Upgrade to support HDTV, HDDVD & Blu-Ray (2 Viewers)

[lordkenyon]

Already running HD Content with HW decoding (8600GTS). Only thing I'm going to do is probably add the XBox HD-DVD add on. Probably will hack it up a little to make it internal, but that's the only thing I'll be adding anytime soon. That and an ATSC tuner card to finally dump my DishNetwork for good.

I think the HW solution might be good for some upgrades, but if you're like me and just built a new system, there really isn't a need. It's also a bit ambiguous when you just say "cost effective" PCI solution. Is this under $100, $200, $XX? Building a system as a HTPC, I pretty much expected to have a third or more of the budget be just on a video card.

Oh, running dual core duo 2.33 on P5N SLi MB, the 8600GTS, 2G RAM, 500MB HDD (likely add another soon) with XP Pro SP2. Standard Apps: Media portal, zoom player, QT Alt, ffdshow, CoreAVC, etc.

 

[birger]

Im allmost there, but i might need a new gfx card if i shold go the hd way and of course a bd/hd dvd combo drive

im new here on this board and new to mediaportal
and i have just build myself a media pc,
a few pictures here: link

bytheway i think my television needs an upgrade, but that will happen any day soon.

 

[Beechus]

My rig just needs a better graphics card, but it already has HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, i'm just waiting for support in MediaPortal

 

[Dexx]

Now that HD-DVD is a dying format, you can buy the xbox360 addon drive for $49!

 

[malcy2]

I'd just need MP to start supporting blu-ray - so I dont have to keep launching PowerDVD everytime I want to watch a blu-ray film

 

[Spragleknas]

Are you referring to this -> https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/plugins-47/blu-ray-hd-dvd-player-powerdvd-working-solution-32268/
Or did you miss that thread?

 

[malcy2]

Are you referring to this -> https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/plugins-47/blu-ray-hd-dvd-player-powerdvd-working-solution-32268/
Or did you miss that thread?

Yes, that's the solution I am using at them moment. It works ok, apart from a couple of minor inconveniences:

1) PowerDVD launches OK, but it opens as a seperate application, not embedded in MP (also I couldnt get powerdvd to use the skin provided either, no idea why)

2) When bluray film finished I have to manually close powerdvd and then restore MP (I dont yet have remote, so still using mouse - dont know if can close and open app's with MCE remote or not yet)

3) With saved DVD ISO's I can just select and play (as MP knows location of mounting tool), with blu-ray I have to manually open moutning tool, open the ISO. then open powerdvd from MP

So the above 3 would be solved if MP supported blu-ray itself (which is what I'm hoping will happen eventually, maybe?)

I'm not complaining by the way, just bringing it up these points as you mentioned that solution. I'm appreciative of all the work thats gone into MP - after having XBMC on old xbox, MP was the only alternative option close enough to that I could find. So

 

[Lotsofjazz]

I have upgraded my HTPC with a new videocard, the ATI Radeon HD4650 or 4670 cards are performance wise comparable to the high end cards of about a year ago, but use just a little power, so they fit perfectly in a HTPC, No power supply upgrade needed, no external power needed, the PCI-e X16 slot power is sufficient. There are some versions on the market allready wit heat pipes if noise is a big issue for you, I just went for the cheapest (71 Euros) with the most memory and a HDMI output on board.

Because I upgraded from an on board Ati Radeon X1250 I posted my findings in a X1250 problems thread here:

https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...-x1250-problems-29894/index39.html#post321117

Beside this I want to add that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista was allso a tremendous improvement in the performance of my HTPC, but this only works if you allready have the mobo and CPU for it.

Finaly, I am also waiting for blue ray support from within Media Portal, but I think that is more a license related issue then a technical one. With Cyberlink you also have to pay extra to activate the Blue Ray play back support.

Lots

 

[tourettes]

Finaly, I am also waiting for blue ray support from within Media Portal, but I think that is more a license related issue then a technical one. With Cyberlink you also have to pay extra to activate the Blue Ray play back support.

Actually its sort of both.

1) Open source software is not able to get a license / certificate to be able to decrypt the blu-ray content. This is because the decryption key would be then available to anyone else to be used and it would allow 1:1 copies to be made from the video & audio data from the disk. So its not going to happen.

2) Blu-ray navigator filter is not a simple component to write. Also BD+ is requiring own Java virtual machine.

So unfortunately its less than 0.1% probability that MadiePortal would have a native blu-ray playback support.

 

[polarie]

hmmm thats bad - with the BR support in MP.

thought there will be a way to implemantate BR full in MePo.
so i have to try the PowerDVD solution ...