Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: Integrating my computer as part of the entertainment center

Since the introduction of High-Definition televisions, the bridge between the personal computer and the living room entertainment system has been forged. Microsoft released their Media Center edition of XP to help users get the most out of this frontier. Personally I've been watching movies on my computer for a long time since it's relatively cheaper to get a surround sound expansion card than it is to get a surround sound entertainment center. Just recently, since the news about analog television being outmoded broke, I got a usb hdtv tuner for use with either my desktop pc or my laptop. Since I have a 24" widescreen monitor it seems more practical for me to use it to watch hd channels rather than spending money I don't have on a plasma, LCD, or LED television, besides I can pause live TV and record tv shows like a DVR unit straight to my computer.

The PC for the most part has been the pioneer of all technology. High definition has been around for a long time in the world of computers and while the televisions of today can get roughly 1024 to 1280 resolutions at the highest, computer monitors can reach resolutions higher than 1920. Ultimately having your computer and TV combined is a great way to have an all-in-one media entertainment center.

As you mentioned, storing videos on the hard drive does reduce clutter, however, I caution you that having the original movie or music on DVD or CD is less vulnerable. Overtime hard drives wear out and it is possible to loose data that is stored on a hard drive if it is not backed up to another hard drive or to some form of media like DVD-R or Blu-Ray discs or even flash memory drives or memory cards like Secure Digital.

Personally I am expecting the next wave of entertainment medium to be memory cards; little computer chips that store movies at high-definition quality. When this day comes, anyone who has a DVD player or a Blu-Ray player will once again have to fork out more dough on a new player that can support the new medium. Whereas anyone using a computer will either already have the ability to play this media or will be able to support it with a firmware, software, or inexpensive hardware upgrade.

for your suggestions. In my case, I am very clear - Quality. I am not concerned about harddisk space. I am not interested in, nor am I trying to compress things here. I am sure I will use either FLAC or AAC or WAV. Thanks once again. Sri

It's a great way to go Phil. I have an old Athlon 4800+ based pc that I use as a media center. It has 2gb's of DDR400 ram, a 7800GTX as the video card & I can connect it to my 42" plasma. I bought 2 Western Digital 750gb sata hard drives for storage & use a 75gb Raptor as the system drive. I transferred all my DVD's (aboput 250 or so) to the hard drives & freed up a lot of space in the room. I also put all my Cd's on the storage drives too & I can stream the video or music to any PC on my home network. The computer desktop doesn't look great on the plasma, but it's ok & I can still navigate around in Windows XP with my wireless keyboard (no mouse as the keyboard has a built in "joystick" instead). I had a few issues getting the resolution set up, I had to buy an adapter from Radioshack to connect the 7800 to the HDMI cable on the tv as the 7800GTX doesn't have an HD output. With a little effort & research a lot of old PC's can be used in this way instead of recycling them. The PC also has an old Audigy 2 sound card connected to my home theater receiver, so everything sounds pretty good too.

If you are using a mac you can transfer dvds to the hard drive, using hand brake or mac the ripper. Easy to use and free on the net.

What I have done is simply copy the files to the hard drive. A DVD contains two folders, AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS. AUDIO_TS appears to be empty. After copying everything to hard drive, I use InterVideo WinDVD 4 (from InterVideo Inc) to run one of the files in VIDEO_TS. Mind you, this does not always work. It has worked with most DVDs, but I have been unable to run one of them from the hard drive, and can't explain why. I resorted to this mainly because my DVD drive makes too much noise. I understand there are other programs available that do it differently and possible better (the Australian PC User magazine has a program that uses ISO files) but I have not had time to experiment. I also copy CDs to my hard drive to listen to them because of the same noisy drive problem.
BTW, InterVideo WinDVD is a great program. It can run videos in 16:9 format as well as 4:3.

If you're simply wanting to transfer the image from the DVD to a HD there is no requirement for you to compress the file. You can do a full file backup using DVD Shrink. If you do, you will only receive a cautionary warning that the full file will be too large to burn it to a DVD. At that point, who cares, if the goal is to get the DVD's off the shelf and store the program on your hard drive. The big advantage to DVD Shrink in this case is simply the decryption algorithm.

a sweet solution is apple tv. its a networked digital media receiver thats designed to play digital content originating from any mac os x or windows pc device onto an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen television. apple tv can also function as either a home theater-connected ipod or other digital media receiver. worth checking it out for the newbie or hardcore digital enthusiast

On my Vista Box - WMP11 works fine for any AVI, MPG and most MP4's ripped from personal DVD collection using PS3 template (using HandBrake or Nero Recode). It will play all AVI's (RAW & DIVX)& MPEGs natively, but you have to add a couple of video codecs (FFDSHOW & Haali Media Splitter) to get it to see and play standard MP4 movies.

Both HandBrake and Nero Recode both have an MP4 - PS3 output template making it a snap to rip your collection to your hard drive.

--The Problem--

I also have a bunch of videos that we viewed with AppleTV, but since I found out about the PS3's media playing capability - the Apple TV is going elsewhere. These MP4's are somehow different than the Handbrake and Nero Recode made MP4's. it looks like they use another codec called 3IVX which I guess QuickTime uses. The PS3 simply does not play these video files natively.

-I set up TVersity on an XP box so it didn't mess up my WMP on Vista (Quicktime not loaded on this XP box if that makes a difference). They seem to play fine using Nero Showtime on this XP PC, but when I configured TVersity to transcode everything and stream it to the PS3 the Aspect Ratio is slightly off (for these 3IVX files only - all other MP4's aspect is fine). It is not unbearable, but highly annoying.

I have Configured the FFDSHOW Video sizing to a 16x9 aspect, and I have played around with several of the sizing settings, but none of my changes make any difference. I delete all the Temp files and restart TVersity before trying again, but the skewed aspect remains exactly the same no matter how I change it.

Also, one of the MP4 3IVX videos that is about 2.3 GB has a completely messed up picture, but the sounds seems ok.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

In theory, it is a grate idea but in practices, I have had a few problems. Windows are always updating there code system to stop multi copies of the music you take from a CD. I am not sure about DVD. The latest version is Windows Media Player Ver:11.0.5. I find backup can be a problem if you require them after a crash, which can be cause by a list of things. You are required with this new player to have all your music on one PC and use this PC to play the music from only. I have found it will not play music that has been ripped from the same CD on another PC. In some ways, it is a good idea, as it stops five or six copies of the same tracks, which can happen with a large collection or multi PC on a network. However, if you want to make a few copies over time on CD, SD or USB, it will not allow you after a certain number. That can be a problem if you lose them, which happens in any house that has kids. Music is one of those thing we listen to time and time again, but Film I think not. Therefore, I would not waste hard disk space on them. Nevertheless, that up to you and it can be done. One of the grate pluses having your CD on your PC is the content is label and update for you automatically if your PC is link to the internet. That to me is worth the afforded. However, on the down side, PC are still to complicated and still on occasionally will locks up which I have never had with a simple CD player.

I am looking at doing the same thing with the following config:

Sony VAIO TP - essentially a sleek PC with Bluray Player and 500GB Storage
Sony or Samsung 1080p LCD

Does anyone have had any experience on this setup?

Not sure what the value of this suggestion is. The person is asking about integration of pc's into home entertainment. Are you saying not to do it because a monitor is better for watching television or movies on? Are you suggesting his entire family sit in front of a desk to watch The Biggest Loser or he has 20 friends over for the super bowl and they gather around the 19 inch samsung?

Hi Phil , I would not trust my Hard drive as I have lost about a thousand or more of my fotos!!! GRRRrrrr! NEVER to be seen ever again ? Regards (Raymondo across the sea)

well to me the cost of getting large memory hard disk to save all those media files is too much and u will need to upgrade ur pc to be able to run large hard disk .The only way to save your cash is to delete any media files u do not need again,and i can't use my television for monitor it just don't make sense ,every gadget has its function and its purpose , and u will realize later, faults ,because of incorect factory or model accessories.

Phil,

Actually, it's not nearly as complicated as it might seem. The key to this lies mostly in the video card included in the computer in question. Most of the better video cards (the ones that aren't bottom of the line, bottom of the barrel) will have at least two, possibly three options for output. Many video cards offer a standard 15 pin VGA connection, an HD DVI (Digital Video Interface) port and possibly an S-VIDEO output port. Some of the higher end cards have eliminated the old standby VGA port and include multiple DVI ports.

The trick to connecting a TV to your video card is to know what both devices are capable of. Most TVs - especially the modern HD sets - have multiple ports - some have VGA, S-Video, Composite, DVI, HDMI, Cable coax, etc... Many older sets have fewer ports - maybe only a coax port for cable, a composite RCA port set for a DVD player and maybe an S-Video port for whatever. You'll need to figure out exactly what you're TV's got and has available. From there, you can work backwards to figure out what kind of video card your PC is going to need.

Setting it all up...

You can actually buy an off the shelf Media Center PC that comes with Vista Home Premium or Ultimate - you'll need one of these two versions if you're buying a new computer as they are the only ones that come with the modern version of Windows Media Center for Vista. Most of these computers also come with a remote control - so you can access the box from the comfort of your couch.

If you've already got a computer collecting dust, you could also buy a few upgrade components (like a video card, a remote control interface, etc...) as needed to make your own. You can simply use PowerDVD, WinDVD, Windows Media Player or other programs that can access files on your hard drive OR, if you really want to get deep into it, you can get a tuner card such as a Hauppauge WinTV card and a copy of BeyondTV (or something similar) and turn the media center computer into a DVR as well. Hauppauge offers both Standard Def and High Def models with single or dual tuners.

And, of course, you'll need at least one, if not two LARGE hard drives - preferably 1 Terabyte or larger (each). That way, you're not likely to run out of room unless you've got a HUGE collection. Remember, standard DVDs in their native format take up anywhere from 4 GB to 8 GB in size. If you want to keep ALL of the stuff on the DVD - i.e. the menus and bonus features, etc... you'll probably want to keep the DVD in it's native format instead of reducing it to some other format. Bear in mind that converting to other formats may reduce the quality of the video and audio noticably.

So... In short, it IS possible, and it IS easy enough to do with the right components and software.

Now comes the sticky wicket... You mentioned you would like to put all your media on your hard drive and make the DVD cases vanish from your shelves...

While you CAN, IN THEORY, do all of this, it isn't legal if you purchase (or rent) a copy of a movie, rip the contents of the DVD onto your hard drive and then dispose of/return it. The MPAA frowns heavily on the practice and should they come across your monster system, fully loaded with movies, CDs and the like, they would quite literally soil their shorts - that is, before they sent in their crack legal team to sue you into oblivion.

Note: SOME people claim that as part of "fair use", you have a right to back up a copy of your media, in case some disaster should happen... Of course, you still need a copy of the original media. Obviously, the MPAA and the RIAA would tend to vehemently disagree with this point of view. You would likely still get sued, but, you'd stand a better chance of having the case thrown out if you have the original media in it's original packaging. So much for clearing the shelves...

On a more positive note... I've found that BeyondTV and a tuner card makes for a pretty darn good DVR.. Better, in many ways, than TIVO or some of the other DVRs on the market. BeyondTV (www.snapstream.com) offers up a free programming guide in addition to the software you get to record your shows and skip the gawd awful commercials. And the best part of it all - it does NOT automatically delete content, unless you're running out of room and you've flagged a show as disposable in a low free space situation. You can record an entire season of a given show and have your own commercial free full season marathon at your leisure with the ability to pause, rewind and stop should you get an overdose of that show.

There is one important consideration as far as tuner cards are concerned. Most of your older stock tuners will connect to standard cable and will function without a cable box. This will generally give you channels 2 - 125 (or channel 99 on many cable systems). To get higher channels - especially HD channels, you'll need a tuner card that can handle the job AND you will probably require a "CableCard" from your provider. You'll want to check out the availability with your cable provider before you invest in the tuner card. Without a CableCard, you will require an actual cable box and be limited to only recording ONE program on ONE channel at a given time.

The bottom line: Yes, a PC can make a very potent component for your entertainment center. But keep in mind, there are still some legal issues that haven't been 100% resolved as yet.

As long as your media center box is NOT connected to the Internet and you're NOT sharing any media, and you're not bragging about the awesome new system you've put together in public, you should be fine.

Your mileage will likely vary...

The human ear cannot hear the difference between wav and mp3. What you are hearing is the difference in the sound engineering, some are better than others. It has nothing to do with the format. Other issues could be with the hardware or software itself, it could be a poor design.