Video Card questions

JoshK · « **on:** 6 Feb 2003, 06:51 pm »

OK, so lets say I was to build a HTPC, being a newbie (to HTPC, not PC building) and I am using a 42" Plasma with RGB, VGA, S-vid, component type inputs could a HTPC rival or supercede a modern progressive DVD player like my Panny RP91? Can the PC be set up to do progressive scan? Scaling? These are my questions.

If so, what hardware would be necessary? software? I am assuming having and DVD rom and a powerful enough computer are the minimums, no problem there, but what kind of video card would be needed and any other hardware/software that would be needed?

Woodsea · « **Reply #1 on:** 6 Feb 2003, 07:45 pm »

You need it quiet but not real fast...How about the Matrox 450?
http://www.gideontech.com/guides/htpc/

EchiDna · « **Reply #2 on:** 7 Feb 2003, 08:49 am »

a HTPC can do both scaling and progressive scan, that is half the attraction actually

believe it or not PC power is not a huge requisite, although it will help, along with plenty of ram, a big HDD or two for storing dvd rips etc.....

with regard to video cards, anything made in the last year or so will be fine, particularly those with dual outputs if you want to use both a monitor and your plasma. eg raedon 8500 series...

software? a lot of people use theatertek, WMP, power DVD, winDVD and girder (for remote control) there is a few options here...

It really depends what you want to do with the system and if you want to watch TV or use it as a TIVO type unit, that adds extra requirements into the mix. This sort of question gets asked every day in the AVS forum, so there is plenty of info 'over there' on HTPC... it seems we lack a local Audiocircle HTPC expert

I got audio PC's covered, but not the HTPC bit... *sigh*

PeteHK · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 Feb 2003, 01:41 pm »

Hi Josh,

ATI graphics cards seem to be the card of choice for picture quality at the moment. Unless you're into a lot of gaming, the lower end cards are a good option. I'm running a 9000 Pro (64MB) in my system. My only gripe is the noise - I should have gone for one without a fan. Sapphire make an OEM fanless version for under US$100. The picture quality of the lower-priced cards is the same (for DVD) as the higher-end cards, so I wouldn't bother with the 9700 or AIW versions.

The consensus seems to be that a well set up HTPC will produce a superior picture to a standalone player connected directly to most displays. Why? A PC will allow you to scale a DVD to the native resolution of your display - giving you 1:1 pixel mapping, and bypassing your display device's internal scaler. You will, however, need software to custom resolutions (Powerstrip) to do this. If your plasma has a good internal scaler (most don't), this may not apply. I don't have a progressive-scan player to A/B against my HTPC, but the HTPC picture is clearly superior to my old interlaced-only (Sony 7700) player feeding my JVC M-15 D-ila or Panasonic AE-100 projectors.

As echidna says, you don't necessarily need the latest and greatest CPU. It really depends what you want to use the HTPC for.

If you want to timeshift DVDs/HDTV, a large hard drive (or 2) would be a good idea. The Seagate Barracuda IV or V is a good (quiet) option at 80 GB.

Asus have a reputation for making good motherboards. I have the P4S8X. It has built-in 6-channel sound, so if you have a receiver already, you simpy attach the optical out to it and avoid the expense of a soundcard. If you want a better quality solution, the M-Audio Revolution appears to be the hot card at the moment.

One of the most important considerations when chosing components for a HTPC is the noise that they make. This can be a major distraction during a movie. I'd choose individual parts for their features, quality and price, but also their quietness.

Making up your own PC is not that difficult. You can pick and choose the components you want and truly customise the solution for your own requirements. Alternatively, you can buy a ready-made HTPC solution from many online vendors.

Just a thought, but if you want to continue to use your Panny player (and other sources - cable, VCR, etc) with your (new) PC, Immersive have introduced a capture card (Holo3D) with built in DCDi (Farouja deinterlacing). It can turn a modest PC with an ATI card into a top-of-the-range Farouja (US$3000) killer. I'm currently using one in my PC and it is an amazing product. OTA broadcasts are watchable on my 8' screen now! Great for football games! When I feed the external DVD player into the PC, I prefer the picture to my current internal DVD drive. Its also a lot more wife-friendly - I leave the PC on and she just uses the remote on the regular DVD player to watch a movie. www.immersive.com

www.avsforum.com (Home Theater Forum) has an FAQ which is a very good starting point for someone wanting to build/buy an HTPC. They also sell ready-made computers which have all the HTPC-builders favourite components.

Cheers,

Pete

JoshK · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Feb 2003, 02:05 pm »

I tend to build my own computers, been doing this for years and it really pays in terms of getting the most performance from your components. Prefab computers typically cheap out on the powersupply just like mass market stereo components do. Good powersupplies can have very beneficical effects on the performance of your PC. I bought the best one I could afford in my puter.

Right now I have an Asus Geforce2 32m DDR card in my computer and although I can mod it with a DVI output (the board supports it but I didn't get the option at the time), I was thinking about getting a card with DVI and getting an dig LCD monitor for my PC. This would free up the Asus card for HTPC use if so inclined. Would this make for a good card for HTPC? I guess I am just wondering if this would work with my Panny plasma well. If so, I might first give it a try on my main PC to see how I like it. I once tried the S-vid output into my Wega monitor and that pretty much sucked. Might have been the wrong resolution however, I didn't really know what I was doing at the time (or even now for that matter).

As far as all the references to avs, my feeling is if we are going to have a forum on AC for this sort of stuff, the link to avs for their FAQ reference is great and vital but we really need to address the issues right here without sending users to another often hostile environment.

Thanks for all the feedback on software, I think I need to look into this some more. I do have a free 7500 rpm IDE IBM 75giger that is currently free. That should serve as a good start. It is a pretty fast drive for an IDE drive. My ABIT (AMD 1ghz) motherboard has a RAID controller for IDE drives as well.

Bwanagreg · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Feb 2003, 03:23 pm »

Bill Gaw (enjoythemusic.com) is the only pro reviewer I've run across that seems to have an "audiophile perspective". Here is a link to one of his articles that lays out his HTPC configuratation (which of course was a little obsolete even as he wrote it!).

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0802/aachapter36.htm

I agree that the verdict seems to be unanimous that a properly configured HTPC can be a giant killer in terms of video quality.

DeadFish · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Feb 2003, 02:24 am »

Here's a link comparing a bunch of vidcards recently.
From your all-out gamer cards and beyond.
IMHO, if you are looking for great 2D picture, I've never had anything come close to the Matrox cards I've used. No, they aren't much for gaming, but the clarity and color make up for it if you are doing much Photoshop or viewing of vidies.

Don't take my word for it, read the testing.
http://www.2cpu.com/Hardware/video_roundup/

Thanks for everyone's input, so far.

Regards,
DF