- November 1, 2006
- 10
- 0
- Thread starter
- #11
I have no desire to be able to use the computer and the media center with two keyboards and two mice. Just one functionality at a time.
Doubling the main workstation as HTPC (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter PlayWithFire
- Start date
Sweden
I also have a dual monitor setup. One LCD screen and a one widescreen CRT TV. The TV is primary monitor with MP in fullscreen.
I've had some issues with a good resolution for the TV, overscan and so on, but I guess that won't be a problem for you. Anyway, thats sorted now with MP ver 0.2.1.0.
I have moved the taskbar to my secondary monitor and all the icons on the desktop as well. The only problem I encounter now is that some windows opens only on the primary display. Earlier I had an app that came with my display drivers (ATI) that manages the dual monitor setup and "remembers" the windows positions. That was a bit helpfull. Now I assigned a hotkey to move the currently focused window to the secondary monitor, unless that window i MP of course. This works quite well. Most apps though opens on the display where the mouse pointer is, or the display on wich it was last opened.
When my girlfriend persists in surfing the web, scrolling endlessly up and down, at the same time I'm watching TV, video freezes and stutters due to high CUP usage. Thats not MPs fault though ;-)
Other than these small issues I'm very satisfied with my setup.
Good luck with your project!
I've had some issues with a good resolution for the TV, overscan and so on, but I guess that won't be a problem for you. Anyway, thats sorted now with MP ver 0.2.1.0.
I have moved the taskbar to my secondary monitor and all the icons on the desktop as well. The only problem I encounter now is that some windows opens only on the primary display. Earlier I had an app that came with my display drivers (ATI) that manages the dual monitor setup and "remembers" the windows positions. That was a bit helpfull. Now I assigned a hotkey to move the currently focused window to the secondary monitor, unless that window i MP of course. This works quite well. Most apps though opens on the display where the mouse pointer is, or the display on wich it was last opened.
When my girlfriend persists in surfing the web, scrolling endlessly up and down, at the same time I'm watching TV, video freezes and stutters due to high CUP usage. Thats not MPs fault though ;-)
Other than these small issues I'm very satisfied with my setup.
Good luck with your project!
- November 1, 2006
- 10
- 0
- Thread starter
- #13
thanks mrman, this is what i was looking for!
I have a 1920x1200 Dell LCD monitor in an exercise room connected with about 50' of home-built analog component cables (buy quad-shield coax cable and connect/solder RCAs to all six ends) - worked well, even at 1080p resolutions. I ran audio and IR wires at the same time...
If you do want to go with DVI, then for good prices, check out www.monoprice.com and get the 24 gauge premium cables...
Had problems with the dual monitor setup though (ATI Radeon 9600) - acceleration seemed to work on the secondary on my system (despite what everyone seems to say - I had very low CPU usage), but since the main monitor and the secondary were in different rooms, it was a total pain to move the start menu, icons etc... I suppose once you set it up it would work, but as pointed out earlier, there is always the need to go back and forth...
There is a plugin/startup script (https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/showthread.php?t=4521&page=8) that automates the transfer of MP from the primary to secondary, but it no longer works with the latest releases of MP since the "change device" menu was removed (many/many people dearly which this would get re-added).
There is another Nvidia method for displaying on the secondary but I did not pay much attention (search the forums).
Re: Overscan - I just bought a 47" Westinghouse LCD (LVM-47W1) - it is awesome for PC connectivity (1920x1080p/60 Hz, no overscan and 1:1 pixel mapping) - it is almost 50% of the cost of a 46" Sony XBR (the only other TV that has similar 1080p connectivity to a PC without overscan etc...). Has dual DVI, HDMI, dual component and VGA (and can accept 1080p on all!). The remote control on it really sucks though... Side by side picture quality is not as good as the Sony XBR, but still amazing IMHO... The PC is about the only thing that can drive it at full 1080p resolution (as well as XBox and Blue-Ray DVD, but no content is available). For TV/monitors good for 1080p with PC connections, see http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=716067 ...
I intend to build a second HTPC for downstairs (to the new TV) and then use the new TV Server/Client to connect to my main desktop/work PC upstairs - each one would have MP with a TV input (via satellite) to allow recordings of one thing while watching another... All music,recordings etc... would be contained on both drives and mirrored via synchronization software (how else can you back up Gb's of music?) - local access to a local hard drive is faster/more reliable then using a share across the LAN. The LAN only does file transfers in the background when nothing else is happening.
I am waiting for the dust to settle on the new TV Server/Client - it will be cool to setup a laptop anywhere in the house and watch TV/listen to music via wireless lan!
Garth
If you do want to go with DVI, then for good prices, check out www.monoprice.com and get the 24 gauge premium cables...
Had problems with the dual monitor setup though (ATI Radeon 9600) - acceleration seemed to work on the secondary on my system (despite what everyone seems to say - I had very low CPU usage), but since the main monitor and the secondary were in different rooms, it was a total pain to move the start menu, icons etc... I suppose once you set it up it would work, but as pointed out earlier, there is always the need to go back and forth...
There is a plugin/startup script (https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/showthread.php?t=4521&page=8) that automates the transfer of MP from the primary to secondary, but it no longer works with the latest releases of MP since the "change device" menu was removed (many/many people dearly which this would get re-added).
There is another Nvidia method for displaying on the secondary but I did not pay much attention (search the forums).
Re: Overscan - I just bought a 47" Westinghouse LCD (LVM-47W1) - it is awesome for PC connectivity (1920x1080p/60 Hz, no overscan and 1:1 pixel mapping) - it is almost 50% of the cost of a 46" Sony XBR (the only other TV that has similar 1080p connectivity to a PC without overscan etc...). Has dual DVI, HDMI, dual component and VGA (and can accept 1080p on all!). The remote control on it really sucks though... Side by side picture quality is not as good as the Sony XBR, but still amazing IMHO... The PC is about the only thing that can drive it at full 1080p resolution (as well as XBox and Blue-Ray DVD, but no content is available). For TV/monitors good for 1080p with PC connections, see http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=716067 ...
I intend to build a second HTPC for downstairs (to the new TV) and then use the new TV Server/Client to connect to my main desktop/work PC upstairs - each one would have MP with a TV input (via satellite) to allow recordings of one thing while watching another... All music,recordings etc... would be contained on both drives and mirrored via synchronization software (how else can you back up Gb's of music?) - local access to a local hard drive is faster/more reliable then using a share across the LAN. The LAN only does file transfers in the background when nothing else is happening.
I am waiting for the dust to settle on the new TV Server/Client - it will be cool to setup a laptop anywhere in the house and watch TV/listen to music via wireless lan!
Garth
- November 1, 2006
- 10
- 0
- Thread starter
- #15
gdirwin, thanks a lot for all the information.
a 50ft DVI cable for $50 seems a lot more reasonable then what i've seen on some other sites, so that doesn't scare me a lot anymore. Building my own doesn't seem like something i want to do just yet.
For me, it wouldn't be too much of a pain with windows opening up on another monitor, since i will have the TV and the monitor in the same room. I have an ATI Radeon X800 series with 1 DVI and 1 RGB output.l Currently the DVI is running my 20" Dell LCD, and i am not sure what kind of signal i need to send to the TV. Will analog RGB be enough? Or does it really need to be DVI?
And thank you very much for the link to avsforum thread, i am currently researching TVs and the only specifications that i have so far, is that it's gotta be an LCD supporting 1080p and have computer connectivity. That thread looks like an awesome place to start.
a 50ft DVI cable for $50 seems a lot more reasonable then what i've seen on some other sites, so that doesn't scare me a lot anymore. Building my own doesn't seem like something i want to do just yet.
For me, it wouldn't be too much of a pain with windows opening up on another monitor, since i will have the TV and the monitor in the same room. I have an ATI Radeon X800 series with 1 DVI and 1 RGB output.l Currently the DVI is running my 20" Dell LCD, and i am not sure what kind of signal i need to send to the TV. Will analog RGB be enough? Or does it really need to be DVI?
And thank you very much for the link to avsforum thread, i am currently researching TVs and the only specifications that i have so far, is that it's gotta be an LCD supporting 1080p and have computer connectivity. That thread looks like an awesome place to start.
1080p/60 signals can be transmitted with:
- DVI-I, DVI-D or HDMI (digital)
- component (3 RCA connectors, analogue)
- VGA (standard monitor connection, analogue)
Digital is not necessarily better (IMHO) - use whatever looks best, consider the length you need and the $$$s for a good cable. Analog RGB cannot be distinquished from DVI if you have good cables...
There are also different signal level issues from what I understand - PC to DVI levels are usually matched, and cable/sat box to HDMI are matched (ie DVI is for computer level signals, HDMI is for TV level signals). A sat box to a DVI connection may not have the right levels (it will work but will be faded) whereas sat box DVI to HDMI would look better (my experience anyway).
Also be aware of the various flavours of DVI connections (DVI-D, DVI-I, single and dual layer). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVI and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Definition_Multimedia_Interface .
DVI can be converted to HDMI easily, but usually it is tough to convert from Analogue to Digital or from Digital to Analogue. Some video cards (ATI Radeon) have an inexpensive DVI to component adapter - this is possible because the ATI cards have a DVI-I output which is both analogue and digital...
- DVI-I, DVI-D or HDMI (digital)
- component (3 RCA connectors, analogue)
- VGA (standard monitor connection, analogue)
Digital is not necessarily better (IMHO) - use whatever looks best, consider the length you need and the $$$s for a good cable. Analog RGB cannot be distinquished from DVI if you have good cables...
There are also different signal level issues from what I understand - PC to DVI levels are usually matched, and cable/sat box to HDMI are matched (ie DVI is for computer level signals, HDMI is for TV level signals). A sat box to a DVI connection may not have the right levels (it will work but will be faded) whereas sat box DVI to HDMI would look better (my experience anyway).
Also be aware of the various flavours of DVI connections (DVI-D, DVI-I, single and dual layer). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVI and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Definition_Multimedia_Interface .
DVI can be converted to HDMI easily, but usually it is tough to convert from Analogue to Digital or from Digital to Analogue. Some video cards (ATI Radeon) have an inexpensive DVI to component adapter - this is possible because the ATI cards have a DVI-I output which is both analogue and digital...