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General discussion

PC-based HD tuner for 50-inch monitor

Oct 11, 2005 5:25PM PDT

I understand the simplest approach is buying a "black box" ATSC tuner, but the prospect of having a PC-based solution is appealing because of DVR capability and the all-around benefits of having a PC with a gigantic monitor. I've read some of the other threads about ATI's HDTV Wonder, which seems to be up to the ask, but I'm trying to determine if I have a handle on the details.

First of all, it seems the success of the installation relies upon the capabilities of the video card (I know this is separate from the HDTV Wonder). I assume the right setup will produce a picture quality equal to that of a stand-alone tuner. I'm wondering if simply using the RGB output (i.e. 15-pin D-sub - I have the Panasonic with this input) with an appropriately high resolution is the best, or whether I should use DVI/HDMI.

Second, is it correct that the motherboard should be surround-capable and provide digital audio out?

Finally, is there a way to separate the video output so the TV and PC portions can appear separately in a PIP arrangement? (I think this is a "no" - I imagine the TV "operates" within a window).

Discussion is locked

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ATI's HDTV Wonder,
Oct 12, 2005 1:18AM PDT

You gave no info on your PC!!!
So here is some info, just use XP home/pro. Don't bother with EP MCE the "extra" multi media stuff in it is junk.
Get an good ATI video card. Put in a 120bg or bigger secondary drive.
I have a 19" CRT that I use.
You need a good antenna, here is a link that will help.
http://www.checkhd.com/zipentry.aspx?ReturnUrl=/Default.aspx

"Finally, is there a way to separate the video output so the TV and PC portions can appear separately in a PIP arrangement? (I think this is a "no" - I imagine the TV "operates" within a window)."
It will also do full screen. This does depend on your video card and how it works. Here is a link that has a lot of info on the ATI HD wonder. John

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=511835

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PC info
Oct 12, 2005 2:53AM PDT

I'm scratch-building the PC. I understand P4/Celeron/Athlon is required, but wonder what the speed threshold is to get optimal picture quality and DVR performance. ATI says 1.3GHz is the minimum, but I know that there may be considerations for the level of MPEG compression being used.

I know about MCE's problems, and will stick with XP Home or Pro. Ease-of-use is a consideration for the non-techies in the house. Does one leave the HDTV Wonder application running in full screen mode all the time (even with the monitor off), or will the remote launch it (and bring the PC out of standby)?

Finally, about the connection - Would the best quality result from 1600x1200 monitor output or DVI/HDMI (which means getting a video card with that capability)? I'm guessing the former would entail less "work", as the incoming signal needs to be converted to the PC's resolution anyway, and converting again on the output side (i.e. to produce HDMI/DVI) would require additional horsepower. I don't want to lose picture quality, however.

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PC info
Oct 12, 2005 6:54AM PDT

My first one was an AMD XP2200+(I wouldn't use anything slower), current one is a AMD64 3200+ with a ATI Radion 9600 pro with 256mb, 1gb of dual channel DDR3200 ram.
So far I have only use it on my PC. But if it is going to be your source for your HDTV then you could just leave it running, disable standby, maybe power off the HDs after 1 hour. The ATI HD comes with a wireless remote.
You should use the best connection that you have on your TV. ATI has an adapter that will turn RGB into component.
John

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The latest
Nov 1, 2005 10:43AM PST

The system is built and running, and nearly "there".

I wasn't too thrilled about the HDTV Wonder's "buy an ATI video card or else" reputation and stumbled upon similarly featured HDTV tuner made by Kworld (model ATSC-110). It's working fine so far, as is the control software (Snapstream BeyondTV). Here's the "meat" of the setup:

-ECS RS-400A motherboard with built-in ATI X300 graphics
-Pentium 4 630 (3.0 GHz)
-512MB DDR memory
-Toshiba 160GB UDMA-133 HD
-Windows XP (not MCE)

By shopping around and buying components piecemeal, I was able to build the system for just over $500. I answered my own question about the input - RGB works great with the display resolution set to 1280x720.

What's left is installing an antenna amplifier to improve the signal quality and hooking up the digital audio output from the motherboard. Otherwise, I'm quite happy.