how to build a MCE system.

C

compwarez

Gawd
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Messages
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i have DFI board, x2 4200, 6800gt , ocz (512x2) ram and Sata I 80 GB.

what kind of hardware do i need to buy to make a MCE system.

i need this pc for gaming, internet, MCE , watching movies, ddl stuff.

do i need to buy video card to get a better one or just keep this one?
 
There are still quite abit of unknowns still but i'll answer your basic quesitons:

1. The hardware you have is fine for Movies, Games, Surfing.

2. To get all the functionality out of MCE, you would at least want:

a. Good TV tuner card like an ATI 550 of some sort or if you want to record and watch tv at the same time, an Nvidia Dual Tuner card.

b. A nice MPEG decoder: Recommend Purvevideo Decoder from Nvidia

c. Strictly Optional- If you want HighDef Digital Broadcast OTA, you will want an HDTV tuner like the DVICO Fusion Lite card.

3. Additional Functionality:

a. DVD Upconversion: Look into ffdshow, Theatertek, and the MyMovies Plugin for MCE.

b. DVD storage: If you want to rip your dvd's and just play them from the harddrive you're going to need some hefty storage for uncompressed DVD's.

c. Check out these two sites for more plugins:

1. http://www.mcesoft.nl/

2. http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/

ENJOY!
 
so i dont have to get a better video card. 6800gt is enough for it. i just need to buy some bigger hard drive and a tv tuner card.

is ATi HDTV wonder okay or not.

what is an Nvidia Dual Tuner card?
 
is DVICO Fusion Lite same thing as Ati HDTV wonder?


because i get a Ati HDTV wonder for around 60?

6800gt vs. Retail Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro PCI-E 256MB

which one is better?
 
is DVICO Fusion Lite same thing as Ati HDTV wonder?
Click to expand...

From all the reviews and user input, the DVICO Fusion is a better card.


6800gt vs. Retail Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro PCI-E 256MB
Click to expand...
You will benefit more from the 6800GT, especially when you pair with the Nvidia PureVideo Decoder and the new Forceware Drivers.
 
do you have the link for Nvidia PureVideo Decoder ?
Click to expand...

http://www.nvidia.com/object/dvd_decoder.html

If you really need more help, feel free to PM me and we can discuss more. I will be leaving for the day, however I can discuss this more later tonight or tomorrow if you'd like.

Basically these are the items I recommend based on user input and reviews and personal experience:

1. Nvidia Purevideo Decoder
2. Nvidia Dual Tuner
3. Fusion HDTV Lite Card
 
what do i need to buy for HDTV HTPC?


if i am buying LCD TV w/ HDTV tuner , do i need to buy HDTV tuner for computer or not?
 
compwarez said:
if i am buying LCD TV w/ HDTV tuner , do i need to buy HDTV tuner for computer or not?
Click to expand...
To watch HD on that TV, no. To record it, yes.
compwarez said:
is DVICO Fusion Lite same thing as Ati HDTV wonder? because i get a Ati HDTV wonder for around 60?
Click to expand...
Yes it's pretty much the samething (they have the same function) but the problem is that ATI's HD "Blunder" as it is called is a pile of crap. It's to be avoided.
6800gt vs. Retail Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro PCI-E 256MB

which one is better?
Click to expand...
A 7600GS/GT or the X1600 due to their multimedia features, if you need component out then you're going to have to ditch the 6800GT cause it's not supported by it.
 
i am using for MCE , gaming and internet. is that mean i have to sell it and buy 7600gs or not.

is 7600gs is better for gaming than 6800gt? because i am using it for gaming also.
 
is 7600gs is better for gaming than 6800gt? because i am using it for gaming also
Click to expand...
The 7600GS is not better than the 6800GT for gaming but the GT is. Basically, what CrimandEvil is saying is that there is more multimedia functionality in the 7x series of cards than the 6800 series of cards, and if you need Component out, the 6800GT doesn't support it, however the 7x series of cards do.
 
compwarez said:
does this card support HDMI or not. it say it support HDTV
Click to expand...
If it supports HDMI you'll know. It will have an HDMI port on it and no DVI port which is hard to not notice. Now whats more important is if it supports HDCP or not, for cards that do see here: http://www.htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23416&hl=

Just so you know HDMI is just DVI with audio, you can use a DVI to HDMI cable to connect it to a TV but you won't have audio (until you connect it to a reciever or what not).

The 7600 GS is about as fast as the 6600GT, maybe alittle slower in some cases but overall it's a close call. No, H264 support isn't the end all and be all but if you are using svideo out, DVI out or VGA then you're fine. Most importantly you don't need H264 for HDTV, you don't really need anything for HD other then a video card since 1920x1080 is do able even on intergrated video.

Okay, we're working half cocked here. What TV and how is the MCE system going to be connected to it? Whats your sound system like?
 
i dont have any sound system.i am connect onboard sound into the TV. i maybe buying 15 or 17 inches LCD TV for my bedroom because my bedroom is a small one. i dont have any receiver.

this is my spec.

DFI board w/ onboard sound ( i am going to use onboard sound).
(512x2) 1 GB ram
6800gt w/o S-video ( I want to trade one)
80 GB
 
compwarez said:
i dont have any sound system.i am connect onboard sound into the TV. i maybe buying 15 or 17 inches LCD TV for my bedroom because my bedroom is a small one. i dont have any receiver.
Click to expand...
Unless you can get one cheap I would suggest getting a regular LCD moniter, for the prices that I remember you can get something like a 20 inch Widescreen Dell moniter for the same price as a 17inch LCD TV. If you're connecting an HTPC to it then it hardly matters even more (getting an LCD TV that is). It's when you get into the larger size TVs/moniters is when the difference becomes greater.
 
i am using 17in LCD monitor.
this is my spec.

DFI board w/ onboard sound ( i am going to use onboard sound).
(512x2) 1 GB ram
6800gt w/o S-video ( I want to trade one)
80 GB
 
bear in mind that you will need multiple sources for multiple tuners. like 2 set top boxes, or 1 stb and an antenna, or a sat dish, etc.
 
Twin tuners allow you to watch one channel while recording another. You'll need 2 cable/satellite boxes too, unless you don't mind limiting your choices in either viewing or recording.

I have a splitter in feeding the coax input of my TV and the coax input of my tuner card - another way to watch one while recording another. You, of course require a TV with a tuner to do this.

From the questions you're asking in the handful of threads you have running, you're gonna have a hell of a time piecing this thing together.
 
i dont really need dual tuner because i dont have any shows to record.

right now you notice ineed a video card w/ S-video because my video card doesnot have it.

is there any card i can buy that have S-video so i dont have to buy or trade another video card.
 
compwarez said:
is there any card i can buy that have S-video so i dont have to buy or trade another video card.
Click to expand...

No, they don't make s-video for graphics cards...











DUDE... google s-video video card/video card with s-video its not that hard
 
compwarez said:
i dont really need dual tuner because i dont have any shows to record.

right now you notice ineed a video card w/ S-video because my video card doesnot have it.

is there any card i can buy that have S-video so i dont have to buy or trade another video card.
Click to expand...

I did not notice that, I thought you'd just buy a TV/monitor with DVI in, some audio adaptors/cables and call it good....

I assumed you'd want a tuner, just cuz you're in the HTPC section.

There are many vid cards in AGP and PCIe with Svideo. Just go to vid card section of newegg.com, select your interface, and TVOut: Svideo, click the Blue search button and wheee...
 
Ok...let's try to sum this up and give you one solid answer:



1. Since you are not interested in recording, just grab an ATI 550 card from newegg.com. The cheapest one will suffice. I have the Sapphire and it works great.

2. You are wanting to game out of this rig and will be hooking up to an LCD Monitor. Since the 7x cards from Nvidia have the latest multimedia features AND you want to game, then get a 7600GT card. You can find them here in our For Sale forums for around $125. Hook that up to your LCD via DVI or if it doesn't support DVI, then VGA. CrimandEvil suggested getting the Dell 2007 FPW. I have 2 of these and for the price they are really nice. If you go this route, hook up the 7600GT via DVI to the LCD, so you're not going to need SVIDEO.

3. Audio. You don't have a Receiver so you'll need to get a nice set of PC Speakers if you want some decent sound here. Look at the Logitech 5500 or higher models with built in Dolby Digital Decoding. This way, you can pass the Digital Audio stream from DVD's, and other video that supports Dolby Digital to the Speakers and they can decode them and playback in 5.1 sound.
 
which tuner card comes with S-video port because my video card doesnot have any S-video port?
 
Hmm, you didn't get the hints we dropped about NOT using S-video?

If you get a TV/Monitor with DVI or VGA inputs, your picture will be much better if you use the DVI output of your video card. S-video signal kinda sucks comparatively.

you only need a tuner card if you wish to watch TV on a Monitor (a display that doesn't have it's own tuner)
 
Even if you have a smaller LCD like a 17" or 19", you won't be hooking it up using S-Video. You 'll either hook it up with VGA, or if the LCD supports DVI, you'll want to use that instead.
 
do you any suggestion for finding me one that is 17inches LCD TV that has VGA or DVI port? because right now i am using LCD monitor
 
For the love of god, how did you buy a 6800GT that doesn't have an svideo port? Any modern video card has it.

Either way, it doesn't matter. We're tell you to get an LCD moniter, not an LCD TV, and use that. Connect the PC to the LCD moniter via DVI and be done with it. Period. Drop the LCD TV idea, what wer're tell you to do is use a moniter because it's going to be more cost effective then an LCD TV.

For speakers just get a good pair of PC speakers since you don't have a receiver or anything else like that.
 
Vader said:
1. Since you are not interested in recording, just grab an ATI 550 card from newegg.com. The cheapest one will suffice. I have the Sapphire and it works great.
Click to expand...
He says he isn't going to record TV so he doesn't have a need for a tuner. In which case MCE probably isn't the best thing to use.
 
He says he isn't going to record TV so he doesn't have a need for a tuner. In which case MCE probably isn't the best thing to use.
Click to expand...

That's true, however he still wants to watch TV, and MCE will be the easiest solution for him.
 
the hauppauge pvr150 cards have svideo in, and just about any vid card will have either a hard svideo out connector, or a dongle that allows svideo, component or rca connector for video. if you are not recording, you prob dont need mce, or sage, beyondtv, etc. the tv software and guide that comes with the tuner card should be fine.
 
ATI TV Wonder Elite PCI

Dvico FusionHDTV3 Gold QAM

Fusion 5 Lite PCI HDtv tuner card

which one is better?

i have Directtv box right now.
 
try google and type in the [card model] review, read some reviews man
 
Given the OP's technical prowess and not wishing to record programs, I'd advise he pick up a TV Like this one. for $270. And avoid dealing with a tuner card and having speakers clutter up his small room.

Only one problem I could forsee - whether the TV will let you select between sources: VGA from his computer and composite from the DirectTV. Then there's the audio switching to be done - perhaps the DirectTV has coax to run between it and the TV? Or aux audio inputs?
 
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