Software/driver/etc. installation advice (1 Viewer)

[John Parris]

New computer on the way-- hopefully for dedicated HTPC use, but possibly not... I'm not yet convinced a HTPC such as this one (motherboard built-in S/PDIF or even Audigy S/PDIF) can outperform a standalone DVD player in the realm of sound quality and fidelity... we shall see.

Regardless, I'd like to do this right the first time, and have heard various opinions and theories about setup and what is the best method (order?) for installing drivers, software, etc.

I'm really going to keep this pretty simple... the only thing that won't be installed during the initial setup will be games, which I'll add as the come my way... but here's what I need to install and I'm curious as to whether or not anyone has any advice about the process. (This is not my first computer by any means, but it never hurts to ask!)

Windows XP Professional
Powerstrip (obviously)
DScaler (for my tuner and input card)
Software DVD player (probably PowerDVD)
Audio playback (Winamp 2.xx almost certainly)
MPEG4,etc. playback (possibly Windows Media Player... undecided though- any ideas?)
Also going to need RealONE and Quicktime as there's no alternative software for those that I'm aware of.
AOL Instant Messenger
IE6
Burning software (Nero, Feurio, CloneCD)

I'm also going to be installing various encoding software for audio/video including DVD Decryptor, cdEX, EAC, VirtualDub, NanDub, BeSweet GUI, DVD2AVI, and Audio Edit... perhaps others. I'll probably install those last unless someone suggests otherwise.

And my hardware:
Athlon XP 2000+ / MSI KT4 ULTRA / 512MB Corsair Value Select PC2100 / LiteOn 16X DVD-ROM / LiteOn 48-24-48 CD burner / Western Digital 80GB SE hard drive / Radeon VE (from an older box-- can't afford to upgrade at the moment) / cheap-o D-Link ethernet / Chieftec wireless (RF) mouse and keyboard

Also I'm using the on-board S/PDIF from the motherboard hopefully... no cash for a decent sound board right now either.
As far as cooling... let's just say it's a non issue. Have it covered to slightly absurd levels.
Going to be connecting this via DVI-D single link to my Sony VPL-HS10 once it gets here.

So... advise away... I'm open to any and all suggestions at the moment.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

John,

I'm still a HTPC novice myself but my understanding is that the best sound performance is with a card such as the Maudio 2496 -- the S/PDIF on this card passes 100% of the original digital signal without any resampling or compromise of any kind. I'm sure others can elaborate.

Best of luck with your new system!