View Full Version : Help for Newb- Turning PC into good MCE
Hi-
I'm wondering if someone can offer any advice- just installed a new 32" lcd screen and hooked up the PC, XBOX, DVD and amp through it- am a very happy bunny at the mo :)
Now I want to turn my PC into a Media Center - Specs of my existing Dell Box- 2.5ghz processor, 1 gig ram, 80 gig primary hdd, 120 gig secondary hdd, 128mb GeForce4200 graphics card- all this running win xp pro.
The machine itself is only around 18months old so dont want to go get a brand spanking MCE when my machine is a nice little runner. A friend of mine said I should just install the MCE components I want- but the trouble is- what do i want?
Thinking about getting sky multiroom so i can hook up sky to it as well but with E4 coming on to freeview I'm thinking I might just go with the freeview option.
So what do I need? I've hooked up the PC to my amp so playback of divx gets good sound quality so its just the actual hardware for my machine and any software ppl on this forum can suggest.
I think I'll need a tuner card wih remote control but which one? apart from that I am open to any suggestions.
:lease:
Thanks
Hi, yes you can just buy the MCE software and remote for about £100 and install it on your current pc. Your graphics card is not officially supported, but might work so give it a try. I can recommend a Nvidia 6600GT graphics card as an upgrade, as if you use this in conjunction with the Nvidia DVD codec it gives excellent video playback quality.
You will need a supported dvd codec to get film playback working in MCE, if you are using an amp and spdif passthru you can buy the Nvidia one without the extra sound processing capabilities for about a tenner.
As for tv - if you want to use sky you need an analogue card such as the Hauppauge 150MCE which will capture from your sky set-top box and work within MCE. If you want dual tuner capabilities so you can watch one channel and record another you need two of these cards (or one PCI card with twin tuners on) and two Sky set top boxes feeding them. The MCE remote can then be taught to control both MCE and the sky boxes.
If you want freeview instead, it is a little easier, and generally better quality and would recommend the Sweetspot MCE card, or two of them for the twin tuner capabilities.
MCE is a whole OS so make sure you back up all your data before installing and then format your hard drive and do a clean install. MCE is fussy about drivers and codecs so choose carefully what you install and in what order, as it took me a few attempts to find the right combination.
BTW - E4 on FREEVIEW :eek: You sure?
lisa
stripe
09-05-2005, 9:10 AM
Yeah E4 is going on to freeview later this month.
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 9:12 AM
Yup, E4 is coming to Freeview...
The only other thing I'd suggest is that you may want to think about making you machine quieter if it's going to be sitting in your livving room
Yeah E4 is going on to freeview later this month.
:eek: For Free?? or part of Top Up TV load of rubbish?
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 9:25 AM
for free
E4- think its for free- only a few weeks to find out.
lisag- thanks for the in-depth response- I'll certainly look into your recommendations. Not looking forward to the whole format hd thing but needs must i guess.
Stupid q- but is Windows MCE just Xp with add-ons? I need my PC for use with IE, Citrix and JVM so want to make sure I'm not losing anything with the MCE OS.
"
The only other thing I'd suggest is that you may want to think about making you machine quieter if it's going to be sitting in your livving room
"
Thats certainly a good idea- any ideas on super quiet fans?
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 9:35 AM
I use panaflo fans ( http://www.dorothybradbury.co.uk/ )controlled by Zalman Fanmates.
Heatsink wise, my personal preference is for Thermalright (XP90 / XP120) with 92mm or 120mm fanaflo fan - again controller by a fanmate.
MCE is just XP Pro minus domain support plus the MCE app - you can exit this anytime you want and use as you would your XP machine
thanks- I'll look into that too-
http://linitx.com/product_info.php?products_id=595
is that a good deal for a remote control- i obviously want the finished article to look the dogs :)
http://linitx.com/product_info.php?cPath=11_37&products_id=417
They have the fanmate too.
:clap: E4 for free, that is the best news of the day so far....
I think I have seen the remote for less than £30, but you may want to buy the software and the remote together as the software is OEM and has to be bought with some hardware, I think. Will have a look round and post a link if I can find a better deal.
I keep reading about MCE being XP without domain support, but I don't know what that means, anyone care to explain?
lisa
http://www.theglowlounge.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/444
Thanks Lisa,
the link above has the software, remote the the nvidea codec you mentioned for 130.
Looks like I'll need to buy the nvidea graphics card as well as the tv tuner.
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 9:59 AM
a bit cheaper still...
Remote : http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=77109
Fanmate : http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=603507
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 10:00 AM
Looks like I'll need to buy the nvidea graphics card as well as the tv tuner.
What gfx do you have at the moment?
GeForce4200 128mb - it has dvi - all my kit apart from my second hdd was spec'd and installed by Dell.
lisag
09-05-2005, 10:05 AM
I think I have read on www.xpmce.com or www.thegreenbutton.com that people have successfully used older Nvidia cards successfully, but if you can stretch to an Nvidia 6 series the Pure Video technology does make a difference in picture quality.
That link is good, except if you are using an external amp and spdif passthru you don't need the 'gold' version of the nvidia codec just the bronze which you can get direct from nvidia. Looks like their online store is closed at the moment, but you can get a 30 day free trial to get you going and then it is about $20 or so, equivalent to £10ish to buy the activation key when the trial expires. Ebuyer have the remote here (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=7360998657&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=77109) and the software here (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=74686) .
Quite a few of us on this forum recently bought this graphics card from Fastek (http://www.fastekcomputers.co.uk/modules/shop/view.asp?catid=10&Prodcode=GVN66T128VP)
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 10:07 AM
it might be worth holding fire until you know if it works or not - my old 4200Ti was a decent card (if a little noisey) and more than up to the job so you might be able to save a few pennies
thanks for all that- I think you are right- I will wait and see what happens.
I've ordered the Fan mate and fan. Now all I need is the tuner card and I'll be ready to buy the software and give it a go!
Sigh- just thought of having to format my hdd :god:
once again- thanks for all the info lisag and U-SM - if theres anything else then feel free to add it.
:thumbsup:
one more q- with a wireless optical mouse- what additional benefit would the remote control give me?
lisag
09-05-2005, 11:42 AM
one more q- with a wireless optical mouse- what additional benefit would the remote control give me?
MCE is a bit easier to navigate with the remote, you will probably need it if you want it to operate your set top box, and it will impress your friends!
:grin:
if it helps with the wow factor then its all good. :cool:
i ordered the sweetspot MCE (with my avforums discount- thank you very much) but then saw this...
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=7364581037&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=27669
Hauppauge WinTV-Nova-t PCI Freeview Receiver for 38 Plus Channels in DVD Quality DVB Radio / Remote control / And Doubles as a PC Video Recorder
this has a freeview tuner built into it- dont suppose anyone had any opinions on it? should i stick with the sweetspot or go with the hauppage?
I suppose sticking with the sweetspot and getting a seperate freeview box would do the trick and be a bit more versatile also.
Looking at the HP Media Center PC's they look quite cool in erms of the dvd writer that can burn the label on the cd/dvd. Anyone recommend a fast speed dvd writer that will do this at a good price?
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 1:04 PM
You can get a HP Light scribe DVD burner. I have one - cost about £70 through which is expensive is you consider a decent DVD Writer can be had for £35. The media is more expensive also (about £1 per blank CD). I did consider getting a printer capable of printing direct to CD (Canon ixp4000 thing) but don't have the room for another printer - plus as you say the lightscribe discs look funky and I use them for the CD's I ship with my machines
Kamakazie
09-05-2005, 1:26 PM
so are the sweetspot cards now supported in MCE?
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 1:41 PM
The Sweetspot MCE Freeview card is. :smashin:
The Sweetspot capture cards are not:thumbsdow
Kamakazie
09-05-2005, 1:45 PM
ahhh ok, cheers for that.
not very good is it, i fancied one of those but looks like its gonna have to be a Hauppage 250.
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 1:48 PM
The Hauppage PVR150MCE is just as good (and a little cheaper) as the 250.
The Hauppage PVR150MCE is just as good (and a little cheaper) as the 250.
Hopefully I'm not gonna confuse things but what about the PVR-350. I would like to control my Sky box and read that this is good input for MCE2005.......
I have read some good reports about it on these forums (I think).....is it worth going for or should I go for a pvr-150 or the nova-t mentioned above......the sweetspot is a bit more expensive I thought as well...getting a bit confused myself as it happens.
Help...!!!!
Gaz
Hold on.....
This is the list of supported MCE hardware / software http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/partners/dfw/partnerlisting.mspx that Hauppauge Nova T card is not on it, and having a quick look on google they do a Nova T MCE edition so my betting is that this particular card that you link to on ebuyer is not MCE compatible.
The Hauppauge 150 and 250 MCE cards are analogue, not digital (freeview) you could use them in conjuction with your freeview set-top box, but when you capture from an external source, normally via s-video you lose picture quality.... so it is much easier to stick with a MCE supported freeview tuner, either PCI or USB2.
Skunkpipe
09-05-2005, 2:14 PM
The Nova T is a freeview card and doesn't have s-video in.
The PVR150, 250, 350 and 500 are analogue cards which do have s-video in. IIRC they all have the same MPEG2 enoder. I'm pretty sure the 250 and 350 have been replaced now by the 150 and the dual tuner 500
Hold on.....
This is the list of supported MCE hardware / software http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/partners/dfw/partnerlisting.mspx that Hauppauge Nova T card is not on it, and having a quick look on google they do a Nova T MCE edition so my betting is that this particular card that you link to on ebuyer is not MCE compatible.
Cheeky of Ebuyer as they are selling a bundle package with the tuner and MCE 2005. I'll just use the sweetspot for now and if i'm not happy then i'll look at other options later.
Cheeky of Ebuyer as they are selling a bundle package with the tuner and MCE 2005. I'll just use the sweetspot for now and if i'm not happy then i'll look at other options later.
Oh, I may be wrong then, I guess it must work in MCE if they are selling it as a bundle....?
Another day and so much more i could be doing to my home av kit(!) Dangerously on the verge of turning this into a very expensive hobby!!! :rolleyes:
So I'm awaiting delivery of:
Super Quiet fans
fan mate 2 and resistor cable
Sweetspot MCE
Windows MCE 2005 + Remote
And I'm still debating:
New Graphics Card
Lightscribe DVD writer
Now onto freeview- looked at the pace twin with built in hdd- saw it on a site for 160 or graded for 140 including delivery. Is it easy to transfer from the Pace HDD to my PC?
Other options include the Sony VTX-D800U for around 80 squid. All quite expensive compared to the 30 pound boxes available from richer sounds but i suppose you get what you pay for- but if anyone knows any good quality freeview boxes then please post them here so I can make an informed choice.
Suppose i better get back to work so i can pay for all this.
Skunkpipe
10-05-2005, 8:32 AM
Hold on.....
This is the list of supported MCE hardware / software http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/partners/dfw/partnerlisting.mspx that Hauppauge Nova T card is not on it, and having a quick look on google they do a Nova T MCE edition so my betting is that this particular card that you link to on ebuyer is not MCE compatible.
The difference between the MCE and non-MCE version is that the MCE version don't come with the remote control etc. as the thinging is you'll be using teh MCE remote.
Now onto freeview- looked at the pace twin with built in hdd- saw it on a site for 160 or graded for 140 including delivery. Is it easy to transfer from the Pace HDD to my PC?
Morning :)
I have a Pace Twin and a Media Center PC - I have had the Pace Twin since it first came out and the HTPC only more recently. They are two totally separate devices, you can capture from the Pace Twin on to the PC if you are determined, but it is a pain, and the quality is not brilliant.
But.... why are you buying a freeview box? If you are looking for twin tuner capabilities, so you can record one channel and watch another, buy another Sweetspot MCE, that's all you need.
lisa
The difference between the MCE and non-MCE version is that the MCE version don't come with the remote control etc. as the thinging is you'll be using teh MCE remote.
I'm not sure about this as if you buy an MCE compatible tuner card you don't get the remote control with it. The difference between MCE compatible and non-MCE compatible tv tuners is whether they will work within MCE or not.
Morning :)
But.... why are you buying a freeview box? If you are looking for twin tuner capabilities, so you can record one channel and watch another, buy another Sweetspot MCE, that's all you need.
I suppose that would be the smart move and allow me to use the Media Center to its abilities.
Skunkpipe
10-05-2005, 8:58 AM
they both work with MCE. The addition on the 'MCE Branding' was done to save confusion. It also offers a cost reduction as they don't need to ship a remote and can remove the IR gubbins from the card. Other than that there'll be one design of card with fit/no-fit options
I'm not 100%, but it wouldn't surprise me having been through some MS labs approval/labeling process in the past if the extra gubbins like remote etc would mean instant failure resulting in the device would then not be listed as compatibubble.
I suppose that would be the smart move and allow me to use the Media Center to its abilities.
If I was starting again I would definitely do that, switching between MCE and the Pace Twin is a bit of a pain... but I can record two channels and watch a third! When I extend the media center to the bedroom though, I will only have access to MCE and not the Pace Twin, so another pain.
I gave in to temptation and got the lightscribe drive too :devil:
Ordered the sweetspot from pluggedin.tv on monday - anyone have any idea how long it'll be until i get it?
Yet another plea for help I'm afraid- once you get into all this it gets rather addictive.
Back onto the making my PC quiet thing-
What fans generally make the most noise on a PC?
I'm looking to change the PSU to something quiet- can i just change the fan or would i need to change the unit? If its the unit- anyone know of any good quiet ones? I've been looking around and dont want to spend huge amounts of money so something that is good quality but also value for money.
All this help is much appreciated. :thumbsup:
Skunkpipe
11-05-2005, 4:10 PM
PSU is a good start - generally those with a 12cm fan are quiet (~21dB)
With CPU and case fans; these are always going to be noisy unless you slow them down, so some sort of fan controller/fanmate if you don't want to spend monet on new quieter fans. CPU wise if you're going to slow the fan down you'll need a more effiencient heatsink; have a look at
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_CPU_Coolers_1.html
Themalright, zalaman and scythe are pretty good performers; it all depends on your budget
Thanks for that-
The dell I am running has a p4 2.5Mhz -
I'm gonna open it all up when installing the new kit- dust it all off and see what fans are making the most noise to try and quiet it down.
With regards to PSU- anyone know a good one to go for? I'd say the budget would be around 50 squid tops. My main aim is to have my pc running 24/7 with as little noise eminating from it as possible.
On another note- looking at just how cheap mem has become- another 512mb for 30 squid- tempting(!) I'll see how my PC runs everything with MCE and look at upgrading the ram with the graphics card at a later date if needed.
okay- so I opened it up and installed the new kit that did arrive. More importantly- I found the source of most of the noise-
Its the GeForce 4200Ti graphics card- well- the fan cooling it to be more precise- time to go and see what i can do about it(!)