Guide for HTPC


ok thanks, ive got it showing them now (didnt create the folder correctly) but where do I choose which picture I want to show as theres multiple for each series?
 
A[L]C;13413118 said:
ok thanks, ive got it showing them now (didnt create the folder correctly) but where do I choose which picture I want to show as theres multiple for each series?
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ok fixed it just by removing the ones I didnt want.

BTW if anyone wants a fan art for True Blood lmk as I just made one
 
Fannnn ooofin tastic! !
Well written mate, covers all but one of my questions.

How can i make it brew up?
 
What are you guys using for Bluray playback off hard drive in vista media centre?

I want to be able to watch blu-ray files in Vista Media Center using the gallery to pick the cover art
 
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Photoshop just out of intrest where did you get the background for your MP skin?

*Ignore i found it in the media folder
 
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Right I decided the other day to start from scratch. I plugged my HTPC into my dell 24" moniter and sat at my desk for 3 hours setting up media portal with the moving pictures and tv series plugins. I even got dvds to work properly.
I had a bit of trouble with the graphics card drivers so I updated them (its a ati 4850)
to the latest cats and now I cant get any of the videos to play.
Its so fustrating. I keep wanting to give up but I am determind to get it working properly even if it kills me.
 
photoshop; am finally going to give this a go at the weekend ... you have convinced me. I don't need it to record TV anyway, so more a portal for my videos, movies and music.

I do have a question though. What do I do about TV programmes that are not a series (like a 1 or 2 part programme). How do you manage them? Do you set them up as a new series/programme that just has 1 or 2 eps? I don't really want to have to jump outside MediaPortal to play them.
 
martinturner said:
I do have a question though. What do I do about TV programmes that are not a series (like a 1 or 2 part programme). How do you manage them? Do you set them up as a new series/programme that just has 1 or 2 eps?
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Yes i set them up as a new series with justa few episodes. Doing it this way keeps it clean and simple :)
 
vintage-x said:
Its so fustrating. I keep wanting to give up but I am determind to get it working properly even if it kills me.
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i dunno how ppl find MP so hard to get working properly :confused:

make sure to clean your CATS out before installing new ones, can make a big difference.
 
I am using the latest SVN build of MP and it took me a while to get it to work as I would like with DXVA acceleration for HD. Understanding a little about the codecs needed and used, and then checked via graphedit, saved me a lot of hassle. Installing individual codecs rather than a pack helped me a lot.
Also applying a 300ms audio delay for 1080p material ensures perfect audio sync.
Getting a populated TV guide using the WebEPG took a bit of figuring out as well.

I am now though enjoying the latest SVN with the Moving Pictures and MY TV-Series plugins whilst using the PurevisionHD 2.2 skin and it is working really well.
 
Right then, I'm hopefully going to be setting up my HTPC at the weekend, and would like some advice before I start please.

System :-

M-Station HT-1000 case
Soundgraph Imon Imedian HD with remote control
Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H motherboard
Intel E6600 CPU
2gb DDR2 memory
256mb Passive Sapphire HD3470 with DVI to HDMI adapter
LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD-DVD drive
Vista

This will be used for the following :-

Blu-Ray
HD-DVD
DVD (upscaled if possible)
Divx/Xvid (upscaled if possible)
HD rips in various formats, i.e. mkv, x264, h264, etc
No TV as I have Sky HD and we don't get Freeview reception here

Outputting to the following setup :-

Sony STR-DG910 via HDMI, outputting to a Samsung PS50Q96HD TV @ 1360x768, all controlled by a Harmony 885 remote.


I already have a copy of PowerDVD 7, but would like to have a nice front end that will automatically load when I start the PC, and will allow me to select and play every file I need from within that one application, would MediaPortal be able to do this for me?

If so, any pointers on how to get it set up, primarily for picture quality, and ease of use too, as the wife isn't particularly technical, so would need to be easy enough for her to stick a DVD on for our 18 month old too. :D

Any hints/tips on hardware setup would be much appreciated too, especially the HDMI audio side of things to the amplifier. Assuming I should be able to set it up for 5.1 LPCM output, but no idea where to start with that!

Cheers in advance.
 
broona said:
This will be used for the following :-

Blu-Ray - no experience so cant comment
HD-DVD - no experience so cant comment
DVD (upscaled if possible) - no experience so cant comment
Divx/Xvid (upscaled if possible) - i have posted a guide on the first page
HD rips in various formats, i.e. mkv, x264, h264, etc - I use CoreAVC for my HD rips. Its not free though and there are others. Again, i have posted info on first page


I already have a copy of PowerDVD 7, but would like to have a nice front end that will automatically load when I start the PC, and will allow me to select and play every file I need from within that one application, would MediaPortal be able to do this for me? - Yes, See my guide on 1st page

If so, any pointers on how to get it set up, primarily for picture quality, and ease of use too, as the wife isn't particularly technical, so would need to be easy enough for her to stick a DVD on for our 18 month old too. :D - You Can use MediaPortal for this. Again, see my guide on 1st page

Any hints/tips on hardware setup would be much appreciated too, especially the HDMI audio side of things to the amplifier. Assuming I should be able to set it up for 5.1 LPCM output, but no idea where to start with that! - I send untouched audio straight to my amp for processing using AC3filter.
Click to expand...

See my comments.
Pretty much what you want to do, i have posted links to guides on the first page of this thread.
You need MediaPortal as your front end with a simple skin like Monochrome. You can set it so it auto loads with windows, insert dvd, browse a few very simple screens and hit enter/play and its on.

However, for best PQ i would stay clear of MP's own built in player. Use an external player within MP such as KMPlayer or Media Player Classic. I use MPC.
 
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