Dear sifus !

I am setting up a HTPC environment. I connected the HDMI from desktop CPU to the Plasma tv. But I got amplifier and existing home theatre setup (1 HK AVR 340 connected to 2 front 2 rear and 1 center speaker) which i want to use it also. But how to connect it to my CPU? because my CPU only got 1 HDMI port.

Thanks !

PC---[HDMI]---->Receiver---[HDMI]----->TV


no outputs from the soundcard? if got can do...

PC------------[HDMI]---->TV
-----[Optical/RCA]---->Receiver

Your AVR got HDMI input or not?

sorry i don't really understand... erm... do you mean..

From my graphic card (ATI 4670) I connect HDMI to the AVR... then from AVR use HDMI connect to TV?

the soundcard is the motherboard built in de loh.. yah got optical and the normal sound output ports....

what is RCA?

got

set your HTPC's Audio on Optical and connect it to your AVR - kau tiam

SO your AVR got HDMI input, connect it to your PC and from your TV connect the 2nd HDMI into your AVR HDMI out

This post has been edited by maxizanc: Jun 6 2009, 09:38 PM

i presume no HD audio in this case?

will the optical audio gives good audio? i mean surround sound or those 7.1 thing.. sorry kinda noob

Option # 1

PC -> HDMI -> AVR -> HDMI -> TV
(PC HD 4670 - connect SPDIF loop-in via motherboard)

Option # 2

PC -> HDMI -> TV (video signal)
PC -> Optical -> AVR (audio signal)

Optical connection can bitstream DTS / Dolby Digital

For BluRay HD audio, go and buy Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3

RCA = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_cable

This post has been edited by djdyks: Jun 12 2009, 08:44 AM

Is there any difference in sound quality between SPDIF and Optical?

I'm connecting the SPDIF to my 5.1 HT amp, but doesn't seem to provide the Dolby. Is it only possible to get Dolby or DTS via optical?

If yes, anyone can recommend me a good PCIe sound card with Optical output. Thanks

Using coaxial connection is another alternative.
Try finding an external usb soundcard..last time philips got 1 model quite popular..

Check your player settings.
Even built-in audio output device from motherboard should be able to bitstream DTS or DD audio signal.
Or you haven't connect the SPDIF loop-in cable in-between the GC and Mobo

HD4670 had built in HDMI sound card. Just disable your onboard sound. Then install ATI HDMI audio driver. You can get TrueHD decoded by ffdshow then output as LPCM. You can also bitstream DD and DTS to receiver using this method. Make sure you check 16bit, 24bit and 32bit + SPDIF passthrough in your ffdshow.

Guys, can recommend me on how to build a HTPC?
I'll need it to;
1. download movies
2. play games (call of duty, left for dead, .. some sort like those)
3. with wifi capability
4. video > AVR via hdmi
5. audio > AVR via hdmi or co-ax (able to play HD audio)
6. small casing / quiet / wireless keyboard & mouse
7. within 2K budget "if this is not capable then how much would i be looking at?"

Most of your requirements can be met with the Acer Aspire Revo which retails for RM1,399. Only issue is your want to play games on it as well which unfortunately, the Revo comes in short. Here's a review http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/25/re...er_aspire_revo/

Is the integrated GF9400 powerful enuf to play 3D games with high graphic setting?

Based on the reviews I have read abt the Revo, game play with high graphics settings is not smooth hence, is not ideal as a game rig: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/acer-aspirerevo-review/ and http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/pcs/2009/...e-revo-review/4

This post has been edited by richard912: Jul 8 2009, 07:40 PM

I thought so. Thanks for the info. So this one definitely not for me.

Just built custom PC with 4850 video card. I just bought from redic 4850 VaporX 1Gb with HDMI port only RM 469.

do you have any problems using the onkyo to switch HDMI inputs to/from your 4850?

does this card down sample BD original audio data to 16bit LPCM via HDMI or can pass thro HDMI unmolested HD audio to amp?

Depends. If you play direct blu-ray disc, most of the commercial software will downsample to 48khz/16bit. But if you rip the blu-ray into ts or m2ts format, then you can use ffdshow to decode TrueHD to LPCM. Tested to run at 24bit no problem. Haven't try 96khz but should be supported. Only problem is currently no software can decode DTS-MA into LPCM so you are stuck with DTS core only.

ycs, I didn't switch HDMI input as I only connect my pc. PS3 is connected to my YSP4000.

This post has been edited by pierreye: Jul 9 2009, 06:44 PM

Can you guys recommend me a build and a rough estimation of dough to spend for the above?
Since the Revo are not for gaming and it's not expandable(upgrade) I think I would prefer a custom build in this case.
Would like if it can have 3HDD bays and perhaps a BDrom for Rips.
I could also make do with External HDD if the casing ends up to be big.
The Asus Xonar1.3 is only a sound card? No Graphics?

Can perhaps give me a sample build and price range? Then it would be easier before going down to LowYat this weekend.

Below was the rig that I built on Sep 2008

E8500 RM635
GA-PE43-DS3L RM350
Kingston DDR2 800 2GB x 2 RM240
Segate Sata2 500GB RM229
Gecube HD4870 RM890
Vantec Real 550W PSU RM210
CM690 Casing RM240
Cooling accessories RM300

Total : RM3094

Of course you will get better specs with the budget above today.
But for decent gaming rig, the minimum budget should be RM2500+

Do U mean even PDVD9 or TMT3 cannot pass DTS-MA to AVR as LPCM? my PDVD9 got DTS-HD logo wor...and here is from the readme:

CyberLink PowerDVD 9 is capable of high-definition audio decoding. In the past, due to the industries lack of common secure audio path technology, all protected audio content (eg. DVD-Audio, Blu-ray Disc) will force audio to be down-sampled to 48 kHz/16 bit output resolution. CyberLink PowerDVD 9 now supports HDMI 1.3, which can transport lossless audio streams with 192 kHz/24 bit output resolution for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master audio formats for Blu-ray Disc content.

Reix,

Thanks for the share.
1. The 8500 or even 8400 is good enough for gaming and playing BD (disc & rip)?
2. I'm quite interested on the silverstone case as seen mostly, how much does these cost? they are available locally right?
3. 4Gb of ram should be sufficient? I've seen plenty configuration on ram, does that matter anyway?
4. 500W PSU would do good right?
5. What MOBO should I get? What do I need to look for in terms of specs
6. the HD4870 is able to digital out to my AMP and let the AMP do the decoding via HDMI?

Sorry for the loads of question, I'm just blur in this department.
RM2.5K should be in my budget.

My last question is .. should I just get a TVIX instead? or will building this htpc gives me better options on.

a) file transfer from my source machine
b) Play and Rip BDs
c) Games

Yes and no. So far the only solution for bitstreaming is using Asus Xonar 1.3. No other soundcard is PAP compatible.

Yes I know so far no display card can bitstream lossless audio. So U mean it can send LPCM DD-TrueHD + DTS-MA?

You definitely can't play any games ona TVIX. With a Revo, games can still run albeit at lower graphics settings

Hi s6xs9x,

1. I don't have BD rom, but seeing some laptops come with BD rom and their CPU is much more less powerful than E8400. So I don't see any problem at all. For gaming, E8400/E8500 is good enough. The bottle neck usually is graphic card.

2. You can get silverstone case locally, just search the bulk order or garage sub forum.

3. For a 32bit OS it will only utilize 4GB Max of RAM. Unless your are using 64bit OS, then you can install up to 16GB RAM. For me, 4GB RAM is enough.

4. It is more than enough if you run single GPU. If you planing to run SLI or crossfire, then you will require bigger watt PSU.

5. Any up-to-date MOBO is good. It should support up to the clock speed match your CPU/RAM/GPU etc.

6. My HD4870 does not have HDMI output. I am not sure what the new graphic can do nowsadays, has not been following the news after I purchased mine.

Don't buy capalang power supply even the rated watt is silly high. Power supply very important. No matter how good your other stuff is if you neglect this one you can have a lot of uknown problem especially with a powerful GPU on board.

Power supply bundled with normal chassis is a big no no for powerful GPU. The power drop like crap when under load. Its like a yammy amp

U need Marantz type power supply....very stable wattage

har? marantz got make computer PSU?

I spoke figuratively la bro

What I meant is get a good branded power supply that won't drop the wattage under full load....just like Marantz AVR

OIC, need the Blue LED power indicator or not? usually found on marantz stuffs..

Got back from low yat.
Would like sifu(s) opinion.

Casing Silverstone LC18
I can't seem to find it there, know anyway that I could get it and how much will it cost?
PSU
Silverstone Strider 560W (RM300)
Processor
Core 2 Duo 7500 (RM435)
MOBO
Asus P5KPL-AM (RM175)
Ram
Kingston PC-6400 DDR2-800 2X2GB (RM160)
Drives
Sony BDU-X10s (RM280) BlueRay
Pioneer 20x (RM110) DVD
HDD
WD640GB (RM210) System
WD1TB (RM305) Storage
Graphics
Saphire HD4670 (RM285)
Sound
Asus XonarHDAV 1.3 (RM670)

Current total w/o Casing RM2930

Do I still need the Graphics card or will the Xonar do the job fine.
Am I able to play games like Call of duty?
Would the system be good for RIP and playback of BDs?
Where can I cut out and save on the total cost.
If these are really required then I'll have to save up a month or two for it.

This post has been edited by s6xs9x: Jul 11 2009, 06:04 PM

Only LPCM for TrueHD. DTS-MA can only play DTS Core so no loseless 24bit.

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Added on July 11, 2009, 6:41 pmIf you want to save, cut out XonarHDAV and use ATI HDMI out. Then buy 4850 as in terms of gaming, much better. Do you play at 1080p or 720p. If 1080p 4850 is the min. No need 2 hd. 1 TB hd should be good enough. Add hd later. In this case it's more close to 2k target.

This post has been edited by pierreye: Jul 11 2009, 06:41 PM

i oso got this problems....

I saw a few 4850 on the price list. Which one to get? SAPHIRE HD4850 X2 (RM999), GIGABYTE HD4850 Zalman (RM646) ?
So to be able to get the HD audio to my AMP I wont be needing the XonarHDAV? 4850 would do?
One more thing is that, I opt for silverstone is because it comes with a remote and screen, are they others which has these function but cheaper in price. "or do i really need a remote" I will still need a keyboard and mouse too right?

Oh yea, what's ATI HDMI out?

This post has been edited by s6xs9x: Jul 11 2009, 11:30 PM

ati hdmi out is the graphics card hdmi connection.

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Added on July 12, 2009, 1:01 amto cut cost can use a cheaper good quality psu, cheaper dvd writer and remove the 640gb hdd.

This post has been edited by ar188: Jul 12 2009, 01:01 AM

Using graphic card with HDMI out no need sound card anymore?

cos the ati c.g got built in sound chip. So the c.g can send audio thro its hdmi port without going thro another sound card.

That's cool. Only ATI card can do that or nvidia also can. I am more of a nvidia fan.

You can order it from the authorised distributor (forgot the name - check it at the Silverstone website). That's how I got mine. It's a beauty.

Oh ya.. price? Around RM2k... maybe a bit less. I got mine a long time ago.

This post has been edited by Traveler: Jul 12 2009, 08:41 AM

Those HTPC with LCD is just gimmick. Actually it's more troublesome as if it is using dual output from your video card. If you boot your PC without turning on your tv, it'll turn you LCD screen into primary display and tv as secondary. Also, LCD touchscreen is useless. If you are using it as HTPC, you are not going to walk to your tv and press the touchscreen. Casing with VFD is more pratical. Check out iMon. Silverstone very expensive. You can buy a desktop casing you like and get iMon or Thermaltake VFD(iMon oem) that come with remote.

Traveler,
Thanks for the info, I guess 2K for the case is a little too expensive at this time, perhaps I should just go with the LC17 w/o the LCD screen.

+++

Sapphire HD4850 Vapor-X 1GBD3 a good choice for this built? (RM525)
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/p...sn=0001&pid=221
As for the motherboard, should I get a P45chipset or G31chipset? How would they compare?
P45 http://my.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=1...428&modelmenu=2 (RM175)
G31 http://my.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=1...266&modelmenu=1 (RM375)

This post has been edited by s6xs9x: Jul 12 2009, 11:55 AM

HD4850 VaporX 1Gb only RM 469. Get from Redic last week.

Bro,
I saw another HD4850 From Gigabyte that comes with a passive cooler, it would keep the system quite? Will playing HD files on 1080p be too hot without a fan?
When the audio pass thru via hdmi are they in bitstream? So my AMP will do the decoding?
BTW, where and what's Redic?

I would suggest LC10-M if u r short in budget.... It comes with VFD and iMon software and they are currently doing a promotion now.... If u r interested, just PM me for the details.... Can help u to get it since I'm getting one myself.... For more info, just google it up....

This post has been edited by Aura: Jul 13 2009, 12:15 PM

pierreye,
how is this HD4850 compared to the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3?
Will the Xonar be able to audio out uncompress and let the AMP do the decodings?
http://uk.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=wIxyLFT9vTWHLHk8
Or does it also output as LPCM?

I don't hv Asus Xonar. RM 600 just for HD Audio bitstreaming is not worth it. Might as well get an Xtreamer NMT at RM 600. 4850 LPCM output is good enough for me. Compare to my PS3 LPCM output for TrueHD, not much difference. Separation and sound quality is good. Better than DTS or AC3. You can hear there is compression especially in AC3.

Regarding casing, are you putting it in the shelf? If yes, watch out on air flow. My previous built had overheating problem due to tiny dual 60mm fan at the back + 1 x 80mm fan at the front. The casing is so hot due to air flow restriction. Better look for those casing with 120mm fan at the back.

This post has been edited by pierreye: Jul 13 2009, 06:51 PM

Pierreye,

If the Xonar is able to bitstream and also playback 1080p files smooth, I might go for it. Does it Bitstream?

After few days browsing through the net, I'm still quite blur on what to build. But one thing for sure, I would want to keep it below 2K.

How's this build?

CM Elite 360 - List Price 139/=
CM Extreme 390W - List Price 119/=
PC6400DDR2 2GB x 2 - List Price 164/=
WD 640GB Green - List Price 210/=
P Dual Core E5200 2.5GHz - List Price 238/=
Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 - List Price 699/=
GA-EP45-UD3L - List Price 375/=

Current Total 2024/=

Would it struggle to playback 1080p?
When I get a BDrom later, would I be able to RIP them without stress?
The specs above how does it compare to a Divico6500?

Thanks in advance

Can U enlighten me a little? According to various articles on the net and this one http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3411&p=3 looks like we can convert DTS-HD MA (not just DTS core) as well to LPCM. No?

No software decoder yet for DTS-HD MA. Only solution now is to convert DTS-HD MA to Multichannel FLAC loseless. But I don't prefer this method as it is troublesome and I'm getting NMT xtreamer which can bitstream DTS-HD MA. If you still want to convert, use eac3to. I remux most of my bd into .ts file format and strip it down to bare min mostly either TrueHD or DTS-MA.

The article you link actually mention it will downsample the DTS-HD MA (mostly 48khz, 24bit) to 48khz 16bit so you don't get bit to bit accuracy.

This post has been edited by pierreye: Jul 14 2009, 08:18 PM

pierreye,
Question for you since I know u r into calibration and HTPC. Have you calibrated a display fed from a HTPC? How are your gamma curves. I have attempted to calibrate 2 display from an ATI display card (4830 or something). On both cases, the gamma curve was way out of whack. The gamma from 50% to 90% was somewhere between 1.3 - 1.7. The low end gamma was ok at 2.0 - 2.2. So there was no way in the ATI Catalyst control center to fix this. Even using the gamma option. Seen this before?

Either you end up with a washed up picture or a picture with no shadow detail.

My projector is fed with HTPC ATI HDMI. I have no problem with the gamma curve. I don't actually fix from catalyst driver as I believe it will skew the output. If it suppose to output 0,0,0 for black, then I expect the HDMI to output RGB 0,0,0 not some other value due to the tweak on the gamma or color on the video card. I have try XP and Vista and Vista is the better option. Reason is XP VMR9 cannot automatically expand 16-240 level to 0-255. So you need to calibrate your projector with 2 profile, one for video and another for PC level. If not you will either get black crush or washout due to incorrect level.

Another thing you can try is in the catalyst controller you can choose either YPbPr output or RGB output. Choose either one and check your gamma.

What player you are using? I'm using MPC-HC with DXVA support which can help on VC-1 and H264 accel. You can then use the built in Pixel Shader to tune the gamma + 3D color decoding correction. Check out the AVSforum for the code to do it. Since you have the i1Pro probe, you should have no problem to get a perfect color gamut BT.709 and correct gamma.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=912720

Thanks for the reply.

Actually, I was calibrating for someone else. There is some improvement changing from YCbCr to RGB. I initially tried adjusting the display but it was atrocious. Then tried adjusting the catalyst but still not much improvement. I did not try RGB 0 -255 since this would not be correct. Maybe this is something I can try next time.

I cannot remember the software used by the computer to display the calibration images. I then calibrated the display with a media streamer and got a normal gamma curve. The problem was that the media streamer did not pass WTW so that was another problem.

Anyway, will need to try more HTPCs to see if I can iron out the problem.

Yes, no bit to bit but at least it is still DTS-HD MA. Either that or need to fork out ~RM700 for Xonar.

Would you all recomend getting a X-Fi for sound?

anfieldude,


Just rerun the calibration for my Plasma 50PY800. I'm using RGB full output but I can't get BTB and WTW with panny tv. So I suspect the tv only accept video levels, not pc levels. Attached is the calibration chart. I can get quite a uniform greyscale at D65 (dE less than 3) but gamma is avg at 1.9 for cinema. Lowest is around 1.78 and highest around 1.98.

Another option to manipulate the gamma a bit is use All Drv and All Cut to shift the Y value for high and low white point which might help. Might try that out tomorrow.

Nothing much can be done except using the MPC-HC shader to modify the gamma for the movie. Green a little bit oversaturated.

This post has been edited by pierreye: Jul 15 2009, 07:16 PM


Attached thumbnail(s)

Guys sorry to ask questions over and over again.
What's the cost effective build within 2K that can send audio pass through and have the amp do the decodings for DTS MA & DD TrueHD?

Can you guys share your builds and recommendation? It's been 4 days reading and still have no idea what's needed and what's possible.

I think I am in the same shoes as U are. So far, my findings, any modern ATI 3/4xxx or nVidia 9300/9400 card can pass Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HS MA (but only 16 bit not 24 bit) via LPCM to your AVR.

so basically in term of hd audio streaming....no htpc hardware can do what a standalone bdp can do. then have to wait first la like this.

Can, if U are willing to spend ~RM700 just for a HDMI soundcard, then U can bitstream from HTPC to AVR.

this you're referring to the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 right?

just get a cheap USd99 BDP player.. settled..

Where got USD99 BDplayer wan?

the current issues of not being able to audio pass through and bitstream HD audio are hardware or software dependent?

not very update leh u.. get your kaki from us to get it for you lor..

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/06/19/meije...ings-joy-to-sk/

Habis liao lah...

wait for next promo or buy usd129 ones lor.

Guys,

Need your help here..

I started to use my rig to watch MKV movies and i realised that i cant play any subtitles.

Have a look at the attached picture. the subtitle just appears as a smudge black spot in the screen. Why is this so?

I'm using Media Player Classic as my player..

Pls help me..
THanks




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Ah... Xonar card.. spending RM700 juz beacuse of the Protected Audio Path.. sigh

Can anyone help me, pls?

Thanks

did u configured as GPU processing or CPU processing? I remember reading dat apps using XVBA for the playback has problem with the subtitles.

I didnt touch the setting at all. All i know was that i set it as VMR9 (renderless).

Anyone can help me here?

wat codec pack u're using?

I'm using Storm codec pack

This post has been edited by hsiengloong: Jul 23 2009, 01:07 PM

go left or right click of ur directvobsub (the green arrow thingy)
choose directvobsub, and paste the screenshot here

Would you tell me exactly how you configure ffdshow to output TrueHD through hdmi to my pioneer vsx-23 thx receiver.

I can get stereo sound through hdmi to receiver only.

However, I can get DTS and Dolby signal using HT Omega Striker 7.1 card .

Thanks

you need a ATI GC to begin..

Hi, I hv built a HTPC rig a month ago Aug 2009.. do read about it at my blog below..

Since when ATI can bitstream?

mr thich above only get stereo.. via HDMI, even LPCM the trueHD audio track would be better than just stereo ma..

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Added on September 24, 2009, 10:02 am



OK new ATI cards can do Xonar's bitstream HD audio liao ..


The Race is Over: 8-channel LPCM, TrueHD & DTS-HD MA Bitstreaming
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3643&p=10




This post has been edited by ar188: Sep 24 2009, 10:02 AM

seems there is 2 HTPC threads....
soree but need a quicky... see any sifu's can help out.

left my HTPC for months, now starting some life back to it

I am having this AMD MSI KA790GX all in one board which do support HDMI audio out, but seems i cant get the sound out thru HDMI
the MSI support site seems doesn't know anything about HDMI, nothing mention about it
thanks in advance

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Added on September 24, 2009, 11:38 amstorm codec cannot play MKV .. right??
have you tried mpcstar 3.8 or 3.9

This post has been edited by moomoos: Sep 24 2009, 11:39 AM