Here is the link to HTPC V1 http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/263309

Remember to goto the old thread on the first page, do a topic search at the bottom of the page, chances are someone had already ask the same questions you had...and someone else had answered it.


Summary info :

A Home Theater PC (HTPC) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PC or media PC is a convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer(PC) and a digital video recorder(DVR). It is connected to a television or a television-sized computer display and is often used as a digital photo, music, and video player, TV receiver, and digital video recorder. Home theater PCs are also referred to as media center systems or media servers.

HTPC Articles :-
Ars Home Theater PC Guide http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2010...tpc-guide-1.ars
How To: AMD Guide for the Assembly of an HTPC http://blogs.amd.com/home/2009/10/20/how-t...bly-of-an-htpc/
Watching 1080P x.264 / MKV videos completely decoded by your graphics card http://www.guru3d.com/article/accelerate-x...-the-gpu-guide/


Raspberry Pi running RaspBMC
Main site http://www.raspberrypi.org/
RaspBMC http://www.raspbmc.com/
Windows Installations http://www.raspbmc.com/wiki/user/windows-installation/
OS X / Linux Installations http://www.raspbmc.com/wiki/user/os-x-linux-installation/
LYN Discussions http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2247098



Pre-built Systems:-

Dell Inspiron Zino HD http://www1.ap.dell.com/my/en/home/desktop...cs=mydhs1&s=dhs
Apple Mac Mini HTPC Guide http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/21/ultimate-ma...guide-hardware/
ASRock ION 330 http://www.asrock.com/nettop/spec/ion%20330.asp



HTPC Chassis :-

Moneual : http://www.iuworld.net/pages.php?p=moncaso-chassis.html
XQBOX : http://www.xqbox.com.cn/
Antec Fusion http://www.anandtech.com/show/2637/6
Silverstone http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/enc...re.php?area=usa


Motherboards :-

AMD / Asus M4A785 HTPC http://my.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=uypox45wza0j3kz6
AMD / Asus M4A785-M (Micro-ATX) http://my.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ef0qgvMIwOUagAVl
AMD / Gigabyte 785G boards : http://www.giga-byte.com/FileList/WebPage/..._amd-models.htm
AMD / MSI 785G-E53 http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc...=1∏_no=1899

Intel Core i3/5/7 / ASUS P7H55D-M PRO http://my.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=qWmZUAdNKeozTOXb
Intel Core i3/5/7 / Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Mother...?ProductID=3309

** AMD 785G chipsets with ATI HD4200 GC is not HD Audio ( 7.1 channel ) ready.


Recorder Card / Video Input Card :-

WinTV PVR 150 Media Center Edition : http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_pvr150mc.html
A common card used by most people to record Astro channels via analog signal


HTPC Software / Codec / Media Centers :-

Windows :-
Media Player Classic Homecinema :- http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/
K-Lite Codec :- http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_lite_codec_pack.htm
Audio / Video Players http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/303752
LYN Multimedia section have lots of other multimedia software http://forum.lowyat.net/Multimedia

Windows / Linux / Mac : XBMC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBMC
Windows / Linux / Mac : Boxee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxee


HTPC Video Input/Output :-
Digital HDMI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
Analog VGA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector
Analog Component :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video
Analog S-Video http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-video
Analog RCA (Yellow = Video ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector


HTPC Audio Output :-
Digital Non-HD Audio to older AV Receiver :- S/PDIF http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/PDIF
Digital HD Audio HDMI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
Analog Audio RCA ( Red=right White=left ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector

HD Audio Definition :- http://www.hometheatermag.com/advicefromtheexperts/508audio/

HQV Benchmark 2.0 Analysis – ATi, nVidia and Intel
http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-...a-and-intel/43/

Graphic Card Tweak Guides :-
ATI CCC Tweak Guides :- http://www.tweakguides.com/ATICAT_1.html
nVidia ForceWare Tweak Guides :- http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_1.html


*** I am unbiased towards any brands, intel vs amd, ati vs nvidia or asus vs gigabytes vs msi or others... if you find any useful links or HTPC products to share with others, PM me and I will add them into the list for the benefits of others.

This post has been edited by stan001: Dec 6 2012, 10:15 AM

@stan01,

If you have enough time, can you compile list of software usually use in HTPC? Example, Interface=Windows MCE, Codec Pack=K-Lite.

i suggest also to compile list of the requirements to get HD Audio Bitstreams....
3 HDMI options via:
a. sound cards
b. ATi 5xxx series video card
c. Clarkdale & chipset solution

Bro, i think your rig is quite sufficient as an example. You can list down your too..

Mine

Acer H233H FULL HD
Gigabyte GeForce 210 512MB w HDMI
WD 160GB
Monster1000HD
MS Wireless 5000 Set
Cooler Master PSU
Cooler Master Tower Casing
Realtek HD Audio ACL888
ATP3 w SW
Windows 7 x64


I've got loads of "ahem" softwares like Cyberlink PowerDVD 9.2520 (Latest), Cyberlink BD Advisor, Corel WinDVD Pro 2010 (Latest release), CCleaner,MS Security Essentials, etc..cant remember leh..

Hey there, I am having trouble setting my tv I just acquire..
It's a samsung series 6 LED LCD..

While the screen suppose to work perfectly @ 1080p, 1920x1080..
Problem arise that there is a narrow black border around them the screen.. making it not full screen another.. Thus causing the screen pixel to be "squeezed" and all font appeared to be out of focus..

Watching movie isn't a problem but when you try to read some webpage or filename it become tedious..

I am currently using a ati 4650 low profile gc to connect via HDMI, any help please? Haven't heard of samsung unable to to pixel mapping on the net so far...

@sKyWiR3pT3lTd

I think HTPC need to be as low power consumption as possible with enough processing power to play all kind of format. Currently, some HTPC fans are looking for HD-audio capable system although I think it still not a mainstream and will cost a lot.

With my pc spec, I can play all type of format without any hiccups but the same for most pc system. In term of power consumption, my spec is not good enough and actually cost a lot. So, now looking for cheap and good system for HTPC.

3-4 months ago, I planned to build AMD system around 785g chipset but have to hold because at the same time I heard about Intel i3. I'm so attracted to i3+H55 combo because it capable of output HD-Audio, better graphic compare to G45 and higher energy efficiency. Here is my expected spec:

Processor : Intel i3 530
Mobo : Asus P7H55D-M PRO or Gigabyte GA-H55M-U2DH
Memory : 2GB 1333 DDR3
HD : WD Green 1Tb
Audio : Integrated
Video : Integrated

go to CCC and set your overscan to 0%

You're right, but not many GC or SC has capable of HD-Audio streaming yet (DTS-HD MA, Lossless)..nice spec though..

What is the cost for the whole rig? Will it be able to handle a 32" HDTV?

wats the difference between normal audio, n hd audi?? is there a dierence?
can u differentiate it?

(1) (High Definition audio) The latest digital surround sound formats supported by Blu-ray, such as Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD (Dolby Digital and DTS). The term may occasionally refer to DVD-Audio and SACD, both of which are high-resolution audio formats that had little market penetration (DVD-Audio and SACD).

(2) (High Definition Audio) A specification from Intel for advanced audio circuits on a PC motherboard. Introduced in 2004 and superseding AC'97, HD Audio provides eight channels (7.1) of 32-bit, 192kHz audio to support Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound formats. It includes automatic jack retasking, which enables the same port to be used for a speaker or a microphone. HD Audio also enables multiple audio streams to be sent to different rooms in the house.

(3) Controller and Codec
Like AC'97, HD Audio is made up of a controller connected to analog/digital codecs by a 5-wire TDM interface called "HD Audio Link." The two subsystems separate the digital controller, which is built into the PC chipset, from the analog circuits, which can be in a chip on the motherboard, a riser card or cabled close to the I/O connectors. For international certification (homologation), modem codecs are often placed on riser cards, which can be easily interchanged. See AC'97 and riser card.

Sourc : PC Mag

This post has been edited by sKyWiR3pT3lTd: Mar 14 2010, 09:19 AM

Below u can see a different between normal and HD audio. The highest bitrate will produce highest quality of sound.

Maximum bitrate for normal audio
1- MP3 128kbps
2- Dolby Digital 448kbps
3- DTS 2mbps

Maximum bitrate for HD audio
1- Dolby Digital Plus 6mbps (lossy)
2- DTS-HD High Resolution 6mbps (lossy)
3- Dolby TrueHD 18mbps (lossless)
4- DTS-HD Master Audio 24.5mbps (lossless)

Source: pioneer

This post has been edited by minimize: Mar 14 2010, 01:48 PM

in order to enjoy the hd audio. you need to have all requirements.
the source, the hd audio enabled htpc, the good home theater system.

for some ppl, htpc are troublesome as there is many thing to consider when build the system. therefore there is some ppl just get a simple blu-ray player instead of htpc.
but in this thread, is for us to enjoy the process of the htpc building.....

I plan to set up slowly my full HT within this 2 years. Right now, I haven't experience TrueHD and even now, I still haven't try Blu-Ray. Actually, HD-Audio is not so important to me right now but because realizing that in the near future this audio format will be use as a norm like current DTS, I try to build a HTPC with HD-Audio capable.

A few months back when AMD 785g is the only cheap yet powerful HTPC solution, I have no choice but to buy Asus HDAV 1.3. AMD 758g can play hd-video smoothly but lack of HD-Audio and only output 5.1 audio so adding a souncard is better option.

For intel set up, because I can get cheap mobo as low as RM150, I think ATI HD5000 series is better option. Asus HDAV 1.3, last time I checked cost more than RM500 and ATI HD5000 more than RM300. But luckily, now Intel came out with their product line capable of bitstreaming HD-Audio and I have the patient to wait.

I try to use as few part as possible inside my HTPC and as cheap as possible without sacrificing its processing power. (Actually can get lower end DUAL CORE G6950).

I haven't bought the items yet becoz need to sell my current spec first. But here my estimated price:

Processor : Intel i3 530 --> RM 400
Mobo : Asus P7H55D-M PRO or Gigabyte GA-H55M-U2DH -->RM400
Memory : 2GB 1333 DDR3 --> RM170
HD : WD Green 1Tb --> RM285
Audio : Integrated
Video : Integrated
Other part use my current spec.

So total around RM12++.

If include all part (psu+casing+dvd-rom) can reach RM16++.
*Still looking for 2nd hand part to reduce the price.

I think with this spec, I can use any HDTV for display.


BTW, to any audiophile, for HD-Audio, do I need AVR to produce the sound? Because from my reading, HD-Audio need HDMI output so unless there is speaker that accept input through HDMI, we need the AVR. Right?

---

Added on March 14, 2010, 3:21 pmYup, when I read all around the net, sometimes I thought why do I need to go though all the hassle? Why not just buy a blu-ray player or ps3? But like you said, I love to enjoy the building process while try to get as cheap as possible setup.

The cheapest AVR capable of True-HD I believe already cost RM1.4k not include speaker setup. HT really an expensive hobby. Also not include the BluRay disc.

This post has been edited by qwerty79: Mar 14 2010, 06:07 PM

I think AVR is just absolute unnecessary , desktop 5.1 speakers good enough plugged into SC..

Short answer...

Normal audio for Home Theater is DD / DTS - 5.1 channel audio output ( most of today HT systems should support it including those Home Theater in a Box (HTiB) )

HD Audio - 7.1 uncompressed/lossless - HD DD / HD DTS, must use HDMI due to high bandwidth requirements

If you have a very good ( expensive) home theater setup, YES, you can / might tell the differences when the source of the sound/recording is good.

Like the example of mp3 compressed audio (128kbps/192kbps/320kbps) vs lossless audio ( tons of discussions on this topics ), the better the sound equipments (DAC/Amp/Speakers), you "can" hear the differences of mp3 vs audio lossless.

Unlike picture ( HD = higher screen resolutions ), sound is sometimes a bit difficult to "hear"

if budget really tight and no plan for upgrade, maybe can just consider normal pc speaker like Logitech 5.1 which is the model come with Digital Connection. sound great.
I guess majority of user now don't spent too much on purchased of blu-ray disc. there is many source we can get like .m2ts or .ts format that capable to gave us TrueHD 7.1 or DTS-HD MA, don't ask where to get as all internet user are smart enough now. ELSE we can get used or second hand blu-ray disc.


IMHO, I will suggest to start with entry level avr, a pair of bookshelf speaker with cheap cable fist. buy a center speaker if still ok.
Second, after funding then buy a floorstander for front then the old, bookshelf move for rear speaker.
Third, funding again then upgrade to get powerful sub-woofer.
Fourth, get the another pair of speaker if you want to have or complete 7.1 channel sound.
lastly, when you have extra money on next 5 or 10 years, no problem to upgrade the decent avr, right...

if the space really not allow, just get entry level avr, contact our forumer here ksp_tech . he sell onkyo 5 channel satellite speaker just RM100. hang it on top the wall. in future just buy a power sub-woofer to place at corner of room. sound great!!!

@stan001

Nice work!

desktop 5.1 can't tune the time alignment, LFE attenuation, room equalization, channel calibration.
desktop 5.1 can't tune a lot of things like an avr could, which makes the surround experience much more surreal.

Of course AVR can do wonders, we are talking about HTPC , not Home Theater for your living room bro..

about sound card, only Asus able to provided HD Audio Bitstream if you need to. but kind of expensive.
for creative, the max can provided is up to DDL 5.1 via digital connection.
IMHO, tested 7.1 analog output still not really met my expectation. some more 4 cable+video cable.
so I still go for HDMI 1 cable settled everything...

anyway, still depend on your combination, all are close related; not just HTPC in order to meet our ultimate goal = "HD World"
unless you don't want about HD but go for only SD time... then no comment.

i believe HTPC is a computer built for home theater use, no? hence the Home Theather Personal Computer name.

My take is slightly different. For me sound quality is of higher priority, so for me, an AVR is basic necessity. But this following configuration is more future proof :

1. Get HTPC with basic graphic configuration (enough to run HD video of course.)

2. Buy a soundcard that can decode HD audio and with analogue audio output that supply latest sound config such as lossless HD sound.. unfortunately there are not many in the market place. One good product is Auzentech Home Theater HD which cost about RM1K ! I am still waiting for other product with similar spec.

3. Get a used out of date AVR, with NO HD DTS, even with normal Dolby Digital will do, but must have analogue audio input, ideally with 7 audio input, ie. an AVR that can serve as a power amp. Coupled with a set of speakers which u can upgrade initially from 5.1 to 7.1 in future.

Then use the Audio PCI card to decode HD DTS or lossless audio, feed its audio output to an old and much cheaper AVR as power amp.

In future, should there be any new audio format, just change the PCI audio card will do. It maybe expensive, but its still cheaper than RM6K AVR with latest technology.

Thats my take. and my sincere advice.

latest AVR that can decode DTS-HDMA & true-HD could be had for around RM1.5k
pair it with a cheap graphics card (ATI 5670, RM300) that could bitstream HD-audio, you're off with a good combo costing under RM2k

Already the HTPC cost us approx 1XXX , now additional 1.5k for DTS-HD MA?. I like peter32's suggestion, get an AVR old ones with no DTS, Dolby should fit the bill..

Not everyone has the sort of cash to spend bro..but obviously im not against your idea, its far cheaper than HOME THEATER SETUP..

THAT is a home theater setup bro haha
ain't cheap i know. i could've gotten some media player to go with my home theater, but i chose the htpc way because i don't need a NAS setup for media library as the htpc supports a few hdd itself. if i went the media player way, i'm sure i'm gonna have to buy a NAS station after a while.

ain't no way a single 2TB hdd gonna be enough for my movies

I agree. Nowadays for a decent price we can get a good featured AVR.

But with RM1.5K, u can get a used THX rated good powered AVR with old specs ! That alone is future proof. You can upgrade speakers without thinking of underpowered AVR in future.

I'll probably gonna get that AVR with THX one for my HTPC.

Gonna give it a go and see if any good..

Thanks for the ideas..

This post has been edited by sKyWiR3pT3lTd: Mar 15 2010, 08:50 PM

Wait...

Before u do, remember its not easy to get an audio card that can decode lossless HD audio into analogue and provide a pre-out from the sound card.

But you can easily find any sound card that has digital output, which u can hook it into an AVR. But that way you will lost the HD lossless feature.

So although my plan is economic, its hard to get a soundcard that does the movie decoding for the time being. I am still waiting for that to come to our shore....

I know..its just my plan..im gonna wait for one too..

we're in same boat.....
currently sound card solution still expensive. asus or auzentech with lossless digital output, price still not attractive (maybe the licence from dts or dobly lab are expensive too..). I don't understand why creative still haven't come out to compete on that?

ok, obviously we have 2 options of course.....
either analog or digital. tied with your preferable or budget. you choose for it....

for video, i guess is not a difficult issue as most of IGP can handled well too.
motherboard for htpc famous choice is m-atx i believe.
processor, just get the model with enough power to handled the hd movie. overkill processor is not an ideal as power consumption, noise/heat are the consideration...
but some of user need better mainstream prc as they need to perform convert or rip the movie.
for me, i need a htpc with 24/7 on and some light gaming also... power consumption is important in this case. 400W true power are enough for me.

This post has been edited by djlah: Mar 15 2010, 10:15 PM

Yeah thanks, but my text is still out of sync.. erm out of focus in other words.. Any idea about it? reading text is kinda difficult..

Dillema about the sound now, currently only doing stereo via 3.5mm jack.. I am thinking to get the cheapest possible usb soundcard with optical output, but it's not really cheap either. Too bad that my receiver doesn't come with hdmi

so, let say

if i had Denon 1910 AVR pair with a HTPC with ATI 5850...

with the HDMI going from 5850 --> Denon 1910 --> HD TV

am i able to output 1080P + lossless audio ? (without the need of sound card)

generally yes. u should able to get lossless audio without the sound card as the video card itself already contain of the audio chip.
you can always test it, see your denon have the dts-hd ma or truehd light is on or not.
do you have blu-ray disc? or you can test the sample hd audio here:

Original sample (100MB)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/txz7i7

Remuxed by TsMuxer (101MB)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/yx8agd

From film Wanted

ive got 30 copies of BD disc , been playing BD movies with my PS3...wanted to go HTPC for cheaper solution in long run haha..(softcopy BDISO)

A bit off topic but still related: If your AVR has HDMI and supports Multi channel PCM/LPCM then you don't need to change to the newer models. Let your player (bluray,HTPC,etc.) decode the lossless audio and output it as LPCM. You'll still be able to enjoy lossless audio. Bit-streaming is when your AVR supports DTS-MA/Dolby TrueHD decoding.

yea, like my FAT ps3 cant do bitstream (unlike slim ps3) but i still can enjoy lossless audio if i got a HDMI HD AVR.

PS3 - optical cable - AVR

so you already make up ur mind? get trueHD/DTS-HD AVR with blu-ray player or get HTPC ?
share with us the specs once you get HTPC

This post has been edited by djlah: Mar 16 2010, 11:20 AM

Good day lads,

What AVR youre hooked up your PS3 with Optical? What optical cable you use?

currently using entry lvl amp (not even a HDMI amp) pioneer vsx 518

gonna get Denon 1910 next week. after that only go for HTPC lol...

i'm gonna go for gaming spec as well so i7 + ATI 5850 is a must d haha..

i'm using audioquest optical cable, no problem playing DTS and DD with the pioneer, but not TrueHD or DTS MA (until i get denon 1910)

I think it is more of a combination of both HTPC and AVR...

For initial setup with minimal budget, desktop 5.1 does the job as most built-in soundcard supports it..

Later down the road, the path is to upgrade to a HTiB (HT in a Box) then to a proper AVR with separate speakers & subwoofers.

All depends on how much $$$ to spend..

HTPC is just more versatile ( flexible ) and with services like High Speed Broadband (HSBB), hopefully, one day we can just stream all the content directly from the Internet to our living room and cut off paid subscriptions for tv contents.

Lots of ISP are bidding for contents like BPL (football) to kickstart this trend that is happening in the US.

Anyone could suggest , i'm planning to upgrade my GPU from Geforce 210 to GTX275, GTX285, GTX295.

Also, any Speaker system that you guys would like to suggest. Im currently on Altec Lansing ATP3 2.1.

Thanks in advance..

HTPC is a cheap solution if you want have a universal Home Theatre. With HTPC, you can play VCD, DVD, Blu-Ray and can play all kind of format available on the planet. But still, decent HT setup is far more better than HTPC with the cost of money. If not, those AVR, speaker, amp and all those HT equipment maker will gulung tikar.

For me, HTPC is one part of the HT. Instead of buying multiple player (DVD, Blu-ray etc), we can have all-in-one player. The most important we built it ourselves part by part!

Currently, I have bought all the part I mention in 1st page. Now in the process of installing.

BTW, anyone here now any free software for remote key mapping? I bought a cheap remote with IR blaster and it can control navigation of MCE quite well. Some button need to be change like fast forward/backward.

Anyone heard about Lenovo HTPC ? Please look at the specs. USD499

"Lenovo has introduced a new HTPC, the IdeaCentre Q700. The system is comfortably nestled between the size and specifications of a nettop and full-blown HTPC. It should fit in perfectly with your other home theater equipment, and its hardware ought to chew through basic HTPC-oriented tasks.

The IdeaCentre Q700 is equipped with an Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz CPU and X4500 integrated graphics, 4GB of RAM, and the choice between a 320GB, 500GB or 640GB HDD. Although it's not available with a Blu-ray drive at the moment, it does come with a DVD burner.


It also houses an HDMI and VGA-out, TV tuner, eight USB 2.0 ports (split between front and back), Firewire, an eSATA connector, a 4-in-1 card reader, 5.1 surround sound outputs, gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity. Models are available with a remote and USB receiver dongle, and all ship with Vista Home Premium 64-bit installed.

Granted, you won't be playing high-end games on max with smooth frame rates but the Q700 crams a lot into its 2.36" x 7.87" x 9.84" box. The offer only looks better when you consider its $499 asking price"

GTX295 for HTPC? Wahh.. I though is for hardcore gaming.
I'm not sure about Nvidia. But ATI 5xxx series can bitstream HD audio. Maybe u should consider it.

TS update with some info on how to obtain malaysian guide and stuff

Anyone here successfully bitstream HD audio from ATI 5xxx series when playing Bluray disc movie using BD-ROM?

I want to upgrade my HTPC so it can play bluray disc. But i'm affraid BD-ROM not support HD audio.

Any input system recommended?
was looking into
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboard...s/3616&cl=us,en

actually more into dinovo edge.. but the price is...

GTX275, the least i want to go for, plus its HDMI output , so no coversion required from dvi to hdmi..

no idea whether this fits your bill, but maybe you could give EventGhost a try. it supports a multitude of IR receivers

$499 X 3.4 = around RM1.7k
for that price, you could get much much better spec

I know rm1.7k we could quote better spec. What im trying to say here is , DIY HTPC is far better and satisfying then getting a branded HTPC.

Acer too, offering such HTPC at higher cost , seen last was RM6999, which absolutely commercial branding price..

Better still DIY prices..

The fun in DIY HTPC in the process of doing the research for the different components, choosing the best specs you can afford, making sure they work nicely together and fixing any issues along the way ( like heat & cooling issues, software drivers and selecting wrong peripherals like cordless keyboard with very short range )...

It have been a very good and satisfied experience overall.. and still room for upgrades in the near future.. ( unlike commercial HTPC offerings )..

Stan001, hope you dont mind im sharing the information for those users watching Blu-ray on HTPC

CyberLink Corp. today released CyberLink PowerDVD 10. Enabling Full HD and 3D Blu-ray playback, CyberLink PowerDVD 10 features TrueTheater 3D technology, upgrading the movie experience with 3D movie playback for DVD discs and video files. Meanwhile, the improved version of TrueTheater HD, optimized for the latest CPU/GPU acceleration technologies, enables the upscaling of both DVD movies and video files to HD. A "Mark II" update is scheduled for release this summer which will add Blu-ray 3D playback and 2D-to-3D video file conversion to their software.

With the initial release of PowerDVD 10, consumers will enjoy Blu-ray movies, plus the new features of CyberLink's advanced suite of TrueTheater technologies: TrueTheater 3D, TrueTheater HD, TrueTheater Noise Reduction, and TrueTheater Stabilizer.

Referring to PowerDVD 10 as a major milestone for CyberLink, Alice H. Chang, CyberLink CEO declared: "We're not just talking about an incremental shift in quality; PowerDVD 10 represents a new era of media entertainment, offering the best 3D and HD experience you can enjoy on the PC."

"We've upgraded playback quality for video files and music too, turning PowerDVD 10 into a unique universal player that enhances the visual and auditory experience for all kinds of media," said Alice H. Chang.

In addition to new playback features, PowerDVD 10 enables new online experiences, with more features for sharing movie reviews and live comments to social networks on Facebook, Twitter and MoovieLive.com.

CyberLink PowerDVD 10 offers the following features:

Blu-ray Movies in 3D:

* Blu-ray 3D, including comprehensive support for various 3D playback hardware, ensures exceptional playback quality for the soon-to-be-released Blu-ray 3D format. (A free "Mark II" upgrade will be made available to existing PowerDVD 10 Ultra users to enable Blu-ray 3D features.)
* Improved optimization for Intel Core Family Processors, NVIDIA CUDA and ATI Stream, delivers smooth playback for high-definition content by leveraging the power of the latest hardware acceleration technology.
* Lossless HD audio, including support for HDMI 1.3a, offers pure 8-channel Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio via a single cable.
* Fast Blu-ray loading enables consumers to access their Blu-ray movies on the PC up to four times faster.
* DVDs in 3D and HD
* Advanced Cyberlink TrueTheater 3D technology lets consumers transform their existing 2D DVD content into a 3D experience.
* HD upscaling for DVDs, using CyberLink TrueTheater HD technology, sharpens the image quality of standard definition content for playback on high-definition TVs and monitors.
* Enhanced Videos and Music
* Quality-enhancing TrueTheater Technology for videos improves the playback experience for video files, including real-time correction of home movies using TrueTheater Stabilizer and TrueTheater Noise Reduction. PowerDVD also includes TrueTheater HD, TrueTheater Motion, and TrueTheater Lighting for upscaling and enhancing video files too.
* TrueTheater Surround for music allows PowerDVD users to customize their playback experience according to their home theater hardware and personal taste, with a range of settings for optimizing audio playback.
* Extensive file format support enables playback of even more movie types, including QT, MOV, RM, RMVB, FLV, MKV, and 3GPP, and support for subtitle formats including smi, ass, ssa, psb, srt and sub.
* Refreshed universal player interface integrates access to movies, videos and music files, without compromising the traditional simplicity of the PowerDVD interface design.
* Playlist features allow consumers to easily create video and music playlists of their favorite media.

Movie Reviews and Live Comments

* MovieMarks offer a brand new way for PowerDVD users to bookmark, write and share movie reviews, by adding comments and descriptions to bookmarks of key movie scenes.
* Sharing MovieMarks on MoovieLive.com is a new feature allowing reviewers to upload their reviews to PowerDVD's online community MoovieLive.com. MovieMarks can be downloaded and shared.
* Short Comments allow users to post live updates to Facebook, Twitter and MoovieLive.com as they are watching their movie.
* PowerDVD Movie Page provides direct access to the latest content on MoovieLive.com, with links to recent movie reviews, trailers, and product tutorials, more in-depth movie information, and the ability to post live comments to Twitter and Facebook.

Support for Windows 7:

* Touch support allows users to navigate features by touch, including their Movie Collection via PowerDVD's FancyView interface.
* Ambient Light support offers compatibility with hardware featuring the power-saving feature of the latest notebooks.
* Support for Windows 7 music library features enables easy creation of music playlists and track management directly from within PowerDVD 10.

Product Availability

Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 is now available online, supporting the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, and Korean. Boxed versions will be available soon in retail stores worldwide. CyberLink also offers OEM versions to PC and peripheral manufacturing customers.

* CyberLink PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D: $99.95
* CyberLink PowerDVD 10 Deluxe: $69.95
* CyberLink PowerDVD 10 (Standard): $49.95

Upgrade versions for previous PowerDVD versions are available starting at $29.95.

Note: Consumers who have purchased PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D can upgrade their software for free to enable Blu-ray 3D playback and 3D video file playback. Available this summer.

This post has been edited by sKyWiR3pT3lTd: Mar 18 2010, 01:21 AM

but still there's no support for HD audio bitstream.
a waste of money IMHO to buy a HDMI enable card, and still have to buy another card that supports HD audio streams in the future (when there is solutions to buy just one card)

QFT.

At least to utilize the Picture quality for movie playback. Sound doesnt matter at the moment..

I'm using a Dinovo Mini.
It's great.

How much did that cost you?
Is it using a Blue tooth / Wireless to sync to your machine?

Bro Paskal, are u using BD-ROM in your HTPC?

no offence, but that is a failed logic.
you do know there's a graphics card that support both HDMI and HD bitstreaming. why you still wanna get something that lack one over the other?

and IMHO PQ for movie playback are not affected by which GC you have in the system. you could be running Intel GMA and still get the best PQ (if your CPU powerful enough to software decode the video)

not currently. will be buying one in the near future.
why you ask?

---

Added on March 18, 2010, 5:36 pmi never used QFT before and it turns out:



if i'm spreading wrong info please correct me all knowledgeable one.
it would much appreciated if you could explain why i got a QFT from your holiness

This post has been edited by paskal: Mar 18 2010, 05:36 PM

You're right, its just needs a better software to decode..

Just curious , seriously you guys want DTS HD and HD audio out. Even the current 5.1 is good enough and yet some of us want full HD output for it. Anyway as long its digital and 5.1 and its HD , for me I'm okay with it.

some could hear the difference, some don't. like comparing mp3 to FLAC/APE.
most people can't hear the difference and are satisfied enough playing 192kbps mp3.
some on the other hand, hear a lot of difference between those two.

Turns out most people cant actually differentiate, but from a POV of a geeky person like most of us here (LYN), it appears that we always want the best in terms of hardware regardless the necessity..

It's sad I am running my HTPC at stereo..

I have a question, izzit possible to convert spdif into coaxial or optical?

IINM, SPDIF IS transmitted over coaxial. SPDIF is the codec used, and could be transmitted over coax or optical.
SPDIF is a stereo codec

SPDIF can transmit 5.1 surround sound because it's compressed format.

Guess a HDMI AVR is almost a must nowadays.. I have no complain regarding my current AVR except it only support coaxial and optical.. it's even difficult to find a slim profile soundcard..

Ok. I thought u already have it. So want ask ur experience using it.

My experience says there is a difference. I was using Nvidia 7100 IGP then switched to discrete Nvidia GT210.... big difference in colour and everything else....

Last time I also feel DD5.1 is good enough until I try to hear HD audio (TrueHD/DTS-HD). My ears can hear a different. Right now because I always hear HD audio then I know current/normal audio not very good enough.

there is a difference in PQ when watching movie?
guess i gotta have to plug my PCI-e GC to test it out. i'm sure i left it in a drawer somewhere

Just finish configure Shark007 Windows 7 codec + its x64 components on my freshly installed Windows 7 x64.

Actually, I don't know what is the problem with my current setup because the same codec I installed in my Acer 4740 (i5 430m laptop), it work just fine without any configuration. However, with my i3 530 system, WMP failed to play the video. It just show green screen with sound at the background. So after playing with a few setting, this is the best setting I have. I don't know if it use hardware acceleration or not but my cpu utilization barely reach 20%.



At first, I just try to enable "Use FFDshow DXVA codec" and it play wonderfully with very low cpu utilization (hardly reach 10%) but if subtitle is enable, the picture behind the subtitle will be jagged.

BTW, if compare to my old e8400 system, current system is much colder than before. The CPU temp is only 35C for current if compare to 50C for e8400. Plus, it only running using stock HSF.

This post has been edited by qwerty79: Mar 19 2010, 01:23 AM

anyone know how to autostart XBMC when booting up the pc?

not via windows startup or adding things in the registry

thx.

same situation also. we cannot get slim profile hdmi sound card but now we can get entry level ATi 5xxx that have low profile available. bingo..

Looking for cheapest mobo...my requirement..
-mini-itx
-play 1080p & BD
-cheaper solution compared to dual ATOM + ION...
I just dont know what mobo to use. Cracking my head already searching LYN for it..
Any mobo price approx at 200-300 (exc. processor) with chipset able to meet my requirement?
Thanks.

my upcoming setup = 32' led tv, bluray player, htpc and a pioneer home theater look like this



pls guide me on how to connect the wire?

Until now, I have using mobo sound card and video chip from the 785 series, it works perfectly. I use the optical audio output from the mobo and decode with my AVR (NAD T763), other than some software tweak to make digital SPDIF output as standard in software side, I don't have any problem decoding the sound from the BD disc.

Except one problem. It can't decode Lossless HD sound. But it can play DTS HD sound from the BD disc, and played flawlessly.

Can I tell the difference between those DTS or HD DTS? I don't think so, but to be honest, we will need a blindfold test in order to know. Its not fair to comment without proper test environment.

Lossless HD audio can only be transmitted via HDMI cable to the AVR that has such connection. My AVR is old style DTS ES etc.. no hdmi.

already check Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi Motherboard ?
you prefer intel or amd? for mini-itx, Zotac are quite popular brand.

This post has been edited by djlah: Mar 19 2010, 02:04 PM

Bro,
thanks for the reply.
I dont mind intel of AMD....most importantly is the cost...
Zotac is quite on the high side (in term of price), right?
I was thinking MSI or anything equivalent, but not sure whether it is available or not....
so far if found nothing when searching here...

maybe you can consider micro-ATX, more room for upgrading. In future you can add some video capture card for Astro or TV Recording.

Mirco-ITX is a good idea. But considering the size....hahaha..so malas one lah...
Found this Intel DG41MJ at ~RM300....
i'm still researching on it..

Found this review...http://www.silentpcreview.com/article960-page7.html

Conclusion...
The Intel DG41MJ is very power efficient, and with the exception of an actual high bitrate H.264 encoded Blu-ray movie, plays most content with little difficulty. The chipsets run fairly cool, but the board's automated fan control system is a disappointment. It is too passive, letting the processor get too hot before kicking in, and once activated, it is not aggressive enough in the face of high CPU temperatures. It may be optimized for use with Intel's stock heatsink/fan, or another HSF that has higher native speed than the fans we tested with. It is probably best to disable it if you plan to stress the system on a regular basis.

The DG45FC is equally power efficient, but its video decoding ability is superior. In addition, it offers a bevy of features including HDMI, S/PDIF, RAID, eSATA, an extra SATA port, and a PCI-E 1x slot instead of PCI. Not everyone needs these extra features, but in particular, digital audio and video outputs are essential for the most common application of mini-ITX systems: Home theater PC. Between the two, we would choose the DG41MJ only if cost was a major issue because the DG45FC can be had for only $25~$30 more. (It should be noted that both Intel boards only support processors rated 65W or lower.)
This one tested with Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor - 2.53GHz, 45nm, 65W

total price still almost the same with board with dual atom ION...

This post has been edited by xsi: Mar 19 2010, 03:14 PM

Why not consider Intel core i3 + H55 Mobo, i3 have everything you want in HTPC. One chip for all.

http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3704&p=3

i3 & H55? if i have those kind of budget, i will not be asking in the first place....hahahahaha..!!

IMHO the lowest budget HTPC right now should be from AMD chip.

Intel DG41MJ is using intel G41 chipset, the same chipset use in current intel lower-end mobo. It utilize Intel GMA X4500. This intergrated graphic accelerator doesn' support HD video so most HD video will be process by the processor, not X4500. I own one before (G41M-ES2L).

If you plan to play HD video (h264,1080p files) and planning to use the integrated graphic, then go for DG45FC but the price much more expensive than H55 chipset mobo which is more superior (sadly, hard to find mini-itx version).

What your budget?

mobo ~200, processor ~200. The lesser the better..
after browsing so far, realized impossible to get mini-itx with that kind of budget.
So have to settle for AMD micro-atx.....and based on my reading...i can even go for x2 (instead of x4) cpu if i get a 'sufficient' GPU to do the decoding....
Question now, what is the minimum GPU shud i go for..?

the cheapest gpu that could do hd audio bitstreaming is the ati 5450. do check if it's available now in stores. last time i check it's not yet in the market, but already released overseas.
other choices is the ati 5670 or the ati 5770. cheapest should be RM300.

but if budget is really limited, then you might as well let the cpu decode and just run the internal graphics