best pc tuners
How to Build a Media Center PC
Control all media from a PC. Combine all media in one system: television, games, movies, music can all be viewed and stored in one place.
A Media Center PC or Home Theater PC or HTPC for short, is a personal computer connected to a TV. It is often used as a digital photo, music and video player, or as a computer and video game device. Adding a TV tuner card allows a HTPC to record TV as well. They can also be called Media Center The general objective of the systems a HTPC is usually to combine many or all components of a home theater setup into one box.
A Media Center PC is a convergence device that combines the functions personal computer and a digital video recorder. A PC can be purchased preconfigured with hardware and software needed to add television programming to PC, as is commonly done with Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) or may be constructed from discrete components.
Media Center PC – What You Need to Know.
This is not typical of any PC you are building. You will live in your room family (or wherever you have the TV and spend most of their time). That means that in addition to a PC, you have to look good and run very quietly.
These are the most important components on your Media Center PC:
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE)
Case
TV or (and) the card HDTV receiver
Sound card
CPU Cooler
Power Supply
Wireless keyboard
Remote Control
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows XP Media Center Edition (codename Symphony) is a version of Windows XP designed to serve as a home entertainment center. The latest version was launched Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 12 October 2004.
Windows XP Media Center Edition (XP MCE) is distinguished from other versions of Windows XP preinstalled a unique application, Media Center, which provides a large source, the remote access interface watch TV on your computer, as well as recording and playback, DVD playback, video playback, photo viewing and playback music.
Although MCE is based on Windows XP Professional, Microsoft has disabled its ability to bind to an Active Directory domain after installation. This effectively prevents the use of Media Center in a corporate environment. Media Center still retains most of Windows XP Pro-specific features such as Remote Desktop and the Encrypting File System.
Due to strict hardware requirements Microsoft has not chosen to offer Media Center as an independent commercial version. Microsoft only distributed to MSDN subscribers and OEM System Builders in some countries. Consumers generally purchase Media Center preinstalled on a new computer, or a distributor that sells OEM versions of Microsoft software.
Windows XP Media Center Edition (2005) Update Rollup 2 (codenamed "Esmeralda") Released in late 2005, this was a collection of feature updates, including support for DVD changers and to connect to the Xbox 360.
Windows Media Center in Windows Vista (2006) Diamond (codenamed "): generally available to the public on 30 January 2007.
Media Center PC Case
The first hardware you need to consider is the case. Technically, any type of cover is acceptable, but since we are building a media center here, the issue is important because it must look presentable when placed in the room. More importantly, the ventilation system is used on the box should not be too noisy – you do not want to sound like a vacuum when playing a DVD, right?
The media have been cases of PC on the market for some time. Usually referred to as desktop cases instead of cases of home theater PC. The design of each is almost the same – it features a Media Center PC, apart from a desktop case.
Some of these features include simple hardware, such as a smaller power supply or smaller case fans. Many desktop cases are smaller than the mid-chassis tower, so the hardware with small traces should be used. Other features, which perform functions of a Media Center PC such as an integrated text viewer and receiver infrared, are some of the things that make a Media Center PC just that, a Media Center PC.
TV Tuner Card
When choosing how you will use your Media Center PC to watch TV, you have to ask yourself some questions:
Do I have a picture of a single cable? "So multiple cable boxes or cable box + satellite box?
Can I get more HDTV reception outdoors where I live?
First of all, you really need to get a TV tuner card, regardless of the answers to any of the above questions. The only real question is whether or not to obtain a card that has a tuner, or both.
If you have more than a regular source of television (from Question 1), then you only need a simple TV tuner. While it has 2 sources, or are considering purchasing a second cable box or second source, you must obtain a card that has 2 tuners in it.
Card HDTV and your Media Center PC
By connecting a high definition television (HDTV) antenna to a Media Center PC which is equipped with an HDTV tuner card, you may experience:
Digital-quality video with widescreen support: Watching television Local HDTV quality up to 10 times the quality of standard TV signal.
Theater-quality audio: Enjoy the powerful bass and crystal clear 5.1 surround sound that is available on many primetime programs.
HD personal video recording: pause, rewind and record local, over-the-air television high definition television as you would with standard TV programs.
TV Program Guide Digital: Easily find listings of local HDTV channels that are integrated with standard TV listings in the Guide in the Media Center PC.
In the antenna signal strength: A built-in signal strength meter helps you adjust the antenna to get the most possible channels.
Connect your Media Center PC to your surround sound system
No home theater PC is complete without good audio.
Depending on your sound card, you may need to connect the Media Center PC to the speakers using a single digital connection or a series of multi-channel analog connections.
You may need to connect analog or digital multichannel surround sound
Ultimately, both types of connections resulted in surround sound audio of DVDs or HDTV you are playing. The main difference between the two is that the decoding of the surround signal is carried out.
When using a single digital connection, the sound card in the Media Center PC passes the surround sound signal directly to the receiver to decode and play the audio through your speakers.
With a multichannel analog connection, the sound card decodes the surround sound signal, and then passes the decoded signal to the receiver. The receiver sends the sound to the appropriate speaker for the surround effect.
CPU cooling Silent
Equally important is the CPU fan. Ideally, you want a CPU cooler is very quiet, but does a good job of keeping the processor cool.
Manufacturing the fan that comes with the original CPU sounded like a vacuum cleaner running in peak mode speed (controlled by the motherboard depending on the workload of the CPU) and the noise is unbearable if you sit near the computer. This definitely is not a situation ideal for Media Center PCs.
Quiet CPU coolers are designed with the use of highly conductive copper heat and a larger, efficiently designed, heat sink surface to radiate heat much more efficiently than standard heatsinks. These coolers move heat away from the CPU with maximum efficiency, so they can be matched with slower spinning fans. Really quiet CPU coolers include the following salient features:
Large heatsinks can radiate more heat away from your CPU
The use of high efficiency copper in either the base or throughout the heat sink
Big fan that move more air relative to the speed at which spin
Suave fan bearings
Efficient, mild fan design
Solid, smooth, quality heatsink
The inclusion of heatpipes to facilitate heat transfer
Source Supply for Media Center
In the digital world seeps into the living room, quiet operation becomes the key. More and more people are investing and building home theater PCs.
The quality of energy supplied to the components of your system is more important than most users realize. Poor quality food can cause many problems and in some cases may even destroy the system hardware. A PSU (Power Supply Unit) which, under either 3.3 volts, 5 volts or 12 lines can cause data corruption, system crashes, and program crashes. In more severe over – volts can fry components.
Often, one of the largest manufacturer of noise on a PC, the power supply provides regulated DC voltages to various components. Computer PSUs are changing the types of modes, which provide a relatively high efficiency at low cost. They utilize forced air cooling, usually a fan of 80 mm, and sometimes incorporate a second fan. The fan is the main source of noise in a PSU. Coils in a PSU can buzz and hum, especially when pushed to high loads, but usually the fan noise masks the noise of the coil. Normally, the fan rated higher than the maximum airflow necessary to keep cool the PSU.
The most quiet PSU or not at all a fan or a fan that rotates at low speed in most conditions. Note that the components which tend to run a little warmer than normal as a result of reduced airflow. This may be a concern if the normal temperature is high or if the components used are very hot. The best fan-cooled models have normal low fan speed, and allow the fan to ramp up the speed expression only when really necessary.
Fan-less Power Supply sets the bar high when it comes to power, efficiency and quiet operation.
Remote Control
Integrating a Media PC in your living room means you need some way to control your computer from the couch. While it is possible to use a wireless mouse and keyboard on these devices are generally intended for use near a hard surface like a table.
Many TV tuner / capture cards include remote controls for use with the applications included with the card, but to integrate Windows MCE in your living room is needed a certificate of Windows MCE remote control.
Wireless keyboard
For most of the things that has to do with your HTPC, using the Windows Media remote control is sufficient. However, there are some activities that are much more comfortable when using a keyboard.
You need a wireless keyboard (preferably RF instead of IR so that you do not have a line-of-view constraint IR transmission) that has an integrated mouse. Why? So you can sit on the couch and type away. You really appreciate decent keyboard when you are trying to correct the spelling of an artist's CD or labeling a folder where you downloaded all the photos you took on your last vacation of your card memory on the PC.
About the Author
We are BuyDirectPC Computer Corporation, e-tailer of custom desktop and gaming systems, as well as cube PC’s, Shuttle XPC’s and custom-tailored laptops. Founded in 2000, we have experienced ongoing growth and while many other upstart companies were going out of business following the dot-com crash, we have successfully maintained our position of first-echelon custom PC provider. Today, many individuals and businesses trust our expertise to deliver a machine built to their specs from the finest off-the-shelf components, rigorously tested and carefully shipped for the best out-of-the-box experience. With so many cases of retailers taking advantage of their customers’ trust and either jacking up the price, selling terribly misconfigured and untested systems or even using refurbished parts, our company has always made sure we maintained our top-tier retailer status by adhering to a strict ethical code, as well as employing only skilled individuals. http://buydirectpc.com/web/online/about-us
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