Questions on new HTPC build

[Kris]

I just picked up a 50" plasma @ bestbuy for $999.00. The pic quality is much better than my 42" lcd.

 

[jstutman]

OP. Have you already purchased the Reciever? It is entry level, but I/we can find you a better set up that wont break the bank and its semi future proof. IE buying the speaker set and the reciever. Here is some option options.

Best choice
Speakers: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269004 $199
Reciever: Any Onkyo or Yamaha are intro level, make sure it supports TrueHD and DTS-HD and HDMI output (NOT switching)

All in One
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120140 $299

 

[CarlJohnson]

I haven't bought anything yet. I picked out this Yamaha system but if the Onkyo is better then I'll go with that. Hopefully I can start buying next week.

 

[jstutman]

Onkyo and Yamaha are both good. I just wouldnt want you buying into a reciever and then having to upgrade immediatly. The intro level recievers will not decode any of the lossless audio that is found on blu-rays, nor do they support hdmi upconverting. Here is an example over money saving.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...olp_refurbished?ie=UTF8&condition=refurbished

Oh and here is an excellent deal on a TV
Dell Home has Sharp Aquos 52" LC52D85U 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV for $1000 or $970 DPA with free shipping.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...acd=10550055-1225267-u332951t0f0fp30289c0s441

 

[CarlJohnson]

Anything is a upgrade from my current high fidelity 2.0 built-in tv speakers. I'm not that much of a sound buff I just want it to sound good. Don't really care if I can't hear an ant farting from 20 feet away. The 785G chipset doesn't support TrueHD or DTS-HD anyway. I'll look into that Onkyo setup. Thanks for the link on the TV. I'm going to wait until after the super bowl and see if I can pick up an open box TV for cheap. If not, I'll prob go with that Sharp unit. Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[CarlJohnson]

How is this receiver with the above mentioned speaker set? I was reading the reviews on the entry yamaha and onkyo systems and they don't pass audio over HDMI and I would need to use optical cables. Kinda defeats the purpose of HDMI. Also this receiver supports TrueHD and DTS-HD so I won't have to upgrade any time soon.

 

[Wicked Klown]

Thats not a bad one, don't forget to look at the Yamaha RX-V465. I have the Yamaha RX-V463 and love it, I also have a friend who has the RX-V665 and love it.

 

[CarlJohnson]

Will either receiver allow me to connect a Wii to it via componet cables then output it to the TV through HDMI? I read the newegg reviews and some said it will, some said it won't. I don't put much faith in newegg reviews so I need to hear from someone who knows what they are talking about.

 

[Wicked Klown]

Not really sure I know the Yamaha RX-V665 will.

 

[jstutman]

Both recievers linked can offer what your wanting.

 

[CarlJohnson]

I bought the TV today and splurged a bit. Got a 58" 1080P Samsung plasma PN58B550. Absolutely beautiful picture with OTA hd channels. I can pick up all my local HD through the TW cable feed so I'm going to downsize my tuner choice to a single. Any good suggestions? You should have seen the look on the salesman's face when I said ok.

 

[CarlJohnson]

Ordered all the HTPC componets yesterday. Going to have to wait on the surround sound setup until funds become available. I forgot the wife had plans for the money too Here is what I have coming
case
psu
mb
cpu
ram
tuner
hd
hdmi cable

I'll probably need help setting up all the necessary codecs and such. What do you think?

 

[CarlJohnson]

Got everything together and set up. I'm having a few issues though. When I'm on the PC there is a 1-2 inch black border around the desktop. It looks as if the height and width are set too small but I can't find any settings in the TV's menu to adjust it. Also analog channels look horrible in WMC. They are very grainy and are 4:3 with huge black bars on either side. Is there any way to stretch the picture and improve the quality? The same channels look a lot better and are the full width of the screen when using the TV's tuner. I'm thinking I need a better tuner card b/c I read the 1250 does not have a hardware decoder. I have noticed when tuning in a HD channel it skips a bit the first couple of seconds. I haven't installed any codecs yet and have not tried DVD or BD discs. Any ideas?

 

[CarlJohnson]

OK still having the quality issues in WMC. I installed WinTV from Hauppage and have no quality issues in either analog or hd channels. Too bad the app itself sucks. DVD playback is great. I'm going to RMA the 1250 card for a 2250 next week if I can't figure out the WMC problem. I'm thinking the software decoder in WMC just can't keep up. The longer I watch a channel the worse the picture gets. Audio is fine and get farther ahead of the video the longer I watch. I wish this wasn't so aggravating

 

[Wicked Klown]

Go in to CCC and click on DTV then on scaling. Move it til the black bars are gone and click apply.

 

[CarlJohnson]

I figured that part out the other day. Any ideas on the poor TV picture quality?

 

[Wicked Klown]

Sorry can't help there. Last tuner I used was an Ati 650pro, picture looked great with it in WMC.

 

[CarlJohnson]

I fixed all my problems. I reformatted and reinstalled everything and now it just works. I don't know what changed, everything was installed the same both times. I figured I'd give Mythbuntu a shot and when I saw all the configuration options I went back to W7. I recorded the Olympics sunday night in HD and watched a Blu-ray movie with only 30% CPU usage. The recording plays back wonderfully and I can't tell when I started or stopped the movie.