[hottyson]

I have been trying to get my HTPC/Infocus X1 projector system together. I spent the entire day yesterday installing a faster larger hard drive, fresh Windows XP Pro/SP2 install, latest audio and video drivers etc.

My system:
motherboard - MSI KT266PRO2-RU
ram – 512MB
hard drive – IBM Deskstar 60 gigs -> now 160 gigs
processor – AMD XP1700+
sound card – Soundblaster LIVE! Value
video card – ATI Radeon 7500 AGP 64MB
ethernet card – Microsoft MN-130

When I was finished it worked quite well using PowerDVD 5. The picture was fantastic and everything worked smoothly. As you may well know Dolby Headphone processing is a very good feature of PowerDVD.

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Then…. I tried switching over to S/PDIF. I can get both Dolby Digital and DTS this way but as it had always done prior to my fresh install, it began to stutter and choke every few moments.

It had been a slight improvement from prior to my fresh install but nevertheless the problem is still there using S/PDIF out.

This problem also happens on my Athlon 900 PC that plays PowerDVD 5 through an M-audio Sonica when switched to S/PDIF. So I then went back to my HTPC and tried Microsoft Media Player 9 since it came with my fresh install. But again the problem is still there when I switch it to S/PDIF output.

(note: It does works a little better and stutters a little less with Media Player 9.)

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I would like to get my HTPC working problem free using the digital output. However while I get through the frustrations of getting it to work I need a dvd player with decent video quality. The Zenith DVB-318 is the only inexpensive player that has decent video quality. It uses Genesis' Faroudja DCDi FLI2301 chip and outputs DCDi 1080i through its component video outputs. So partly due to frustration I got out my VISA and placed an order for this dvd player through Amazon.com. It is on sale for $160, free shipping, and no tax in my state. A pretty good deal and comes within 90% performance of a computer according many users.

Zenith DVB318 FAQ

 

[D-EJ915]

lol, sometimes it's easier to go cheap. I think there's either a Philips or something player that outputs via DVI, awesome for us with Sony HDTVs

 

[AnimeEd]

how did you get S/PDIF with a SB Live?

 

[Edwood]

I use an Audigy 2 with a Pentium III 1GHz based system along with Power DVD XP. Have you tried an older version of Power DVD XP?

But it's doubtful that is your problem.
I highly recommend upgrading your sound card, it's really holding your system back.

Some awesome resources at www.avsforum.com
They have an entire forum dedicated to HTPC's as well as front projectors.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hottyson is the only inexpensive player that has decent video quality. It uses Genesis' Faroudja DCDi FLI2301 chip and outputs DCDi 1080i through its component video outputs. So partly due to frustration I got out my VISA and placed an order for this dvd player through Amazon.com. It is on sale for $160, free shipping, and no tax in my state. A pretty good deal and comes within 90% performance of a computer according many users. ​

​

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Remember that deinterlacers and other processing like Faroudja's DCDi, are only needed on one device. Having it on your projector and DVD player is redundant.

-Ed​

 

[noir]

congrats for getting the Infocus X1!
i own the unit for half a year now, and i couldn't be more happy with it. DCDi works great for my LD's

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnimeEd how did you get S/PDIF with a SB Live?

I use a 3.5mm stereo mini to RCA interconnect. The left channel RCA outputs coaxial S/PDIF.

In PowerDVD 5:
Configuration / Audio / Speaker Environment / SPDIF

In Windows Media Player 9:
Tools / Options / DVD / Advanced / Speaker Environment / SPDIF

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noir congrats for getting the Infocus X1! i own the unit for half a year now, and i couldn't be more happy with it. DCDi works great for my LD's

That is the exact reason why I bought the Infocus X1! I have so many LD's that I didn't want to throw out. Otherwise I would have gotten a BenQ for a few extra lumens and given up on LD.

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood Some awesome resources at www.avsforum.com They have an entire forum dedicated to HTPC's as well as front projectors.

I made my own adjustable mount from info I found there. My AVS thread

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hottyson I made my own adjustable mount from info I found there. My AVS thread

Nice.

Pic of your screen?

Did you make one?

-Ed

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood Nice. Pic of your screen? Did you make one?

That is funny that you should ask. I had been trying to get my home theater together for over a year. Only recently have I gotten back to working on it.

I had decided a while back to use the audio transparent screen material called Dazian Celtic cloth so that I could place my speakers right behind the screen. After reading quite a bit on it's poor performance I decided against it in the long run.

So now I have decided that the wall is going to have to work well enough for me. My center channel is below the screen so that really sucks. I should be finished with everything within a month or three. My folks are going to buy me some new recliners and I just got a futon. I plan on building a teir so that people in the back can see over the people in the front. I will definitely post some pictures here once I have finished construction.

 

[hottyson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood I highly recommend upgrading your sound card, it's really holding your system back.

I began to question my soundcard as the culprit to my dvd stuttering problem. I investigated a little into what was running in the background of my Windows XP operating system. I found two useless programs. ATI hotkey program and Creative stupid Cthelper program. I just downloaded the latest Creative drivers! I can’t believe that Creative still allows that crap to download with its drivers.

I used msconfig to disable the two useless programs. There is an enormous improvement. I can get Dolby Digital sound just fine now with smooth stutter-free playback. Now I only have a problem when trying to play back a DTS soundtrack. I guess I will have to do some more snooping around.

I can’t wait until that dvd player gets here. I think that I will end up just using it for my movies and then just use the PC for games. I played multiplayer Battlefield 1942 on a ten-foot screen last night until 5am this morning. That was just crazy fun.

 

[Spoonfed]

Few tips.

HTPC can be great........but it can be a headache

Forget about using PowerDVD, or even there codecs.

Use Zoomplayer 4.02 (or TheaterTek if u don't want as many options)
Get WinDVD codecs.....OR for better PQ Elecard codecs
Install FFDShow
Install ReClock

The above combo will give superiour PQ than a Setop Solution.

FFDShow can enhance the picture noticably, and ReClock will elimiate any stutters both for analogue and SPDIF out.