Your Home Theater Network (HTN)

My New Receiver

mrHTN — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:12:54 +0000

Looking for a new receiver? So was I until I finally purchased one last month. I’ve been saving for a long time so I can afford a mid-high level receiver. There are a large amount of features to look for in a receiver as they are an important piece of a home theater network. Here is list of the features that were important to me:

7.1 surround sound output with a minimum of 100W/channel. I’m going to have a 7.1 speaker setup so this is a must.
Minimum of 3 HDMI inputs. One for a cable box, PS3, and a HTPC. I would like an extra one for my HD DVD player too but I could live without it.
HDMI 1.3a capable so the receiver can accept 7.1 signals.
Dolby TruHD and DTS HD MA decoding support. No point in having a 7.1 surround sound speaker system if I can’t decode a true 7.1 source.
Network controllable. I need this so I can run my AutoHTN program.
An independent second zone with audio and video output. This is so I can finish watching a DVD or a DVRed show in my bedroom or office.
A third zone output used for my porch speakers.
1080p HDMI upconversion output so I only need a single HDMI input on my TV.
Multi-channel pre-out used for an amplifier (one day).
Dynamic volume control. I can’t stand how loud commercials get and this feature keeps everything at the same volume.
A built-in Audyssey speaker calibration program.

The network controllable feature limited my choices to Denon. I asked around, but no other manufacturer had the options to send commands through a home network. I decided on the Denon 3808 and have been more than happy with it. The ‘09 models were coming out so I was able to find the 3808 for a discounted price, and it was able to do everything I listed above.

I’ll post back with a detailed review of the 3808 soon. In the mean time, here are some pics of the all the cables going to the receiver.

�

Home remodeling? Might be a good time to run some cables

mrHTN — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:51:46 +0000

I’m in the middle of a big home remodeling project where we’re changing the floors for most of the house. We also decided to paint the whole house and remove the baseboards. The missing baseboards worked out perfectly because it gave me a chance to hide some speaker wires. I just shoved them underneath the drywall, and when we were done painting and tiling, we installed the previous baseboards back with the speaker cables behind them. So for those of you planning on redoing your floors, you might want to think about removing the baseboards. It’s a perfect time to run some hidden Ethernet, speaker, or any other type of cable.

My New i760 PDA Phone vs My Old xv6700 Phone

mrHTN — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:39:47 +0000

A couple of months ago, my xv6700 PDA phone crashed for the final time. Not that I’m complaining because it gave me a great excuse to buy a new phone. I went with Samsung’s i760, and it’s been a significant improvement. The simple feature of having number buttons on the front of the phone is a something I’ve missed since I bought the xv6700 more than 2 years ago. To dial a phone number on the xv6700, I would have to use the touch screen which my fingers were too big for, or use the slideout QWERTY keyboard which was a pain. As the picture shows below, the i760 has number buttons on the front of the phone so now entering phone numbers is as easy as entering numbers on a regular phone.

The xv6700 was one of the first PDA phones Verizon offered with Wi-Fi capabilities. I refused to pay the $50/month for a data package so Wi-Fi was important. The xv6700 wasn’t too bad of a phone as it was able to do all the PDA phone functions I could ask for. Where the i760 excels is in reliability. I had the i760 for 2 months now and it has crashed on me once. The xv6700 with Windows Mobile 5 would crash weekly. Windows Mobile 6 on the i760 seems to be more stable, at least so far.

The i760 seems to be faster and more responsive than the xv6700. The i760 also has a significantly louder speaker, is thinner, and has built-in Microsoft Voice command features. It’s pretty cool speaking out “What are my appointments” and hearing a response. I didn’t have to teach the phone my voice which is a big time saver.

In the end, the i760 may delay my future Android phone purchase. Arguably, the i760 is one of the best phones out there today.

My Second HTPC (2007), Lessons Learned

mrHTN — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:38:52 +0000

It’s been almost three years since I built my first HTPC. Seems so long ago, but back then, dual-core processors were just coming out. Here are the components I bought for my second HTPC:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz Dual-Core Processor
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Intel P35 Intel Motherboard
XFX GeForce 8800GTS 320MB Video Card
Western Digital 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB (x2 for RAID-0)
Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) SDRAM DDR2 800
SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus 650W Power Supply
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM

I kept my case, DVD writer, and HDTV capture card from my original HTPC, and used them for my second HTPC. The two 250GB drives are for my RAID-O configuration with Window’s XP, while the 500GB drive is used to play around with Ubuntu and LinuxMCE. My last power supply was louder than I would have liked which is why I went with SeaSonic’s power supply. After two month of testing the system, SeaSonic’s power supply is as quiet as all the reviewers say. Last, but not least, is the addition of a Blu-ray drive. So far, the Blu-ray movies I tried with it work, but I am worried about the BS BD+ encryption starting to show up on some movies.

Performance wise, this HTPC screams. I run games such as BioShock and Call of Duty 4 at maximum settings and get no glitches or noticeable frame drops. DVD upscaling with ffdshow is around 40% CPU usage using only one processor. Also, my family and I have found ourselves using the HTPC more with the additional online video content. NBC and ABC have started streaming their shows online, and ABC’s quality is impressive as it looks near HD. Even Netflix started streaming select movies online with high quality video and basically no wait to start. Netflix will also send out Blu-ray movies at no additional charge, which is where the Blu-ray ROM has come in handy.

So far, so good. Hopefully this HTPC will last us another three years.

My First HTPC (early 2005)

mrHTN — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:16:54 +0000

My first HTPC started out as a plain old office PC. I was still in the TV on the box days so I didn’t have a home theater. Hence, the “HT” from HTPC had to be dropped. However, I did build the PC with the intensions of connecting it to a HDTV one day. I also built my HTPC-to-be with the intension of placing it in my home theater room so I made sure the case was worthy of displaying. I settled on Cooler Master’s TAC-T01-E1C “Wave Master” which is pictured to the right. HTPC style cases were tempting, but slightly out of my price range. The Wave Master was cheaper, and didn’t look like a standard PC case with its hidden blue LEDs and its curvy shape.

After I picked my case, I started looking for video cards. I didn’t know if my HDTV would have DVI inputs so I made sure I picked a video card with a component output. I picked ATI’s Radeon X800 Pro, which was a pretty fast card three years ago. In fact, it’s still pretty fast today as it plays Half Life 2, F.E.A.R. and Command and Conquer 3 at high graphic levels.

Half Life 2 was also why I went with AMD’s Athlon 64 3500+ processor. All the tests back then showed Half Life 2 performed the best with AMD processors and ATI cards. Can you tell I’m a diehard Half Life fan?

It’s been three years so I don’t remember why I picked Asus A8V Deluxe motherboard, but it does have built-in 5.1 surround sound. Too bad I never got to put them to good use.

I decided to buy a HDTV capture card so I wouldn’t have to look for a HDTV with a built-in tuner. I picked Macro Image Technology’s MyHD MDP-130 capture card because it had built-in hardware encoding. Therefore, I wouldn’t have to slow down my processor speed whenever I was recording a TV show. This is important if you’re recording a HD show and upscaling a DVD at the same time.

I knew DVD viewing would be a primary function of my HTPC so I looked for a quiet DVD-ROM drive. Sony’s 16x DDU1613 did the trick as I have never noticed any sound coming from the DVD drive. To burn DVDs, I bought Sony’s DVD+/-RW 16x DRU710A dual burner.

To speed things up, I went with a RAID 0 configuration. RAID 0 will almost double your hard drives read/write speeds, but the chance of hard drive failure is increased two-fold. I didn’t see this as a problem since I back up my data all the time. To get the RAID 0 configuration, I purchased two of Maxtor’s 200GB SATA hard drives.

For keyboard and mouse, I used Logitech’s Cordless Elite Duo. It’s Bluetooth so I knew I could easily get the 15 feet range I would need.

In summary, here are the computer parts for my first HTPC:

Cooler Master’s TAC-T01-E1C Wave Master case
ATI’s Radeon X800 Pro video card
Macro Image Technology’s MyHD MDP-130 capture card
AMD’s Athlon 64 3500+ CPU
Asus A8V Deluxe motherboard
Sony’s 16x DDU1613 DVD-ROM
Sony’s DVD+/-RW 16x DRU710A dual burner
Maxtor’s 200GB SATA hard drive (x2)
Logitech’s Corless Elite Duo
Window’s XP
APEVIA Chameleon ATX-AS550W power supply
512MB DDR400 RAM (x2)

A picture of my HTPC with the HDTV I eventually purchased is shown in my Home Theater Room Connections post.

Home Theater Room Connection Details

mrHTN — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:53:05 +0000

With the new HDTV, I could finally call my family room a home theater room. The Toshiba 52HM84 I bought has 1 HDMI input, 2 component inputs, and 3 composite/S-Video inputs. I use the HDMI port for my 8300HD cable box. I’ve been real impressed with the 20 hours of HD storage and the ability to record two shows at once. It’s also nice having one box that does it all instead of having a TiVo and a cable box. The 8300HD’s user interface wasn’t as nice as the TiVos, but the $7/month for the box is a lot better than the $600 plus $15/month it costs for a TiVo Series 3. Sorry TiVo, your user interface is just not worth the cash. I went ahead and cancelled my TiVo subscription.

One of the TV’s component inputs was used for my HTPC while the other component input was used for the PS2’s 480p output. Honestly though, I don’t think I turned on the PS2 once on this TV. The HTPC allowed me to play games like Half Life 2 and F.E.A.R. in HD, and I was quickly spoiled by the unbelievable graphics. I just couldn’t go back to low res gaming. The same goes for the GameCube, which I haven’t turned on either.

I have to say I’m lacking on the audio side of things. The Toshiba 52HM84 has stereo output which I used to connect to my Philips stereo. I’m still using the Philips stereo as mentioned in my previous posts, but now only in a 2.1 configuration. The speakers I have are probably 20 years old and are hand me downs from my parents. My next home theater upgrade will have to be a receiver with surround sound speakers.

The Home Theater Room and Finally Getting a HDTV (2006)

mrHTN — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 05:15:22 +0000

As you can see from the connection diagram at HomeTheaterNetwork.com, I firmly believe that the home theater room should be the center of any home network. The staple of any home theater is the HDTV, and in early 2006, HDTV prices finally dropped enough where I thought it was worth purchasing one. Picking a HDTV technology wasn’t easy, but I was able to narrow it down. Plasma wasn’t an option because I planned on connecting my HTPC to the HDTV, and I didn’t want any burn-in issues. SXRD had the best picture quality in my opinion, but its high price caused me to scratch it off the list. I trusted DLP technology more than D-ILA or HD-ILA so that left LCD and DLP. It was the screen door effect vs. rainbows. I decided to go with DLP since I didn’t need a flat screen, and I always thought the picture quality of DLPs matched Plasmas. Also, the price was a few hundred dollars cheaper, which is always a convincing argument.

New 1080p DLPs were just coming out, which meant all the 720p models were on sale. I spent a large amount of time at the AVSforum.com reading everyone’s inputs on different brands, and I also went to many stores looking at different models. I decided to go with a Mitsubishi 720p model, but I couldn’t find the discontinued TV anywhere. My next choice was the Toshiba 46HM84. The reason I picked the HM84 series is because it had the HD2+ chipset. The HD2+ doesn’t use wobulation to double its pixels, and I thought it gave a sharper picture than the HD3 chipsets.

I was planning on getting the 46” version of the TV, but Onecall gave me a great price, and it wound up being $100 more for the 52” version. Naturally, I went with the 52” size, and I wasn’t disappointed. The picture quality was stunning. I think I spent the whole first week just watching DiscoveryHD. What a world of difference from the 12” TV-on-the-box.

More information:

My First HTPC (early 2005)

mrHTN — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 04:07:57 +0000

Half Life 2 just came out and my 4 year old Gateway computer wasn’t going to cut it. I’m a huge Half Life fan so I decided to build a HTPC for it … even though I was still in the TV-on-a-box days. Technically speaking, I guess the new HTPC was more of a regular PC since it was in my office, but I made sure I could use it as an HTPC in the future when I upgraded my home theater.

Here are some of the components of my first HTPC:

AMD 64 3500+ Athlon processor
Asus A8V Delux motherboard
Cooler Master Wave Master TAC-T01-E1C Silver Mini Tower
ATI Radeon X800 Pro with 256MB of RAM
200 GB hard drives (x2)
512 MB Ram (x2)
MyHD MDP-130 capture card
Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and mouse

It’s been a couple years so I don’t remember all the details on why I purchased certain components. I know price was certainly an issue, and I also remember reading lots of reviews. Most of the reviews said that an AMD Athlon processor with an ATI video card worked best with Half Life, so I was sold.

Aesthetics is important in a home theater room so I couldn’t just use a regular computer case. I absolutely loved the horizontal HTPC cases with touch screen LCDs on the front. However, they were way too expensive so I went with the Cooler Master case. It’s a tower-based case so it may not look right in everyone’s home theater, but I knew I would have enough floor space. I also liked the way the front of the case looked with the blue LED glow.

Building the HTPC went without a hitch. I had the hard drives setup in a RAID 0 configuration to help speed things up, and I had no problems installing the motherboard and processor. I was a little worried about installing Windows XP onto RAID 0 drives since I never done it before, but the install went without a hitch too.

I picked the MyHD MDP-130 capture card over other HD capture cards because it had built-in hardware encoding capabilities. Some of the other HD capture cards use the processor to compress video, which would be a problem if I was recording something and upscaling a DVD at the same time.

In the end, the HTPC without a home theater played great. I was able to see the resolution, details, and textures without any frame jitter.

I’ll go through connecting my HTPC to my HDTV in another post in another day.

More information: