New HTPC Mainboard (1 Viewer)

[rsbrux]

I am looking to replace my current HTPC mainboard (Intel DH67GD) with one which is Windows 11 compatible.
Additional requirements:

• PCI slot for my (obsolete but still working) DigitalDevices tuner (DuoFlex C/T with Octopus CI)
• CIR support (preferably with header for both rear-panel and front-panel connections)

Any tips?

 

[joecrow]

Good luck, I think you will be very lucky to find anything modern enough that supports Win 11 that also supports PCI. I had a similar requirement and tried a PCIe to PCI convertor card in my new mainboard (Gigabyte X570-UD with Ryzen 5 3600XT cpu), not only did the PCI tuner not work at all but I got WHEA BSODs every few minutes with just the convertor installed.
I gave up and got my money back on the convertor and put it towards a new tuner.

 

[rsbrux]

My bad ;-} The DD Tuner is PCI express, not PCI. In either case, this would seem to fit the bill.
If need be, I would settle for getting a new tuner. Is there one you would recommend?
The bigger problem seems to be finding a board with a CIR header. Do you know of one?
I would like to have rear panel IR I/O connectors, like the ones on my Yamaha AVR.
I don't know of any CIR I/F cards for PC, but there used to be tuner cards that included a CIR I/F.

 

[CyberSimian]

The bigger problem seems to be finding a board with a CIR header. Do you know of one?
I would like to have rear panel IR I/O connectors, like the ones on my Yamaha AVR.
I don't know of any CIR I/F cards for PC, but there used to be tuner cards that included a CIR I/F.

If you simply want to put your HTPC to sleep using the remote control, and wake it from sleep using the remote control, any MCE RC6 IR remote control can do this. These are usually sold with a matching USB IR receiver, and are still easily available (although choice is reducing year by year).

Since you are asking about a motherboard with a CIR header, I am guessing that you want to shutdown your HTPC using the remote control, and wake your HTPC from shutdown using the remote control. An MCE RC6 remote control cannot do this.

My TBS 6284 DVB-T/T2 tuner has a dedicated socket for the matching TBS remote control that was supplied with the tuner. I tried it once 7 years ago, but did not continue with it. My recollection is that it generates keyboard shortcuts (there is an accompanying tool to define the button mappings). However, I doubt that this would wake the HTPC from shutdown.

There are several add-in circuit boards that add the capability that you want, such as:

• https://www.atric.de/IR-Einschalter/index.php
• https://www.simerec.com/
• https://www.intesettech.com/product...odel-pc-irs5-01-with-external-ir-extender-kit

These are IR-controlled on/off switches that you connect in parallel to the on/off switch in the HTPC case, and which need to be powered from the always-on low-voltage feed from the HTPC power supply. (Even when your HTPC is shutdown, a small part of it will still be powered on, so that it can respond to a wake-on-lan signal.) So you need to be confident to do this rewiring. For me, the bigger problem is where to locate the circuit board:

• If inside the case, you would need to drill a hole at an appropriate position.
• If outside the case, you end up with a bare circuit board -- not exactly aesthetically pleasing or safe from prying fingers.

I don't have any personal experience of these devices.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[joecrow]

If need be, I would settle for getting a new tuner. Is there one you would recommend?

I use TBS tuners, and they have a good selection but I would hold off buying one for a while because as of yesterday none of their drivers were listed as supporting Win 11, probably just a matter of time but better to be safe.

 

[rsbrux]

@CyberSimian
Thanks for the extensive reply, but I am not so concerned about on/off switching for my HTPC. Since I use it for recording TV, I just let it go to sleep. Any USB device seems to be capable of waking it up. My main concern is to be able to use my RC6 remote (or more precisely the Xsight Touch which emulates it) to control MediaPortal, as I used to do with my current motherboard. As discussed in another thread, the CIR I/F on my old motherboard no longer works, apparently because of a change in WIndows which prevents installation of the correct driver.
I have just bought a FLIRC USB, which I hope will solve the problem for my current (and perhaps also future) motherboard.

 

[rsbrux]

Perhaps a better workaround for the remote situation would be to replace the USB Display/Keyboard& CIR receiver assembly from my old FSC Scaleo E with something more modern. Fellow MP users seem to like iMon, but I have recently read of problems using this with Win 10 and would expect even greater difficulty with Win 11. Can someone here recommend a newer display + CIR I/F module, or should I start a different thread for that?

 

[rsbrux]

After many hours of work, I have gotten FLIRC to work as a controller for MP It has its problems, and support is nonexistent, but it can be used as an IR remote receiver for almost any IR remote. The key (thanks to @Rob Hexenmeister) is to use the "Full Keyboard" profile and forget about the others. MCE remote support is flaky and incomplete, but the "Full Keyboard" profile can be used to map any IR remote buttons to MP's keyboard shortcuts, regardless of whether the remote is a MediaCenter remote or something completely different. It is sensitive enough to pick up reflections off walls, so it will work plugged into the back panel of an HTPC. FLIRC is supposed to be capable of waking up a sleeping HTPC, but I haven't yet tested that feature.