United States of America
TV-Server Version:
MediaPortal Version: Stable Release V0.2.2.0
MediaPortal Skin: BlueTwo
Windows Version: XP Home Service Pack 2
CPU Type: 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4
HDD: 40 gb IDE drive
Memory: 512 MB pc800 DDR (matched pairs)
Motherboard: proprietary Dell motherboard
Motherboard Chipset: Intel 850
Motherboard Bios:
Video Card: nVidia GeForce FX 5200 (128 MB DDR) on AGP4X
Video Card Driver: nVidia
Sound Card: Intel AC97
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: AverMedia UltraTV 1500 MCE
1. TV Card Type: Hardware Encoding
1. TV Card Driver: Aver included w/installation
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec:
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote: MCE remote
TV: Toshiba CRT
TV - HTPC Connection: S-Video
My girlfriend enlisted me to help convert her aging Dell Dimension 8200 into a full-fledged media center. She wanted this done as cheaply as possible. This has turned out to be a difficult task. We were able to secure a DirectX9-enabled video card at Fry's for $0 (post rebates), which was a nice turn of events. I boosted the memory up to 512KB to give the system some media playing capability and purchased what I assume to be a hardware encoding analog card on the cheap. We connected her antenna, receiving analog signal, to the TV card and ran the S-Video out to the TV. We then downloaded MP (latest stable) and let it fly.
The program works, which is nice. We can get the TV channels to scan effectively during setup, but we can't get any signal through MyTV. I looked through the forum archives and found a few other people with the same problem when using the same TV card. Those postings were ~6 months and over a year old, and no resolution was found at the time, which is not encouraging for us!
We are able to get TV reception through the software that Aver bundles with their card, but the reception is worse than when the antenna is connected directly to the TV, plus we get "jittery" sound. This is unsettling. I realized today that we don't have the latest version of Media Player installed and will fix that, but that doesn't explain the problem we're having with the TV card, does it?
Another problem I've been encountering is with the remote. I ripped the remote from my laptop, which came with MCE (which I never use, this laptop is primarily for work purposes). As it turns out, Windows XP doesn't recognize the signal transducer and Microsoft doesn't have any easily locatable drivers on their website (big surprise!).
Anyhow, I understand that the specs for this computer are far from ideal for a media center, but according to the specs listed in the requirements, the computer should work. So my questions are:
1) Can I get TV to work with MediaPortal with my current TV card? If not, where can I find a cost-effective solution?
2) Where can I get the proper drivers for the MCE remote to work with XP, and by extension, MediaPortal?
3) Is MediaPortal even going to work well with this setup? Should I consider an alternative?
I'm not a complete dunce with computers, but I've been a long time away from doing serious CPU work... Anyhow, thanks in advance!
Joel
MediaPortal Version: Stable Release V0.2.2.0
MediaPortal Skin: BlueTwo
Windows Version: XP Home Service Pack 2
CPU Type: 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4
HDD: 40 gb IDE drive
Memory: 512 MB pc800 DDR (matched pairs)
Motherboard: proprietary Dell motherboard
Motherboard Chipset: Intel 850
Motherboard Bios:
Video Card: nVidia GeForce FX 5200 (128 MB DDR) on AGP4X
Video Card Driver: nVidia
Sound Card: Intel AC97
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: AverMedia UltraTV 1500 MCE
1. TV Card Type: Hardware Encoding
1. TV Card Driver: Aver included w/installation
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec:
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote: MCE remote
TV: Toshiba CRT
TV - HTPC Connection: S-Video
My girlfriend enlisted me to help convert her aging Dell Dimension 8200 into a full-fledged media center. She wanted this done as cheaply as possible. This has turned out to be a difficult task. We were able to secure a DirectX9-enabled video card at Fry's for $0 (post rebates), which was a nice turn of events. I boosted the memory up to 512KB to give the system some media playing capability and purchased what I assume to be a hardware encoding analog card on the cheap. We connected her antenna, receiving analog signal, to the TV card and ran the S-Video out to the TV. We then downloaded MP (latest stable) and let it fly.
The program works, which is nice. We can get the TV channels to scan effectively during setup, but we can't get any signal through MyTV. I looked through the forum archives and found a few other people with the same problem when using the same TV card. Those postings were ~6 months and over a year old, and no resolution was found at the time, which is not encouraging for us!
We are able to get TV reception through the software that Aver bundles with their card, but the reception is worse than when the antenna is connected directly to the TV, plus we get "jittery" sound. This is unsettling. I realized today that we don't have the latest version of Media Player installed and will fix that, but that doesn't explain the problem we're having with the TV card, does it?
Another problem I've been encountering is with the remote. I ripped the remote from my laptop, which came with MCE (which I never use, this laptop is primarily for work purposes). As it turns out, Windows XP doesn't recognize the signal transducer and Microsoft doesn't have any easily locatable drivers on their website (big surprise!).
Anyhow, I understand that the specs for this computer are far from ideal for a media center, but according to the specs listed in the requirements, the computer should work. So my questions are:
1) Can I get TV to work with MediaPortal with my current TV card? If not, where can I find a cost-effective solution?
2) Where can I get the proper drivers for the MCE remote to work with XP, and by extension, MediaPortal?
3) Is MediaPortal even going to work well with this setup? Should I consider an alternative?
I'm not a complete dunce with computers, but I've been a long time away from doing serious CPU work... Anyhow, thanks in advance!
Joel