will I or wont I?

jackrussell007

Hi folks

I'm pretty close to starting on my first HTPC build. I have just one or two niggling doubts I'm hoping ye could put to rest before I get started.

to explain what I intend using it for. Primarily I want to be able to control all my media from the remote control, movies audio etc etc.

secondary, once I get this far I want to get one of the tv cards are run my chorus/NTL through it to give me the ability to record and store tv shows.

I'm not too bad techie wise but I'm just wondering about the ease of use when I'm finished. Da wife will put up with me debugging and fiddling around to get it right but once complete, I couldnt listen to constant nagging if its not 'wife proof' at the end of it.


so is it relatively uncomplicated to run a HTPC and a chorus box side by side? is it easy to switch between the two, no swiching cables or anything like that?

If the tv is switched off, can I still browse the Audio Library with the LCD screen (I'm intending using the antec fusion case btw) or is that impractical? if the tv is off and I stick in a cd, will it play it or do I need to turn on the tv to find the play button?

If I get as far as running the TV through it. can I throw out the chorus remote and control everything from one remote, is it easy to use?? as in wife proof?:)

If the HTPC is pugged out at some stage, does it take ages to boot up? will it boot straight into the media center, no logging in or any of that sort of thing? any windows check disk if it;s not turned off properly?

Is vista media centre reliable or will I be taking phone calls when I'm at work from the wife saying "theres an error message on the telly - why'd you have to change the setup from the way it was?"

Has your wife or husband got any complaints about your new setup?

I realise these are probably basic questions but they are kind of make or break questions for me.


hope you can answer one or two of them.

thanks

SouperComputer

so is it relatively uncomplicated to run a HTPC and a chorus box side by side? is it easy to switch between the two, no swiching cables or anything like that?


You can switch, but id advise against it. The idea is that the HTPC controls the box, theres no point in you watching stuff on the box and then having media centre trying to change the channel to record somthing.

If the tv is switched off, can I still browse the Audio Library with the LCD screen (I'm intending using the antec fusion case btw) or is that impractical? if the tv is off and I stick in a cd, will it play it or do I need to turn on the tv to find the play button?

Just clone the screens under display properties, turn the TV off as normal.


If I get as far as running the TV through it. can I throw out the chorus remote and control everything from one remote, is it easy to use?? as in wife proof?

Throw out the remote, no but you'.ll really only need it for occasional troubleshooting should the need arise. Windows MCE is pretty wife (and old people) proof.

If the HTPC is pugged out at some stage, does it take ages to boot up? will it boot straight into the media center, no logging in or any of that sort of thing? any windows check disk if it;s not turned off properly?

Same as any PC, it depends on a lot of factors. With Vista, if the machine is halfway in spec (2.8Ghz + 1GB) and has a good, fast HD (Seagate 11 series) the bootime will bee acceptable. Chkdisk, again just like a normal PC does not typically appear if the power is shut off abruptly, but it is a possibility. You can set it to auto login and fire up media center, no problems there.

Is vista media centre reliable or will I be taking phone calls when I'm at work from the wife saying "theres an error message on the telly - why'd you have to change the setup from the way it was?"


If you dont mess around with it, its typically very reliable. Error messages are not commonplace once you get up and running. MCE has been 4-5 years in the making at this stage.

Has your wife or husband got any complaints about your new setup?

Yes, but nothing that pertains to the irish market. The only thing that ticked me and my wife off in ireland was the issue where somtimes the channel change message would miss a digit, causing you to miss a show. Also, because of this, LiveTV channel surfing is slow.

Well worth the sacrifices, in fact its unlikely you'll even notice that they are gone.


Couple of reccomendations:

Install logmein or VNC for remote access/view in realtime
Install the multiple terminal session hack...(allows you to login to the computer using RDC to do work, while the "media" user account is being used)
Get a copy of acronis home, it will allow you to make incremental snapshots of your OS, much more reliable than System Restore.
Following on above, partition your HD as follows

30GB For OS
100GB For Acronis backup images
Remainder for all media.

This way you can revert your changes back, without impacting your media. If you have a NAS/network server, you can backup to that too.

jackrussell007

an excellent reply SC. thanks for taking the time.

you seem to have answered most of my doubts. I kinda have my heart set on taking this on anyway, just wanted 'to be sure, to be sure'

anyone else have any negative feedback from wife, husband , kids etc?

thanks

bazwaldo

It took a little while for the wife to be happy with MCE 2005 but with Vista its much easier to setup and doesn't require too much messing around. Now the Mrs loves it and we'd be lost without it. Recorded TV and videos(mostly stuff for the kids) get used the most for us. I have the HTPC go to standby rather than shutting down, so waking up takes about 10 seconds. It wakes up to record and sleeps again after. Perfect eco friendly solution .

My eldest is 6 so its only lately that I've let him use the remote, but I'm sure if I showed him more, he could do whatever. But to avoid scraps with the others, I limit what I show him

Screwups are rare with Vista, but the odd time it happens. Usually its a problem where something failed to record. A redo of the TV setup normally sorts it out for me.

Go for it .

jackrussell007

thanks for the feedback lads.

i think I'll take the plunge.