Do you have a HTPC?

Baldrick · Administrator Joined: 09 Aug 2000 Location: Sweden

yep.

pchan · Member Joined: 16 Mar 2003 Location: SEA

Yes... a dedicated Xp2500+, X10 remote+Girder3.2, Showshifter3.11, 160gig hard drive, 512MB Ram. It operates 24x7, usually on S3 standby mode.
Edit : Hauppauge WinTV PCI card. A spare Compro VideoMate TV Gold+.

Baldrick · Administrator Joined: 09 Aug 2000 Location: Sweden

I'm using my pc as a htpc, no dedicated one yet. I'm just using it to watch movies using zoomplayer, nvidia dvd decoder and ffdshow.

drjtech · Remember Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Location: Northern Virginia

My dedicated HTPC is an old eMachines Pentium 4 2.2 GHz, 512MB RAM tricked out with a Hauppauge WinPVR 350, an IRBlaster, an additional 250GB Maxtor HD, and SageTV.

-drj
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Xylob the Destroyer · Melkor Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Location: Earth, for now

yup, using the one that has it's specs listed under my profile here
too bad it only supports S-Video out tho

I have a SoundBlaster Audigy Platinum something-or-other, but am currently using it's optical out for audio. the optical on it doesn't support multi-channel tho. I can remedy that if I could ever find a S/PDIF that has 3.5 mini on one end and RCA on the other tho
I just use MediaPlayer to watch movies, works fine for me. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I have no problems with it.
My AIW came with a remote and so did the SoundBlaster.
When XP Media Center edition was announced, I was 'excited' but then I found out you can't but it -- you have to buy a whole PC to get it. What a rip...
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DVD_NDN · Member Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Location: Canada

ok I'll ask the question partly out of sheer curiosity, and partly because I am a serious multimedia junkie who HAS to keep up with the johnsons..... what the hell is HTPC?
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drjtech · Remember Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Location: Northern Virginia

redwudz · Mod Neophyte Joined: 07 Sep 2002 Location: AZ, USA

I set one up a month or two ago. Dedicated machine with a Sempron XP2200+, OCed to 1.9Ghz, 512MB DDR 3200, Asus MB, two 80G Maxtor HD's, DVD ROM and burner, cable internet. It has a DVICO HDTV board, Sapphire Radeon VGA card. The video goes out through the DVI port, through a ATI DVI>Component converter to my video projector. Sound is out to a home theater system.

I use an older version of PowerDVD for DVD and Zoom player for DIVX. 25 foot cables for the keyboard, LCD monitor and mouse.

Works great so far. Still having problems with overlay video. The software players work fine, but the HDTV output from the DVICO card is hard to get set up. HDTV is terrestrial only.

DVD_NDN · Member Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Location: Canada

AH. thank you for explaining it. in hindsight, the acronyms should have been easy enough to figure out.
though I do not necessarily use mine for that purpose, ultimately that is where I intend to go with it.
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anjilslaire · Member Joined: 29 Jul 2003

Yep, xbmc on my xbox. Best thing ever, with a large hard drive softmodded and streaming video from my PC

mattyboy · swollen Member Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Location: Canada

Yep. My sound system for it is the selling point. 6.1 Paradigm mini monitor speaker system (PDR-8 sub, Stylus centre) hooked to a panasonic SA-XR25 reciever (in turn hooked to a soundblaster 2 LS)
I'm using a 21" sony trinitron monitor now because I didnt like the picture of the PC hooked to 26" widescreen toshiba HDTV (no DVI on the rear, just HMDI) but my place is small and theres not a world of size difference; too much anyway.
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BetaMaster · Posted: Feb 28, 2005 23:02

Does a Pentium III 500MHz with a DVD drive and a generic sound card count?

I didn't thinks so

But yeah, I would like one of those. Mind you, I don't really need one.

vitualis · Moderator Joined: 01 Oct 2000 Location: Australia

Though they are undoubtedly cool, if I had that much money to burn, I'll buy a bigger TV...

In Australia, TV sucks anyway (we only have 5 free-to-air channels) not that I have the time to watch TV. The only thing I use my TV for are DVDs and I'm happy with just a DVD player and an online DVD subscription...

Regards.
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pbhalerao · Member Joined: 22 Aug 2002 Location: India

jonathome45 · Member Joined: 27 Mar 2004

I didn't know it but I guess I do have an HTPC, P4 2.8, ati all-in-wonder conected to a 61" samsung DLP via svga connection, cable modem, connected to 200 watt stereo. I do the pvr thing, surf the net, real rhapsody, winamp etc. Great for when I have guests.But what kicks ass is MS Flight simulator--great time. What I'm looking for is good cordless keyboard/mouse combo. I'm using USB extension chords now, Have tried several cordless products but all have poor range/performance. Any recommendations?

mattyboy · swollen Member Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Location: Canada

I use it for dvds only. Television programming is terrible. I havent had cable since I moved out of my fathers house years ago.

dphirschler · Ut Joined: 29 Aug 2001 Location: Kennesaw, GA - USA

One machine is a 300mHz set up solely as a TV (using Descaler). Well, it is also my CD duplicating computer, but it is a TV most of the time. Saves me the trouble of firing up the projector just for a quick viewing of TV (news, weather, or something just not worthy of "big screen").

I am currently setting up a second machine (1.4 gHz) as a more serious HTPC. This one will be the replacement for our VCR. I am setting up Media Portal on it so I can watch TV, record shows, and possibly timeshift. I also have my satellite TV coming in and shortly will be installing the Fusion HDTV3 Gold card for free OTA and cable HDTV programming. Of course this one will be connected to the projector.

Darryl

yoda313 · Regular joe Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: sector 001

Hello,

plcpower · Member Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Location: only in my mind

have cable hooked up to mine using mce works ok for what i need

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Gritz · Member Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: United States

Not yet, although I've thought about it. 10 or 15 years ago I used to record a lot of shows to VHS without being assulted by a barrage of commercials, but the shows I do watch nowadays bombard me with them. And I damn sure don't want to record that crap, nor bother with removing it. I do have a spare computer .... and it would be a interesting experience though. Maybe when they get HDTV perfected.
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pchan · Member Joined: 16 Mar 2003 Location: SEA

Hi Gritz,
The beauty of PVR + RF remote is that you can zap away(skip) commercials with just a press of a remote button.

MACCA350 · Member Joined: 08 May 2003 Location: Australia

Yep,
Dedicated P4 1.6Ghz, XP Pro, 768Meg RAM, 40GB HD, Pioneer DVR-106, SPDIF Digital audio and Svideo connection to Denon 3805 reciever, Ethernet connection to my main comp(P4 3Ghz, 1.25Gig RAM, 400Gig of HDD's etc.) and cable internet. Mostly used for MP3 jukebox and watching other stuff. Never used as a dvd player for the projector as the Denon 2200 kills it for quality.
Im thinking of getting a HDTV card for it and use it as a VCR replacement.

Cheers

RMaddog · Member Joined: 22 Jan 2005

Gritz · Member Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: United States

Thanks pchan. When you say "skip" do you mean by fast forwarding? I remember some time back about software that would recognize the "black" panel that both preceeded and followed each commercial and would either by-pass or automatically just not record ... but I'm not sure if it was just hopeful thinking ... or an actual product. It would be nice if "skipping" the commercials would require no interaction when I finally at the end of the day plop into my chair for a little relaxation .... oh well ... maybe someday. :^)
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"No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms." - THOMAS JEFFERSON .. 1776

videobruce · Member Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Location: Buffalo NY

Over half of you don't know what it is?????

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caernavon · Member Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Location: Belmont, MA

ricky1756 · Member Joined: 29 Jul 2003 Location: michigan

I just built one using the mozart case with an AMD+3500. I have 2 gigs of ram and four 250 gig hard drives for my music collection and one sixty gig for operating system and program. I'm using a NVIDIAcard hooked up to a 50 inch samsung hi-def tv.
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