Aaron Ledger
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Aaron Ledger
Please don’t hold me responsible if this gets you in trouble with your wife 🙂
To help avoid network issues, you’ll want a quality Intel NIC for both client and server. Your switch is also hopefully up to the task.
Be cognizant if you are planning to record to SSD what it can potentially do to the lifespan.
I’m not sure if Fusion will be up to the task of utilizing 4 DCT streams so perhaps someone can comment on that. It definitely makes going for an Intel NIC even more important though.
Do you get any sound from the system at all such as when using the test tones in the audio device properties?
Do you have any other HDMI device such as a BD player that you could use to verify your receiving equipment is okay?
[quote=erkotz]
It’s important to only judge self install data less than a month old – most MSOs didn’t allow it before then, but almost all are legally required to now.
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Please heed this warning folks. The information in this list is only as good as what is reported here. If replying “No” to Self Install, please make sure this is correct as of Aug. 9th.
If anyone sees info that is incorrect, feel free to point it out.
Reminds me of when I rewired my coax and I found that some lazy installer didn’t have the ground block grounded! Always check this and if you don’t have one, get it. They are super cheap and relatively easy to install.
When using a patch panel, make sure they are CAT6 connectors as it sounds like you have CAT6 everywhere.
Try plugging as much as you can direct into the ProCurve, especially the HDHR.
[quote=dhwinner]
(Note – Problem with tuning adapter, not sure if its WMC, every month or so I lose channels, and I need to reconfigure channel guide in WMC to get them all back. Have had tuning adapter replaced once already. But no help)
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Consider starting a thread here to discuss your issue.
As you’ve pointed out, if content is marked Copy Once by the cable provider, there is unfortunately only the analog hole to exploit to get around that. You can have a system with WMC and Xbox extenders which can all work together for multi-room viewing, shared guide, etc., but that won’t get you content on your other devices. M-card solutions do work with other platforms besides WMC, but that is only true for Copy Freely content.
Slightly cheaper than the HD-PVR is the Colossus. If your content is all free of copy protection, you could investigate using something like Remote Potato to play it on the iPad and other devices.
That’s why I post deals. I like to live vicariously through others’ purchases 🙂
Updated, Thanks. Hopefully we can build a more comprehensive list 🙂
I find it adequate for HTPC duties.
Check out some of the Wessena enclosures. The HTPC-e6 w/Logo for $140 looks like a pretty nice option for the price and should fit into your rack. We’ve reviewed several Wessena chassis and I think we’ll be posting another soon.
I personally have had better experiences with Intel graphics for HTPC use. The drivers seem to be more stable overall whereas ATI/AMD traditionally seems to have had a stable driver and a bunch of duds. The Intel configuration is generally much simpler and easier to follow than Catalyst.
The good thing for you is that you’ve already got the 5450. You can try out Intel first and if for some reason you are not satisfied, you’ve got a backup plan.
[quote=jrandeck]
I have a first gen Vertex 120GB in my work laptop that’s been going strong for 1.5 years so far. SSDLife says I’ve used 70% of it’s life span at this point, though. It gets used pretty heavily.
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You might want to try a secure erase on your SSD and see if SSDLife reports higher life span. If anything, it will restore your write performance to stock. I did this on my G.Skill the last time I built a system up and it went from 81% back to 100%. I’m really not sure how accurate the life span estimates of SSDLife are, but it is an interesting tool to have.
Also, you can get rid of the 5450 if you go with Intel SB. You save some power, free up an expansion slot and have more options for different chassis.
One reason I really like Intel boards is that I can get a quality Intel NIC. With AMD boards and often 3rd party Intel chipset boards, the NIC is a substandard Realtek or equivalent. That component alone is worth ~$30.
If you are looking for a cheaper Intel setup, take a look at the Pentium G620 or even the new Celeron G530 if you are really on a budget. We know the G620 can handle all the basics for sure. It is dual core and has HD Graphics 2000. You can get by with any H61 or H67 Intel board that satisfies your needs. I went for DH67BL boards because of the price point of ~$90 and feature set. In my own primary HTPC, I am running with a Core i3-2100 and it performs extremely well.
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