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Thread ID: 25976	2002-10-16 09:35:00	Ultimate Home Theatre question	Lohsing (219)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
89902	2002-10-16 09:35:00	Ok . . . with the diversity DVD has in terms of zoning, as well as separate formats, I have decided that the best home entertainment system would have to be a standalone computer hooked up to a tv, surely?? I base this comment on the fact that with all the different multimedia formats out there, DVD, SVCD, VCD, avi, mpeg, and DivX, only a PC is able to correctly read all the formats listed! A PC is able to be updated with all sorts of codecs, etc which would enable the correct playback for each of the above formats listed and ensure future compatibility as well . . . Also, a friend of mine hooks his Vaio laptop up to the TV and he basically ends up with a rather stylish DVD player which he can take basically anywhere . . . and do anything with it, etc . . . Hence my idea turned obsession to create a PC multimedia system of my own, but with a nice separate speaker system . . . My question is that if I were to look at getting a PC to set up this Ultimate Home Theatre, what minimum specs should I look at, and what sort of sound card would I need to ensure compatibility with Dolby Surround Sound or DTS, etc . . . Something like the new Audigy 2 Platinum?? What setup is recommended also for a home theatre speaker system? Should I look at a receiver as well to boost any signal from the sound card?? What graphics card would I need also?? Will any graphics card with a TV-Out (S-video) do?? Or will the quality of the graphics card determine the quality of the resulting picture on-screen? Are there others out there who have done this already?? Being a bit of a geek at heart, I don't really want to go out and pay for components which only do one thing . . . (dvd or music) . . . hooking a PC up would be much more preferable! Any ideas welcome!! Lo .	Lohsing (219)
89903	2002-10-16 09:45:00	> Ok . . . with the diversity DVD has in terms of zoning, as well as separate formats, I have decided that the > best home entertainment system would have to be a standalone computer hooked up to a tv, surely?? No - A multizone, multiformat DVD player will do all that, and more :p - I heard that they are now making DVD players that will happily play DivX movies (can't remember where I read it - somewhere online LOL) > My question is that if I were to look at getting a PC > to set up this Ultimate Home Theatre, what minimum > specs should I look at, and what sort of sound card > would I need to ensure compatibility with Dolby > Surround Sound or DTS, etc . . . Something like the new > Audigy 2 Platinum?? What setup is recommended also > for a home theatre speaker system? Should I look at a > receiver as well to boost any signal from the sound > card?? An Extigy would be best, IMHO, as it isn't needing to rely so much on the actual computer, as it is external (much like an external modem is preferrable to an internal one I guess) . > What graphics card would I need also?? Will any > graphics card with a TV-Out (S-video) do?? Or will > the quality of the graphics card determine the > quality of the resulting picture on-screen? > > Are there others out there who have done this > already?? Being a bit of a geek at heart, I don't > really want to go out and pay for components which > only do one thing . . . (dvd or music) . . . hooking a PC > up would be much more preferable! I think the better the graphics card, the better the result . But you know, you'd probably end up paying more for this setup than you would for a home theatre DVD player setup . Mike .	Mike (15)
89904	2002-10-16 09:53:00	> No - A multizone, multiformat DVD player will do all > that, and more :p - I heard that they are now making > DVD players that will happily play DivX movies (can't > remember where I read it - somewhere online LOL) Yeah, I remember reading that somewhere too, but can't remember where! But then will the likes of Sony every support divx, etc? I know the X-Box can play divx movies... > An Extigy would be best, IMHO, as it isn't needing to > rely so much on the actual computer, as it is > external (much like an external modem is preferrable > to an internal one I guess). I read a review of the extigy from Tom's Hardware, and the bottleneck of the card appeared to be through the USB connection... Severely hindered performance by using more processor power to push info through USB. > I think the better the graphics card, the better the > result. But you know, you'd probably end up paying > more for this setup than you would for a home theatre > DVD player setup. Darn... I think you might be right... I just don't want to buy a dvd home theatre system now, only to find the next generation format isn't supported by the DVD... at the moment, it seems only Pioneer have been making dvd's with hidden SVCD support... either that, or an el cheapo jobbie which I'm not too keen on... Lo.	Lohsing (219)
89905	2002-10-16 10:02:00	Just recently bought a DVD player for less than $300.00. If it only lasts 2 yrs before I upgrade (and I bet I have it a lot longer than that anyway) its cost me less than $150.00 per year! Much less than any PC based system, and you can always use your speaker system on any new DVD player you get. Don't throw your money away. Or throw some my way if you must :D	Danger (287)
89906	2002-10-16 10:11:00	I just got a DVD player for $199 it rocks. Plays MP3,vcd,svcd,dvd and more. But thats not all people it also has (KARAOKE) way cool.	BootyLicious (526)
89907	2002-10-16 10:12:00	I can't see there ever being a DVD player that will do it all. Unless there is a standardised codec, or reliable self codec updating. Won't need a hugely fast PC for the job, but lots of harddisk space is what you will want. Ofcourse it depends on what OS you're planning on using as well. It's also quite possible to set up a remote as well, or could just use a wireless mouse. So that you can control it with ease. In the way of a sound card, I'd be looking at the Hercules or Philips range. While you're looking at doing this, I'd also be looking at a form of video capture as well so that you can record directly onto it from the TV ;). I'm not sure if you've got a network or not, put personally I'd have it networked with other PCs in the house so that you can control from them when need be.	-=JM=- (16)
89908	2002-10-16 10:52:00	Hmmm... ok then... well, what about a home theatre system less the dvd player... what should I be looking at there? Are there packages all set to go, and ready?? Volume and power is a must...	Lohsing (219)
89909	2002-10-16 18:01:00	Don't limit yourself to tv. Get a nice video projector too. bigggggg screen :)	wotz (335)
89910	2002-10-16 19:40:00	Well loshing, since i know your a bit of an A/V freak based on your strong preferences in MP3 encoding. I would not recommend using your computer to play DVD's. For 1. the fans running on the computer would be equivalent to having artefacts in your MP3's. A constant humming! 2. Lord knows what a computer does at certain times of the day. You could be watching a dvd then the computer decides it's time to make a backup for system restore, and all of a sudden your dvd jitters, sure it will probably only last 5 seconds or so, but it's still that annoyance you wouldn't get with a standalone. regardless of whether you go stand alone or in the computer, you are going to NEED a receiver. The RMS from an audilgy<sp> or whatever its called, will be no where what is required for good sound. standalone dvd's that have built in decoding are ok, but still they lack power. You don't want a shitty pro logic receiver either. You want one that can handle DTS. I went for a Pioneer VSX-D608. Its over a year old now so you won't be able to get it but its 100w x 5. But you can hook up 8 different components to it, also you could hook up your computer to it for good MP3 listening sessions. Get a player that is also compatible with what sockets you have on the back of your TV. unless you have a brand spanker then you will either have composite (yellow) and/or s-video or scart. s-video or scart are the best out of them. Speaker wise the sky is the limit. When i bought speakers the salesperson told me you don't want piddly little sony speakers, he said its like trying to watch a movie on a transister radio. Personally i think he was full of s$#%. i ended up going for larger 2-way technics souround speakers, but those sourround speakers are just there to do background noise so there is no need for them to be massive. A sub, would be good. or you could get some free standing tri-wires (i got free standing but they aren't tri wires) Now as for your comments on formats. A dvd player will give you dvd,vcd,mp3,mpeg what more do you need? If you have DVD why would you want SVCD, DVD-A which is compatible with your standard dvd player is just as good as SVCD Also the change in DVD formats is years, and i mean years off. There are too many people in suits fighting over which format should prevail and it aint gonna end soon. Back to your graphics card, i don't think it matters too much what graphics card you have as long as the "overlay" support is ok,	roofus (483)
89911	2002-10-16 22:55:00	Excellent post there Roofus! Exactly what I needed to hear... With regard to your point about SVCD.... SVCD is a format designed for the back-up of DVD originals... The quality is excellent, and I personally rip and encode from DVD to SVCD for the purposes of back-up... *cough* I will start hunting around for a DTS receiver then... seems that it will have to be my first purchase!! Lo.	Lohsing (219)
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