight Zone, etc) into files that I'll store on an external HDD and use my computer to play them on my PC. As such, I'm looking for a good program similar to Front Row on OSX that I can use to organize all this poo poo. I've already downloaded AntMovie Catalog, but like the name says, it's more suited for movies. Plus, as far as I can tell it's just an indexing system, I can't browse through it and actually launch any videos.

From what I've read in the thread, Meedio is where it's at for a front end if you don't need any DVR capabilities, which obviously I don't. But according to their website, they aren't offering it anymore. Does anyone know where it's still available? Or any other options that might be better for me?

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