Alaric
Prominent Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2001
- Messages
- 3,507
- Reaction score
- 1,488
- Points
- 854
- Age
- 50
- Location
- Peterborough, Cambs, UK
Hi guys,
I've been a bit quiet on here recently...I guess there haven't been many threads i could add much too or that painting my house has taken so much spare time i haven't done much with the PJ....Save watching it.
Well yesterday that changed, i finaly bit the bullet and bought a MS Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive for my HTPC. £89 from gamestation second hand with Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire HD-DVD, seemed a reasonable enough offer, Secondhand, but 3months warenty and i don't even have to bin the box
Hooked it up to the PC and downloaded the drivers from the web and it installed remarkably easy. Tested with a normal DVD and TheaterTek is happy with it as a DVD drive.
Installed PowerDVD 7.3 which took a while but seems fine, clunky interface compaired with TT....I'd forgotten how good TT is on that point, but it struggles with HD ATM, almost everything but PDVD does.
I'm only running the HTPC at 1280x720@72hz, but the picture looks great. Credits seem the most suprising as they apear a lot less halo'y than normal, maybe its been a lack of res on credits that blur them. The picture is lovely and smooth and very detailed...It almost seems i've upgraded the PJ !
I've got a slight issue with HP as i've got perminant subtitles and no menus, however 300 seems to be fine - The software is somewhat flakey....However HP does have a PIP function for comentaries which is cute, the weasley twins actors babling away and flicking to comments by cast and crew and diagrams....Might actualy get me watching a few more comentaries....though i recall being excited about DVD when i came out in the same way and i think i've listened to only 3 or 4 !
I've yet to try 1920x1080p, my set-up can certainly run at that, i've upscalled to it before (albeit babylon 5 season 1 dvd that looked ropey). I do know that the fans start running faster in the PJ when i do it !
Either way 720 or 1080, its certainly worth investigating....the hardware is reasonably cheap and the discs are only a few quid more for new releases....who cares about a war when it looks and sounds this good !
Cya,
Lee
I've been a bit quiet on here recently...I guess there haven't been many threads i could add much too or that painting my house has taken so much spare time i haven't done much with the PJ....Save watching it.
Well yesterday that changed, i finaly bit the bullet and bought a MS Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive for my HTPC. £89 from gamestation second hand with Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire HD-DVD, seemed a reasonable enough offer, Secondhand, but 3months warenty and i don't even have to bin the box
Hooked it up to the PC and downloaded the drivers from the web and it installed remarkably easy. Tested with a normal DVD and TheaterTek is happy with it as a DVD drive.
Installed PowerDVD 7.3 which took a while but seems fine, clunky interface compaired with TT....I'd forgotten how good TT is on that point, but it struggles with HD ATM, almost everything but PDVD does.
I'm only running the HTPC at 1280x720@72hz, but the picture looks great. Credits seem the most suprising as they apear a lot less halo'y than normal, maybe its been a lack of res on credits that blur them. The picture is lovely and smooth and very detailed...It almost seems i've upgraded the PJ !
I've got a slight issue with HP as i've got perminant subtitles and no menus, however 300 seems to be fine - The software is somewhat flakey....However HP does have a PIP function for comentaries which is cute, the weasley twins actors babling away and flicking to comments by cast and crew and diagrams....Might actualy get me watching a few more comentaries....though i recall being excited about DVD when i came out in the same way and i think i've listened to only 3 or 4 !
I've yet to try 1920x1080p, my set-up can certainly run at that, i've upscalled to it before (albeit babylon 5 season 1 dvd that looked ropey). I do know that the fans start running faster in the PJ when i do it !
Either way 720 or 1080, its certainly worth investigating....the hardware is reasonably cheap and the discs are only a few quid more for new releases....who cares about a war when it looks and sounds this good !
Cya,
Lee