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PROJECT: THE ULTIMATE HIGH-DEFINITION HOME THEATER SERVER
Software and Overall
Functionality
We selected Windows XP 64-bit Edition as the
OS. The latest drivers are installed, and the
following software packages essential for optimal
operation as well:
- Anti-Virus software
- AMD Dual-Core Optimizer
- AMD PowerNow XP x64 Driver and Power
Monitor, to save energy
- Remote Administrator software, for control
from another PC
- nVidia PureVideo for DVD decoding, provides
best HQV with the 7900GT GPU. One VERY
important note here: To ensure best performance
of DVDs, the Inverse Telecine function
must be enabled. It is buried deep in the
nVidia settings, but here is what it looks like:
- FFDshow for decoding DIVX and other codecs
- DVD Profiler for easy DVD database
management
- Latest version of Opera - the only browser
that provides scalable zooming for easy and
legible browsing from the couch
Our PVR software of choice is
SageTV 6.0. The latest version
of Java is installed to ensure the best possible
performance.
In addition to the base SageTV 6.0 software,
additional add-ins were installed to enhance the
overall interface:
-
SageMC 16x9
-
DVD Profiler
Importer
-
IMDB Search
Interface
The beauty of SageTV is
not only its excellent customizability and
functionality, but its community. A gang of
independent developers, haxors, and overall
enthusiasts spend time to create different packages
to polish and augment the SageTV experience.
Now for the performance
assessment. How well did this machine achieve
its goals?
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OBJECTIVE |
RESULT |
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Must be
easily controllable from the couch, 10 feet
away from the TV |
OnAir GT IR remote and
Adesso KB provide easy couch control |
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Must make
use of TV’s 1080i capability with maximized
quality |
7900GT at full 1920x1080
resolution can deliver HQV scores of 123/130
|
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Must make
use of receiver’s DD and DTS decoder |
nVidia's PureVideo outputs
unaltered AC-3 streams for full DD / DTS
audio |
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Must serve
as an always-on file server |
AMD's PowerNow driver and
>80% efficiency Seasonic S12-600 PSU saves
power |
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Must allow
playback of YouTube and Google videos |
SageTV 6.0 allows easy
searching and playback of YouTube and Google
videos |
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Must be able
to store all media (movies, music, photos,
in several formats) in a fault-tolerant
storage system |
RAID-5 array with
enterprise-grade Seagate Barracuda ES drives |
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Must be able
to record at least two TV shows using an EPG |
SageTV 6.0's EPG, with TWO
AutumnWave OnAir GT units can record two
shows simultaneously. Syba add-in USB
2.0 card ensures enough USB 2.0 bandwidth. |
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Must be able
to record in digital-cable quality (analog
cable is far inferior in image quality) |
AutumnWave OnAir
GT is compatible with SageTV 6.0 for clear
QAM tuning. Channel mapping is messy
and tedious, but no way around it. |
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Must be able
to record HDTV programs if available (clear
QAM) |
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Must be
controllable from another PC on the network |
Remote Administrator v2.1
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Must allow
simultaneous playback from other media
center extenders on the network without
performance loss |
SageTV 6.0 + SageTV Media
Extender worked well, provided the network
can handle the traffic. |
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Must provide
Karaoke playback with easy song selection
and echo functions |
TBD, low priority |
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Must be
quiet |
Zalman Reserator 1 Plus,
CoolerMaster fans, and Seasonic S12-600 all
are extremely low-noise products. |
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Must be
black |
Lian Li PC-V2000B is black |
Overall, this project would rate about 90%.
There are still a few issues to work out:
- Need better data protection. Maybe
RAID-6 at the expense of space?
- Need more power efficiency. HE
Opterons are too expensive. Maybe a
Core2Duo T7600 would have enough horsepower to
handle everything?
- Need a solution for easy karaoke song
selection, playback, voice control, and even
scoring
Stay tuned for more HDHTS updates...
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