HTPC - why is mine pants?

craptakular

craptakular

craptakular

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Joined
7 Jan 2007
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Sussex, UK
Firstly this is what I want my HTPC to do:

-BBC HD
-ITV HD

-divx,xvid,mkv playback

-Blu-ray & HD-DVD playback

-iplayer

Now I have the right hardware for it but it just seems with the dawn of HD the HTPC is just crippled. I have to plug my mouse in to change refresh rates and resolutions with each type of media I want to watch.

I have a sammy plasma that has a native res of 1024 x 768 (720p). It "upscales" to 1080p 24fps.

When I had my ps3 it was great because it would turn on from the remote and automajically switch resolutions, lovely.

I sold that and went back to a HTPC and the thing is rubbish, software is so flakey it's unreal, MCE win7 cannot have ITV HD audio, mediaportal and GB-PVR are a nightmare to try to tune my TV cards.

I'm basically at the point of stripping the HTPC and using the parts to upgrade my home server and go buy a ps3 slim tommorrow, along with the Bush Freesat HD box for £67.

Can anyone help me? or is it bin time for my HTPC?

I just feel that there has been no improvement in HTPC software in the last 5 years, if anything it's gone backwards.

*Sad face*
 
Have you tried the pc version of xbmc? Might be worth a go as it looks really awesome and is probably much better than windows mc.
 
Im currently running a 1080p HTPC with MediaPortal and all my files play fine. I have a Logitech 1000 remote so it controls the HTPC without me using the mouse/keyboard.

You can use MPC to change refresh rates when playing a particular type of file. For the desktop its 60hz and when playing a movie it auto changes to 24hz playback.

I dont watch TV on my HTPC so cant comment on that aspect. I also dont watch Blu-Ray either as i have a PS3 for that.

If your tv has a native resultion of 1024 x 768 (720p) then the upscaling will not be very good.
 
It has some sort of special mode or summit. Picture Q isn't really to do with res but colour reproduction etc...

I don think the res change can be done for Tv tuners. Same for blu-ray playback.
 
Oxy said:
<snip>

I have a sammy plasma that has a native res of 1024 x 768 (720p). It "upscales" to 1080p 24fps.

When I had my ps3 it was great because it would turn on from the remote and automajically switch resolutions, lovely.

<snip>
Click to expand...

If you watch 1080p content then its downscaling not upscaling.

I'm unsure of why you are switching resolutions and refresh rates. Surely you want to stay at 1024 x 768 all the time and use software to upscale any SD sources to your native resolution.
 
It's not downscaling when I switch it to 1920 x 1080 res with 24hz refresh rate.


See this is the thing for each type of media I have to manually adjust refresh rate or I see judder.

It's annoying to say the least, looks like I'm going to have to buy another ps3.
 
Oxy said:
It's not downscaling when I switch it to 1920 x 1080 res with 24hz refresh rate.


See this is the thing for each type of media I have to manually adjust refresh rate or I see judder.

It's annoying to say the least, looks like I'm going to have to buy another ps3.
Click to expand...

But if the screen is 1024 x 768 then you cant switch to 1920 x 1080, there aren't enough pixels :confused:

I can't say that I can see any judder when watching any of the things you listed on my panel set at 60hz, but maybe I'm not as sensitive to it as you - am lucky I guess as that would be a pain in the ass!!
 
I'd get another PS3 if I were you. I use mine as my main media player, streaming HD content stored on my PC upstairs. This works superbly for me with the added bonus of Bluray and a good games machine.
 
yeh got it working although it's buggy and cannot go back to XBMC.

Still getting a little bit of judder :( I think its because Reclock wants to set the refresh rate to 23hz, I dunno why.

I want my ps3 back :(
 
honestly it sounds as though your tv is the issue here my htpc runs flawlessly (via both HDMI and AGP) the only problems i ever get are when my GF turns off the switch
 
I have a love/hate relationship with my HTPC. When it's running well I love the thing, but when Windows 7 media centre is being it's usual flakey self I want to throw it in the nearest bin....

I did try XBMC and it was great. So responsive and 'solid' compared to WMC, unfortunately I need TV tuner support so had to ditch it :(
 
I use the latest SVN release of Media Portal to play back movies / TV Series. Then I use DVB Viewer (paid for) to watch HD TV etc through my TV card which is connected to my Sat dish.

I find the above combination to be fine as MP was too problematic at the time that I used it to watch TV and DVB Viewer works a treat.
 
I set up Mediaportal 1.1 on my new HTPC last night and it all works pretty well. Channel changing is a little slow and there are some other issues that I need to fiddle with but I'm fairly happy with it. It even had a profile for my cheapo remote!

I've had a quick play with MCE and didn't like it very much.
 
I dont understand.

You have a non widescreen monitor (1024*768), which you are using as a TV by using tuning cards in a pc?
 
Snax said:
I dont understand.

You have a non widescreen monitor (1024*768), which you are using as a TV by using tuning cards in a pc?
Click to expand...

No he has a widescreen 'HD Ready' plasma, which like pretty much all widescreen HD Ready plasma TVs has a resolution of 1024x768, with non standard shaped pixels.
 
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