Right....im getting annoyed with HTPC. HELP!

[HiZ]

Getting grumpy now cos i've spent so much money and time on this damn thing and TV is not as good as a £120 PVR from Dixons! Im begining to think tv's should be tv's and computers should be left as computers!

Here we go....

Silverstone LC11
AOpen i915GMm-HFS
1.8GHz Pentium M
Zalman 7000 modded cooler
1 x Nebula DVB & soon to be fitted 1 x BlackGold
100Gb 2.5" SATA
1Gb Crucial DDR2
MCE2005 & remote
Gyration suite.

Samsung LE32R41BDX 32" LCD HD TV. DVI/Component/VGA interfaces

1. Looks = Very nice
2. Temperature = Very good
3. Noise = Not completely silent but certainly very quiet
4. My Pictures = Good
5. My Music = Good
6. Internet surfing = Excellent if using VGA but poor when using 720p component
7. My TV = Picture quality is questionable.

When using the DVI interface both Internet surfing and TV look OK (desktop slightly larger than the screen so its cropped slightly but OK. 50Hz. Problem is that when i switch of my TV the DVI interface goes down the graphics card then disables the output. MCE requires a re-start after i've switch the tv off and on. Picture can be described as having a layer of noise/artefacts on the top of the image. I need some sort of keep alive or reg hack for the Intel 915GM graphics. AOpen thread started....

VGA is excellent for internet surfing as i get 1:1 and its fab. Problem is the TV as I get slightly jerky images. Watching long camera pans is quite anoying as i get a jerk every second of so (thats the 50/60Hz difference as i can only use this vga interface at 60Hz. Tried powerstip and tv doesn't like it! Picture can be also be described as having a layer of noise/artefacts on the top of the image.

Component/YUV @ 720p50Hz looks good for tv but not so ideal for surfing net. Image looks very clean and not noisy like the others but I'm still not happy with very rapid jerky movements when say looking at a news ticker at the bottom of the screen. Its just not smooth and silky. Why why why!!

I understand my graphics card may not be listed as proven but Its a very expensive board and Intel do have XPMCE drivers available. Tried a few codecs and tinkered lots and lots.

Help!

[lisag]

I have the same issue with my DVI connection, so just leave my plasma on standby rather than actually switch it off.

The jerky pans are down to refresh rate, as I am sure you are aware - so can you switch refresh rate between 50hz and 60hz through the graphics card drivers? Then choose 50hz for PAL and 60hz for NTSC.

Not familiar with your hardware, so don't know what codec will work best for you, are you able to fit a graphics card? Do you have an AGP or PCI-E slot?

lisa

[HiZ]

Can fit a graphics card but don't want to spend another £50-60 on this when i have so many options on board. Maybe i need to trial one...if it fixes it then maybe i'd shell out the cash!

50/60Hz is problem with VGA as my TV only allows 60Hz . Tried forcing to 75 and 100 too but no success.

Putting TV on standby also shuts down the DVI interface.

Originally Posted by HiZ

Getting grumpy now cos i've spent so much money and time on this damn thing and TV is not as good as a £120 PVR from Dixons! Im begining to think tv's should be tv's and computers should be left as computers!

Here we go....

Silverstone LC11
AOpen i915GMm-HFS
1.8GHz Pentium M
Zalman 7000 modded cooler
1 x Nebula DVB & soon to be fitted 1 x BlackGold
100Gb 2.5" SATA
1Gb Crucial DDR2
MCE2005 & remote
Gyration suite.

Samsung LE32R41BDX 32" LCD HD TV. DVI/Component/VGA interfaces

1. Looks = Very nice
2. Temperature = Very good
3. Noise = Not completely silent but certainly very quiet
4. My Pictures = Good
5. My Music = Good
6. Internet surfing = Excellent if using VGA but poor when using 720p component
7. My TV = Picture quality is questionable.

When using the DVI interface both Internet surfing and TV look OK (desktop slightly larger than the screen so its cropped slightly but OK. 50Hz. Problem is that when i switch of my TV the DVI interface goes down the graphics card then disables the output. MCE requires a re-start after i've switch the tv off and on. Picture can be described as having a layer of noise/artefacts on the top of the image. I need some sort of keep alive or reg hack for the Intel 915GM graphics. AOpen thread started....

VGA is excellent for internet surfing as i get 1:1 and its fab. Problem is the TV as I get slightly jerky images. Watching long camera pans is quite anoying as i get a jerk every second of so (thats the 50/60Hz difference as i can only use this vga interface at 60Hz. Tried powerstip and tv doesn't like it! Picture can be also be described as having a layer of noise/artefacts on the top of the image.

Component/YUV @ 720p50Hz looks good for tv but not so ideal for surfing net. Image looks very clean and not noisy like the others but I'm still not happy with very rapid jerky movements when say looking at a news ticker at the bottom of the screen. Its just not smooth and silky. Why why why!!

I understand my graphics card may not be listed as proven but Its a very expensive board and Intel do have XPMCE drivers available. Tried a few codecs and tinkered lots and lots.

Help!

Your graphics card (chipset) just isn't up to scratch.

Have you got a mate you could borrow a decent card from, one that is on the list?

[HiZ]

Your av'in a laugh aint yah...... Really.....

[Skunkpipe]

Originally Posted by Sledge

Your graphics card (chipset) just isn't up to scratch.

Have you got a mate you could borrow a decent card from, one that is on the list?

[blidge]

Hiz,

You say:-

'MCE requires a re-start after i've switch the tv off and on. Picture can be described as having a layer of noise/artefacts on the top of the image.'

Do you mean the picture only contains noise/artefacts after you switch the TV off / on or is it like this constantly? Also with regard to the disablement of the DVI after entering Standby - could this be to do with the type of cable you are using (presumably DVI - HDMI) - maybe you could try another one?

With regard to the jerky text scrolling. Try connecting up to a regular PC monitor via VGA or DVI. I have a Nebula in my PC and the text is not particularly smooth - it may be a quirk of the Nebula card - maybe the Black Gold card will be better?

Originally Posted by HiZ

Your av'in a laugh aint yah...... Really.....

You've built a box that is clearly below specification. Borrow a video card off a friend to test if it makes any difference.

Saves you money if it doesn't make a difference.

[HiZ]

Trash and re-build last night and its looking a lot better. Oh my god how much of your life can you waste with these things......fun though!

Now running with component YUV 720p50 1280x720 and image looks nice. Video picture smoothness is much better too.

I guess i have installed various DVD decoders and Media Portal and stuff which upset things.