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Current Supports (I'll keep adding to this later)
Notes:
(1) 760G does not have a native Audio encoder per say, pass through is by onboard audio over SPDIF through HDMI.
(2) Intel has announced they do not believe that there is any issue/they have no planned support for 24P fix for their hardware. So, this will never be resolved, AFAIK
(3) Nvidia 9XXX Video cards do not have native Audio Encoder, and pass through SPDIF via Internal loop cable, or the user must connect optical/coax from MB
Will update as we go along.
SOFTWARE SUPPORT
* Windows 7 will decode content inside of an MKV (Container) it just needs a splitter, whether that's Haali or Gabest
** FFDShow is simply a CODEC manager. It will support DTSMA is experimental. TrueHD requires Hardware Support (see above), MKV requires a splitter .. Haali or Gabest
*** Arcsoft TMT3 originally supported MKV. That feature has been removed. Updates to the software may break that feature.
(2) Arsoft & PowerDVD10 at current both downmix the DTSMA signal to just the CORE, or when presented over LPCM 7.1, it remixes the rear channels from 5.1 (PDVD) which is not accurate.
List of Resources no HTPC Owner should be without:
www.Hack7MC.Com - links, guides, and tools to managing Windows 7 Media Center
TheGreenButton.Com - The Green Button, Microsoft's now official sponsored forum for tools for Media Center.
MediaBrowser.TV - Media Browser, One of the best tools for quickly and easily organizing movies, TV, trailers, and podcasts into Media Center.
MyTV.SenseitWeb.Com - for those of us that save and organize TV, MyTV provides the easiest way, it also manages extraction and imports guide based metadata for easy organization, search, genre and que systems. (Development)
Who says all Media Centers need to look the same? Feel free to trick yours out with your own graphics/designs, thanks to Media Center Studio: http://www.adventmediacenter.com/
Want something really slick? Try RemotePotato. Fat Attitude's tool allows you to see your EPG from anywhere that has a web browser, using Silverlight you can set what you want to record while away, and now, in new versions, you can watch what you've recorded from anywhere.
Of course, make sure to grab plugins for NetFlix, if you're a subscribe it's worth it.
METADATA MANAGERS
I Want to append something here: There are other threads at two other forums that shall not be named that also broach this same subject matter. I feel that both are very, very well done. They provide much information I have no intent to get into here, because this forum is much more focused on the entertainment vs. the minutia, and I welcome you to continue to those type of outlets. However, imagine this as a hitpoint summary I will update frequently as software/hardware changes. I will not cover insane detail, only basics.
BELOW $500
BELOW $1000
BELOW $1500
SKY IS THE LIMIT
| Chipset / Card | DD / Digital Out (ST) | True HD | DTS-MA | LPCM | V: 24P (PROP) | V: DXVA (HW) | V: Type (IGP/PCI-E/AGP) | DirectX | Cost | Available | Software Support | Model(s) | |
| AMD 780G | YES - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES (10.2 CCC) | YES | IGP | 10.1 | 50-100 | ITX,ATX,MATX | PDVD, FFD, TMT3 | ATI3200 | |
| AMD 785G | YES - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES (10.2 CCC) | YES | IGP | 10.1 | 50-100 | ATX,MATX (*ITX) | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ATI4200 | |
| AMD 890GX | YES - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES (10.2 CCC) | YES | IGP | 10.1 | 120-150 | ATX | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ATI4290 | |
| AMD760G | Yes*(1) - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES (10.2 CCC) | YES | IGP | 10.1 | 40-70 | ITX, MATX, ATX | PDVD, FFD, TMT3 | ATI3000 | |
| ATI3XXX (PCI-E) | Yes - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES (10.2 CCC) | YES | PCI-E / AGP** | 10.1 | 25- | PCI-E | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | - | |
| ATI4XXX (PCI-E) | Yes - Over HDMI / Displayport | NO | NO | 7.1 CH | YES (10.2 CCC) | YES | PCI-E | 10.1/11** | 40- | PCI-E | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ||
| ATI5XXX (PCI-E) | Yes - Over HDMI / Displayport | YES | YES | 7.1 CH | YES (10.3 CCC) | YES | PCI-E | 11 | 50- | PCI-E | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ||
| Intel G45 | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO (2) | NO | IGP | 9 | DISC | ITX, MATX, ATX | (NO HW) FFD, PDVD | ||
| Intel H55/H57 (Clarksdale) | Yes - Over HDMI | YES | YES | 7.1CH | NO (2) | YES | IGP / CPU | 11 | 80- | ITX, MATX, ATX | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | 530/540/650/661 | |
| Nvidia ION (NetTop) | YES - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES | YES | IGP / ATOM | 10.1 | 80- | ITX, MATX | PDVD, FFD, TMT3 | ||
| Nvidia 9XXX Chipset (INTEL) | YES - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES | YES | IGP | 10.1 | 80- | MATX, ATX | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ||
| Nvidia 8XXX Chipset (AMD) | YES - Over HDMI | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES | YES | IGP | 10.1 | 50- | MATX, ATX, (*iTX) | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ||
| Nvidia 9XXX Video Cards | NO ** (SPDIF Passthrough) | NO | NO | 2 CH | YES | YES | IGP | 10.1 | 35- | PCI-E | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ||
| Nvidia GT/GTX100 Series | YES - Yes (HDMI or PT) | NO | NO | 7.1 CH** | YES | YES | PCI-E | 11 | 35- | PCI-E | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ||
| Nvidia GT/GTX200 Series | YES - Over HDMI / Displayport | NO | NO | 7.1 CH | YES | YES | PCI-E | 11 | 35- | PCI-E | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV | ||
| Nvidia GT/GTX4XX Series | Yes - Over HDMI / Displayport | NO | NO | 7.1 CH | YES | YES | PCI-E | 11 | 450- | PCI-E | PDVD, FFD, TMT3, Win7 DTV, |
Notes:
(1) 760G does not have a native Audio encoder per say, pass through is by onboard audio over SPDIF through HDMI.
(2) Intel has announced they do not believe that there is any issue/they have no planned support for 24P fix for their hardware. So, this will never be resolved, AFAIK
(3) Nvidia 9XXX Video cards do not have native Audio Encoder, and pass through SPDIF via Internal loop cable, or the user must connect optical/coax from MB
Will update as we go along.
SOFTWARE SUPPORT
| SOFTWARE | 32 Bit | 64 Bit | DTSMA | TrueHD | LPCM | MKV Support | Play From Folder | DXVA | BD-3D |
| Windows 7 Def | Y | Y | NO | NO | ?? | NO* | YES (DVD) | Y | N |
| FFDShow 32 | Y | N | YES** | YES** | YES** | YES** | YES** | Y | N |
| FFDShow 64 | N | Y | YES** | YES** | YES** | YES** | YES** | Y | N |
| Arcsoft TMT3 | Y | N | NO(2) | YES | YES | YES*** | YES | Y | N |
| Power DVD 10 | Y | N | NO(2) | YES | YES | NO | NO | Y | Y |
* Windows 7 will decode content inside of an MKV (Container) it just needs a splitter, whether that's Haali or Gabest
** FFDShow is simply a CODEC manager. It will support DTSMA is experimental. TrueHD requires Hardware Support (see above), MKV requires a splitter .. Haali or Gabest
*** Arcsoft TMT3 originally supported MKV. That feature has been removed. Updates to the software may break that feature.
(2) Arsoft & PowerDVD10 at current both downmix the DTSMA signal to just the CORE, or when presented over LPCM 7.1, it remixes the rear channels from 5.1 (PDVD) which is not accurate.
List of Resources no HTPC Owner should be without:
www.Hack7MC.Com - links, guides, and tools to managing Windows 7 Media Center
TheGreenButton.Com - The Green Button, Microsoft's now official sponsored forum for tools for Media Center.
MediaBrowser.TV - Media Browser, One of the best tools for quickly and easily organizing movies, TV, trailers, and podcasts into Media Center.
MyTV.SenseitWeb.Com - for those of us that save and organize TV, MyTV provides the easiest way, it also manages extraction and imports guide based metadata for easy organization, search, genre and que systems. (Development)
Who says all Media Centers need to look the same? Feel free to trick yours out with your own graphics/designs, thanks to Media Center Studio: http://www.adventmediacenter.com/
Want something really slick? Try RemotePotato. Fat Attitude's tool allows you to see your EPG from anywhere that has a web browser, using Silverlight you can set what you want to record while away, and now, in new versions, you can watch what you've recorded from anywhere.
Of course, make sure to grab plugins for NetFlix, if you're a subscribe it's worth it.
METADATA MANAGERS
| Name | Film | TV | Downloads Thumbnails | Automated | Trailers | Cost |
| MetaData+ .9 | Y | Y | Y | Y - Service/Tasktray | NO | FREE |
| MetaData+ 2.0 | Y | Y | Y | Y - To TaskTray/Filewatcher | YES | $20(?) |
| MyMovies 3.0 | Y | N(DVD ONLY) | YES | Yes (Service + WHS Support) | YES | $50 |
| MediaCenterMaster | Y | Y | YES | Yes (Filewatcher/Tasktray) | YES | FREE |
| Windows7 Movie Library | Y | N | Created | YES - SystemService | NO | OS |
I Want to append something here: There are other threads at two other forums that shall not be named that also broach this same subject matter. I feel that both are very, very well done. They provide much information I have no intent to get into here, because this forum is much more focused on the entertainment vs. the minutia, and I welcome you to continue to those type of outlets. However, imagine this as a hitpoint summary I will update frequently as software/hardware changes. I will not cover insane detail, only basics.
I commend those other authors for their diligence. While you'll find many of my recommendations do not match theirs, it doesn't mean that either option is good/bad, in most cases, both options would get you to the same point.
BELOW $500
BELOW $1000
BELOW $1500
SKY IS THE LIMIT
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