The link you posted is about Dell Zino 400. The one available in Dell which can do all these things is Dell Zino 410

http://blogs.amd.com/home/2010/10/18/uppin...on-410-zino-hd/

Do bear in mind that 7.1 is achieved through HDMI

I thought u r using Denon 1909 now??
U can check the driver detail from the download site, it will show what it have fix or added.

Guys, I have important questions which need the answer from you all.

I am thinking of building an core i3 system.
so my question are:

1. Is there any lagging when play back High Bit Rate Full HD video with i3? like cpu utilisation max out...

2. Is there any problem so far with the picture quality, audio quality, and HD audio bitstream with i3 Integrated GPU?

3. Is it ALL Video can do DXVA on i3 IGP SMOOTHLY?

Thank you guys..

This post has been edited by cougar richard: Nov 17 2010, 02:08 PM

Hi,

I am using i3 540 and


1. Is there any lagging when play back High Bit Rate Full HD video with i3? like cpu utilisation max out... : Won't, everything works perfect.

2. Is there any problem so far with the picture quality, audio quality, and HD audio bitstream with i3 Integrated GPU? - No problem at all

3. Is it ALL Video can do DXVA on i3 IGP SMOOTHLY? - Never try

So far, playing 1080p mkv file no issue at all.

Hi all,

is there any HTPC casing (preferable with VFD display) able to fit a radeon 5xxx series VGA? , i tried with silverstone LC20, it doesnt fit...

please advice

i'm running hd5450 in my lc17. fit's just fine.

together with 13 hdd.
and an ATX mainboard. regular atx that is, not mini, not micro atx.

Oh yes the remote works with Boxee and XBMC

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Added on November 17, 2010, 7:26 pmOh Yes I have been watching PPstream on Big Screen ever since!!! loving it!!!

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Added on November 17, 2010, 7:29 pmThere is 2 Dell zino the older one is called Inspiron 400 Zino HD and it does not support DTS-MA and TrueHD

Inspiron 410 Zino HD the current version has 2 hardware options, I took the highest spec model come with ATI Radeon 5450 Graphics where DTS-MA and TrueHD can bitstream from optical out where it support 5.1 and HDMI pass thru where it support 7.1

it is also THX certified

Yes Inspiron 410 Zino HD has optical output for my version and bluray drive!!!

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Added on November 17, 2010, 7:37 pmWell here is the answer

1. Usually i3 can handle with 2 core + 2 thread but for good HD video performance it is preferred to use a GPU which support h264 codec hardware acceleration you can look at Nvidia Ion or Ion 2 chipset alternatively you can look at Nvidio 210m or 310m but the gaming performance is so.. so..

2. Picture Quality should have no issue if you take Ion chipset Audio another hand it depends on your needs if you look for DTS-MA or Dolby TrueHD then... sadly NO as Ion only can take 5.1 perhaps Ion2 (I have not confirm this)

3. YES!!!

This post has been edited by calvin_ng: Nov 17 2010, 07:37 PM

you can't bitstream hd audio from optical out. well not multichannel hd audio anyway. there's not enough bandwith from an optical connection.

well that is an answer, but (no offence) not a correct one.

with all due respect, twtang are currently running an i3 and already posted what could be the best answer thus far regarding i3 decoding performance.


and from experience building and configuring a few htpc running on i3 (all bitstreams hd to an avr) i'm inclined to comment.
1. i3 does support dxva acceleration. if it's any important. else the i3 have enough processing power to software decode. and ati currently have the cheapest card that supports hardware acceleration and hd bitstream. forget about nvidia ion.

2. picture quality should have no issue if the cpu is capable enough to software decode. nvidia ion which are usually paired with atom cpu are rubbish in this sense. if should in any way hardware decoding are compromised, then ion gonna have a problem. IMO go with ion only if you want an absolutely lowest power consumption. core i3 with its 32nm architecture have a good compromise with power usage.

erm... fyi I'm using a Dell vostro 3400 which is a core i3 and it is pared with a nvidia 310 mobility and a intel build in graphics (Yes it is a hybrid platform)

for what I can tell yes i3 can handle Hi def video decoding performance look it is a 2 core + 2 thread but you will be running at 50%+ processing compared to a hardware accelerated GPU which reduce cpu processing to only 10% + -

also if you look at my Zino review you will notice a i3 runs slower compared to a AMD chipset but that is gaming... video do not take up that much power...

thats why I stated quite clearly Video : no issue at all
Audio another story... if you want DTS MA or True HD you need to look at a graphic card that support 7.1 passtrough

Your HD5450 is 64Bit one right???

that's strange. i reckon an i3 would not hit 50% usage when decoding hd.
but since i don't have any i3 with me i'm gonna leave it to someone who does. IIRC (when i was assembling the i3), cpu usage only hit 25-30% when running software decode.

well maybe i'm wrong anyway.

dunno. well maybe. wait i'll search....


yeah it's 64bit with 512mb ram.

Actually got problem especially on high bit rate + HD audio m2ts file, it plays but not very smooth and has tearing...

..and it has resync problem too which I'm trying hard to solve it using ReClock now...

This post has been edited by echoesian: Nov 17 2010, 11:46 PM

1. so mind to tell me how's the cpu utilisation when playing back? got artifact o not? as i saw some other forum said got artifact like rainbow effect or pixelization....

2. glad to hear that...

3. so meaning to say all using decoding power from cpu itself only?

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Added on November 18, 2010, 7:42 am1. would you mind to clarify the difference of video performance between i3 and standalone GPU? i3 has performance issue with h.264 decoding?

2. but i think bitstream HD audio with i3 should be no prob rite?

3. if ALL the HD Video can do DXVA, then i think the cpu utilisation of cpu should be very low... initially i was afraid of only CERTAIN HD Video can do DXVA only. Then if some HD video cannot do DXVA decoding then the cpu utilisation should be very high...

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Added on November 18, 2010, 7:45 am2. so any chance of i3 cannot support DXVA hardware decoding for some HD video?

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Added on November 18, 2010, 7:49 ammind to clarify further? is it the IGP issue when running DXVA or the raw power of software decoding from CPU itself?

This post has been edited by cougar richard: Nov 18 2010, 07:49 AM

Biggest problem for i3 with H55/H57 board is no true 23.976 framerate support. You will see a slight jitter when the movie is panning.

Problem with ATI 5xxx is the RGB 4:4:4 Full Range is screw as it output at wrong level. If you go for YCbCr 4:4:4 there is a slight greenish tint but not so serious.

Nvidia GTX460 I had no idea if it is perfect for HTPC. But one advantage is it support 3DVision if you have 120hz display.

Look it is pure simple, you cant rely on processor alone to do all the work on a computer... if you want to build a good HTPC or a gaming computer you need to take account on the sound and graphics

YES i3 can decode virtually everything but at what expense Higher CPU power and laggy pc performance... for a good HTPC you need to get a graphic card that support hardware HD acceleration which greatly reduce the weight of the cpu and with lither cpu your cpu can decode HD audio and the rest which make your HTPC experience GREAT!!!

Sound yes even a Atom can decode HD audio but it is useless if your sound card or HDMI cant output HD audio... you need optical out and HDMI pass through inorder to get DTS MA and Dolby True HD and your sound+graphics would need to work together with the processor...

just a processor alone will not give you a good experience imagine you have a ferrari driving in KL city peak hour... hahaha wasting petrol!!!

is it noticeable for 24p playback jitter on most movie? i mean those available to dl one.
so ATI 5000 series wont hv such a problem rite?

i heard of sandy bridge is still having prob with 24p framerate. well, tat is rumour...

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Added on November 18, 2010, 10:37 amtat is why i am asking all sifus here.
if the i3's IGP can handle HD audio and HD video using DXVA properly, then i dont need to buy another GPU already.
so i can save money, save electricity, and also less heat dissippation...

This post has been edited by cougar richard: Nov 18 2010, 10:37 AM

My advise get a Discreet graphics

Or

Get a build in unit with ion chipsets which support hardware acceleration

I've yet to connect my standalone HD PVR to my byond. No promises but I'll try and see if I can burn it for you.

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Added on November 18, 2010, 11:24 amI was just about to add... Yeah, it depends on what type of 1080p file. Decoding real Bluray m2ts files on raw CPU power alone is very taxing. I hit about 70 to 80% CPU utilization on a 3.2GHz Q6600. Using DXVA on my lowly ATI 2600, it's less than 5% CPU utilization.

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Added on November 18, 2010, 11:25 amI've read Nvidia cards are still way behind when it comes to HTPC and HD playback. Which ATI card supports 3D playback with Arcsoft Totalmedia Theatre?

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Added on November 18, 2010, 11:30 amI'm also in the category of a non-believer when it comes to built-in graphics card. I would prefer a discreet one. Does not mean you have the i3 you must use the built-in graphics card right? I would rather build a proper HTPC that works than building a half-cook one that supposedly saves electricity.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Nov 18 2010, 11:30 AM

I would agree with jchue73

if you are looking at a half bake i3 might as well get a decent pre build htpc say Dell Zino or Acer Aspire 1 / Asus Eepc

Although there are running atom but with Ion and Ion 2 chipset as GPU it really perform expecially on HTPC environment

but I take Dell Zino which is AMD as it is the best for the size is great!!

Strange.. I'll only notice jittering on MPC-HC but not TMT 3, TMT3 is a lot smoother...