Desktops forum: Poll: Is your PC connected to your entertainment center?

No, it has all the bells and whistles it takes just haven't taken the time to do it.

I was an early adapter of HTPC. I bought a dedicated PC, added an HD tuner and used it as my DVD player. The HD tuner allowed me to record off-the-air HDTV. The DVD player allowed me to do up-sampling and provide an analog output.

But, the DVD player was difficult to control with my universal remote, the HTTV couldn't support DirecTV, and setting up BLU-RAY would have required a new computer. Even with a new computer, it was unclear that I could buy a video card able to output 1080p thru HDMI and play HDCP protected discs.

For all these reasons, I decided to go to an all digital system, a dedicated blu-ray player and a new DirecTV DVR which also supports over-the air HDTV. It's wonderful

There are so many advantages to having your computer set up as the control centre for your home entertainment system but you must start with the proper equipment. Should you be looking at purchasing a computer then make sure it is designed for entertainment with a built in digital tv tuner, 7:1 surround speaker system, blue ray disc player/recorder, wireless connectivity, remote control and enhanced graphics just to name a few. Most people have a friend that is a computer wizard so take him/her with you and please realize that it may cost a little more right now but the benefits down the road will be incredible. You are future proofing your system. If you already have a computer then realize that you can either upgrade or purchase external hookup equipment that will do the job just fine. When completed you will be able to watch/record television, videos, photography, movies, use your telephone or any form of digital entertainment all on your large LCD/Plasma television with complete surround sound. And yes, when completed properly it can be used throughout your entire home. There are cost savings when done properly. You will not require to purchase a seperate DVD player/recorder for you television, eliminate or reduce your phone bill and with the built in digital television tuner and the proper antenna you can eliminate your cable or satelite system with it's monthly bill. If you find this way above your head then either get a friend to help or make friends with one of the computer geeks. Many a time I have walked into a computer store and asked the staff who their most knowledgeable co-worker is and then asked if I may speak to them. If you can not put out the total amount for the system all at once then either take advatage of the low or 0% interest rate many retail stores offer or start saving each week by tucking X number of dollars away. The future is coming quicker than you think so be wise and don't send a boy on a man's errand. Future proof now!

I have had my computers hooked up to my television and 7.1 surround sound systems since February of 2000! I game, watch netflix and just chill to my fav tunes while watching kinetic art on WMP! I now have a 56" LCOS, Harmann Kardon 7.1 and a room dedicated to this equipment!

I built my own Home Theater PC back in 2003/2004 when Windows MCE was in its infancy. It is presently connected to my Philips 42" LCD and my 5.1 Technics stereo receiver.

I bought a beautifull piano-black HTPC case, a small Asus P4B-533 motherboard, a 2.4GHz P4 processor, a Hauppauge WinTV tuner card and couple of hard drives. I use it with a wireless keyboard and the media center remote cotrol.

I've upgraded it recently (Windows Vista Home Premium, 2GB RAM, newer video card.

My suggestions? Do your homework and buy a case that "doesn't look like a computer". That's what i did. it will blend right into your living/family room. Get a decent video card that can connect to the back of your tv. Use the best technology possible (DVI or HDMI). if your tv doesn't have a DVI connector, you can buy a DVI to HDMI cable. That's what I did.

If you want to use your computer as a TIVO to record and playback recorded tv, do your research and buy a tv tuner card. Mine is old but still works. The downside is mine only displays regular tv resolution when recording tv shows. Newer one will allow you to record HDTV programming.

For audio, connect your soundcard to your stereo or tv.

I have been intergrating my laptop with the stereo system and TV for years. It's getting easier to find compatible hardware since the flatscreen technology has become more affordable, and I don't need analog converters as I did in the past. I didn't see anything groundbreaking about the marriage, but I am a broadcast radio engineer and announcer. We've been "wired" to the PC for a long time in the broadcast industry. It followed me home from the radio and TV stations one day...

My Windows 98 is dual monitor between its own monitor and my TV. It used to be connected to my stereo system, but I took all the music off of it so I could reboot it, so there really was no longer a point. Also, i do not yet have an HDTV and as far as i know thats the only way to get a good quality signal without screen distortion. My Vista which i got last November is connected to my stereo system right now. I probably have no intentions of connecting it to my entertainment center, as its really uncomfortable when controlling your computer anywhere other from a desk, but this is just my personal preference.

I've had the first computer in my area an old Vic20, I also had a Vic16 which is an odd animal. I think it came from England. Any way those were hooked up to Tv much like the nintendos etc. were. You had whatever your TV was capable of stereo or mono. The newer systems used monitors and the first I believe was a tandy A radio Shack clone just before Windows. These had monitors and Comodore 64, 128, Amiga did too but Comodore wasn't IBM compatible. Tandy made the first clone to run IBM software but were phased out almost before they started. They must have sold out I'm guessing. They should have had patents and beat out Bill Gates or perhaps he bought them out. When in college (Electronic Technician) we tried to make a monitor back into a TV but were unable because of the tiny signal they worked with and the ability to decipher what was what Audio/video and where exactly to apply them along with the modulation and demodulation to deal with. It was fun tryinh though. Today it would be a breeze because TV's and Monitors have Audio/Video inputs so you can go either way. I don't know what all the fuss is about because you can make your PC into a Stereo and have all the output you want any way.

True about some older model color TV sets especially the one manufactured during the 1980s. These particular sets had a live chassis with a very basic mains isolation circuit for connecting aerial and video into the set. They work fine with double insulated mains appliances but problems arise when you connect an earthed (mains grounded appliance such as a PC) where if the components are old such as 25 years the possibilities of ground to mains leakage are apparent, causing mains to earth current loop and in worst case short circuit and if the PC is not earthed properly a very live PC. I have measured the isolated input ground to earth ground and have read about 90 volt AC potential difference between the two points, although the current is small and the worse you would feel is a pricking sensation. However this potential is significant enough to cause ground loop interference, which would cause PC crashes and mains hum or buzz in audio amplifiers. My recommendations would be never use this particular model of TV set for this application. In fact (and take this seriously from a TV tech) a live chassis TV set is a danger, electrical hazard, especially that this type of set is 20 years old and should be disposed of or used as a door stop period. Fortunately the TV sets made today and 10 years have an isolated chassis and if you want a cheap replacement; Brands such as Samsung, TVON, TEAC/ROWA, SANYO, TOSHIBA aren't too bad.
A few tips to help performance: The biggest problem I have found is interference in the audio, this is mainly mains hum or buzz as well as noise such as hiss and PC function whether it is cause by PC interrupt command or just processor noise.
To cure the main hum or buzz, this probably the most pain in the ass problem this is caused by earth looping. To start attach a wire to every ground plane you have, start with PC case, Amplifier case, DVD case, Turntable and any other accessory you have attached. Then with these wires, which should be about the same length connect them to a common point and attach to the mains earth. The next part which is tricky if you not electronically inclined and that is to attach a 2.2 ohm resistor in parallel with a 470 pico farad ceramic type capacitor from the electronic ground to mains earth or chassis.
Sound card noise this is dependent on type of sound card used and where the sound card is positioned on the PC mother board. Further away from the video card and processor the better. Cheap cards will allow processor or interrupt noise to be present, you can hear with headphones on and by turning the volume up to max then inserting a CD ROM or running a program, where you will hear a squealing or buzzing sound that is obviously computer generated. The only solution is to get a better sound card such a Sound Blaster or better.
Isolating the sound card by placing the sound card between two unused
mother board slots then make up two blank PCB cards to fit and tying the copper planes to chassis. These blank PCB cards should not be inserted into the slots but rigidly mounted, both sides of the sound card. I would like to draw a diagram here but damn these blogging sites for being so text only, can't even place a .bmp file. Stupid bulletin board formats, so last century, grow up and let have some HTML graphics to play with.
With sound card hiss I have been given several suggestions on how to fix this problem again this is for the electronically minded and begins with changing every capacitor on the sound card board from the cheap ceramic and electrolytic type to the audio quality silver mica and bipolar electrolytic. Then change the generic commercial analogue output IC to high grade military, industrial spec types. A bit far fetched I know but theoretically there should be no noise, even with all levels cranked up to the max. A good electronics tech should help you with this problem and we usually prefer hash or cash.
Again with your AV connections the cables you use on the inputs are more important, as small signals can be subject to noise interference. So optimizing shielding and contact quality i.e using gold plated connectors can play an important role. In regards to speaker cable, which is large signal and where small signal noise is less apparent but factors such as resistance play a more important role for power delivery. Personally I would forget about using monster cable unless you are using 1000 Watt RMS or greater, power amplifiers. Don't listen to the sales reps about promoting this (tell them they are full of sh*t)(AHH yes sale reps I just love chewing them up and spitting them out, making the ******** sweat and pissing them off, them in there stupid suit and tie. (Cant help it I'm an electronics tech)).
I found that ordinary multi core 10 Amp mains flex such as the type used in lamp flex or vaccum cleaners and mains extension leads is more than adequate. From what I know mains flex, it does have a higher resistance per meter than monster cable but it also has a higher high frequency roll off that is better than monster cable. In fact I would recommend this type of cable as a cheap and reliable alternative in any amplifier to speaker installation.

I first hooked up my computer to a stereo almost 20 years ago using RCA jacks.
Now, I have a toslink connection to my surround sound receiver. I don't have a traditional TV, but I do have an HDMI connection from my video card to a hi-def projector with a 7 foot screen. I also have a tuner card, so I can watch TV in a window on my desktop while I do other things on the pc, or go full screen on the projector. My broadband connection, while not as good as I get in Japan, is good enough for me to stream movies from Netflix with a very short, maybe 2 minute, download time.
I'm very happy with this setup. Including the pc, receiver, and projector, I have about $2500 invested.

No, my computer is all by its lonesome (Any future plans to connect it?)

Your computer has the possible to provide nonstop fun possibilities. Not only you use it for big things like surfing the Web, scrutiny email, and paying bills but you can also attach very useful devices.