I’ve always had trouble saying “no” to the crazy discounts on HTPC parts during the Christmas holidays. This past Christmas was no different, but I did try to resist buying high end products. Instead I went for year old hardware, which there was some real good deals at Newegg and Tiger Direct.

Here are the parts I used to update my HTPC:
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300processor
• GIGABYTE GA-X48-DQ6 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard
• OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) SDRAM DDR2 1066
• Seagate Barracuda 1.5 TB hard drives (x2)
• Logitech MK700 keyboard and mouse
• SeaSonic S12D 850 Silver 850W power supply
• Galaxy GTS 250 video card
• Windows 7

The only parts I kept from the previous HTPC are the case and blu-ray ROM. I didn’t have any problems installing the hardware. The SeaSonic fan is super quite and the quad core processor makes the computer noticeably faster.

On the software side, I did have problems trying to install Window’s 7 64 bit. After a day and a half, I gave up and went to the professional 32 bit version of Windows 7. The 64 bit version kept getting stuck in the beginning with an unspecified driver issue.

Windows 7 so far has worked out great as an HTPC operating System. I’ve had no HDMI sync issues, blu-rays play great, and streaming media is easier. So far, so good.

I started upgrading my HTPC over the holidays and was unsure if I should change the operating system from XP to Windows 7. I was worried about HDMI sync issues or any other driver issues Microsoft didn’t resolve. However, I’ve been using Windows 7 on my laptop now for the past 3 months and grown to like it. It’s not as revolutionary as some of the reviewers made it out to be when it came out in October, but it’s a solid operating system.

Every time I use an XP machine, I can’t help missing the Windows 7 taskbar at the bottom and how much easier it’s to use. Networking is also easier with the new Homegroup feature. Just add the Homegroup password to any new Windows 7 computer you want to have access, and you’re good to go. Although, I found it annoying that non Windows 7 computers need to have a user account with a non-blank password to share data with Windows 7 PCs. On my HTPC, the blank password was an issue as I don’t want to enter a password to start up my HTPC.

Another new feature I like in Windows 7 is the use of “libraries.” I keep most of my data on the HTPC, so it’s useful to go to the documents library and see my HTPC documents and my local computer’s documents all in one place. The same goes for movies, pictures, and especially music.

In the end, I decided to add Windows 7 to my HTPC. The new taskbar, homegroup feature, and libraries convinced me along with the fact that Windows 7 is better protected against viruses/malware. After a week of use, my HTPC has no issues. Blu-rays still play great with TMT movie player and streaming music is easier with the new version of media player.

So, would I recommend Windows 7 over XP or Vista on a HTPC or a regular PC? I think the fact that I now have Windows 7 on my HTPC, office computer and two laptops answers that question.

There aren’t many options for HTPC owners if they want lossless 7.1 surround sound from DTS-HD MA or Dolby HD.  The problem is the lossless audio codecs like DTS-HD and Dolby HD require HDMI connections, and most video cards having DVI connections. Even video cards with HDMI need drivers capable of PAP decryption.  There are some motherboards with HDMI, but the reviews weren’t that good so I decided to go with Asus’s Xonar HDAV1.3. The card is pricey, but it comes with Total Media Theater Blu-ray software which is around $70 anyway.

The TMT software sold me and I purchased the card. Install was simple with a PCIe slot needed. HDMI signals need video to work so there is a cable that comes with the card to bring the DVI signal from my video card into the Xonar HDMI input. I then connected the HDMI out of the Xonar to my Denon receiver.

I didn’t get any sound at first and my desktop size was all messed up when I first started the computer (I was using component signal before). After resizing the desktop to 720p I went and installed Xonar’s latest driver off their website. Still no sound after a restart, but I now was able to use the Xonar configuration program to update the settings. After a little while, I figures out I needed the settings set to HDMI and 7.1 surround sound speakers. I also set the PCM to 192 kHz. The important setting I forgot in the beginning was going to the control panel and changing Window’s speaker setting to 7.1 surround sound. I did manage to get sound after that.

I installed the TMT blu-ray player software and changed the audio setting to ‘HDMI’ which allows HDMI pass-through. This is important because I wanted bit streaming from my HTPC to the receiver so the Denon receiver could do the audio decoding. Sure enough, I got the “DTS-HD MA” display on my receiver when I played a blu-ray movie. At last, 7.1 surround sound from my HTPC.

However, there are a couple issues I’m still trying to figure out. One is I can’t play any regular DVDs with the TMT software. My TV immediately turns to snow if I play one and I have to restart the computer. The second problem is more significant as I’m getting HDMI sync issues. If I switch from my HTPC to my PS3 and back to my HTPC …then I get a black screen. There was a period where I couldn’t get the black screen to go away even with multiple reboots. I finally switched DVI inputs on my card and I got video. The HDMI sync issues could be a deal breaker if it keeps continuing. I’ll see as time goes on.

If you didn’t catch my sarcasm in the title, then let me be clear: Don’t buy a Microsoft game for your HTPC.

I purchased Gears of War for my HTPC. Big mistake as it took me 3 hours before I could get it to work. Here is the ridiculous process Microsoft has put me through:

1. Install game (approximately an hour)
2. Went to start game, but got a xlive.dll file missing error. Had to search Google to find a patch.
3. Had to download patch and install
4. Had to download Games for Windows - Live.
5. Windows Live required .Net version 3 so had to download that.
6. Restart computer.
7. Went to start game, and got “cannot run game with modified executable code. Please reinstall game error.” After searching Google once again, found a ‘hotfix’ required by Microsoft to download.
8. Downloaded Microsoft ‘hotfix’ and installed.
9. Restart computer.
10. Had to create a ‘live’ account. This forced me to get a @live or @hotmail email. Why can’t I use my gmail address is beyond me …oh yeah, it’s Microsoft and they want to force you to use their products.
11. Had to create Windows Live for games profile
12. Still received “please reinstall game error”. Relented and uninstalled Gears of War.
13. Reinstalled Gears of War (another hour).
14. Still got the “cannot run game with modified executable code. Please reinstall game error” message after install. Did more searching on Google and found that Microsoft has some server issue which requires a GearsPC_TU3_Microsoft.exe file to be installed.
15. Aftre patch installed, game finally worked!

A total of 15 steps is 14 too many to instal a simple game. Microsoft obviously wants people to buy an Xbox. After all of this, I’m never buying a Microsoft game again. I’m sticking with Valve’s Steam service. Never had a problem with Steam. I never had to restart my computer multiple times or download .Net patches to simply install a game. Steam lets me downloaded and purchase straight through the internet and doens’t require any annual fees. Theire in-game service is very comperable to Xbox Live.

Take my advice and don’t bother with Microsoft PC gaming. It’s not worth it.

Haven’t tried Boxee yet, but I did just download zeevee viewer. It worked well so far. Watched some CNN news snippets, and a some shows on Hulu. Programs such as Zeevee and Boxee are going to be real useful as internet video because more main stream. It just makes finding shows easier when there is one place to find shows from all the different web sites out there. Zeevee’s interface is easy enough and intuitive enough to find videos easy, and you can use a media remote control instead of a mouse. Using a controller makes things easier for us HTPC users sitting a couch. The only thing I wish Zeevee has that Boxee has is a built-in music player and picture viewer.  I would like to view pictures stored on my hard drive and listen to music without leaving the Zeevee interface.

Here is a demo of zeevee:

would black be okay to paint the wall behind my 50 inch plasma, i plan on installing ideal-lume ambient lighting as well

OK, here’s where I am at this point. Tell me what you think, and as I’m always looking to improve the rig, feel free to make suggestions towards that goal.

Motherboard: A780GM-A Elitegroup Black series.

Processor: AMD Athlon 64×2 Model 5200+

Memory: 2G DDR2 (expandable to 8G)

HDD: 500G(partitioned, C: 40G D: 426G)

Embedded Graphics: ATI Hybrid Graphics HD 3200 series

Audio: 7.1 HD Audio Codec

Slots: (1) PCIe x16 for graphics interface,(2) PCIe x1 slots, (3) 32 bit PCI v2.3 slots, (1) IDE for up to 2 devices,(1) FDD,(5)SATA connectors-7 pin. NOTE:one PCI slot is taken for wireless LAN.

integrated I/O: 2 ps2,1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 eSATA, 6 USB, 1 LAN, Audio-mic,line,8ch line-out.

System is in a 4u rackmount Industrial server case, lotsa fans and HDD slots.

OS is XP Pro, service pack 3.

presently I’m using WinMediaPlayer to play music and such.

My goal is a good solid HTPC that I can use for TV,Music,DVR,DVD and Photos,etc.

1) Do I need another video card? I’m not much of a gamer, it’d be more for video quality for the DVR,DVD and HDTV.

2) Good media center software that can handle all of the above with the ability to rip DVD to HDD for playback and DVR duties?

3) Good HDTV tuner card?

4) Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Marc

I was lucky enough to attend the Electronic Home Expo (EHX) in Orlando this past weekend. The conference is a dream come true for anyone who is a fan of home theater networks. Home automation and video/audio streaming devices of all price ranges were demonstrated and displayed. Albeit, most of the price ranges were in the high end and something the average middle class person can’t afford.

Here’s a list of my notable highlights from EHX:

1. ControlWare software from Superna was really easy to use and could control multiple home automation protocols. Not to expensive either.
2. The Z-wave Alliance demo room showed off different manufacture’s devices all working together. Some of the other protocols, such as Zigbee are having big problems with interoperability.
3. PMC demo speakers, which cost $120,000 just for the left and right pair. Although a little pricey, the trailer for 300 never sounded so good.
4. Niveus and other HTPC manufactures were showing off their products. Some included CableCard support.
5. Window’s MCE plug-ins were everywhere so it was nice to see Pluto-CI demoing LinuxMCE.
6. Multiple companies showed off their home automation system and how it can be controlled by an HTPC.