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Q. Can you mix analog and Digital tuner cards or USB tuners
A. NO
Q. If I have one or more Digital Tuners can I get Foxtel into MCE
A. NO
Q. Can I get a PCI satellite (analog or digital, FTA or PayTV) card to work with MCE
A. NO
Q. If I have one or more analog tuner cards can I get Foxtel into MCE
A. YES
Displays
Q. Can I run MCE on dual displays
A. YES (In clone mode, In a stretched or spanned desktop, mouse / keboard / remote control will get "locked" onto the MCE screem until you minimize MCE or do a task switch)
Q. Can MCE on dual displays run at different resolutions or aspect ratios for each display
A. NO
Cases
Q. What kind of case should I get
A. A big one (desktop or tower). Small form factor cases suffer from overheating. You could run an slower CPU and/or a lower end video card to reduce the heat but its not really worth the performance hit, you will notice it)
Q. Should I get HTPC case x.y or z
A. Get whatever looks better to you. Remember noisy fans, power supplies, VFD's can all be changed but the look of the case is what you have to look at
__________________
That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.
Aristotle
You're point about What kind of case should I get got me thinking again.
What if there is a high performance processor out there that doesn't put out a lot of heat?
Today I stumbled upon this good review posted on http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NzA5 talking about Pentium-M processor 2Ghz on a MicroATX motherboard. I've been using a 1.6Ghz version in a laptop for a while and have been very impressed with the speed of it and always wondered if it was possible to use these processors in a HT box.
The processor seems more than capable of the rigours of HT as shown by the benchmarks and the great benefit is the low heat output (as you know the confines of a laptop really dictate how much heat that processors can put out).
What really got me thinking was a Coolermaster ATC 620 case that I saw a while ago and one I wanted to use because of it's sleek look. But I knocked it on the head at the time because it only takes MicroATX motherboards.
I like it a lot, my only concern is the onboard video with shared RAM, but i supposed you can turn it off via the BIOS and put in a PCI-E video card. This setup looks very promising. The mobo has a descent set of features (especially like the SPDIF out).
Does anyone know if SPDIF still works if you disable the integrated soundcard an a motherboard? I can see benefits if you could free up system resources allocated to the soundcard if you are using an external 5.1 HT Reciever.
Since it would be using an M class CPU, heat issues virtually disappear! But be aware the standard M class heatsink/fan combo is designed small and quiet because its been designed with CPU throttling in mind (I'll explain what this is in a bit) so an aftermarket Heatsing/Fan would be a must if you want to turn off throttling.
__________________
That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.
Aristotle
A. Get the LC-10M, if you change your mind and you do want the VFD then your stuck as the LC-10 has no external drive bays. the 10M is more expensive but as it comes with a remote that does work with MCE up don't have to get the MS remote saving you $50 - $65.
__________________
That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.
Aristotle
The mobo looks like a good candidate for HTPC as its fast and runs cool but expensive at $300+ and $400+ for the Pentium M
At this stage I'm trying to get my hands on a case - Cooler Master ATC-620C - and you may hear from me again when I start building, although I'll be trying a Myth based solution initially.
The mobo looks like a good candidate for HTPC as its fast and runs cool but expensive at $300+ and $400+ for the Pentium M
At this stage I'm trying to get my hands on a case - Cooler Master ATC-620C - and you may hear from me again when I start building, although I'll be trying a Myth based solution initially.
Regards
Jeremy
Hi Jeremy and welcome
We'll see you back here when you've finished playing around with Myth then.
The only thing I would add is make sure you have no unknow devices in Device Manager otherwise you are looking for trouble.
Also use the latest driver for any hardware as it is more likely to have corrected any of its outstanding problems.
P.S. Patch you machine with Windows Update, run virus protection plus use antispyware software.
From the TV to the Couch Media Center Edition 2005 www.1miledeep.com
Q. Can I run MCE on dual displays
A. YES (In clone mode, In a stretched or spanned desktop, mouse / keboard / remote control will get "locked" onto the MCE screem until you minimize MCE or do a task switch)
Q. Can MCE on dual displays run at different resolutions or aspect ratios for each display
A. NO
I am running my desktop (monitor and projector) in Dualview not clone mode and it works fine. I run the desktop at 1280 x 1024 and the projector at 1024 x 768 ( I have also run it at 1280 x 720 but don't like it as much). I also have different refresh rates on each monitor.
When I run MCE I run it full screen on the projector and all is fine, you can use the desktop by just taking focus off MCE (ie hit the window button on the keyboard) but you have to hand back focus to get some of the remote functions to work.
P.S. Patch you machine with Windows Update, run virus protection plus use antispyware software.
antispyware not needed (you're not browsing on it or installing things that could have spyware bundled) windows update if you do it automatically youre likely to have problems. update manually and only when theres a reason to, or a new feature you want. Automatic update has been cause for lots of people's guides malfunctioning.
Also on a lesser powered system (cpu wise) defrag once a month at least. Moving 3 - 5GB+ DVRMS files around every day fragments a drive faster than anything i've seen. On a slower cpu this will turn media centre into a snail.
Yes you could take that view that you are not surfing the web and don't require spyware. However I use my MCE machine to do much more then just watch TV and music. I use a wireless keyboard and mouse and can without much effort surf the net and much more. Hence the reason to run spyware. Also when the new MS wireless keyboard\mouse\MCE remote all in one device is available I bet may more will do the same and should consider virus\sypware protection.
