Sumvision Cyclone Mini PC (2 Viewers)

[spachti]

 

[Helios61]

Could you please give some infos about the audio proberities of the HDMI out? ->

Hi,
have made my own tests with Zotac ZBOX-PI320-W3. Unfortuanately it seems, that the Intel Atom Z3735F doesn't support Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Supported bit depth and samplingrate are the same as in posting #8.
Best regards
Helios

 

[HTPCSourcer]

the Intel Atom Z3735F doesn't support Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus.

These formats require the so-called Protected Audio Path (PAP), a kind of DRM feature to protect from copying these lossless formats under Windows. Unfortunately the Baytrail CPU line does not support PAP, hence there is no point in testing for this feature .

So high-end audio users will either have to turn to better platforms (i3 and up) or use a Linux-based client. Kodi should be able to decode this, however, at the price of increased CPU load.

 

[Helios61]

So high-end audio users will either have to turn to better platforms (i3 and up) or use a Linux-based client. Kodi should be able to decode this, however, at the price of increased CPU load.

For me all is fine with this. For HiRes multichannel audio (5.1ch, 24bit, 192kHz PCM) i don't need TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. I think, this is more important for watching movies.

 

[emphatic]

Can it not do PCM conversion from TrueHD etc using Mediaportal Audio Renderer?

Emph

 

[HTPCSourcer]

Can it not do PCM conversion from TrueHD etc using Mediaportal Audio Renderer?

Possibly. Right now it's an Intel driver limitation (which they don't seem to bother removing), hence alternative decoding could work.[DOUBLEPOST=1435913659][/DOUBLEPOST]@Helios61 , if you like give it a try on your Zotac

 

[HTPCSourcer]

@deadmonty ,

Does the Cyclone BIOS have a Auto Power On function to automatically restart after a power failure?

We spoke about the idle consumption of maybe 10W. I have been thinking of simply using a cheap master/slave plug where switching on the TV would then lead to the PC getting power. The only remaining issue could be that the Auto Power On option has been deliberately omitted by the manufacturer. It could even be that Microsoft describes this in their requirement list for Bing machines.

Note that this approach will "hard" shut-down Windows every time the connected TV is switched off.

Anyway, the solution is extremely simple. All you need is a 1 µF condensator connected in parallel to the power switch - and of course a soldering iron. The connectors can for example be taken from unused adaptors that often come with mainboards.

 

[Helios61]

@Helios61 , if you like give it a try on your Zotac

Sorry, it's not mine. At the moment i only have guest access without possibilty to install something!

 

[CyberSimian]

I have been thinking of simply using a cheap master/slave plug where switching on the TV would then lead to the PC getting power.

I have used a variation of this method for several years now. But recently I purchased a new TV, and unexpectedly this method no longer works. This is the reason:

(1) My normal practice is to leave the TV set to the HDMI input for the HTPC.

(2) When the TV is switched on, the HTPC is off, and hence there is no signal into the HDMI input on the TV.

(3) My new TV (a Sony) has some sort of advanced power management such that if it detects no signal on the current input, it switches off most of the LEDs (or something like that), so that the power consumed is not enough to trigger the master/slave mains switch. So the HTPC never switches on. My master/slave mains switch has adjustable sensitivity, but even on maximum sensitivity, the power consumed by the Sony when there is no image on the screen is insufficient to trigger the master/slave switch. This was not a problem with my previous TV (a Toshiba).

(4) Once the TV is displaying an image, the power consumed is enough to trigger the master/slave switch.

I had thought that the Sony's power management meant that the master/slave solution was no longer usable, but in writing this post it has just occurred to me that the TV might support automatic input switching, whereby it switches to the most-recent input that has a signal. If so, the TV could be left set to the aerial input, but would automatically switch to the HTPC input when the HTPC powered up. (Thinks: I must check the settings on my Sony!)

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[HTPCSourcer]

but in writing this post it has just occurred to me that the TV might support automatic input switching, whereby it switches to the most-recent input that has a signal.

Many screens do this, albeit not all...

The switched plug is also consuming some power, hence the incremental saving potential vs leaving the Mini PC permanently on is decreasing. In the end it might be an easier solution to just use the remote and navigate to the shutdown command of the skin. I could also think of Powerscheduler automatically sending the shutdown instead of standby/hibernate, so MediaPortal would be completely self-sufficient. That still leaves you with the need to power-on the Mini-PC by manually pressing its start button.