The HTPC / Windows 7 Chronicles: You Asked, We Answer!
Table of contents
A couple of months ago, I wrote a piece about building a home theater PC using AMD’s Maui platform and the Windows 7 beta. If you missed that piece, you can find it right here.
The idea there was twofold. First, explore the HTPC hardware environment. It had literally been years since I’d made an effort to replace dedicated A/V equipment with general-purpose PC components, and not for any lack of desire. Rather, I had given up trying to force desktop technology into the living room when, as readers pointed out in the comments section of the last story, you can already get so much functionality from Xbox 360s and $10/month DVRs.
But AMD’s Maui box was cool. It’s truly a configuration designed to address the HTPC space. And even though I’ve seen “Build Your Own” guides on other sites since my original story leveraging G45-based platforms in order to get Intel’s Core 2 lineup in the mix, that’s not the direction that I’d go—for reasons we'll explore in this story. The MSI Media Live Diva motherboard has that DAE-3 digital amplifier onboard, which works with the MS-4140 sound card to deliver five 100W channels right from the back of the PC. For someone who doesn’t already own a good A/V receiver, that’s pretty compelling functionality. I didn’t use those powered outputs in the last story, though, opting instead to tie the Maui platform in to an existing home theater rack.
Naturally, I received tons of feedback, asking not only to reassess the MSI board using those amplified outputs, but also to explore high-definition audio formats, dig deeper into the remote control situation, try out discrete graphics, and get more specific on pricing. If you left feedback on the last piece and I was able to track down an answer, you’ll find it here.
Is It Perfect Yet?
So, between the maiden build and this revised configuration, was I able to settle in on what could be considered the perfect HTPC? Hardly. In fact, as the euphoria of having a respectable PC in my theater room wore off, it became increasingly clear that we’re a long way from true interoperability between desktop hardware and the CE world.
In the following pages I’ll discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what exactly we’re still waiting on before the hardware/software worlds can collide and form a critical mass. You’ll find info on my updated theater configuration, gaming benchmarks on the big screen, a new remote control solution, subjective evaluation of the D2Audio amp, more information on the only sound card out there able to bitstream the latest audio formats, and a brief answer for the folks who want to organize their entertainment on a media server.
A big thank you to the readers who provided feedback last time around, to Cyberlink's Tom Vaughan, and AMD's Jay Taylor for answering questions along the way. The tricked out Maui machine still does its job better now than it did before. Let’s take a look at some of your questions and my answers.
- Consumer Electronics,
- windows ,
- 7 ,
- htpc
Latest Build Your Own News
Latest Build Your Own reviews
- 30/03 – System Builder Marathon Bonus: Newegg Customer Choice PC
- 29/03 – System Builder Marathon, March 2012: System Value Compared
- 28/03 – System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $2600 Performance PC
- 27/03 – System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $1250 Enthusiast PC
- 26/03 – System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $650 Gaming PC
That set up looks really nice.
I wish someone would write a bit about cool gadgets and things to child proof you HTPC setup.
An electric fence to stop speakers being smeared with jam sandwiches – stuff like that. LCD screens being scratched and hit with logo.
I’ll have to wait a few more years before it can all go on display like that again.
Waxdart - Another good reason to buy Plasma over LCD, finger prints and jam are easily cleaned off of a plasma! I know from experience :-)
I think this article is very well-written and bang up-to-date.
Banana clips are one of the poorest audio interfaces available! It's not the end of the world not having them.
banana clips offer a cleaner connection and decent channel separation due to the form factor alone. My speaker cable is also a deal sight heavier than the reviewers and would never fit in there. If it did then there would be a large risk of crosstalk and shorting. So I think this amplifier is targeted at very low-end 5.1 setups with low output power. Looking at specifications of the card it also has very high THD figures, giving 0.1% THD where most receivers would be in the 0.0002-0.05 range. This indicates a poor signal path and underpowered output stage.
That's a cool idea for the remote and a good example of 'thinking outside the box'.
As far as games go I think you should be benchmarking more casual games when looking at HTPC's as I can't see myself sitting on couch playing Far Cry 2 with a keyboard and mouse for practicality reasons and I can't use a gamepad for FPS games. Personally I think you should be looking at games like Race Driver GRID, Audio Surf, Assassins Creed, and Fifa (or Madden if you American) as they suited for playing with a joypad and as such as suited for HTPC's.
BTW this article should be on the features section at the top of the site not tucked away near the bottom.
@ Belrik
The THD figures are nothing to do with an 'underpowered output stage' - it's because the unit is a Class D amplifier, as clearly stated in the article. Class D works by 'faking it' using very-high-frequency PWM. They sound better as the frequency goes up, but the efficiency goes down due to switching losses.
Secondly, banana clips are *hideous* connectors.
They are used in domestic audio because they are small and cheap.
Clamp connectors (like the one used in the Phoenix-type connector here) make considerably better contact with the wire.
If you want *proper* audio, then you shouldn't be using flat cable either, as it has practically no noise rejection at all. Professional audio uses coaxial cable.
Have a look at the connections made to the cabinets in an actual live performance, say of The Who or another *very large* gig.
You will not find banana clips - you'll almost always find Neutrik Speakons.
(To be fair, they are quite large. 20mm diameter knockout IIRC)
Hi all,
I was wondering where I could find the config of this HTPC used in the test.
Thanks in advance.
Ciao
I'd love to see a good operating system roundup for media center's. Personally I don't like windows media center. I've had too much problems with it in the past.
some possible software:
LinuxMCE
XBMC
MythTV
Freevo
SageTV
Plex
MediaPortal