ASUS AT3N7A-I Motherboard Review Few platforms have been as anticipated by the small form factor (SFF) HTPC community as Nvidia’s ION. Combining the low power Atom CPU with a full featured mobile integrated graphics processor (IGP) capable of Blu-ray 1080p hardware decoding and multi-channel lossless audio seems like the perfect solution for those looking for a low power, but […]
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While video quality is important, I find that it’s the audio that really transforms a good movie into an immersive experience. As challenging as it can be to get flawless video playback working on the HTPC, enabling proper lossless multi-channel audio playback adds another layer of difficultly into the mix. In this guide we will discuss the different options available […]
Read moreAntiPack was intended as a starting point in that it only includes high quality hardware accelerated codecs for the most popular A/V formats, but does not support everything. If you need more, ffdshow should be next on your list. It provides the most full featured software video and audio decoder of any OSS or free DirectShow filter; because of this […]
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Intel DG45ID mATX Motherboard Intel has always been known for developing some of the most stable motherboards to accompany their processors. With the DG45ID introduction they offered a solution for HTPC enthusiasts who desired a full featured board with stability as a focus yet the special needs an HTPC motherboard needs–including small form factor, HDMI and DVI video and 7.1 […]
Read moreYesterday when we discussed how to make your HTPC use S3 standby I pointed out that my preference is use fairly aggressive idle timers on my client and server PCs, the downside to this approach is that it can cause some undesirable side effects. Today’s topic is how to workaround some interesting design shortcommings in two popular applications to keep […]
Read moreMy main HTPC uses around 130 watts at idle, 7 watts in standby (S3), and 4 in hibernate (S4) so the case for having it take a nap whenever it can is quite clear. There was a time when getting S3 standby working properly was a black art involving careful motherboard and device selection, regsitry hacks, and some pixie dust. […]
Read moreFor those using SageTV on Windows 7 theres a new beta demuxer that works with the OOTB Microsoft video decoder. Good news for us, bad for Cyberlink and ArcSoft; but they’ve been treating us badly so I don’t feel too bad :). Even if you’re not using 7 there’s good stuff there, so get installing. Here is a new […]
Read moreEnabling Multi-Channel Audio for Other Audio Formats If you’re fortunate enough to have a PC with multi-channel LPCM output enabling full fidelity audio output is easy (and there’s not much point in reading the rest of this) but for those using a SPDIF or stereo only HDMI connection getting multi-channel audio working can be challenging. This guide intends to […]
Read moreJames over at SlySoft just posted an update to Reclock. For those who don’t know Reclock is an alternate sound renderer (and one of my favoriate HTPC addins) that amoung many other features enables exclusive mode access to the audio device using WASAPI, which makes it the best way to get noise off your PC. 1.8.4.6 – 03/08/2009 * […]
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