Mediaportal and two setups (1 Viewer)

[Gilean]

Hello everyone!

I got my HTPC together and installed MediaPortal on it, which by the way seems to be a great software with lots of possibilities for customization. I have been googling around quite a bit and got a lots of information already, but there is still one thing I haven't got any information for.

I would like to know if there is some way to set two different "watching modes" for Mediaportal. What I mean is that normally I use my HTPC connected to my TV, and then I want both video and audio output to TV (via HDMI cable from motherboard to TV). But I would also like to have an option to use my HD-Projector and Onkyo 7.2 receiver instead (for movies or big sports events or things like that). So in that case audio should use SPDIF output to Onkyo and video should use my DVI output to projector.

Is it possible to choose relatively easy if I want to use my TV or receiver+projector instead? Before I installed my HTPC I used several different equipment and my Harmony One remote was able to choose the correct outputs, so I would once again eventually configure that so there would be "Use HTPC via TV" and "Use HTPC via projector+receiver" activities, launching with one keypress from my remote

 

[JimCatMP]

Volume Control plugin may be close to what your looking for, not used it myself, so no promises

TTFN - JCMP

 

[mbuzina]

Maybe just clone the display and use AudioRenderer Changer to change to your receiver.

 

[Gilean]

Volume Control plugin may be close to what your looking for, not used it myself, so no promises

TTFN - JCMP

Maybe just clone the display and use AudioRenderer Changer to change to your receiver.

Thanks for suggestions, too bad there wasn't some "hidden option" that would do the trick easily that I only missed... I was thinking earlier about cloning the display since both my TV and Projector are FullHD, but I thought maybe that strains the system more than necessary, especially since I am never going to use both displays at once anyway (my projector screen comes down from the ceiling in front of TV when I use it), and doesn't that increase power consumption as well? (I am trying to keep that down).

I haven't tried AudioRenderer Changer or Volume Control plugins, but seems like they both would do the trick (I am at work so cannot test them right now). AudioRenderer Changer might be what I am looking for, if I can program my Harmony One remote so that with one button press it would change between "Stereo audio to TV" and "7.1 audio to Onkyo receiver"... Now if I could do the same with video output

By the way, it amazes me that this kind of functionality is not integrated in Mediaportal, as I would imagine I am not the only one who uses more than one audio+video equipment. But I guess it's harder to implement than it sounds

 

[mbuzina]

Cloning the display does not cost you anything. No extra power or extra whatever. Just set to clone and use MP ARC to switch to the other Audio Renderer

 

[Gilean]

Really? You might be right as this is purely my own speculation, but I am thinking that if graphics chip (or, in my case Intel's i3 integrated chip) is working twice as hard (when outputting video display to two outputs at once instead of one, for example DVI and HDMI), the power consumption is also increased. And when processor is working twice as hard, it also generates more heat etc...

 

[JimCatMP]

Hi - I thought I'd seen something other than Volume Control, from a quick read, seems ARC may well be your solution, as Mbuzina suggested.

I think like a lot of 'would make for a good core feature', true for a number but not most users, hence plugins - personally, using a low power client, less is more as it allows me to be selective in features vs performance

Good luck with testing.

TTFN - JCMP.

 

[mbuzina]

Really? You might be right as this is purely my own speculation, but I am thinking that if graphics chip (or, in my case Intel's i3 integrated chip) is working twice as hard (when outputting video display to two outputs at once instead of one, for example DVI and HDMI), the power consumption is also increased. And when processor is working twice as hard, it also generates more heat etc...

If you do a full clone, only the final signal processing might be done twice (probably including hdmi encryption). But those will only be really done if there is an hdmi handshake. As long as your beamer is turned off, it will not consume extra power. Btw the power of gfx card is used for about 95% to produce the pixel to send to the display and < 5% with sending the pixels.

Otherwise: Measure it. Check the GPU temp in both scenarios.

 

[Vasilich]

AFAIK in clone mode rendering is made only once, and then cloned to 2 outputs. Power consumed by DVI and HDMI transmitter chips are nothing compared to consumption of graphic chip itself (i guess not more than 2-3% of overall graphic card consumption).

 

[Gilean]

I think like a lot of 'would make for a good core feature', true for a number but not most users, hence plugins - personally, using a low power client, less is more as it allows me to be selective in features vs performance

You are right, that's my goal as well. I don't mind if some feature I like exists as plugin and not as core feature, as long as it exists! Besides, it's nice to tinker with Mediaportal (and plugin) settings, although they can be a bit overwhelming at first...

AFAIK in clone mode rendering is made only once, and then cloned to 2 outputs. Power consumed by DVI and HDMI transmitter chips are nothing compared to consumption of graphic chip itself (i guess not more than 2-3% of overall graphic card consumption).
Otherwise: Measure it. Check the GPU temp in both scenarios.

If you do a full clone, only the final signal processing might be done twice (probably including hdmi encryption). But those will only be really done if there is an hdmi handshake. As long as your beamer is turned off, it will not consume extra power. Btw the power of gfx card is used for about 95% to produce the pixel to send to the display and < 5% with sending the pixels.

Ahh now that makes sense. Somehow I have always thought that if you clone a display, all pixels are drawn twice, so I never thought that the actual "work" is only done once and then sent to 1-n outputs. So it makes sense that sending does not consume much power at all compared to graphics encoding process itself. What do you know, you always learn something new, thanks for that info both of you! Anyway, that got my interest so I will do some temp & power consumption measurements after I finally plug my system to my TV on the wall and projector, as now I have my HTPC connected to my bedroom TV (and that is only HD-ready) that I carried on my livingroom table because it's easier to tweak Mediaportal and all the settings when TV is not that far away...