captain_video
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I’ve been a long time Tivo user and just recently started using Win 7 Media Center. I had been using XP Pro and BeyondTV 4 for my OTA DVR chores as well as watching various types of video clips, DVDs, and Blu-Ray rips stored on an unRAID server. With the (hopefully) upcoming arrival of my Ceton tuner I will finally be retiring my Tivos after a 10+ year association.
I didn’t read through the full laundry list of advantages for each setup on Engadget, but I do take exception when they call it a tie with regards to storage space. They indicated that either platform can be upgraded to as much storage as you want. They obviously did not do their homework in this area or they would know that Tivo has a limit on the size of the hard drives they can use. You’re also limited to the internal drive plus an add-on external drive. I could easily set up a shared folder on my 18TB unRAID server for use with the DVR function in Win 7 MC. I still have lots of room for expansion should I ever decide to upgrade it further.
I don’t recall reading the cost advantages of a Media Center PC vs. a Tivo in the article. Had the author actually done such a comparison he would have quickly realized that a Media Center PC with a Ceton card is an absolute steal in comparison. The only monthly fees attached are for a single cablecard. You’d need two Tivo Premieres with two cablecards and Tivo service agreements for both Tivos, which could easily meet or exceed the hardware costs of a topnotch Media Center PC. If you add in the capability to play DVDs and Blu-Rays, then the HTPC wins hands-down.
I love my Tivos, but I won’t miss the expense of owning them.
The rating on NetFlix shows it with 4+ stars out of 5. I believe the NetFlix ratings relate to user reviews and not necessarily the critics. The critics’ reviews at rottentomatoes.com give it a 75% positive rating (169 positive reviews out of 224) so obviously some people liked it more than Crim.
OTOH, Roger Ebert didn’t care much for it and my tastes tend to echo his. He’s usually spot on with the kind of movies I like, but that doesn’t mean I won’t watch it. I’ve been known to suffer through some real turkeys.
The rating on NetFlix shows it with 4+ stars out of 5. I believe the NetFlix ratings relate to user reviews and not necessarily the critics. The critics’ reviews at rottentomatoes.com give it a 75% positive rating (169 positive reviews out of 224) so obviously some people liked it more than Crim.
OTOH, Roger Ebert didn’t care much for it and my tastes tend to echo his. He’s usually spot on with the kind of movies I like, but that doesn’t mean I won’t watch it. I’ve been known to suffer through some real turkeys.
Just received it from NetFlix yesterday. Sounds like one I won’t be watching with the spousal unit.
Just received it from NetFlix yesterday. Sounds like one I won’t be watching with the spousal unit.
Who uses a VGA input these days, unless you have an old laptop you want to connect to it? Just about every current graphics card has either DVI or HDMI outputs.
Congrats on your purchase of the Panny plasma. I haven’t auditioned them at any great length but everything I’ve heard puts Panasonic at or near the top of the list for plasma TVs. I haven’t kept up with plasma technology for quite a while so I’m not sure how well the current models deal with voltage fluctuations. I seem to recall that this was an issue with early plasmas and that they greatly benefited from the use of a line conditioner to regulate the input voltage.
Who uses a VGA input these days, unless you have an old laptop you want to connect to it? Just about every current graphics card has either DVI or HDMI outputs.
Congrats on your purchase of the Panny plasma. I haven’t auditioned them at any great length but everything I’ve heard puts Panasonic at or near the top of the list for plasma TVs. I haven’t kept up with plasma technology for quite a while so I’m not sure how well the current models deal with voltage fluctuations. I seem to recall that this was an issue with early plasmas and that they greatly benefited from the use of a line conditioner to regulate the input voltage.
A welcome article, indeed. I’m still a relative newbie to Media Center and I’ve only been using it with ShowAnalyzer for about six weeks. SA hasn’t always worked as I’d like it to, probably because I used whatever the default settings were and kept my fingers crossed. Looks like it’s time to roll up my sleeves and take a look under the hood.
A welcome article, indeed. I’m still a relative newbie to Media Center and I’ve only been using it with ShowAnalyzer for about six weeks. SA hasn’t always worked as I’d like it to, probably because I used whatever the default settings were and kept my fingers crossed. Looks like it’s time to roll up my sleeves and take a look under the hood.
[quote=”babgvant”]
If price isn’t a concern there are better options for 1080i AVC content; I would have liked to see how the Zino performed with the 4330. I suspect that many of the DI issues both with AVC and other interlaced content would have been significantly reduced. That said, cost is a big factor in selecting the Zino over other SFF HTPC so it’s hard to ignore in the discussion.It would be interesting to see how the market segmented on PCs like the Zino v. a standalone streamer.
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I bought one of these during Dell’s Black Friday sale last November. The only upgrades I bought were the 4330 GPU and the 6850e CPU. I upgraded it to Win 7 Home Premium and added a larger hard drive when I got it. I had purchased a 3-pack of 32-bit Win 7 HP licenses and had an extra one. Otherwise, it was actually cheaper to get the Win 7 upgrade at the time of purchase.I had read a lot of preliminary reviews on the Zino in the massive thread at the AVSForums, most of them complaining about the lackluster video performance with the lesser GPU as well as some issues with the single core CPUs. I figured the 4330 and 6850e upgrades were essential to good performance and my investment paid off. I haven’t use the Zino extensively but my son uses it all the time for streaming ripped Blu-Rays from my unRAID server to his 42″ Samsung HDTV with smooth playback. The moral is, if you expect good performance from this little gem then don’t buy it on the cheap with minimal specs. Bite the bullet and upgrade the GPU to the 4330 at the very least. The 3250e CPU (dual core 1.5 GHz) may be adequate but I’d rather have the 6850e (dual core 1.8 GHz) and remove all doubt.
One other issue people reported was that the fan was too loud. This hasn’t been the case with my Zino so it’s probably one of those hit or miss situations. Small fans on computer components seem to fall into this category with many different components so I pretty much expect it these days.
[quote=”babgvant”]
If price isn’t a concern there are better options for 1080i AVC content; I would have liked to see how the Zino performed with the 4330. I suspect that many of the DI issues both with AVC and other interlaced content would have been significantly reduced. That said, cost is a big factor in selecting the Zino over other SFF HTPC so it’s hard to ignore in the discussion.It would be interesting to see how the market segmented on PCs like the Zino v. a standalone streamer.
[/quote]
I bought one of these during Dell’s Black Friday sale last November. The only upgrades I bought were the 4330 GPU and the 6850e CPU. I upgraded it to Win 7 Home Premium and added a larger hard drive when I got it. I had purchased a 3-pack of 32-bit Win 7 HP licenses and had an extra one. Otherwise, it was actually cheaper to get the Win 7 upgrade at the time of purchase.I had read a lot of preliminary reviews on the Zino in the massive thread at the AVSForums, most of them complaining about the lackluster video performance with the lesser GPU as well as some issues with the single core CPUs. I figured the 4330 and 6850e upgrades were essential to good performance and my investment paid off. I haven’t use the Zino extensively but my son uses it all the time for streaming ripped Blu-Rays from my unRAID server to his 42″ Samsung HDTV with smooth playback. The moral is, if you expect good performance from this little gem then don’t buy it on the cheap with minimal specs. Bite the bullet and upgrade the GPU to the 4330 at the very least. The 3250e CPU (dual core 1.5 GHz) may be adequate but I’d rather have the 6850e (dual core 1.8 GHz) and remove all doubt.
One other issue people reported was that the fan was too loud. This hasn’t been the case with my Zino so it’s probably one of those hit or miss situations. Small fans on computer components seem to fall into this category with many different components so I pretty much expect it these days.
[quote=”Skirge01″]
We’re [url=http://www.virtusphere.com/]getting closer[/url], though. I really would love to try this thing out!
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Holy Hamster Wheel, Batman! I hope that sucker has some sort of ventilation system. 😮[quote=”Skirge01″]
We’re [url=http://www.virtusphere.com/]getting closer[/url], though. I really would love to try this thing out!
[/quote]
Holy Hamster Wheel, Batman! I hope that sucker has some sort of ventilation system. 😮If there was a way to retrofit existing HDTVs for 3D, such as an external box to handle the 3D signal and provide an interface for the glasses, then I might consider it. I wouldn’t go out and purchase a new 3DTV just to have it, however. There just isn’t enough 3D material to justify such a purchase, especially since my current 60″ Sony HDTV is only a couple of years old.
For people just now taking the HDTV plunge or those that are looking to upgrade an existing HDTV, then it might be something worth considering if it does not significantly raise the cost over a comparable non-3DTV set. I just don’t see where most people would go out and upgrade to a 3DTV because they feel it’s a “must have” feature.
If manufacturers start including the 3D feature across the board then I could definitely see it taking a strong foothold in the consumer marketplace. The one thing that will make or break it will be the availability of program material on 3D Blu-Ray. The movie studios will have to step up to the plate if they expect the format to flourish and grow.
I would be curious to see if existing 2D titles will undergo a 3D conversion for re-release. I can see how this would be attractive to the studios as a way to make more money from existing movie libraries. I’m not even sure this is possible but you can bet the studios will exploit the heck out of it if they can do it.
If there was a way to retrofit existing HDTVs for 3D, such as an external box to handle the 3D signal and provide an interface for the glasses, then I might consider it. I wouldn’t go out and purchase a new 3DTV just to have it, however. There just isn’t enough 3D material to justify such a purchase, especially since my current 60″ Sony HDTV is only a couple of years old.
For people just now taking the HDTV plunge or those that are looking to upgrade an existing HDTV, then it might be something worth considering if it does not significantly raise the cost over a comparable non-3DTV set. I just don’t see where most people would go out and upgrade to a 3DTV because they feel it’s a “must have” feature.
If manufacturers start including the 3D feature across the board then I could definitely see it taking a strong foothold in the consumer marketplace. The one thing that will make or break it will be the availability of program material on 3D Blu-Ray. The movie studios will have to step up to the plate if they expect the format to flourish and grow.
I would be curious to see if existing 2D titles will undergo a 3D conversion for re-release. I can see how this would be attractive to the studios as a way to make more money from existing movie libraries. I’m not even sure this is possible but you can bet the studios will exploit the heck out of it if they can do it.
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