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Thread ID: 73877	2006-11-04 00:14:00	VIVO	The_End_Of_Reality (334)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
496331	2006-11-04 00:14:00	Hey Peeps :D I am thinking of getting a HTPC, but it all rides on one thinkg... can my TV support it. What the setup would be is a 15 inch CRT monitor (maybe) on top of TV as primary display (that is if I need it) and the TV connected to the HTPC via Video Out. Now the TV is an old Panasonic Shophia, I am not sure of the exact model or age unfortunately... Anyway, my GFX card in this machine has VIVO and so I am trying to set it up on here so I know that it will or will not work I have installed the drivers and the TV is visible to the PC and I am able to get a picture onto the TV BUT (and it is a big one :p) the picture is in black and white and very grainey, are there any settings that can let me change this so as it is a normal, clear picture? The TV's resolution is 800x600 BTW	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
496332	2006-11-04 03:36:00	If the picture is in black and white I would suggest that your graphics card is sending an NTSC signal to your telly, and it only supports PAL. Have a look in the graphics card properties for an option to configure the TV out to use PAL. As for the picture quality, it is usually pretty poor when viewing the windows desktop on a regualr telly. Viewing videos will likely be a lot better though.	BIFF (1)
496333	2006-11-04 04:15:00	I went into the GFX cards advanced colour settings and set it to PAL/SECAM and that made no difference at all . I then had a bright idea and thought to try it through the VCR . . . I plugged it all in and configured it, when I went into my room . . . I saw a colour picture :D So I have found that I can get it to work, I just need to plug it into the VCR . . . any ideas why? :confused: Anyway, that is good enough for me . . . now I will continue to design my HTPC :D Oh I also noticed (and as you said) the text is hard to read and very bad quality . . . but with videos it is a lot better, infact it looks the same as on the PC screen which is perfect :D	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
496334	2006-11-04 09:33:00	For software, look at Wellington designed and supported GBPVR (www.gbpvr.com). It is arguably the best and it is also free.	linw (53)
496335	2006-11-04 19:12:00	I know about that and have used it, it is good software, but I was thinking of going the whole MCE thing and try that to start with and see how that goes.	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
496336	2006-11-04 19:34:00	I know about that and have used it, it is good software, but I was thinking of going the whole MCE thing and try that to start with and see how that goes. There is a lot of information about this at www.thegreenbutton.com/forums You may have varying degrees of sucess on your first go, unless you plan carefully. It has some specific hardware requirements.	BIFF (1)
496337	2006-11-04 19:39:00	There is a lot of information about this at www.thegreenbutton.com/forums You may have varying degrees of sucess on your first go, unless you plan carefully. It has some specific hardware requirements. Thnks, I will have a look around. How do you mean has some hardware requirements? like what?	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
496338	2006-11-05 03:12:00	Thnks, I will have a look around. How do you mean has some hardware requirements? like what? Heh heh, where to begin. There is a compatibility list on the green button site it would be a good place to start. But some of the basics are that you will need a direct x 9c capable video card with at least 64MB of VRAM. It will need to support VRM9 video rendering, and ideally DXVA too. I have had more sucess with ATI than Nvidia adaptors, but the main issues have come with resuming from S3 standby with Nvidia cards. I have had an Envy24 sound card with a strange delay causing lip sync problems. As for TV cards, you will have very few to choose from here in NZ as they will need to support hardware mpeg2 encoding and media center. You will likely end up with a hauppauge card. The OEM MS remote and receiver is an essential purchase. A system which can S3 suspend and resume for weeks on end without a reboot is essential too, as you don't want to wait 1 minute for the system to boot when you want to watch TV. Plus you will want it to wake up and record shows without leaving it on all the time. I see you have a wintv-350, but I can't see media center drivers on the hauppauge site for it. If it does work I'd still suggest you get an MS remote, as otherwise you need to muck around mapping the buttons to keystrokes to get the effect. Plus the hauppauge IR emitter doesn't work in media center so you wont be able to use it with a set top box to change the channels. Sounds like a lot of hard work, but it's very rewarding once you get your system perfect.	BIFF (1)
496339	2006-11-05 04:38:00	Oh... So you are saying it is a pig to build right? I have a friend who has an HTPC (I don't think he is running MCE) and is using an old MX 440 AGP with 64Mb of RAM and I was thinking of getting one of those for it. How can I build/know if the system will be suspendable for a long time without a reboot? I was thinking of this: X-Case Calypso ATX Mini Tower Case, Silver/Black, Supports Micro-ATX and Standard ATX motherboard Gigabyte GA-K8VM800M Motherboard, Socket 754, 2xDIMM, DDR, 8XAGP, 3xPCI, 4xUSB2, Audio, Video, ATA, SATA, RAID, M-ATX AMD Sempron 3300+ CPU, 2.0GHz, Socket 754, 32/64-Bit, ATX, Retail pack with fan Seagate Barracuda ST3160812AS Hard Disk Drive, 160GB, 7200rpm, 8192KB Cache, SATA-2 Kingston ValueRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit, 2x256MB, DDR-SDRAM, DIMM, DDR400 And a TV tuner that can get digital satellite and analogue, the Hauppauge HVR-3000 would suit perfectly... but they can't get them in NZ I am guessing your are speaking from experience? I might also add that I am on a budget... of sub $1000 (if possible) just over will mean a longer wait, thats all but it is no big deal	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
496340	2006-11-05 19:59:00	Don't use MCE its a pain in the ass, there are heap of alternatives out there that are far easier to use and setup. Just google for PVR software. There honestly not that hard to setup as long as you stay away from MCE.	Pete O'Neil (6584)
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