Build a Media Center PC

erew99 · 12-27-2006, 09:08 AM

Hi,
I am not sure what type of hardware I should be using to build a media center PC.
I have a Dell 4201C Plasma TV and a Sony DAV-FX500 dvd/receiver combo. I TVs native resolution is 1280x768 and not sure what type of cable or video card to get. I currently work with PCs/Servers all day long, but on Wall St, so I am not sure of the hardware to buy. Do they make Composite out on PC video cards? I don't want to use it for recording TV and playing back later, as my cable box already does this. My main goal is to find a good video card, dvd player, sound card (with toslink out), & a remote control for it.
Any ideas for this would be appreciated. I am figuring a P4 512mb Ram would be fine, but if not, please let me know!

Thanks,
G

Nick:G · 12-29-2006, 12:43 AM

If you plan on dealing with high definition video at all with your media PC, you'll really want more than 512 MB of RAM (1 GB at the very minimum, 2 GB preferable...512 MB barely runs Windows XP efficiently with modern applications), and you'll probably even want to splurge for an Intel Core Duo processor. Buy the largest hard drive you can afford. Hard drive space is inexpensive.

If you're not going to use the computer itself to record anything, any video card with an HDCP-compliant HDMI video output would give you the best picture going into the plasma (your Dell has two HDMI inputs). The next best option would be to run VGA straight from ANY video card to the TV's PC VGA input. ATI and NVidia manufacture several video chipsets with these capabilities, but you might want to do some research of your own to find out which graphics chip you'll actually want because these guys vary greatly in price. The more expensive cards generally only make appreciable differences with video games. (we're home theater guys, not computer guys)

erew99 · 12-29-2006, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick:G

If you plan on dealing with high definition video at all with your media PC, you'll really want more than 512 MB of RAM (1 GB at the very minimum, 2 GB preferable...512 MB barely runs Windows XP efficiently with modern applications), and you'll probably even want to splurge for an Intel Core Duo processor. Buy the largest hard drive you can afford. Hard drive space is inexpensive.

If you're not going to use the computer itself to record anything, any video card with an HDCP-compliant HDMI video output would give you the best picture going into the plasma (your Dell has two HDMI inputs). The next best option would be to run VGA straight from ANY video card to the TV's PC VGA input. ATI and NVidia manufacture several video chipsets with these capabilities, but you might want to do some research of your own to find out which graphics chip you'll actually want because these guys vary greatly in price. The more expensive cards generally only make appreciable differences with video games. (we're home theater guys, not computer guys)

I am a computer guy

, well, Network Admin anyway. Don't really deal too much w/ hardware. I guess any audio card w/ Digital coax out should do (something that will handle 5.1, dolby, dts), but the video is where I am not sure. I've seen so many. I know most of these cards are generally made for video games, which I am not interested in playing on the plasma (got the PS3 for that)

.
How do you use a remote control for that though? Do they have such software/hardware combo?

Nick:G · 01-03-2007, 01:21 AM

Well, a Windows Media Center PC would actually use a Media Center remote. You can get these several places online for maybe $20. They usually include an IR receiver that attaches to a USB port on the computer. As long as you have the Media Center version of Windows installed, it will natively support that remote.

erew99 · 01-03-2007, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick:G

Well, a Windows Media Center PC would actually use a Media Center remote. You can get these several places online for maybe $20. They usually include an IR receiver that attaches to a USB port on the computer. As long as you have the Media Center version of Windows installed, it will natively support that remote.

Great. I will check that out. And for audio, I can get an audio card w/ digital coax out, and get all 5 speakers, plus sub, right?

Video- still searching for one.

Last few Qs, I don't have media center (I can get it though), but do I need special software if I do want to record/playback?
My TV is 1024x768 native resolution, do I need to set the PC w/ the same resolution?

**HTF Ads**

Nick:G · 01-04-2007, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erew99

Great. I will check that out. And for audio, I can get an audio card w/ digital coax out, and get all 5 speakers, plus sub, right?

Video- still searching for one.

Last few Qs, I don't have media center (I can get it though), but do I need special software if I do want to record/playback?
My TV is 1024x768 native resolution, do I need to set the PC w/ the same resolution?

1. Yes. Just about any sound card with a digital audio output will send a bitstream to an outboard decoder (like the one on a receiver).

2. As long as you have the Media Center version of Windows XP (you can buy a copy at newegg.com), you can record TV using the integrated software. A Media Center remote will give you buttons for this as well.

3. Yes. Set the video resolution on the video for 1024x768. If you plan on having another monitor attached as well, your video driver should let you output two different scan rates (i.e. resolution), provided that the card has two video outputs.

erew99 · 01-04-2007, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick:G

1. Yes. Just about any sound card with a digital audio output will send a bitstream to an outboard decoder (like the one on a receiver).

2. As long as you have the Media Center version of Windows XP (you can buy a copy at newegg.com), you can record TV using the integrated software. A Media Center remote will give you buttons for this as well.

3. Yes. Set the video resolution on the video for 1024x768. If you plan on having another monitor attached as well, your video driver should let you output two different scan rates (i.e. resolution), provided that the card has two video outputs.

Thanks Nick,
For the remote, would I be able to use my existing learning remote for this?
Will only be outputting video to one monitor (TV).

Nick:G · 01-04-2007, 10:01 PM

You can use a learning remote to teach all the buttons, but obviously, you'll still need to obtain a Media Center remote to do this. You will still need the little USB IR receiver box anyway, so you might as well pick up the remote along with it (they're normally packaged together).

erew99 · 01-05-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick:G

You can use a learning remote to teach all the buttons, but obviously, you'll still need to obtain a Media Center remote to do this. You will still need the little USB IR receiver box anyway, so you might as well pick up the remote along with it (they're normally packaged together).

Will do, but I like having the 1 controller to do it all.
Thanks for the help.